Kristy's Great Idea: Classic Edition (The Baby-Sitters Club #1)
This book is for Beth McKeever Perkins my old baby-sitting buddy With love and years of memories
CHAPTER 1 The Baby sitters Club I'm proud to say it was totally my idea even though the four of us worked it out together Us is Mary Anne Spier Claudia Kishi Stacey McGill and me Kristy Thomas I got the idea on the first Tuesday afternoon of seventh grade It was a very hot day It was so hot that in my un air conditioned school Stoneybrook Middle School the teachers had opened every single window and door and turned off all the lights My hair stuck damply to the back of my neck and I wished I had a rubber band so I could pull it into a long ponytail Bees flew into the classroom and droned around our heads and Mr. Redmont our teacher let us stop working to make fans out of construction paper The fans didn't do much except keep the bees away but it was nice to take up ten minutes of social studies making them Anyway that stifling afternoon dragged on forever and when the hands of the clock on the front wall of our classroom finally hit 2:42 and the bell rang I leaped out of my seat and shouted Hooray I was just so glad that it was time to get out of there I like school and everything but sometimes enough is enough Mr. Redmont looked shocked He was probably thinking he'd been so nice letting us make fans and there I was not appreciating it at all just glad the day was over I felt bad but I couldn't help what I'd done I'm like that I think of something to say and I say it I think of something to do and I do it
Mom calls it impulsive Sometimes she calls it trouble But she doesn't just mean trouble She means trouble And I was in trouble then I could sense it I've been in enough trouble to know when it's coming Mr. Redmont cleared his throat He was trying to think of a way to punish me without humiliating me in front of the other kids Things like that are important to him Kristy Mr. Redmont began and then he changed his mind and started over Class he said you have your homework assignments You may go Kristy I'd like to see you for a minute While the rest of the kids gathered up their books and papers and left the room talking and giggling I made my way up to Mr. Redmont's desk Before he could say a word I began apologizing to him Sometimes that helps Mr. Redmont I said I'm really sorry I didn't mean anything I mean I didn't mean I was glad school was over I meant I was glad I could go home Because my house is air conditioned Mr. Redmont nodded But do you think Kristy that it would be possible in the future for you to conduct yourself with a bit more decorum I wasn't sure of the exact meaning of decorum but I had a pretty good idea it meant not spoiling Mr. Redmont's day by jumping up and shouting hooray when the bell rang Yes sir I said Sometimes being polite also helps Good said Mr. Redmont But I want you to remember this incident and the best way for us to remember things is to write them down So tonight I would like you to write a one hundred word essay on the importance of decorum in the classroom Darn I'd have to find out what decorum meant after all Yes sir I said again I went back to my desk gathered up my books very slowly and then walked very slowly out of the classroom I hoped Mr. Redmont
was noticing the slowness because I was betting it was an important part of decorum I found Mary Anne Spier waiting for me outside the door to my classroom She was leaning against the wall biting her nails Mary Anne is my best friend We live next door to each other We even look a little alike We're both small for our age and we both have brown hair that falls past our shoulders But that's where the similarity ends because I can't keep my mouth shut and Mary Anne is very quiet and very shy Luckily that's only on the outside The people who know her well like Claudia and Stacey and me get to see the inside of her and the Mary Anne who's hiding in there is a lot of fun Hey I greeted her I pulled her hand out of her mouth and looked at her nails Mary Anne How do you ever expect to be able to wear nail polish if you keep doing that Oh come on she said with a sigh Nail polish I'll be seventy-five seventy-five before my father lets me wear it Mary Anne's father is the only family she's got Her mother is dead and she has no brothers or sisters Unfortunately her father is pretty strict My mother says it's just because Mr. Spier is nervous since Mary Anne is all he's got You'd think though that he could let her wear her hair down instead of always in braids or give her permission to ride her bike to the mall with Claudia and me once in a while But no At Mr. Spier's house it's rules rules rules It's a miracle that Mary Anne was even allowed to become a member of the Baby sitters Club We walked out of school and suddenly I began running I forgot all about decorum because I'd just remembered something else Oh my gosh I cried Mary Anne raced after me What is it she panted It's Tuesday I called over my shoulder So Slow down Kristy It's too hot to run I can't slow down Tuesday is my afternoon to watch David Michael I'm supposed to beat him home Otherwise he gets home first and has to watch himself
