Baby-Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin

I just got up for school awhile ago with my cat, Tigger who sleeps with me every single night. Let me tell you who I am. I'm Mary Anne Spier of Stonebrook, CT. I'm thirteen and an eighth grader at Stoneybrook Middle School. I live with my father, my stepmother, and stepsister who happens to be one of my best friends and a member of a club I belong to called The Baby-Sitters Club or BSC for short. How come I have a stepfamily?

First of all, my father raised me by himself. My mother died when I was a baby. I hardly remember her even though my father has pictures of her, so I'll know what she's like but it's never the same as knowing her. My father used to be very strict. I'm not joking; he made me wear braids and childish clothes like blouses and knee socks and I couldn't even talk on the phone except for homework.

Luckily, that changed when he married Sharon Schafer, who is my stepmother. It's such a romantic story! Sharon and my father dated way back in high school. Then her parents sent her to California for college, where she got married, and had Dawn and Jeff, my stepsiblings. Then she and her husband got divorced when Dawn was in seventh grade, and Sharon decided to bring the kids back to where she grew up.

I met Dawn on her first day of school. Soon we found out that our parents were high school sweethearts. We were excited when we found out and reintroduced them and eventually, they got married. That's how I got my stepmother and stepsister. Unfortunately, Jeff had already moved back to California because he missed their father a lot.

I got dressed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair and put it up in a bun, and went downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, everyone," I greeted them.

"Good morning, honey," My father smiled at me.

"Morning, Mary Anne," Sharon and Dawn echoed back.

Dawn was having Healthy-Os and I had Frosted Flakes. She only eats healthy and vegetarian food. After breakfast, Dawn and I grabbed our stuff as we left the house for school. When we got there, our friends were waiting for us. Our friends are Kristy Thomas who is my other best friend, Claudia Kishi, Jessi Ramsey, Mallory Pike, and Stacy McGill.

We all went into school together. Dawn is in my homeroom. In gym, I was with Kristy, who is also in my social studies class. Let me tell you a bit about Kristy.

Kristy has three brothers: Charlie, Sam, and David Michael. They lived with their mother ever since after their father left years ago. Then, their mother started dating a real - life millionaire named Watson Brewer and they got married last summer. They moved from Kristy's home in Bradford Court where they grew up next to me, to across town into Watson's mansion. So now, the family's growing with Watson's kids, Karen and Andrew, their adopted sister, Emily Michelle, and their grandmother who has moved in to help out. They have a few pets.

Kristy and I are the same and different; we have brown hair and brown eyes. Neither of us wears earrings. I'm shy and quiet, but she's outgoing. We both have stepsiblings. I'm also sensitive, yet Kristy can be insensitive. People can also say that I'm a good listener.

In gym, we were playing volleyball. I was on Kristy's team. I normally hate gym, but today was a lot of fun! She and I were playing against Cokie and her sidekicks, Bebe and Grace. Cokie is our rival, ever since the third grade. She once tried to steal my boyfriend. His name is Logan Bruno.

We've both liked him ever since he moved to our school. However, Logan asked me out! I don't think Cokie has ever really gotten over it.

The bell rang just right after my team beat Cokie's team. Yeah! Kristy and I walked together over to social studies class. We also share a study hall. Study hall is the best way to finish my classwork so I don't have any homework to do. This is great, as it leaves more time for me to see my friends and baby - sit.

I stopped by my locker on my way to lunch. Suddenly, I heard a snigger and glanced up. I saw my other rival, Shawna Riverson and her friends. They were teasing and African-American girl. The girl's name was Kayla Willis. She was new at the school and I'd only met her briefly, earlier on in the day during English.

I saw a flicker hurt in Kayla's eyes, as she walked away. I noticed she was upset and approached Shawna and her friends.

"That was really mean of you to tease Kayla!" I said. "How would you like it if you were new and didn't know anyone and then you were being teased?"

They didn't say a word. I walked off and took a few deep breaths. I don't like confrontation and it's very hard for me to speak up and defend people. I went to find Kayla and found her at her locker, which happened to be next to mine.

