Disclaimer: I do not own Baby-Sitters Club or any of its characters.

Chapter Two

Kristy

Hey Mom,

You will be reading this after I have already left. This summer was supposed to be a summer of everybody spending time together, but when everybody already had summer plans, we decided o make our own. Anyways, I hope that you did not freak out too much when you realized that I was not just going to get ice cream and am actually on the road. I will probably call you before you read this, but I decided that I would be better at writing an explanation down. I didn't think that you would let me go if I just asked about it, so I basically decided not to ask. I know that you will be mad, but please try to understand. In three months I have to be more adult than I have ever been. I have to give up my club and everything.

Thanks,

Kristy

Dawn and I were joking around about the mass amount of luggage Claudia was taking with her when I was the first to notice the two people approaching, suitcases in hand. At first I could not make out who they were, but when I recognized them, my jaw almost dropped.

"What are Logan Bruno and Alan Gray doing here?" I demanded to know. I first looked at Claudia, who was relaxing against her car eating a bag of M&M's. She shrugged at me, and then my mind flashed back to the night that Dawn had been talking to Logan at graduation. I then threw a suspicious look her way. She was also leaning against Claudia's car, eating carrots. She got a sheepish look on her face as she turned around to see them heading our way.

"I did not think he was actually going to come," she tried to defend herself.

"But you invited him!" I exclaimed. I did not need to voice my concerns of having Mary Anne's ex-boyfriend along on the trip. I was sure that it would just make her mad at me. Mary Anne and I had gotten in very few fights, but I knew that she would already be upset about us going on a trip without telling or inviting her, but now that her ex was coming along, that would be a different story. Not to mention the fact that my ex-boyfriend seemed to be coming along too.

"Hey," Logan greeted somewhat awkwardly as they stopped in front of us. Alan gave me one of those goofy grins that he always wore and I just rolled my eyes. I could not believe that they were going to come. Logan then looked at Dawn, who gave a small shrug before noticing Charlie's van pulling up. She quickly grabbed her luggage and then turned to Alan.

"Alan, why don't you help me put the luggage in the car?" she asked. He looked as if he was getting ready to object, but when catching the glare on my face, he sighed and grabbed Claudia's numerous suitcases. I was slightly impressed with his ability to lift so many heavy things. As soon as they walked towards the van, I turned to Logan, who looked at me expectantly, as if he knew what I was going to say.

"So, Dawn invited you," I said, not saying what was really on my mind, like why in the world that he had brought Alan Gray along.

"Alan was the only friend I had who did not already have summer plans," he informed me, "I knew that it would make you uncomfortable, but I could not think of any alternative."

Claudia was watching the whole exchange with an amused expression on her face. I knew she probably thought that this was better than those stupid teenage drama shows she watched. If I was the same girl I had been back in middle school, I would have said something mean to her right then, but instead I directed it at Logan.

"You could have just not come," I reminded him.

"Why are you making such a big deal about this?" he asked me. I looked at him as if he was stupid. He had to be stupid to really not know why I would not want him here? I could hear Dawn and Alan laughing as they loaded the luggage up in the van. Charlie seemed to be laughing along with them. I knew that the five of us could really have a good time if I actually let this go. Of course, it could also take a very bad turn with all the drama that could take place.

"You are Mary Anne's ex-boyfriend!" I exclaimed.

"Right, her ex-boyfriend," Logan reminded me. He said it as if I needed reminded of it. I had spent the last two weeks with Mary Anne, helping her work through her feelings on this, "That does not mean that we are together anymore."

"You would still be with her if she didn't dump you," I said coldly. As soon as the hurt look came back onto his face that he had sported all through out graduation came back. Claudia finally looked as if she had to step in and looked around to notice a couple of her suitcases still on the ground.

"Hey Logan, it looks like Alan and Dawn forget some luggage," she said brightly, "Why don't you go and take it to them?"

Logan just nodded and walked in the direction of the van, carrying her luggage while Claudia turned to me, a grim smile on her face. I could tell she was about to tell me something that she knew would make me angry.

"I cannot believe you are being so rude to him!" she said to me. I knew that her and I had not been as close of friends as we once were, but I had no idea were she would get the idea that I would not speak my mind. I was known for speaking my mind.

"I can't believe that Dawn invited him!" I exclaimed back, trying to remind her of who was really at fault here, "I can't go on a road trip with my ex-boyfriend and my best friend's ex-boyfriend."

"It is not like you will be alone with them," Claudia reminded me calmly.

"You definitely will not be," a voice spoke up behind me. I turned around to see my brother giving me his "older brother" stare.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I narrowed my eyes at him. I could hear Claudia sniggering at the exchange. It was always funny to watch me and my brother's banter for her because her and Janine had never been that close and there fights were always unfriendly, whereas when I fought with my brothers, a lot of time it was for fun.

"I mean that I am not letting you take a road trip with two boys," Charlie glared, "I am going with you."

"You can't go with us," I protested. There was no way that I wanted my brother on a road trip with me.

"I am letting you borrow my van," he reminded me, "Mom will kill me if I let you go on a road trip with two boys and no idea where you are going. At least this way I will be on the road with you, so if she tries to kill me, she can't."

I glared at him, but did not say anything because I knew that he was right. It was his van and if we wanted to take this road trip, he had to come along. Not to mention the fact that I knew I could not get rid of Alan or Logan either and I was just going to have to live with that. Claudia gave me a pat on the 

shoulder as she started to walk towards the van, Charlie following closely behind her, looking rather smug.

"What is your brother doing?" Dawn whispered to me as Charlie climbed into the driver's seat of the van. I sighed. This would be a fun explanation.

"He's coming with us," I calmly said. She gave me a startled look while Claudia just laughed at the look on her face. We had doubled our group in the last ten minutes.

"Sweet," Alan smiled. He had always gotten along with my brothers when we had been dating. I was actually starting to be glad for Charlie though, because he would protect me from the horror of the boy standing in front of me.

"I am not sitting anywhere near him," I stated as I stepped into the van and slid into a middle seat. Charlie slid into the driver's seat, giving nobody else a chance to try and steal it. Claudia shrugged before sliding into the passenger front seat. Alan and Logan climbed into the backseat of the van while Dawn took the seat next to me.

"This is going to be a cozy ride," Logan muttered under his breath as he noticed the tension building in the van.