Kristy's Great Idea: Classic Edition (The Baby-Sitters Club #1)
sixteen and Sam is fourteen They both go to Stoneybrook High Sam's a freshman this year and Charlie's a junior Hi everybody Hi squirt Charlie said to David Michael I am not a squirt replied David Michael Charlie thought he was so great because he'd just made the varsity team You'd think he was the first person ever to play football for Stoneybrook High We're going to play ball in the Hansons backyard Sam announced Want to play Kristy I did but David Michael wouldn't want to He was too little I don't know I thought Mary Anne and I would take David Michael to the brook You want to go wading David Michael I asked He nodded happily See you guys later I called as Sam and Charlie left the house slamming the front door behind them Mary Anne and I took David Michael and Louie to the brook We watched David Michael wade and make sailboats and try to catch minnows Louie ran around looking for squirrels I'd better go Mary Anne said after an hour or so Dad will be home soon Yeah Mom will be home soon too David Michael I called time to leave He stood up reluctantly and the three of us and Louie walked home together When we reached our driveway David Michael ran across the lawn and Mary Anne whispered to me Nine o'clock okay I grinned Okay Mary Anne and I have a secret code Mary Anne made it up We can signal each other with flashlights If I look out my bedroom window I can see right into hers Lots of nights we talk to each other with the flashlights since Mary Anne isn't allowed on the phone after dinner except for things like baby sitting jobs or getting homework assignments
When Mom came home a little while later she had a pizza with her My brothers and I stood around the kitchen breathing in the smell of cheese and pepperoni But Sam and Charlie looked skeptical I wonder what she wants murmured Sam Yeah said Charlie Mom only gets pizza when she has to ask us a favor I decided not to beat around the bush How come you bought a pizza Mom I asked Charlie kicked my ankle but I ignored him Come on What do you have to ask us Mom grinned She knew exactly what she was doing And she knew that we knew it Oh all right she said Kathy called me at work to say she won't be able to watch David Michael tomorrow I was wondering what you guys are Football practice said Charlie promptly Math Club said Sam Sitting at the Newtons I said Drat said Mom But we are sorry added Sam I know you are Then we dug into the pizza while Mom started making phone calls She called Mary Anne Mary Anne was sitting for the Pikes She called Claudia Claudia had an art class She called two high school girls They had cheerleading practice David Michael looked like he might cry Finally Mom called Mrs. Newton and asked if she would mind if I brought David Michael with me when I sat for Jamie Luckily Mrs. Newton didn't mind I chewed away at a gloppy mouthful of cheese and pepperoni and thought it was too bad that Mom's pizza had to get cold while she
made all those phone calls I thought it was too bad that David Michael had to sit there and feel like he was causing a lot of trouble just because he was only six years old and couldn't take care of himself yet Then the idea for the Baby sitters Club came to me and I almost choked I could barely wait until nine o'clock so I could signal the great idea to Mary Anne
CHAPTER 2 After dinner that night I went to my bedroom and shut my door Then I sat down at my desk with a pad of paper and a sharpened pencil I had three things to do the composition on decorum my homework and some thinking about the Baby sitters Club I planned to do them in that order grossest first I looked up decorum in my dictionary It said Conformity to social convention propriety See Synonyms at etiquette I had to look up both propriety and etiquette before I got the picture Then I understood I'd been rude Why hadn't Mr. Redmont just said so It would have made things a lot simpler So I wrote down some stuff about how being rude was distracting to other students and made Stoneybrook Middle School look bad to visitors I counted the words Ninety eight So I added The End with a great big flourish and hoped for the best Then I did the math assignment and read about Paraguay for social studies And then it was time to think about the Baby sitters Club I smoothed out a fresh piece of paper and started making a list 1 Members Me Mary Anne
