Ann Martin - Good Bye Stacey, Good Bye

She shrugged. "I always felt different from the other kids. Older, I guess. You know, it wasn't so long ago that Kristy and Mary Anne were still dressing up stuffed animals, but I gave that up in third grade. I was always taking art classes or trying out new things with my hair or experimenting with makeup. I just felt

worlds apart from the other kids in my grade."

"And then I came along/' I said.

"Right. And you were just like me. When I said something, you knew exactly what I meant. We liked the same movies, we had the same feelings about things. You know, sometimes I think I can read your mind."

"What am I thinking right now?" I asked.

Claudia frowned. "You're trying to think of some way to stay here in Stoneybrook," she said slowly.

"That's right!" I exclaimed.

"I knew it!" said Claudia. She actually smiled at me.

"Claud," I said suddenly. I put Lennie down and turned to face her, grabbing her hand. "Maybe I really could stay here."

Claudia brightened. "How?"

"Maybe Dad could look for a new job here or in Stamford. My parents are happy in Connecticut, too."

"Do you really think he'd do that?" asked Claudia excitedly.

"No."

"Oh. Maybe your dad could commute to New York, but your family could stay here."

"No. Too far."

"Oh."

"Hey!" I cried. "I asked my parents if we

could at least put the move off until eighth grade is over so I could graduate from Stoney-brook Middle School. And they said no, that was much too long to wait. But maybe ..."

"WHAT?"

"Maybe Mom and Dad could move and I could stay here, at least until the school year's over. Or maybe even through the summer."

"Stay here?" I could see the gleam in Clau-dia's eyes. She knew what I meant. "Move in with us!" she exclaimed. "Oh, great! You could live in the guest bedroom. It would be super! We could do our homework together every night."

"I'd be right here for all the meetings of the Baby-sitters Club."

"We could try on makeup together."

"Go shopping together."

"We'd never get tired of each other."

"No, never!"

"Listen," said Claud. "Why don't I go downstairs and ask my parents and you stay here and call your parents? I bet it'll only take a few minutes to work things out. Later, everyone can get together to discuss the details."

"Okay!" I cried.

Claudia was right. It only took a few minutes — for all four of our parents to give us flat-out no's.

"What'd your parents say?" Claudia asked when she returned glumly to her room.

"They said they think you're wonderful but they need to be around to watch my diet and to take me to the doctor regularly, and that your parents have their hands full taking Mimi to physical therapy, and besides, Mom and Dad would miss me. What'd your parents say?"

"They said they think you're terrific but what about your diabetes, and they have their hands full with Mimi, and besides, wouldn't your parents miss you?"

I nodded. "It figures."

"Well, now what?" Claudia asked.

"I don't know."

We sat on her bed again.

"My parents are going to look for a bigger apartment. Maybe it will overlook Central Park," I said hopefully. "Anyway, there'll be plenty of room for you."

"Do you ever go to concerts in the park?" asked Claudia.

"Sure. Sometimes. And at Madison Square Garden."

"What's your favorite store in all of New York?"

"Oh, easy. Bloomingdale's. It's much better than the one in Stamford. We'll go there when you come visit."

"Can we go to a concert, too?"

"Sure."

"And to the Museum of Modern Art?"

"Anything."

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," said Claudia.

"Maybe. . . . The only things I won't have are you and my friends."

"And green lawns."

"And peace and quiet."

"And Stoneybrook Middle School."

"And — the Baby-sitters Club."

Claudia and I looked at each other, and for a second I was sure we were both going to burst into tears again. "I'll have to tell Kristy and the others. I'll have to leave the club. You guys won't have a treasurer anymore."

"The club needs you," Claudia said softly. "Badly. We're too busy with five members. How will we get along with only four?"

"I better phone Kristy," I said. "We'll have to have an emergency club meeting as soon as possible. I guess tomorrow at lunchtime."

Claudia nodded. Then she picked up her phone and handed it to me.

I dialed it with shaking fingers. "Hello, Kristy?" I said. "It's Stacey. Emergency club meeting tomorrow in the cafeteria."

Chapter 4.

I managed not to tell Kristy, Mary Anne, or Dawn the news about my move until we were actually sitting at our usual spot in the cafeteria with our food in front of us. That morning, Mom had taken pity on me and driven me to school (I usually walk with Claudia and Mary Anne), and then somehow I just hadn't seen any of my friends until lunch.

By the time fifth period rolled around, Kristy was so curious about the emergency meeting that she hustled everyone through the lunch lines and didn't even bother to make gross comments about the hot lunch, which she and Mary Anne always buy. Usually she sits at the table for a few minutes saying stuff like, "I've got it! Fungus — that's what this salad smells like!" or "Remember those gym socks I lost last week? I think they're right here in my succotash." She says these things to bug us,

but when she didn't say anything on the day of the emergency meeting, I suddenly realized that I would really miss Kristy and her comments after I left Stoneybrook.

"So," said Kristy briskly the second we were settled, "why did you call this meeting, Stacey?"

"Well, I called it because I have to tell you guys some very important news, and it's going to affect the club."

I looked around at the four faces that were watching me intently: Mary Anne's serious one, framed by her wavy, brown hair; Kristy, just as serious, chewing on the end of a pen; Dawn, her pale blue eyes wide with curiosity; and Claudia, exotic as ever, looking pained because she knew what was coming.

I cleared my throat. "I have to ... You're not going to like this news."

"Are you sick?" asked Mary Anne suddenly. "Do you have to go into the hospital?"

"Oh, no," I replied hastily. "I —"

"Did something happen to one of your parents? Wait! No, don't tell me. They're getting divorced, right?" said Kristy, who knows much too much about such things. Like Dawn, Kristy's parents are divorced, only it wasn't a very nice divorce and Kristy never hears from her real father. But things are getting better

for her. Last summer her mother remarried this rich guy, Watson Brewer. That's why Kristy doesn't live in our neighborhood anymore. She and her older brothers, Charlie and Sam, her little brother, David Michael, and her mom moved into Watson's mansion across town. Kristy is so lucky because in the process she acquired an adorable stepsister and stepbrother, Karen and Andrew, who live there part-time. (The rest of the time they live with their mother.)

"No, it's not a divorce," I told Kristy.

"Are you —" Dawn began.

But Claudia interrupted her. "Just let her talk, okay?" she said crossly.

"Okay, okay," said the others.

"We're moving," I said flatly. "Back to New York. In a month."

When Mom and Dad had told me the news, the kitchen had become silent. My friends' reaction was noisy.

"Moving!" exploded Kristy. "You can't move!"

"Why are you moving?" Dawn demanded to know.

"Aughh!" shrieked Mary Anne in a much louder voice than usual. "You're not! I don't believe it!"

"We are," I said, willing myself not to cry.

"Dad's company is transferring him. And it's definite. My parents like Connecticut, but they like New York, too. They've already put our house up for sale and they're looking for an apartment in the city. Everything's going to happen really fast."