Hi, thanks for the reviews, everyone! I love hearing from you all! Book 3 of The BSC Legacy is winding down...just a quick disclaimer than any character Fab Five fans recognize belong solely to Betsy Haynes, not the current author. Ditto for BSC characters that BSC fans recognize from the books by Ann Martin.

Also, someone commented on another site that one scene in this chapter is very similar to Betsy Haynes' The Truth About Taffy Sinclair where the former Fab Five save Taffy from being embarrassed.

If you notice that similarity, it is just a slight variation of the plot, a what if the BSC were in that situation; no copyright infringement is intended, so let me add that disclaimer that this part of the plot isn't mine. So, enjoy and let me know what you think! Flames are welcome as long as there's a good reason supplied. Enjoy!

The BSC Legacy - Book 3: When Numbers Really Count

By: CNJ

PG-13

22: BSC To The Rescue

Mona:

"Caitlin's running for senior class president, isn't she?" I asked as I sat next to Mary Anne and Anna in homeroom the morning before our field trip out to Hartford.

Actually, it was several schools that were studying American Government. Stoneybrook, Burkeview, and Earhart were among some of them.

"Yeah, she is," Anna told me. "She'd make a great senior president," Mary Anne added.

All of us are excited about the trip tomorrow. We were leaving at around eight and would be gone until five.

Next week will be the farewell assembly for this year's seniors, then they'll be graduating. Next year, it will be us, I thought as we talked more until Ms. Byrd came in and started taking attendance.

Kristy:

"I wonder if we'll run into any of that Five R Us group from Burkeview?" I asked out loud on the way to Hartford the next morning. We were on four buses and were divided up by homeroom. Abby and Claudia, who were on with me, shrugged.

"I hope Liza's feeling better," Claudia added. "She was really shaken from the Storm."

The Storm is what we refer to when we talk about the brawl at the baseball game two weeks ago. The kids who'd been suspended had come back this week. I heard that they're blaming each other now. Good, the In clique is on the way out for good.

"I'm glad Ms. Silverbein's feeling better," Abby said softly. "It was awful seeing her so upset."

We all nodded in agreement. I'll never forget seeing Ms. Silverbein slumped over in her chair, quivering with sobs. Now she was feeling better and I could see that she stood up straight again when she walked in the halls and her step seemed confident again.

We chatted about other things, including our plans to train the next generation of the BSC and Caitlin's bid for senior class president.

Occasionally, Ms. Chen would walk up and down the aisle to make sure everything was going all right. I think the Storm and its aftermath made teachers more alert than ever, which is good.

"Speaking of..." Abby looked back at us. "I have an announcement once all of us are together and maybe when we're alone."

Most of the day itself was uneventful. The weather was swell, warm but not humid. We met with the other schools and toured the House of Delegates, State Senate, and other headquarters of the Connecticut government.

It was basically a visual rehash of what we'd learned in government class on our unit on state governments.

It was our lunch break when Mary Anne spotted Katie Shannon and waved her over. Katie was with her friends and they came over, weaving their way through the crowd on the lawn in front of the Connecticut House.

"Hello!" Katie greeted.

"Hi..." we all greeted each other.

"Want to join us?" I asked.

"Sure," Christie nodded and we looked around until we found a space on the lawn to sit.

Some of us went to get food from a nearby McDonald's while others who'd brought something from home, took out their food. We all then sat and started to eat.

"How're things going in your school since...?" Liza started.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Dawn told her with a grin.

"Sober and shaken up at first," Mona put in.

"The halls were quiet for a couple of days," Mary Anne added. "Even some of the teachers were shaken up, but now it's better."

"It's just about back to normal now," I sipped my soda. "Ms. Silverbein suspended the troublemakers responsible for the Storm."

"The Storm..." Dekeisha started to ask.

"That's what we call that incident," Stacey polished off her fries.

"Good name..." Katie nodded. "Well, it was the same thing at our school. But Mr. Brooke just yelled at the kids who caused the trouble and contacted their parents, then sent them back to class."

"Oh, that's too bad..." I said.

"But it did get them because now they're blaming each other," Whitney put in. "Oh, and they've been pulled off all sports teams for next year. They aren't even allowed in the stadiums for a year."

"Ditto here," Mona sipped her soda. "Poor Ms. Silverbein was shaken up, but she's better now. How was Mr. Brooke...besides yelling at the troublemakers?"

"Mad," Liza dipped her chicken piece into a sauce and ate it. "He came over the loudspeaker and thanked the kids and teachers who'd cooperated, then announced about the kids in trouble being banned from sports events for next year."

"I passed his office that Monday after and I could hear him slamming things around in there," Katie told us.

It was good to see them feeling better too, especially Liza. We talked more about lighter things, including our hopes for senior year. Katie told us that she was thinking of running for senior class president.

"Caitlin Giotti is in our school," I told her. They don't really know who she is, but as we parted, they wished her good luck.

"Good luck, Katie," we told her.

"Hope you win!" I called. They nodded and we headed back to our side where we'd be touring the legislative archives next.

Mary Anne:

Abby told us her news once we sat down on the grass for a snack at mid-afternoon. "I'm going to run for Student Relations Officer."

"Oh, wow...hey, greeat!" we all congratulated.

"We could use a BSC member in the student government," Kristy put in.

"We'll do everything we can to help you in the campaign," I added.

"Abby, our next SRO!" Mona crowed.

"Hey, wait until I'm officially nominated before word gets out," Abby laughed. "The elections are still two weeks away."

We talked a little more about the upcoming elections, including Caitlin's bid for class presidency, then talked a little about our college application plans for next year.

Come fall and it would be time to send off those applications. I've already ordered and gotten brochures from Staten U. in New York City and Arizona U. Next time we're in NYC, I'll go out of my way to visit Staten U. and get a preview.

