Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 031

We were pretty quiet as we drove over to Mary Anne's. But as soon as Charlie let us out and we'd settled ourselves on the floor in the Spiers' living room, we all began talking at once.

The first thing Kristy said was, "Ew! Your parents kissed in public! PDA! PDA! Public Display of Affection!" Mary Anne blushed to the roots of her hair.

Then Claudia said, "Mary Anne, I can't believe you cried so much at the wedding that all your makeup came off." Mary Anne blushed an even brighter red.

Everyone started laughing.

I looked around at my friends. I felt happy. I felt happier than happy. My mom had gotten married again, and I had a new stepfather and a new stepsister.

I smiled at everyone - Kristy, Claudia, Logan, Stacey, Mal, Jessi, and Mary Anne. . . .

Chapter 2.

I was lucky to have such a nice group of friends, and I wouldn't have had them at all if it weren't for Mary Anne. She was one of the first people I met after I moved to Stoneybrook. And she introduced me to her friends in the Baby-sitters Club. The BSC is a business that Kristy started. We baby-sit for families in our neighborhoods. But the club members aren't just business partners, they're friends, too. And, boy, am I grateful for them. They made moving across country and switching to a new school in the middle of the year a lot easier than I'd expected. Plus, they're very different people (I mean, from each other), and I like that. They aren't a clique of girls who have to dress alike, talk alike, think alike, and be sure to have a boyfriend at all times.

Take Kristy Thomas, for instance. She's the president of the BSC. Kristy is an ideas person.

She thought up the club and got it going. She's an extrovert who can be bossy and has sort of a big mouth. She's also a tomboy who loves sports. She likes kids, too, of course. (We all do, or we wouldn't enjoy baby-sitting so much.) Kristy likes sports and children so much that she organized a softball team for kids who are too young to try out for Little League, or who are afraid to try out for it.

Kristy couldn't care less about the way she dresses or whether she has a boyfriend. She thinks planning outfits and putting on makeup and jewelry are a waste of time. So she almost always wears the same kinds of clothes - jeans, a turtleneck shirt, a sweater (in the winter), running shoes, and sometimes this baseball cap with a collie on it. Kristy has brown hair and eyes, and is the shortest kid in our class.

Kristy's family life is complicated - even more complicated than mine. Her father left her family not long after David Michael, her little brother, was born. He just up and left. So Mrs. Thomas pulled herself together and raised Kristy, David Michael, and Sam and Charlie (they're Kristy's big brothers, who go to high school) on her own. She got a good job and held everything in place. Then, a couple of years ago, she met Watson Brewer, this divorced, balding millionaire with two little kids, Karen and Andrew. Karen is almost seven now, and Andrew is almost five. At first, Kristy hated the idea of Watson. She didn't want a stepfamily. But she didn't have any choice in the matter. Her mom and Watson were in love, and the summer after we finished seventh grade, they got married. Then, just like with Mary Anne and me, Kristy's family moved across town to Watson's house. Actually, it's a mansion, which is why they moved into it. It's huge and has room for everyone - including Karen and Andrew, who live there two weekends each month . . . and Emily Michelle, the two-year-old Vietnamese girl the Brewers adopted! Plus Nannie, Kristy's grandmother, who moved in to help take care of Emily and the other kids. Kristy's house is like a zoo, especially considering that Shannon and Boo-Boo live there, too. Shannon is David Michael's puppy, and Boo-Boo is Watson's fat, old, mean cat. Considering that Kristy used to live a quiet life next door to Mary Anne and across the street from Claudia Kishi (the three of them grew up together), I'd say she's adapted to her new life pretty well. The club vice-president is Claudia Kishi. If ever two people were opposites, it's Kristy and Claudia. Claud has no interest in sports. What she likes is art, and she is good at it. She can paint, draw, sculpt, make jewelry, you name it. She's got art supplies jamming up her room. They're everywhere - in boxes, in her closet, under her bed. And that's not the only stuff cluttering up her room. There are also Nancy Drew books and junk food. The Nancy Drew books are hidden because her parents think she should be reading classics and things. But Claud is just not a good student - even though she's very smart. What a shame that her older sister, Janine, is an actual genius. If you ask me, Mr. and Mrs. Kishi should be glad Claud is reading anything at all. Oh, and the junk food is hidden because Claud's parents don't approve of that, either, but Claud can't live without it. She's got Ring-Dings, Ho-Hos, Yodels, potato chips, gum, and other stuff in every nook and cranny.

It's a good thing Claud is one of those lucky people who never seems to get overweight or pimply from so much bad food. If she did, that would be a dead giveaway to her parents that she's hiding food. Luckily, Claudia is slender and absolutely gorgeous. She's Japanese-American and has long silky, black hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, and a creamy complexion.

And her clothes! Nobody dresses like Claudia. She is totally cool. She wears funky stuff like pink sparkly high-topped sneakers, or short flared skirts over skintight leggings, or wild jewelry she's made herself. She's good at pottery and is always creating earrings (she has one hole in one ear and two in the other) or beaded necklaces or bracelets. Claudia has had several boyfriends, including a long distance one named Will, but she doesn't have a special one right now.

Claud lives with her parents and Janine, but no pets. Her grandmother Mimi used to live with the Kishis, but Mimi died not long ago. Everyone was sad about that. Claudia and Mimi had been very close.

My new stepsister, Mary Anne, is the club secretary and you already know some things about her. For instance, you know she's shy, cries and gets embarrassed easily, and that her family and mine are in the process of becoming one. She has no brothers or sisters, but she's got her kitten, Tigger. And she's the only one of us BSC members to have a true boyfriend.

Some things you don't know about Mary Anne are how sensitive she is and what a good listener she is. Kids often go to Mary Anne for advice. She always takes people seriously. She has a good sense of humor, but she never laughs at people, like when they trip or make a mistake or something.

Before Mary Anne's father met my mother, he'd brought his daughter up quite strictly. He had invented these rules for her. For instance, Richard picked out Mary Anne's clothes for her, made her wear her hair in braids, and do (or not do) all these other things. It was his way of trying to be a good father and a good mother. But when he loosened up, he saw that Mary Anne was still going to be a good kid. She did start dressing differently, and she wears her brown hair loose now, but otherwise she hasn't changed much. Can you believe that she and Kristy are best friends? (I mean, I'm her other best friend, but she and Kristy have been best friends practically since birth.) They are so different. Kristy is a loudmouth and Mary Anne is quiet and shy - and hates sports. Instead, she likes sewing and knitting and stuff. Still, they're best friends.

I know our parents' marriage is a little difficult on Mary Anne. After all, Mary Anne is leaving the neighborhood she was born in (I wonder who will move into her house), and joining a family that's pretty different from hers. Mom and I are fairly laid-back. Even so, Mary Anne and I are looking forward to being sisters. We've even decided to share my room, despite the fact that the guest room could be Mary Anne's bedroom. We just know we're going to be great sisters.