Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 123

"What is it?" I slowly opened it. Inside was a vase identical to the one that had been broken the night before. I pulled it out. "This is wonderful! Where did you find it?" "I thought I remembered seeing the vase in a store downtown. After the party, we felt bad that you were in trouble with your aunt and uncle, and we knew that the broken vase was only going to make things worse. I called everybody and we all agreed to chip in to pay for a new vase and I volunteered to bring it to you." I hugged Stacey. "The BSC is the best!" I said.

"Not only the BSC," Stacey said. "Joanna, Jeannie, Shira, and Josh want to contribute too. So do Greer, Rick, Austin, Pete, Emily, and Erica." I stared at the vase. It would be a permanent reminder of how wonderful my friends were, and how they could work together.

"We talked about coming over to help you clean up, but we weren't sure that Janine would let us," Stacey said in a low voice.

"You're right about that. I can't talk on the phone or watch television or anything." I looked toward the kitchen. I was waiting for Janine to come and chase Stacey away.

"If you have a chance to call, I'll be home later," Stacey said.

"Thanks again," I replied, keeping a tight hold on the vase.

Stacey ran out to her car. Mrs. McGill waved as I shut the door.

"Who was that?" Janine asked.

"Stacey. Look." I held the vase out for my sister to see.

"Hmmph!" Again, she turned around and walked away.

"Janine! They went to a lot of trouble to find the vase and bring it to us. They were worried about what Mom and Dad would say - " "They were worried you'd be in trouble," Janine interrupted.

I set the vase on the table in the hallway. I'd take it into the living room in a minute, after I carried the trash bag outside. I opened the front door.

"Where do you think you're going now?" Janine demanded.

I whirled around - and heard a sickening sound as the vase hit the ground.

Janine and I jumped back at the same time. The vase twirled, rocked, then lay there, still in one piece. I dropped the trash bag and picked up the vase, searching for cracks and chips.

"Is it okay?" Janine asked in a whisper.

I nodded, then let out the breath I'd been holding. When I finally faced my sister, she was massaging her forehead, her eyes closed.

"Janine, what is going on with you?" I asked. "You haven't been the same since you and Jerry broke up, which was a good thing, remember? He wasn't right for you. Why are you still acting so weird?" Janine sat down on the hall floor, running her fingers through her hair. "You're right about Jerry. But he was my boyfriend for quite awhile and we spent most of our free time together. I lost touch with my other friends and I don't know how to reconnect with those people." She clasped her hands in her lap and looked at me.

I couldn't help smiling a little. "Why don't you throw a party?" I asked.

We laughed together, then Janine reached out and gave me - and the vase - a quick hug. I realized I could have been more sensitive to what Janine was experiencing, if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own problems. Maybe now we could come up with some ideas - together.

My first suggestion was a special sister activity.

"I'd like that, Claudia," Janine replied. Her eyes glowed. "We'll discuss the details later. But, I'd like to know more about art." "And I'd like to know more about computers," I admitted.

We were still in the hall, brainstorming ways that Janine might reestablish some of her old friendships, when Mom and Dad opened the door.

Mom looked at the big bag of trash, then at Janine, then at me. "Hello, girls," she said.

I pulled the trash bag behind me. "Mom, Dad, you're back!" We exchanged hugs all around.

"Did you have fun?" Janine asked.

"It was a wonderful conference," Mom said.

"And so good to see the Simpsons," Dad added. "I can't remember when I've eaten as much as we did the last few days." He patted his stomach.

'And what about you two?" Mom asked, looking at the bag again, then at the vase I still held.

"There's something we need to tell you," I said quickly, and Janine moved a little closer, nodding.

Mom's eyes darted nervously between us.

"Everything is all right," Janine assured her. "But, well, last night I agreed that Claudia could have a few friends over." "I wanted my BSC friends and my seventh-grade friends to have a chance to get better acquainted," I said. "But I wasn't very clear about who was invited, and a few more people showed up than we expected." "Things never went truly out of control," Janine continued, "but it was loud and messy . . . and a vase was broken." I held up the new one.

"Claudia's friends replaced it," Janine said.

Mom's and Dad's expressions grew serious as they looked from me to Janine and back to me.

"Russ and Peaches stopped by and they, um, weren't happy," I said.

"They thought we were being irresponsible," said Janine.

"And we were." Janine and I nodded.

"I'm surprised at you, Janine," Mom said.

"And a little disappointed," Dad added.

"There was no ... drinking involved, was there?" Mom looked at the trash bag again.

"Nothing like that at all. They ate a lot. Pizza, soda, cookies, that sort of thing. No drinking," Janine stressed.

"I'm glad you told us about it. I don't think I would have known from looking at the house. It's very neat." Mom walked through to the kitchen and everyone followed.

"What's that smell?" Dad asked.

"I took one of Mom's casseroles out of the freezer and put it in the oven so it would be ready when you returned. I wanted to prepare something special, but there wasn't much left to eat," Janine explained.

"You seem well aware that what you did was wrong." Mom opened the oven door and peeked inside.

"And it was," Dad emphasized.

I waited, still clutching the vase, for what they were going to say next - what our punishment would be.

"Still, we can't have something like this happen again." Dad looked at Janine, then at me. "Mom and I will discuss your punishment and let you know later. Why don't you finish cleaning up while we unpack?" "Thanks, Dad," Janine said.

"Glad you're back," I said.

Janine grabbed the big bag of trash she'd gathered from the kitchen, and I grabbed the one in the front hallway. Then we took them outside together.

Chapter 15.

"I tried to call you last night." I whirled around and came face-to-face with Josh. I stuffed my backpack inside the locker and stood in front of it. "I know. I'm not allowed to use the telephone this week except for official BSC business. Mom and Dad were a little upset about the party." "I guess they weren't the only ones." Josh looked away.

"I know I yelled at you and I'm sorry. I even asked Mom if I could call and tell you that, but she said no. That whole night was a little out of control," I admitted.

"I guess." Josh shrugged. "See you later." He wandered off.

Oh, well. It would give me a chance to carry out the surprise I'd spent the evening working on.

I headed for Josh's locker. As soon as I made sure he wasn't anyplace nearby, I opened the locker and stuck in the candy flower bouquet I'd put together. I'd used up a major part of my junk food stash to create my masterpiece. Hershey Kisses were bunched together to form silver flower buds on top of licorice stems with candy bar leaves. Then I dug out the certificates Janine had helped me create on the computer. I'd made three "Claudia Time Certificates," each one redeemable for an afternoon of quality time - Josh and me only. I wasn't sure he'd take me up on the offer. But I wanted to try.

I closed the locker door, then, using the wrapping paper and ribbon I'd brought from home, I decorated the outside to look like a gift package. I'd barely had time to admire my work when the bell rang and I had to rush to my first class.