Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 041

BSC041 - Mary Anne vs. Logan - Martin, Ann M.

Chapter 1.

"How do I look?" I asked.

"Look? You look just fine," replied Dawn. "Anyway, you're only going to baby-sit for Jenny. What's the big deal?" "I don't know. I guess Mrs. Prezzioso is the big deal. You know how she's always dressed. And how she always dresses Jenny." "Yeah. They look like contestants in a mother-daughter beauty pageant." Dawn and I giggled. Dawn is not only one of my two best friends; she's my stepsister. It was a Friday night and I was getting ready to sit for Jenny. Dawn was perched on a chair in my room.

"You know what?" I went on. "Mrs. P. has only gotten worse since she found out she's going to have another baby." "I can't believe that we know what the baby is going to be, and the rest of the BSC members don't. They don't even want to know, Mary Anne." "They want to be surprised, that's all," I said.

(BSC stands for the Baby-sitters Club. Dawn and I and a bunch of our friends belong to it. I'll tell you about it later.) Who am I? I'm Mary Anne Spier. I live in an old (very old) farmhouse with Dawn, my father, and Dawn's mother. In case you're wondering, Dawn and I have been friends longer than we've been stepsisters. After our parents got married, Dad and I and my kitten, Tigger, moved into Dawn's house. That's because it's bigger than my old house was. Since we're pretty new at being a family, I call Dawn's mother Sharon, and Dawn calls my father Richard. That feels more comfortable than Mom and Dad. All things considered, our family is coming together pretty well. We have our tough times (what family doesn't?), but the good times are getting to be more frequent, and they last longer.

Let's see. I have brown hair, brown eyes, and a boyfriend! His name is Logan Bruno. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe I have a boyfriend. That's for two reasons: 1. I'm really shy. I bet I'm the shyest eighth-grader at Stoneybrook Middle School. 2. For awhile now, Logan and I haven't been getting along all that well. We've hit a few rough patches. There was the time when Dawn, Claudia (another BSC member), and four kids went on a sailing trip and got stranded on a little island off the coast. (It's a long story.) Practically everyone here in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, was looking for them or worrying about them. (I was a worrier. I wanted to be a searcher, but I have very fair skin, so I can't stay out in the sun too long.) Anyway, right before the sailing accident, Logan and I had a fight. It was a big one, but it was over the smallest thing. I learned something from that fight. I learned that Logan and I don't always trust each other. And I learned that Logan can't always be counted on in a crisis. He wasn't there when I needed him the most. I thought he could put our fight aside while our friends were lost at sea. But he couldn't, or didn't, until just before the end of the crisis.

We did make up after that, but it hasn't been our only fight. We had a pretty good one during another crisis - when Tigger was missing. Tigger is little! He's just a bundle of soft, gray, tiger-striped fur and a lot of purrs. He could have been in big trouble (although it turned out he wasn't). So while he was missing, I was scared to death - and Logan and I weren't getting along.

Logan and I have had some other difficult times, too. This is hard to believe, since everything was so great when we first met and realized we liked each other. For one thing, I couldn't fathom that a boy even liked me. I was shy, mousy Mary Anne. And Logan was this drop-dead handsome guy. He looks exactly like my favorite star, Cam Geary. Plus, he's from Louisville, Kentucky, and he has a wonderful Southern drawl. Everyone loves the way he sounds. Yet Logan chose me for his girlfriend. We've given each other gifts, gone to school dances together, and been out on dates. Plus, Logan was with me the day I chose Tigger at the animal shelter.

So Logan and I started off with a great relationship. But lately he's been a little pushy. At least, that's the way it seems to me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm falling out of love with Logan, but I don't think so. Not over a few tiffs and misunderstandings.

"So, anyway," I said to my stepsister, "do I look nice enough for Her Highness?" "Like a real princess," Dawn answered, even though I was just wearing jeans and a new baggy sweater. "Go find your crown and you'll be all set." I laughed. Then I checked my watch. "I better get going," I said. "I'm supposed to be there in twenty minutes." The phone rang then, and Dawn said, "I'll get it. You find your crown." I was looking for my shoes when Dawn called, "Mary Anne! It's for you!" "Okay!" I called back. I dashed into our parents' bedroom, where Dawn was standing, holding the phone out to me. "Thanks," I told her. I took the receiver, and Dawn immediately left the room. That was a sure sign that Logan was on the other end of the line. If any of our other friends had called, Dawn would have hung around to see what was going on. But she respects my privacy where Logan and I are concerned.

"Hello?" I said.

Sure enough, the voice that returned my hello belonged to Logan. "Hi, it's me." "Oh, hi," I said. "I can only talk for a couple of minutes. I'm on my way to the Prezziosos' to sit for Jenny." "Can I talk you into going to a movie instead?" "Right now? No. I really can't." I hated to disappoint Logan, but I had a responsibility as a baby-sitter.

"Aw, come on. You and I are a couple, Mary Anne," said Logan.

"I know we're a couple," I replied, "but. . . um ..." I tried to explain what I was thinking. I couldn't. I have a little trouble expressing myself. And when I do show that I'm angry or upset, I usually start to cry - which was not going to help this situation.

When I didn't finish my sentence, Logan said, "Well, is Dawn free to sit tonight?" "You mean, to take over at the Prezziosos' so I can go out with you?" "Yeah." "Logan, I can't send Dawn on my sitting job," I said, my voice trembling.

"You mean you won't come to the movies with me?" Logan sounded confused.

"Well . . . no." "Okay," said Logan uncertainly.

"I have to go," I said in a rush. "I'm about to be late. I'll talk to you tomorrow." We hung up the phone then, and I had to force myself not to cry. I concentrated on Jenny. That was my job. I could think about Logan some other time.

I left the house in a hurry then, and ran all the way to the Prezziosos'. (They live nearby, and it was still light out.) I made it just in time.

Mr. and Mrs. P. left pretty quickly, so soon I was alone with Jenny. When her parents had left, Jenny held out her wrist and said, "Look. Mommy bought me a watch! I can't tell time yet, but a watch is a very grown-up thing to have. That's what Mommy said. She bought me some other stuff, too. Want to see?" "Sure," I replied.

I followed Jenny upstairs to her bedroom. Jenny, as usual, was dressed to the nines. That's what my friend Kristy's stepfather would say, meaning that Jenny was very dressed up (even though it was just a regular old day). Mrs. P. loves to dress up Jenny and herself. That's what Dawn meant when she said they look like contestants in a mother-daughter beauty contest. They look like that most of the time.

Jenny took my hand and pulled me into her room. "Here," she said, heading for her dresser. "Mommy got me more grown-up stuff. Stick-on earrings, and look - sneakers with laces. Mommy says big girls learn how to tie their shoes." "Wow, that's great, Jenny!" I exclaimed, looking at her old sneakers, which fastened with Velcro straps and were pretty ratty compared to her new red Keds.

The phone rang then, so I said, "Come on, Jenny. Race you to the telephone." Giggling, we ran down to the kitchen.

Guess who was on the phone. Logan.

"Logan, I'm - I'm busy now," I said.

"Okay." We hung up, and I felt stung, but Jenny was my responsibility, so we went back to her room.