Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 037

Myriah had the opening lines. "Hello, doggie," she said brightly. "Don't you have a home?" She walked up to Chewy and pretended to inspect his neck. "Uh-oh," she said, making a face. "No collar." She rolled her eyes. "Now it's going to be really hard to find your owner." Chewy jumped up and started licking her face. "Down, Chewy," she said sharply. "I mean, down, doggie." Gabbie cleared her throat, eager to get into the act. Myriah nodded and started walking across the patio with the dog. "Let's see if any of the people who work in the mall know your owner," she said. "We'll start with the shoe store." "Want some shoes?" Gabbie asked. "We've got all kinds - yellow, green, and red. And all sizes." Myriah stopped so suddenly that Chewy stumbled into her. "Not today, thanks," she said very seriously. "I've got a problem. This is a lost dog, and I'm looking for his owner." "How about some shoes?" Gabble persisted.

"That's not right," James cried. "You're supposed to talk about the dog, not the shoes." Myriah frowned. "Think hard," she said to Gabble. "Have you seen his owner?" "We have sneakers," Gabble continued. "And cowboy boots - " Myriah sighed. Gabble must have forgotten the script. Myriah would just have to make the best of it. "Let's go, doggie," said Myriah. "Maybe your owner stopped for a slice of pizza." She walked over to the barbecue grill, where Mathew was pretending to throw pizza dough in the air. "Excuse me . . ." "Not while I'm making the dough," Mathew said. "I can't talk until I get this in the oven." Myriah looked annoyed. It was obvious that Mathew was adding some new lines to his script. "Look," she said, "this is an emergency." Mathew shook his head and refused to-look at her. He twirled the imaginary dough in his hand, pretending to toss it high in the sky. Finally he spread some pretend-pizza sauce on it and put it in the oven. Then he wiped his hands on a pretend-apron (a nice touch, Jessi thought) and grinned. "Okay, what do you want?" Myriah repeated the story about the lost dog while Mathew listened intently. "Afraid I can't help you," he said, twirling another piece of dough.

Jessi was beginning to wonder what Myriah would do next when Zach came tearing around the corner on his bicycle. Zach is a good friend of James, but he is very bossy and always tells James what to do.

When he saw Myriah leading Chewy around the patio, he came to a stop. "What are you doing?" "We're rehearsing a play," Myriah said.

"Can I watch?" "I guess so," she replied. She waited until Zach settled himself on a huge tire that was suspended from a rope and then went on with the play. She had just taken Chewy into a department store, when Zach burst out laughing.

"This is the dumbest play I've ever seen," he hooted.

"It is not," James said angrily. "I wrote it." "You wrote it?" Zach laughed so hard, he nearly fell off the swing. "It stinks!" He jumped off the tire and headed for his bike. "And what are you doing playing with girls, anyway?" "They're part of the play," James began, his face a bright red.

"I don't believe this," Zachary said, still chuckling. "First you hang around with that retard, Susan Felder, and now you're playing with a bunch of little kids." (Susan Felder is a handicapped girl whose family lives in the neighborhood. She goes to a special school, doesn't talk, and doesn't know how to play with other kids.) Jessi thought it was really mean of Zach to call her a retard and said so.

"Yeah, well, she is," Zach said bluntly. He wasn't even embarrassed. "You know something, James?" he said, swinging onto his bike. "If you really want to be an American, you've got to change. You need to hang around with me and the other guys. You need to spend more time on your skateboard. And you should dump these girls. Oh, yeah. One more thing. Quit calling your mother 'Mum.' " James just stood there listening, his hands clenched at his sides. Finally he spoke up. "You know what your problem is, Zach?" he said very quietly. "You're just jealous because you're not in the play." "He probably can't even act," Mathew said, and Jessi giggled.

"I can so!" Zach said hotly. "Maybe I just don't want to hang around with a bunch of girls!" Zach pedaled as fast as he could down the driveway, chanting, "James is a gi-irl, James is a gi-irl!" James's face fell, and Jessi felt sorry for him.

Nobody said anything for a moment, and then Chewy barked. "1 think he's trying to tell us it's time to go back to the play," James said. Everybody laughed. James clapped his hands loudly. "Okay, places everyone. Let's take it from the top." Jessi felt very proud of him.

Chapter 6.

Last Tuesday I got the biggest shock of my life! You're going to really be surprised when I tell you about it.

School had just let out, and Stacey and I had walked Kristy to her bus. Claudia and Mary Anne were trailing behind us, and everyone was trying to decide what to do next.

"Why don't you come over to my house?" Claudia offered. "Mom bought a gallon of Pecan Crunch ice cream." She glanced at Stacey. "And there's homemade applesauce, too. The kind with no sugar." Stacey smiled. "It sounds good, but I've got an English test tomorrow. So do you, Claudia," she added teasingly. "In case you've forgotten." Claudia groaned and clutched her head in her hands. "You had to remind me!" She turned to me. "How about you, Dawn?" I shrugged. I never eat ice cream (I like frozen yogurt and Tofutti) but I didn't want to sound rude. I was just about to make up some excuse not to go to Claudia's when a car horn tooted behind me. I turned automatically and saw - Travis! "Ohmigosh!" I muttered under my breath.

Mary Anne spotted him at the same time. "Isn't that - " "Yes, yes," I said quickly, practically fainting on the spot.

"Look, he's pulling over to the curb," Stacey said, grabbing my arm. "And he's waving to you." ' My mind went blank. What was Travis doing here? Did he really want to see me?

"Go over to the car," Stacey whispered, giving me a little shove. "What are you waiting for?" What was I waiting for? The best-looking boy I'd ever seen in my whole life was offering me a ride, and I was frozen like a statue! I probably would have stood there forever, except that Stacey jabbed me with her spiral notebook.

"Move!" she ordered.

Travis had already pushed the passenger door open and was flashing his million-dollar smile at me.

"Hop in," he said casually. "Are you on your way home?" "Yes, but - " "I've got a better idea," he cut in smoothly. "How'd you like to go shopping with me? I've got to pick out a birthday present for my dad." I hesitated. Going anywhere with Travis would be fantastic, but I knew I should check with Mom first. I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to stall for time. Maybe I could duck back into school and call her first? But then Travis would think that I was a baby! Besides, Mary Anne could always tell Mom and Richard where I was - if she absolutely had to.

Another horn beeped, and Travis patted the front seat of his car. "C'mon," he said urgently. "This is a no-parking zone." I made up my mind. I dumped my books on the front seat, slid inside, and a minute later we were zipping down the street, with the sounds of hard rock filling the car.

Travis waited till we stopped at a red light to turn to me. "I'm glad you decided to come," he said simply.

I grinned, relaxing a little. "So am I. There's just one thing I should warn you about. I've got to be home by six." "No problem. We've got plenty of time. I thought we'd hit Surf and Sail first, and then we'll play it by ear." The light changed and he turned left.

"Surf and Sail?" I repeated.

"It's a sporting goods store. My dad has had his eye on a new compass for a long time, and they go on sale this week." I nodded, happy to be with him. He looked terrific in a blue cotton workshirt and faded jeans. I could hardly believe my good luck.