Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 027

"That would be fine with me." Mrs. Masters smiled when I asked her the question. "Derek, what do you think?" Derek squinted his eyes.

"How old did you say your sister is?" he asked.

"Eight," I said.

Derek's face brightened.

"Eight?" he repeated. "Yeah, sure. Call her up. Tell her to come over." You should've heard Becca squeal on the other end of the phone. I had to hold the receiver about a mile away from my ear.

Mrs. Masters left us sandwich fixings for lunch, and since it was a nice day, the boys and I decided to have a picnic in the backyard. By the time Becca arrived, Derek was munching on an apple and Todd was trying to spread a big glob of peanut butter onto his bread. I introduced Becca to the boys.

I noticed Becca staring hard at Derek. I had warned her ahead of time that in real life he doesn't have spiky hair and glasses, but I think it still came as a shock.

"Hi," Derek said. "Want an apple?" Phew, I thought, this is going to go just fine.

Derek asked Becca all kinds of questions about what had been happening in the third grade. Becca, of course, knew lots more than I had been able to tell him. She knew all of the kid stuff, like how one boy had thrown a spitball and been sent to the principal's office, and how a bird had flown through an open auditorium window during the last assembly.

"Really?" said Derek. "Cool." There was a lull in the conversation. I could see Becca gearing up to ask her question.

"So, Derek," she said. "What's it like to work with stars?" "It's okay," said Derek. Suddenly, all the life had drained out of his voice.

"Well, what's it like to work with Lament? What's he like?" "He's okay," Derek replied flatly.

"Is he as funny as he is on TV?" "Yeah, he's funny." "Is he smart?" "Pretty smart." "Do you think he likes rock collections?" Derek kneeled on the picnic bench. He took a napkin and wadded it up into a ball. "Can we change the subject please?" he said.

That was my first clue that talk about the show was going to make Derek a little testy.

"Hey," I said quickly, "why don't you guys go climb on the jungle gym? But carefully, since you just ate." Derek hopped off the bench and started for the jungle gym. Becca tagged after him, still firing questions.

As I cleaned up the lunch things I had an idea. Maybe it would be better to get Derek together with a boy. I decided to call Mallory and see if maybe I could bring my kids over to visit hers. I knew that Mallory was at home baby-sitting for Nicky and the triplets (her mother had taken the three younger girls shopping). After all, Derek already knew Nicky, and the two of them were even going to be in the same class. I got Mallory on the phone and asked her what she thought.

"DEREK MASTERS!" she screeched. I was beginning to understand how Derek felt. I mean, Mallory is my best friend and all, but she was getting as carried away as everyone else. I reminded Mal that Derek was just a kid.

"Right," she said, calming down. "I remember what you said at the meeting. He's worried the kids won't like him." "So how about it? Can I bring Derek and Todd and Becca over?" I asked.

Mallory thought it was a super idea. I wrote Mrs. Masters a note telling her where we would be in case she should come home early. Then I rounded up my gang.

"Field trip!" I called. "What would you think about going over to the Pikes' to play?" "All right!" the kids exclaimed.

When we got to their house, Nicky opened the door. He looked a little shy when he saw Derek. He shifted his feet and smiled a sheepish grin. Derek looked kind of shy himself.

"Ask them in. Ask them in." Mallory hurried up behind Nicky and swung the door open wide.

"Hello," she said, smiling right at Derek. She stuck out her hand to shake his. "I'm Mallory Pike." She was standing at attention and pronouncing her words strangely, a little too precisely. "And you must be Derek. I'm so pleased that you could come visit us in our home today." Why was she talking like that? What did she think she was doing? Greeting the Queen of England?

"Mal," I said, trying to cut her off.

"Yes, yes," she went on. "We are very pleased to extend our hospitality, aren't we, Nicky? Do come in." Nicky smiled another one of his embarrassed smiles.

"Hi, Derek. Uh, how's Hollywood?" he asked.

"It's okay." Derek shrugged.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Mallory shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Now, Nicky. I'm sure Derek is tired to death of talking about Hollywood and show business." Mallory gave me a little wink, like she was in the know.

I'd never seen Mallory act quite like this. And where was she getting this voice of hers?

She sounded like she was about to recite Shakespeare.

"The other children are out back," she said. Other children? Who was she talking about, the triplets or some precious little boys in sailor suits? "Everyone is so looking forward to meeting you." "Mallory," I whispered as we cut through the house to the back door. "This isn't high tea. Why are you talking like this?" "Am I talking funny?" she whispered back.

"Just a little," I said.

"I guess I'm just nervous. I figured Derek would think we're a bunch of nobodies." When Nicky opened the back door, Derek spotted the badminton net.

"Badminton!" he said. A big smile stretched across his face. "Great! I love badminton!" "See," I mouthed to Mallory. "He's a kid." "Right," Mallory mouthed back. "Derek," she said. "Would you care to join the others in a game of - " I shot Mallory another look. Her face relaxed.

"I mean, do you want to play badminton with the guys?" she asked.

"Sure!" said Derek. "Let's go!" The triplets, Nicky's brothers, were already at the net. Their names are Adam, Byron, and Jordan and they're ten years old, two years older than Nicky. Sometimes, because they're older, they can go a little too far with their teasing. They like to lord it over Nicky, and I really don't think they liked the idea of a TV star who was younger than they were. So they took one side of the net and Nicky, Derek, Becca, and Todd positioned themselves on the other.

"We're gonna cream you squirts," said Byron.

Jordan and Adam slammed a high five.

But when Adam served the birdie, Derek jumped to hit it and slammed it right back.

"Whoa," Adam said, taken by surprise. "Think you're cool, huh?" Well, the game went on like that. Any birdie the triplets served up, Derek managed to hit right back over the net. Derek and his team were winning, and the triplets weren't used to being beaten. Especially not by "squirts." "Do they teach you that on P.S. 162?" Byron jeered.

Oh, no. I couldn't believe this was happening. Why couldn't anyone just act normal around Derek? Becca had been hounding him for information, Mal had treated him like royalty, and now the triplets were going to be jealous and nasty about the show. Each person seemed to have a different way of acting creepy, but acting creepy was the general theme.

"Is that what they teach you in star school?" Jordan joined in.

Suddenly, Derek's face turned bright red.

"Forget it," he said. "Just forget it. Who cares about your crummy old game." He threw down his racket and turned to face the triplets. "Anvil Head!" he shouted. "Cactus Brain! Pizza Breath!" Pizza Breath??? Before I had time to step in and referee, Derek had stomped out of the yard and was calling me after him.

"Come on, Jessi," he said. "I'm going home!" I grabbed Todd by one hand and Becca by the other.

"Mallory," I said quickly, "I'll talk to you later, I guess." Chapter 6.

Did you ever notice that things often get worse before they get better? When we got back to the Masterses' house after the badminton game, I spent a lot of time trying to calm Derek down. But Derek didn't feel like being calmed.

"It'll be worse when I get to school," he complained.