Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 123

"I don't know if I did or not. I was so nervous. I wore a tie and almost knocked out a waiter with my chair. I didn't have a clue about what to say to anybody." "I knew you were nervous at first, but I didn't realize it was that bad." The waitress set our pizza on the table. Josh transferred a large slice from the pan to his plate. Strings of cheese stretched between the pizza and his slice. He stuck his fingers underneath them and twirled, separating the cheese from the rest of the pie. "I couldn't have done that last night, in front of everybody. How old is Ethan anyway?" "Fifteen," I said.

"He was so ..." Josh took a bite and chewed, thinking. "He didn't make a single mistake all night." "Still, he may have been as nervous as you were but was covering it up. I know I was worried the first time I met him. But he's cool." "Yeah. I wish I could have gotten through it that easily." "You did fine." "I felt better after I ditched the tie," Josh said with a smile. He leaned his head back and let the string of cheese dribble into his mouth.

"You and Logan were talking. I bet Logan felt awkward at first too." "Is Logan part of the BSC?" Josh asked.

"He's an associate member. He takes jobs if the rest of us are busy," I explained.

"He must get a lot of jobs, then," Josh said.

I sighed. One of the things I like about Josh is that he's easy to talk to. "You mean you think I'm too busy?" "Not exactly. It's more that you have separate groups of friends. One group goes with this part of your life," Josh tore his pizza slice in half and put one part of it on his plate. 'And another group goes with this part." He placed the second half on a napkin. "I'm part of this seventh-grade group, but I don't know the BSC group that well. And, sometimes I'd like to be our own group - Josh and Claudia." "I feel more like a piece of taffy than pizza," I said. "Pulled and tugged between my friends, my family, and homework. I wish there was a fun way to bring everybody together," I added, thinking out loud. "Like a party." "How about a taffy pull?" I laughed. "I was thinking of a get-acquainted party." "That sounds like fun. Why not do it?" Josh asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think my parents would let me throw a big party." After Josh walked me home I tried to come up with another way to bring the different groups in my life together. As I passed by Janine's room, she spun her chair toward the door. "Did Josh enjoy the cookies?" she called out.

I wasn't sure what he'd done with the cookies, but I called out, "Yeah," and continued toward my room.

I sat on my bed. I knew my friends would like one another if they had a chance to get to know one another better. I looked up to see Janine in the doorway, leaning against the jamb.

"Did you finish your science assignment?" she asked.

"Mom helped me with it. She wouldn't let me go out with Josh until I finished." Janine continued to stand there. "Would you like to join me in a game of - " "I don't think so," I said before she could even finish asking. Janine likes games that test the brain, and I'm no match for her. "Don't you have something to study tonight?" "I'm reading the most fascinating book for extra credit in my English class. It's a novel about chess. You know I don't usually enjoy fiction, but this particular plot is almost mathematical in its precision," she said.

"Sounds great," I mumbled as I felt underneath the bed for the bag of M&M's I knew was there. When I pulled it out, Janine was holding out her hand. I poured some M&M's into it. Maybe I could get used to spending time with Janine.

"You know," said Janine thoughtfully, "you've managed to maintain relationships with your seventh-grade friends as well as your eighth-grade friends, even now that you've returned to the eighth grade, haven't you?" "I'm trying," I said, suddenly realizing that my problem wasn't so bad after all. Here I was, feeling as if I had too many friends, but it seemed as if Janine didn't have any friends at all. Maybe that's why she was so interested in my life all of a sudden.

"We could work ahead in your math book," Janine suggested.

"Nah," I said.

"Maybe I'll go back to my room." She popped the last two M&M's into her mouth. "See you in the morning." "See you," I said, collapsing back against the pillows. How could I fit more hours into the day? That's the only solution I could come up with for managing to keep all my friends happy.

By the time our Monday BSC meeting rolled around, I still hadn't come up with any ideas about how to bring my seventh-grade friends, Josh, and my BSC friends together.

Abby had run to the meeting again, and Jessi was showing her some stretches that she could do to cool down. Stacey was writing in the BSC notebook, and Mary Anne and Kristy were looking at a magazine. Mallory was sitting on the floor, leaning against my bed. She seemed to be studying her fingernails.

"How did you do on your social studies test?" Stacey asked Mal as she handed her the BSC notebook.

"Okay. I think I got an eighty-six." Mal passed the notebook to Mary Anne without even opening it. She had barely smiled when she'd arrived that afternoon and hadn't smiled once since. And an 86 on a test? Usually, she'd consider that near failing. I noticed Jessi's look of concern when Mal announced her grade. We were all concerned about Mal.

"Did Josh have a good time Saturday night?" Mary Anne asked.

"He said he was too nervous to enjoy it," I admitted.

Mary Anne nodded. "Logan said the same thing." "Ethan thought everything went pretty well, considering. He said meeting new people isn't his favorite thing," said Stacey.

So I'd been right. All the guys had felt as awkward as Josh had. "But sometimes it's good to mix with different people," I said.

"When?" asked Mary Anne.

"When you've just beaten the pants off them at softball," Kristy said.

"When you're trying out for a part in a ballet," Jessi offered.

"When you're running past them on the street," mumbled Abby, her head touching the floor between her outstretched legs. I stared in wonder. I knew I couldn't do that.

"I don't know which is worse: meeting new people who don't know anything about you, or having to see the same old faces and hear the same old comments every single day," Mallory said.

Her response was the only one that was serious.

"What I mean is that I had to meet new people and make new friends when I went back to seventh grade, and those people are still my friends," I said.

"Yeah?" said Stacey.

'And I wish there was some way they could get to know you guys and you guys could get to know them." "What if we went out for pizza together?" Abby suggested.

I figured Josh wouldn't be very anxious to go out to eat with a new group of people anytime soon.

"We could go to the mall together," Stacey said.

"Josh may have had one too many shopping trips with 'the girls' already," I answered.

"Well, you'll come up with something," Stacey assured me.

I wished I could feel as confident about that as Stacey sounded. I wondered how hard taffy had to be pulled before it broke apart.

Chapter 7.

What a day to be late, I thought as I ran the last block home on Thursday afternoon. Mom and Dad had a plane to catch and I'd left school only after promising to call Joanna, then Stacey, and finally Josh. With Mom and Dad gone, I might be able to do it.

The front door hit a suitcase when I opened it. "I'm here!" I called out as soon as I'd caught my breath enough to speak.

'About time!" Mom said as she and Dad joined me in the hall. "We were worried the car would arrive before you did. Janine, we're almost ready. Come on down." Mom opened the door and looked outside. "Oh, the car is here now. We did almost miss you." She hugged me.

"I left the phone number of the hotel along with that of the Simpsons posted beside the phone in the kitchen," Dad said as he slipped on his overcoat.