"Are you okay now?" I asked her. "I just told them to stop."

"Thanks for standing up for me," said Kayla.

"Not a problem. We met in English," I said.

"Oh, that's right, we did," said Kayla.

"I'm on my way to meet my friends for lunch. Do you want to join us?" I asked.

"Okay! Thanks," smiled Kayla.

We chatted as we waited in line for lunch.

"So where do you live?" asked Kayla.

"Burnt Hill Road," I said.

"Really? That's where I live too!" Kayla exclaimed excitedly. "There's a really cool farmhouse nearby. It has a barn and everything."

"That's our farmhouse," I said.

"Wow," said Kayla with a grin. "We can walk to school and home together; I only live a few doors down. I can't believe we haven't seen each other around there yet!"

"I know," I said. "Where did you move here from?"

"New York City," she replied.

"Really? I love New York!" I exclaimed.

We got our lunches, and walked over to join our friends.

"Hi, everyone, this is Kayla. Kayla, these are my friends, Kristy, Claudia, my stepsister, Dawn and Stacey," I introduced everyone.

I noticed a funny expression on Kayla's face.

"Kayla? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Hi, Kayla," Stacey said slowly. "Wow... what a coincidence."

"Hi, Stacey," replied Kayla.

"What's new with you?" asked Stacey.

Stacey is from New York City. She moved here with her family after Mr. McGill's company transferred him here. She hadn't been here long when he was transferred back to New York. We were sad to see her go. Then she moved back again after her parents got a divorce. It was a sad time for Stacey, but we were glad to have her back. Poor Stacey has diabetes. If she's not careful of what she eats she can get very sick because she cannot have a lot of sugar. She also has to inject herself daily with insulin. Ugh!

"I just moved here yesterday afternoon," said Kayla.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked.

"We went to the same school in New York," said Kayla. "Weird, huh?"

"Wow, you're so lucky," I said. "Oh! I just saw Shawna and her friends teasing Kayla, so I just stopped them."

"Good," said Stacey. "They can be so immature."

"Kayla is in my homeroom and English class," I said.

"Hey, Kayla, I think you're in my math class," Claudia spoke up.

School is not Claudia's thing. Her older sister, Janine is a genius. Claudia is smart too, but she does not like school. Their grandmother, Mimi, used to live with them and she was the one person who really understood Claud. But she died of a stroke not long ago. It was so sad. Claudia loves art and create anything. She also likes junk food and reads Nancy Drew, but she's not supposed to have those, so she hides them everywhere in her room.

"Actually, that was my twin," said Kayla. "I'm in Kristy's math class."

"There are two of you?" I asked.

"Yes. My twin is Kaylee," said Kayla. "We're identical twins."

"Whoa, I'm getting confused if I meet her and think it's you," I said.

"We have the same style of clothes, but in a different color," said Kayla. "We wear our personalized necklaces so people can tell whose is who."

"Good thought," said Claudia.

After school, our friends, Mallory and Jessi met us outside. Mallory and Jessi are best friends. Like me and Kristy, they're the same in some ways and different in other ways.

Like for example, with their families. Mallory is the oldest of eight kids. and Jessi is the oldest of three kids. They are both talented, but in different wants; Mallory wants to be a writer and Jessi wants to be a dancer. Mallory is white and Jessi is African - American. Their parents treat them like kids, but they do wear earrings. They also both have a hamster; Mallory has Fido and Jessi has Misty. They love reading about horses.

"Kayla and Kaylee are walking with us, Dawn. They live a few doors down from us," I said as we started walking home.

"Okay," said Dawn.

"How are you two related?" asked Kaylee.

"We're stepsisters," I said as I explained the story.

"Wow. That is weird that your parents dated during high school," said Kayla.

"I know," agreed Dawn. "My younger brother, Jeff moved back to California to live with our dad."

"That must been hard on you," Kayla said, sympathetically.

