"Oh, Tiggy," I said into my cat's fur. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"
Tigger didn't have any answers. We sat there for a few moments, until Tigger heard my dad start to open his can of cat food. I swear, no matter where he is in the house, once Tigger hears the can opener, he is right there.
I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Kristy and Logan? I had thought, for a little while anyway, that she might be after him back when we first broke up. But she had always said that she wouldn't do it.
And now here she was, taking Logan to the dance. My mind flashes through all the dances we went to together: the Remember September Dance, which was my first date EVER and I was soo mortified when my shoe flew off and I hit someone on the head; the Halloween Hop, the Winter Wonderland dance; the Final Fling.
The phone rang out in the hallway. I sighed. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.
Sharon called up the stairs. "Mary Anne, phone for you!"
I got the phone from outside my door and picked it up. "Hello?" I said.
"Mary Anne? Cary."
The voice, the name... they all hit me with a jolt of energy. Cary. Of course. Why was I sitting here, thinking about Logan, when I had a great guy myself.
I smiled, and listened to Cary on the other end of the telephone. Everything was going to be just fine. Why hadn't I realized that earlier?
***
"So, Mary Anne," Kristy said at lunch the next day. I was sitting with Kristy and Erica. Claudia had decided to sit with Stacey, who was joined by Rachel and Barbara. Erica, Rachel, and Barbara seemed to be a part of our group now, just not all together. I liked it better when it was the BSC, together.
But the BSC didn't exist anymore.
"What?" I asked, spooning some strawberry yogurt in my mouth.
"Seeing Mrs. Perkins at the playground yesterday got me thinking..." she began.
"Did you get a Great Idea?" I said, with more than a note of caution in my voice.
"Yes," she said. It figured. Kristy _was_ the Idea Machine, after all. "I think we should put up posters around town, you know, saying hey, we can still sit for your children. Like, Claudia's room could be a central service line..."
I shook my head. "Kristy, come on. We broke up the BSC for a reason, you know."
Kristy looked hurt. "Well, you don't have to be rude about it."
I closed my eyes. "I'm not. I'm just saying that I don't think anyone else wants that responsiblity anymore."
Kristy shrugged. Luckily, before we got into a fight (and I do hate confrontations), Carly changed the subject.
"So Kristy," she said. "What's this I hear about you and Logan?"
Erica raised her eyebrows and Kristy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Carly was someone we didn't see much of at SMS, so I guess she really didn't know much about Logan's relationship with me.
"Well," she said. "I asked him to the dance, and we're going together."
Erica's eyebrows went even higher, and she searched my face for a reaction. I smiled to show her I was okay. "You never told me the details, Kristy. I want to hear all the gossip!"
Tigger didn't have any answers. We sat there for a few moments, until Tigger heard my dad start to open his can of cat food. I swear, no matter where he is in the house, once Tigger hears the can opener, he is right there.
I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Kristy and Logan? I had thought, for a little while anyway, that she might be after him back when we first broke up. But she had always said that she wouldn't do it.
And now here she was, taking Logan to the dance. My mind flashes through all the dances we went to together: the Remember September Dance, which was my first date EVER and I was soo mortified when my shoe flew off and I hit someone on the head; the Halloween Hop, the Winter Wonderland dance; the Final Fling.
The phone rang out in the hallway. I sighed. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.
Sharon called up the stairs. "Mary Anne, phone for you!"
I got the phone from outside my door and picked it up. "Hello?" I said.
"Mary Anne? Cary."
The voice, the name... they all hit me with a jolt of energy. Cary. Of course. Why was I sitting here, thinking about Logan, when I had a great guy myself.
I smiled, and listened to Cary on the other end of the telephone. Everything was going to be just fine. Why hadn't I realized that earlier?
***
"So, Mary Anne," Kristy said at lunch the next day. I was sitting with Kristy and Erica. Claudia had decided to sit with Stacey, who was joined by Rachel and Barbara. Erica, Rachel, and Barbara seemed to be a part of our group now, just not all together. I liked it better when it was the BSC, together.
But the BSC didn't exist anymore.
"What?" I asked, spooning some strawberry yogurt in my mouth.
"Seeing Mrs. Perkins at the playground yesterday got me thinking..." she began.
"Did you get a Great Idea?" I said, with more than a note of caution in my voice.
"Yes," she said. It figured. Kristy _was_ the Idea Machine, after all. "I think we should put up posters around town, you know, saying hey, we can still sit for your children. Like, Claudia's room could be a central service line..."
I shook my head. "Kristy, come on. We broke up the BSC for a reason, you know."
Kristy looked hurt. "Well, you don't have to be rude about it."
I closed my eyes. "I'm not. I'm just saying that I don't think anyone else wants that responsiblity anymore."
Kristy shrugged. Luckily, before we got into a fight (and I do hate confrontations), Carly changed the subject.
"So Kristy," she said. "What's this I hear about you and Logan?"
Erica raised her eyebrows and Kristy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Carly was someone we didn't see much of at SMS, so I guess she really didn't know much about Logan's relationship with me.
"Well," she said. "I asked him to the dance, and we're going together."
Erica's eyebrows went even higher, and she searched my face for a reaction. I smiled to show her I was okay. "You never told me the details, Kristy. I want to hear all the gossip!"