A/N: I am currently working on my own mini-series about the new Baby-sitters Club. (Read it! Its around here somewhere!) I have completed the first story, which is told by Vanessa Pike, and I am now working on the second, which is told by Carolyn Arnold. "Janine's Story" could be considered a special edition since it is not about someone in my new BSC, but it is about someone who was an influencial character in the series. Afterall, Janine Kishi was present at all of the BSC meetings, even if she wasn't in the room.

So I am giving Janine her own story. She's always deserved it, in my opinion. This story is about 21-year-old Janine Kishi Yamakawa, her husband James, and the events that take place while she is expecting their first child.

BACKGROUND: When I thought of the concept of telling a bit Janine's story in "VGI," I had not originally planned to write a whole story about her. It was just going to be: 'This is what happened to Janine and that's it.' But because I was so taken by the idea of her being written so differently than in the BSC series, I decided to get ahead and write its story.

HERE'S THE NEAT THING: The two stories are going to meet up. Chapter 6 in "Vanessa's Great Idea" ("Melting Over a Boy Named Zach") has Janine appearing in it as a baby shower for her. She also visited chapters eight and nine of that story, and will be mentioned in the next story in my series "Carolyn and the Trouble With Twins". Of course, these stories are told from Vanessa and Caroyln's points of view. A much later chapter in "Janine's story," will have Vanessa appearing at Janine's baby shower and Janine appearing at a BSC party. This time it will be told from Janine's point of view.

And now for the story...

Janine the Genius. Ever since I breezed through my first IQ test at age seven, that's who I've been. To my family, to my friends, even to my first boyfriend. You may think that there's nothing that would hinder a person with an IQ of 196 from being whatever she wanted to be, but that's the farthest thing from the Real Story.

I was a genius plagued by many things during my childhood and teenage years. First of all, as smart as I was, I never quite could decide where I fit in among my peers. I started out as Janine the Teacher's Pet in grade school. Then I evolved into Janine the Honor Student. (Along with that came Janine the Nerd.) Once, just once during that time, I got a chance to take on a new role. I was Janine the Girlfriend. My boyfriend, Jerry Michaels, became my whole world. I gave up anything and everything just so that I could spend more time with him. Well, it turned out that role was only temporary. I should have seen it coming. There was one role for which I would always be cast-- I was Janine the Genius. Janine the Valedictorian. Janine the Serious Student.

Throughout this time, I watched my little sister, knowing I would never and could never be like her at all. In some ways, I didn't mind it much. Afterall, she was a terrible student, relentlessly struggling through her schoolwork. But she had many other things going for her. She was Claudia the Artist. Claudia the Popular Girl. Claudia the Baby-sitter. Claudia the Girlfriend (many, many times.) And was I, Janine the Genius, jealous of Claudia? Every day of my life.

There came a time when we finally admitted our jealousy to each other. Believe it or not, Claudia would have given up her popularity and creativity to be as smart as I am. Although actually, her IQ is well above average. She just didn't apply herself back then. I had worked with her long enough to know. (Some things have changed though. More about that later.) She was shocked to discover that I would have given up my academic merit and our parent's approval to have as many friends as she did or even just to have her fashion sense.

Eventually things did change for me. I found another boyfriend, thanks to none other than my little sister herself. It was one of her schemes that brought us together, and I know I'll always be grateful to her. That boyfriend turned out to be the one for me. Unlike Jerry Michaels, he never smothered me or made me have any regrets. So I didn't break up with this one; I married him instead.

Before I go any further, I had better explain just what Claudia's brilliant (ingenious!) scheme involved and how it came to be that I married my beloved James.

I had better explain how it all began between James and I. It has been a little over four years since we first met. However, the story begins about six years when Claudia went to Camp Mohawk with her friends. Claudia was interested in a Japanese guy she saw, but she didn't know his name. Finally she found out that his name was Will Yamakawa.

Claudia and Will exchanged letters for about a year. Then they lost touch for a year. Then out of the blue, Will sent Claudia a Christmas card. He included his email address, and they began communicating again. That was when Claudia and Will decided to play match-maker. Although James was three years older than me, Claudia decided an older man was just what I needed. She nailed that one right on the head. Sometimes Claudia understood me better than anyone else. (But not always!)

I met James when I was eighteen. Claudia actually went to the trouble of getting him to drive in to see me from Ashfield, New York. She and Will pretended that they really wanted to see each other when the reality was that they were setting up us, their older siblings.

I was still the plain, boring-looking Janine that I had been throughout my teen years. In case you've figured this out, I didn't consider myself to be very pretty. (Some things have changed since then. More about that later.) I was still sort of homely looking with my thick glasses and short, blunt haircut. And I bet I looked especially strange coupled with James...

James is the oldest of three boys. Three extremely handsome boys, I might add. His two younger brothers, Will and Zach, looked like nothing more than younger versions of James himself. Of course, one only has to spend time with the three of them to know that this is not true. (More about them later, too.)

James accepted me the way I was, which was the first thing that drew me to him. Unlike me, James had a very distinct and sophisticated style. I might as well have not know the definition of the word. Despite my lack of appreciation for fashion, James never once criticized me about how I looked. Eventually, I asked him for advice, and he gladly dished it out. That was probably my favorite thing about James; he was open-minded and never judgmental. He was patient, loving, devoted... I knew for two years that he was my soul-mate. Then he confessed that he knew it, too; he asked me to marry him.

What do you think I said?

I'll give you a hint. A result of my answer is snuggled in my arms right now, sleeping peacefully and breathing deeply. This child has become my major purpose in life ever since I first discovered I was pregnant. I can't imagine a happier feeling than the one that I get every time I hold my angel.

As Shelby Eatonton Latcherie once said in Steel Magnolias (Claudia's and my favorite film), "I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."

I once thought that the most important part I would ever play would be Janine the Genius. Perhaps I've matured in my ideals since then. As I take in the miracle that I hold, I realize that the most important role I'll ever have from now until the day I die is simply being Janine the Mother.

This is my story of taking on my new role.