"Yeah, it was at first, I usually see him mostly during holidays and sometimes long weekends," said Dawn. "So it's not so bad."

"That's good," said Kaylee.

 

2: Chapter 2: Dawn's Jealously

That night at home, the phone rang as I went to the phone.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Mary Anne, guess which twin are you talking to?" asked Kayla.

"Is it Kayla?" I asked.

"You guessed it," said Kayla.

I giggled and said, "What's up?"

"I told my parents that you made the other two stop and they said it was nice of you," said Kayla.

"Don't listen to those girls," I said. "When Jessi moved here, it happened the same way since we didn't have African-Americans until she came here. But now she joined the club, she felt belong here."

"That's good," said Kayla.

"She's the only African-American in the sixth grade." I said.

"Oh," said Kayla.

"Are you and Kaylee the only two in the family?" I asked.

"No. We have six younger siblings," replied Kayla.

"Wow! Just like Mallory. She also has seven younger siblings," I said.

"My other siblings are another set of twins: Daniel Johnson and Mario are ten, then we have the triplets: Robert, Jr., Bert and Berta who are nine, and Mary Jane who is six," said Kayla. "Daniel Johnson's nickname is D.J. and Mary Jane's nickname is M.J. She was named after Kaylee's middle name, Mary."

"Wow. Just think of my first name," I said.

"That's true," said Kayla as we giggled. "In New York City, Stacey helped out whenever Kaylee or I were unable to help out."

"Maybe one of the Baby-Sitters Club members can help out as well. I'll see if Kristy has an extra flyer to give you one. We take calls during meeting times at Claudia's since she has her own phone with a private line," I said.

"Cool!" exclaimed Kayla.

"I'm expecting a call from Kristy after dinner anyway. We're supposed to go to the mall tomorrow after school," I said.

"Is it alright if Kaylee and I come along so you can show us around Stoneybrook?" asked Kayla.

"Of course you can. That's a nice idea," I said.

"Terrific," said Kayla.

"Mary Anne," called Dawn. "It's time for dinner."

"Okay. Tell Dad I'll be there in a sec," I said.

"Alright," said Dawn.

"I have to go now. It's time for dinner we were having pasta," I said.

"Yum. See you at school tomorrow," said Kayla.

"Same here. Bye," I said as we hung up.

When I got to the table, I giggled at Tigger who was chasing his tail.

"Silly Tigger," I said. "That was Kayla."

"Isn't that the one you told me about?" asked Sharon.

"That's the one," I replied. "I stopped Shawna and her friends who were teasing Kayla."

"That's good," said Dad.

"Yep. I asked them if they liked it if they were teased anywhere if they were new and no one knew them, which made them leave," \aid.

"That's right," agreed Sharon.

Tigger was at my feet using them as pillows. He was sound asleep.

"Comfy, Tigger?" I asked. "Like Mallory, there are eight kids in their family. There are another set of twins and one set of triplets."

"Including Kayla and Kaylee?" asked Dawn.

I nodded and added, "The other twins are D.J., whose real name is Daniel Johnson, and Mario who are ten, the triplets are Robert, Jr., Bert, and Berta who are nine, and M.J. whose real name is Mary Jane. She's six."

"What a crowd in a family of ten," said Dawn. "Their parents must be tired."

"I guess so," I said as we giggled.

After dinner, it was my turn to clear the table and Dawn's turn to do the kitchen. After that, the phone rang and I answered.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said Kristy.

"Hi, Kristy, you called just in time. I just had dinner," I said. "What's new?"

"Nothing much," said Kristy. "We're still going to the mall after school, right?"

"Yes. Kayla called me before dinner and checked to see if she and Kaylee could come along so we could show them around Stoneybrook," I said. "I said that was a nice idea."

"I agree," said Kristy.

"She told me that besides Kaylee, they have six other siblings," I said.

"Wow. That's a lot of siblings, just like Mallory," said Kristy.

"That's what I said and she also said if either she or Kaylee are unable to help out each other to watch their siblings, Stacey helps out." I said. "I told her that one of us can take over, too."

