Ann Martin: Mary Anne And Too Many Boys

Mary Anne and Too Many Boys

Ann M. Martin

Chapter 1.

I was so excited I felt like doing cartwheels across Claudia Kishi's bedroom floor. It was summer (at last!) and my friends and I were gathered for a special meeting of the Babysitters Club.

I looked around the room, and it was pretty obvious that my friends were as excited as I was. Of course, everyone was trying very hard to be cool, because that's the way our club president, Kristy Thomas, expects us to be.

Even though we were starting our summer vacations, she insisted on business as usual. Kristy was perched in a director's chair, wearing a red T-shirt, faded jeans, and a visor. She glanced at her watch just as our two junior officers, Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey, scooted into the room and flopped down on the floor.

"You're late," Kristy said sternly.

Jessi and Mal are younger than the rest of

us (and happen to be best friends) but Kristy believes that rules are rules. She takes her duty as president very seriously and believes that nothing — short of an earthquake — is an excuse for being late. But I can understand why she feels that way. The Baby-sitters Club was her idea, and I can still remember the day she told Claudia and me about it. All of us had grown up together onBradford Court and loved to baby-sit, but it took someone like Kristy to set the wheels in motion for an actual sitting business.

But back to Mal and Jessi. "Sorry," they murmured in unison. They looked like they were trying hard not to giggle. Mal and Jessi always stick together, and besides, how could anyone take things seriously on the first day of summer?

"I can't believe you're going toCalifornia tonight," I whispered to Dawn Schafer. Dawn is my stepsister (her mother married my father), and she was going to the West Coast to visit her father and brother for two weeks.

"I can't believe it, either. It will be so much fupl to go home. I mean, to my second home," jrfie added quickly.

/ Her second home? I guess I should explain that. Even though she lives inStoneybrook,Connecticut , now, Dawn is aCalifornia girl

at heart. She loves the sun and the ocean, and is into health food in a major way. She even looks like someone out of aCalifornia beach movie. If you've already guessed that she's blonde, blue-eyed, and has the kind of dazzling smile you see in toothpaste commercials — you're right! Besides being my stepsister, Dawn is my "other" best friend. (Kristy Thomas is also my best friend.) There was definitely some jealousy involved when Dawn and I became stepsisters. Kristy seemed hurt that Dawn and I were spending so much time together, and I had to reassure her that it wouldn't affect our friendship.

I just realized I haven't told you who I am, so here's a capsule biography, as my English teacher would say. My name is Mary Anne Spier. I am thirteen years old and an eighth-grader atStoneybrookMiddle School . I don't have a yard of wheat-colored hair like Dawn. Instead, I have brown hair, brown eyes, and think of myself as kind of ordinary. Oh, yes, one more thing. I have a fantastic gray kitten named Tigger.

"Have you said good-bye toLogan ?" Dawn asked in a low voice.

"I called him last night."

I knew it would be hard to say good-bye toLogan , so I had decided to get it over with

quickly. Logan Bruno is my boyfriend, but I still have a little trouble getting used to the idea.Logan is the cutest boy I have ever seen. He looks just like Cam Geary, my favorite TV star, and he comes fromLouisville,Kentucky . He has this smooth southern accent and a voice that makes me think of warm molasses.Logan is an associate member of the BSC, which means he doesn't come to meetings, but he fills in occasionally when all the regular members are busy. (Our other associate member is Shannon Kilbourne, a friend of Kristy's.)

"He's really going to miss you," Dawn said softly. "But I guess the feeling is mutual."

I nodded. Even though I had a wonderful two weeks at Sea City, this fantastic beach in New Jersey, ahead of me, I knew I would miss Logan. A lot.

"Can we please come to order?" Kristy said abruptly. I glanced around the room as the meeting began. It's amazing how many good things have happened for me because of the Baby-sitters Club. Dawn feels the same way. When we became friends, which was right after she moved here fromCalifornia , I talked the BSC members into letting her join the club. About a year later we became stepsisters. But you're probably wondering how the club got

started, and this would be a good time to tell you a little bit about it.

One day Kristy noticed that her mom was having a terrible time trying to find a sitter for David Michael, Kristy's little brother. Kristy couldn't sit for him, and neither could her two older brothers. So Mrs. Thomas was making calls all over town and getting nowhere. Then Kristy had a great idea. Why not form a babysitters club to solve that kind of problem?

This is how it works. A group of us meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from5:30 to6:00 in Claudia Kishi's bedroom. Why did we pick Claudia's room? Because she has her own phone and her own private number. Anyone who wants a baby-sitter can call us at that time, and they immediately reach seven sitters at once. The idea is perfect — and so simple, we wondered why we hadn't thought of it before.

Kristy is the president, because the club was her idea, and Claudia is the vice-president, since her room is our headquarters. Stacey McGill likes numbers, so she's our treasurer. My stepsister, Dawn, is our official alternate officer. Dawn has to be familiar with the job of every club officer and be able to substitute for anyone who can't make a meeting: She

really likes being an alternate because she gets to take on lots of different roles in the club.

Mal and Jessi are junior officers as I mentioned. Since they are eleven years old, they can only baby-sit after school and on weekends, but they are very responsible. (They don't have actual club duties, though.) Mal and Jessi have a lot in common. They are both the oldest children in their families, and both of them complain that their parents treat them like babies.

I have the best job of all. (In my opinion.) I am the club secretary, and I keep our record book. The record book lists all our baby-sitting appointments, along with the rates our clients pay, and how much each of us earns at each job. I also have to keep track of each member's schedule — I could tell you when Jessi has a ballet lesson or Kristy has softball practice — and I have never made a scheduling mistake.

I was flipping through the record book when Kristy called on Stacey McGill to give the treasurer's report. Stacey looked very "New York" as usual, in a pair of khaki safari pants, topped with a jungle-print blouse and a leather belt that must have cost two months' allowance. Stacey is a real city girl. She grew up inNew York , and when her family moved to Stoney-brook, Claudia became friendly with her and

invited her to join the club. Stacey is extremely sophisticated, but she does have her problems. Her parents recently divorced and her father lives inNew York . And she has a disease called diabetes, which means she has to stick to a strict no-sweets diet and give herself daily injections of something called insulin.

"Well that's about it," Stacey said, finishing her report. She looked at me and grinned. "Do you realize where we'll be tomorrow at this time?"

"I sure do," I blurted out. "SeaCity!"

Kristy frowned. "I know everyone's excited about their vacation plans, but could we please keep this meeting going?"

"Sorry about that." I tried to look remorseful, but it was difficult because~1 know I was still grinning from ear to ear. StatSy McGill and I were going to spend two fantastic^ weeks at a real beach town, and jlUeouldn't wait to get started? It wasn't exactly a vacation (we were going to be mother's helpers for a family — the Pikes — just like we had done the last time they went to the beach), but it would be wonderful. I was sure of i*]J_tided to restfaTrt myself, though, because I remembered that Kristy's family hadn't made any vacation plans. Kristy would be in Stoneybrook for the next couple of weeks. Of course some people