CHAPTER 3: The New Kid(s) on the Block

The next day after school, my brothers and I were sitting at the kitchen table, eating frozen yogurt bars, when Kristy came in. "Hey, you guys," she said. I told you she was the best big sister ever. "How was school today?"

"Oh, same old same old," I answered, reaching for a couple of napkins. Even in the fall, frozen yogurt bars are pretty messy.

"There's a new girl at my school," David Michael said. He goes to Stoneybrook Elementary, and like I said before, I go to Stoneybrook Academy, a private school.

"Oh, really?" Kristy asked.

David Michael nodded. "She's in fifth grade."

"Oh, a future BSC member?" I asked. You see, in order to be one, you have to be in at least the sixth grade.

Kristy laughed. "So, what's her name?" she asked.

"Bebe Everett," David Michael answered.

That's when Kristy got a look on her face, which told us she'd heard that name before. "That's a coincidence," she said. "There's a new boy in my homeroom, English class, and study hall, and his name's Jason Everett."

That was a coincidence. So much for same old same old, huh?

"So, how'd you meet him?" I asked.

"Well, when Claudia and I were walking into homeroom, we saw him sitting in the second row, about two desks down from where I sit," Kristy answered. "He turned around and waved at us, and I thought for sure that Claudia was going to pass out on the spot."

"What's 'pass out' mean?" Andrew asked. I could tell he had no idea what we were talking about.

"It means she thinks he's cu-ute," David Michael said, making the most disgusting face he could. I don't know why, but he doesn't like to hear people talk like that.

"Oh, it's not that bad, is it?" Kristy asked, ruffling his hair.

"Aaanywaaay..." we all said together. That always cracks me up big-time.

"When he introduced himself, I noticed that he had an accent," Kristy continued. "In fact, he told us he was born in Scotland."

"Is Scotland where they all wear those skirts and play those things that look like broken vacuum cleaners?" Andrew asked.

"They're called kilts," David Michael corrected him.

"And those 'things' are called bagpipes," Kristy added. If you ask me, I think she was hiding the fact that she hates listening to them. She once told me that she thought they sounded like twenty cats fighting over a piece of fish.

"Hey, you know what?" David Michael spoke up. "This new girl also has an accent."

"Is she from Scotland, too?" I asked.

"No, she's from Canada," she answered.

"How did you two meet?" Kristy asked, sitting down at the table with us and popping open a can of Diet Vernor's. Ever since Daddy had his heart attack—a very mild one, by the way—that's the only kind of soda he'll buy. And it tastes horrible!

"I was having trouble with my locker, which is a piece of junk," David Michael said. "She came by and saw me having trouble, gave it a little push, and got it open."

This was turning out to be quite an interesting conversation, and I knew just how to make it even more interesting. "Well, yesterday, when Mommy was on her way to drop us off, we saw a big van parked at the end of the block," I said. "So I guess we've got new neighbors."

"I knew it!" Andrew cried excitedly.

"I have to tell Linny!" David Michael exclaimed. And he was out of the kitchen in a second.

"Well, it looks like that new apartment complex has its first tenants," Kristy commented.

"Apartments?" I asked.

She nodded. "They just finished building them a week ago."

When I heard Kristy say that, I could really forget about same old same old!