Ann Martin - Mary Anne And Too Many Boys

would say that Kristy is always on vacation, because she lives in a house that is straight out of the movies. Kristy used to live next door to me, but when her mother (who was divorced) married a millionaire named Watson Brewer, the whole family moved across town to his mansion. Kristy's family immediately increased in size. Watson has two cute kids who spend every other weekend with him, and recently Kristy's mom and Watson adopted an adorable little Vietnamese girl. She is two years old and her name is Emily.

Kristy nudged me impatiently. "How does the record book look, Mary Anne?" Kristy likes to plan everything days in advance and doesn't like surprises.

""You're going to be busy," I told her, flipping through the calendar pages. "Of course, you'll haveje.ssi to help you." (Jessi didn't have any vacation plans, either.)

Jessi is a really neat black girl who moved to Stoneybrgijk^^o^^Oa^kJey,New Jersey . She's in the sixth grade (like Ivfallory), and is a very talented ballet dancer. She has an eight-year-old sister named Becca, and a baby brother nicknamed Squirt. Jessi can handle almost any situation, and proved it once by pet-sitting for a houseful of animals for a week.

"It looks like you both have interesting jobs lined up," I went on.

Jessi beamed. "I'm sitting for Charlotte Jo-hanssen one afternoon."Charlotte is one of our favorite kids.

"I'm sitting for Jenny Prezzioso," Kristy said glumly.

Jenny Prezzioso. Everybody was silent for a moment while the name sank in. Jenny is the kind of kid who gives baby-sitting a bad name, although I guess it isn't really her fault. She's only four years old, but she's headed for the "World's Most Spoiled Kid" award.

"You'll be able to handle her," Claudia said cheerfully. "Just don't let her eat pizza if she's wearing one of her Little Bo-Peep dresses."

"Pizza!" Mal exclaimed. "I wish you hadn't said that. I'm starving!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her stomach gave a loud growl, just like a sound effect in a movie. "Oh, how awful." She clutched her stomach in embarrassment and giggled.

Claudia reached under the bed and pulled out a shoe box. "Help yourself." The box tipped open and I could see it was filled with Twinkles, Gummy Bears, and M&M's.

Nobody thought it was odd that Claudia kept snacks under the bed. Claudia is a junk-

food addict, and she has candy and cookies stashed all over her room. Her parents aren't thrilled about it, so she keeps her "treats" safely tucked away. Claudia, by the way, is definitely the most dramatic-looking person in the club. She's Japanese-American, and has long black hair and almond-shaped eyes. She's a great artist and has an incredibly brainy sister, Janine. (Claudia is not the world's best student, so it's just as well that she's talented in other areas.)

"Mary Anne," Stacey said dreamily, "remember the pizza atSeaCity ?"

"How could I forget?" I sighed happily. "Even pepperoni tastes better inSeaCity ." When Stacey and I had been toSeaCity with the Pikes before, we'd had a super time. If you like to eat, you would go crazy atSeaCity , because you can find everything from banana fudge to foot-long hot dogs there.

"AndBurgerGarden ," Stacey went on. "Remember those Crazy Burgers?"

"Of course I do," I said. "Burgers topped with bacon, Swiss cheese, pickles, and orange sauce."

"Orange sauce? Yuck!" Jessi looked slightly sick.

"It's not what you think," I told her. "They just mix the ketchup and mustard together.

The Pike kids love it, don't you, Mal?"

"We sure do." Mal nodded enthusiastically. Mallory is the oldest of eight kids, so naturally she is a terrific baby-sitter. The last time she went toSeaCity she was a little young to babysit, so Stacey and I had all the responsibility for her brothers and sisters. Now that Mal is older, her parents have decided to pay her to help us out. But just from time to time. For the most part, they want her to have fun and enjoy her vacation.

Every year Mal's family rents a big house at the beach, and the kids love it. Stoneybrook is on the water, but it isn't the same thing. It isn't a "beach town" thewaySeaCity is. There must be a million things to do inSeaCity , and I don't mean just the ocean and the boardwalk.

"Remember how much fun we had atTrampolineLand ?" Stacey said.

"And Fred's Putt-Putt Course!" Mal exclaimed. "I love miniature golf. And the Ferris wheel, and oh, Candy Kitchen andIce-CreamPalace !"

Kristy looked a little put out by this trip down memory lane, so I decided to change the subject.

"How about you, Claudia? Are you all set forVermont ?"

"I think so," she said softly. She looked a

little wistful and I knew she was thinking of Mimi, her grandmother. Mirni died recently, and this year's vacation in the mountains just wouldn't be the same without her. The Kishis were even going to a different spot, because it would be too painful to go back to the old place.

"I suppose we can close the meeting now," Kristy said reluctantly. I know she was disappointed that most of us were taking off for exciting places, while she and Jessi would be stuck at home in Stoneybrook.

"Gosh, I'm going to miss everybody," I said suddenly. It had just dawned on me that I wouldn't see my friends for two whole weeks!

Before I had a chance to get misty-eyed (I cry very easily), Kristy thumped me on the shoulder. "Hey, don't turn on the waterworks. We're all going to write each other!"

"That's true," I said, trying to cheer up, "but it won't be the same." I could feel a lump rising in my throat and swallowed hard. "I'll send everybody tons of postcards. And make sure you write me back," I pleaded. (We had already exchanged addresses.)

"Of course we will," Jessi promised. "Kristy and I will tell you about our baby-sitting jobs."

"And we'll write everything in the club notebook," Kristy said. (The club notebook is

like a diary. We write up what happens on every job we go to. Leave it to Kristy to be businesslike at a time like this.)

I hate good-byes, so I didn't object when Stacey pulled me toward the hallway. "Have a great time, everybody!" she yelled over her shoulder. Dawn and Mallory were already ahead of us, thundering down the stairs, eager to start their vacations. Kristy and Jessi looked a little sad standing in Claudia's bedroom, and I could feel myself getting weepy again.

"Come on, Mary Anne!" Stacey exclaimed. "SeaCityis waiting for us."

She was right. I wiped away a tear that was threatening to trickle down my cheek. Who could cry when it was vacation time?

Chapter 2.

"Which do you like better? The pink or the blue?"

Dawn snatched up identical bikinis from her dresser drawer and waved them at me.

"Urn ... I like them both," I said.

"Honestly, Mary Anne! You must like one a teeny bit more than the other." She collapsed on the bed next to her open suitcase. It was late Friday afternoon, and her bedroom looked like a tornado had just ripped through. Dawn was packing for California, and every single surface was littered with clothes. She could have held a rummage sale. When our parents got married, we started out as roommates, but it was a disaster, and we decided on separate rooms. I glanced at the piles of clothes scattered around and remembered why.

"You look great in pink and blue," I said defensively. "I wasn't just being polite. Anyway, why don't you bring both of them? You

can always use an extra suit at the beach."

Dawn started to laugh. "An extra suit!" she said, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chin. "I'm bringing six bathing suits with me — three bikinis and three tank suits."

"Oh," I said, feeling a little silly. Dawn really dresses like an "individual," and to her, a bathing suit is more than something to swim in. It's a fashion statement.