"...still has Jana's picture," we heard a familiar voice saying near the benches.

It was someone from Burkeview and she looked vaguely familiar.

"I wonder what's in it?" another girl asked. "It's gotta be some juicy dirt." They were sitting with a group at a table with a bunch of other Burkeview students.

"Something she doesn't want her precious Randy to find out!" another girl jeered.

I quietly poked Mona, then waved in their direction. The others looked there too. Jana and Randy were two of the ones who pushed us in that storm two weeks ago at the baseball game.

"Well, Keith has it and is threatening to show it to Randy," the first girl said, tossing her blond hair. "Keith still has a crush on Jana, I suspect."

"Yeah, he still gives her these goofy lovesick grins sometimes," someone else added.

"Tammy Lucero, Melinda Thaler, and Sara Sawyer," Mona told us.

Since Mona went to Burkeview until this year, she knows most of the kids from there. "Keith Masterson does have a crush on Jana. I have a bad feeling he has something of hers and is going to embarrass her with it."

"So...can we stop him?" Stacey asked.

"We can try," Claudia shrugged. We all looked over at her. "Sure, Jana and Randy gave us a lot of crap last year and even two weeks ago, but it's the least we can do, maybe that'll make them think twice before giving anyone else shit."

We all nodded, looking around.

"Keith a tall, kind of muscular blond guy," Mona put in. We'd finished eating, so we slowly stood, gathering up our potato chip bags, wrappers, and soda bottles.

"Lots of those at Burkeview," Kristy quipped and we all laughed.

We saw Jana Morgan a little further down and she seemed out of breath. She stopped by a bench where a couple was making out and asked something that sounded like if they'd seen Keith Masterson.

As we walked a little closer to the bench with the couple, we could hear, "...didn't you two learn from that big fiasco in seventh grade?"

"Just be quiet, Melanie!" Jana snapped. "Keith is a creep and he took something of mine and I need it back!"

"Sorry we cain't he'p you..." A southern male voice drawled.

Logan? I thought. Sure enough, when we came aside the bench, I could see that it was really Logan Bruno with Melanie. I haven't seen him since last year. Now I no longer feel a twinge of sadness at the sight of him. I can only hope he and Melanie are happy together.

By this time Jana had whirled away and that's when we saw a tall blond muscular guy streak past them into the woods.

"There's Keith and he has that picture," Mona told us.

Jana started after him, but we could see that she wasn't going to be able to catch him fast enough, especially since she was wearing high-heeled, rather strappy sandals. We booked.

"This way, this way!" Abby hollered and we headed into the woods from another direction.

We saw Keith heading toward us and he darted under a clump of bushes. Jana came panting after him.

The next few minutes flashed by in a blur, but we took the chance and jumped onto a lumpy bush and landed on Keith and a huge pile of mud.

It seemed like a long minute that we wrestled with Keith. It was Stacey who wrenched the picture away from Keith.

"Heyyy, what's with you girls?" Keith snarled as all of us pulled apart. "I'm just having a little fun."

"We don't like your idea of fun," Kristy told him as we all stood.

Mud streaked all of us.

"Especially if it's at someone's expense!" Stacey added. "Here, Jana, we got your picture."

She handed it to an open-mouthed Jana.

"Get lost, Keith," Mona told him.

Keith did. Jana stared at us, apparently surprised. She and Mona exchanged a long look, Jana's blue eyes grateful and Mona's violet ones comforting before we parted.

Mona:

It was strange seeing Jana again. My friends and I slowly walked back into the grassy area, all of us covered with mud. I tried to wipe a clump off the front of my blouse, but got even muddier.

"A losing battle," Kristy grinned and we all laughed a little.

"Guess we'll need good baths tonight," Mary Anne put in.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully.

Kristy:

A lot of kids looked at us BSC as we all climbed on the bus late that afternoon to head back to Stoneybrook and I knew it was because we were covered with mud.

"Who'd you tackle out there?" Kim Baxter called.

"Keith Masterson," Abby told her. "From Burkeview. He was acting like an asshole and threatening to embarrass somebody in his class, so we had to stop him."

"WAY TO GO!" Several kids whooped and we grinned at each other. I could see Mary Anne's face redden even through the mud streaking her left cheek.

"I used to go to Burkeview," Kim told us. "Keith was a big asshole, even in middle school. Guess you BSC put him in his place!"

"The big blond guy?" Caitlin asked. "I saw him just before we got on the bus and he was CAKED with mud, then I saw you guys muddied and figured something went down between you."

"He was gonna embarrass somebody?" Kim Weston asked.

"He had this picture," I told them. "I'm...not going to say whose it was, but he was threatening to show it around and it would have embarrassed the other person."

"You showed him!" "AWWRIGHT!" yelled several other kids. "You BSC are something!"

"This is the group that saved Stoneybrook High from being controlled by the In group," Caitlin added. "Long after we graduate, the BSC will be a legend in Stoneybrook."

Another whoop came up and we grinned at each other. Wow! We certainly did change Stoneybrook High for the better.

It was early evening by the time we got back to SHS. Some kids got rides from parents, some drove and others started to walk home.

"Hey, everyone..." I called.

Jumping up on the sign for Stoneybrook High, I told everyone, "I just wanted to give you all credit for the part you all played in saving Stoneybrook High from the In clique. It was with your support that the BSC did it."

"Oh, thanks..." some kids told us.

"The BSC is incredible!" Tim Hune whooped, giving us a hi-five as I got down from the wall.

"Long live the BSC!" Barbara Hirsch added.

Someone snapped our picture, muddied and all. We shrieked a little in surprise, then laughed and hi-fived each other just as the camera snapped again. What a year!