"That's a terrific idea!" exclaimed Kristy. "I'll see if we have another flyer at the meeting tomorrow. We can go there to to check after the mall."

"Good idea," I said.

After we talked, I headed up to get comfy. At eight-thirty pm, I was reading one of my best books, Wrinkle in Time in my room. I use my reading glasses when I read. I've been wearing them since I was in fourth grade. I remember my friend, April Levington would let me wear hers to watch them for her (she uses them for distance). Ever since then, I wanted to wear glasses of my own. I only use them for reading like I mentioned.

I was already in my nightgown and I was a bit chilly, so I had my robe on as well.

The next day at school, Kayla and Kaylee sat with me and the other girls during lunch.

After school, we showed the girls around Stoneybrook on the way to the mall. They couldn't believe how big Washington Mall was.

"Our mall in New York City is way bigger than this one," said Kayla.

"I agree since I grew up there," said Stacey as they laughed.

"We can take turns to show them the stores," I said.

"Great idea!" exclaimed Kristy.

That's what we did. I get to show them every clothing store. All of a sudden, Dawn became jealous since I've been with Kayla and Kaylee- they're new for heaven's sake. They don't know the mall just yet. I wasn't like that when she showed the girls the bookstore and the music store.

Here's the worst part: Dawn yelled at me (she does that when she starts an argument) for no reason in front of the whole customers, but I ignored her, which is the smart thing to do. She almost yelled in my ears, but I didn't listen. Kayla and Kaylee did the same thing. I don't blame them.

When we walked out of the clothing store, Kaylee said, "What's wrong with Dawn?"

"She just does that," I replied.

"She almost blew our eardrums out," said Kayla.

"Imagine if anyone does that in front of everyone?" said Kaylee. "That would be embarrassing."

"I know," said Kayla.

"I ignore her when she does that. I think she's just jealous," I said. "She doesn't admit right away."

Dawn was still arguing with me at the other clothing store. I always ignore that. But Kristy didn't like that and went to her.

"Why are you still doing that to Mary Anne in front of everyone? She's not doing anything wrong. She's just showing the girls around the mall. Don't you remember that idea? She wasn't like that when you showed them around the bookstore or the music store, so you better stop," Kristy warned Dawn. "Everyone is giving those girls a tour."

Thank you, Kristy. I'm lucky to have a best friend like Kristy to stop Dawn or anyone else. That's what I like having a best friend. When Dawn started doing that again, I got very mad this time and had enough.

"Will you please stop?" I asked in a quieter voice. "I don't know what's got into you lately. You've been doing that since I showed them the first clothing store. Since when you're like that?"

I paid and left that store.

What was she trying to do, embarrass me in front of everyone? Wait until I see Dad when I get home.

After the mall, I was ignoring Dawn the whole way. I walked faster to catch up to Kristy. When I got home, I went to my room and shut my door.

Dad must have heard me come home because he came up to see me and when he did he noticed I was very upset about something.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" asked Dad.

I sat up and told him about everything what happened at the mall.

"Kristy told her she wasn't like that when she showed them the bookstore or the music store," I said.

"That's right," agreed Dad.

"It was embarrassing when Dawn made a scene in front of the whole store," I said. "I had enough, so I told her to stop. I don't know what her problem was. It started when I showed Kayla and Kaylee the first clothing store."

"We can talk to Sharon about this when she gets home from work later on," said Dad. "She'll be home in about an hour."

"Okay," I replied as I hugged him.

That's what we did an hour later and Dawn got punished with no music, no phone, no leaving the house (which means no baby-sitting or the meetings or outside) and no TV. She can only do after school activities.

 

3: Chapter 3: The News about Kayla

At five-fifteen pm, I left the house for the meeting without Dawn since that was her punishment. At Claudia's, I got the record book ready.

"Are you okay now, Mary Anne?" asked Claudia.

"I told Dad and we told Sharon. Dawn is grounded, so she can't leave the house, which means no baby-sitting and she can't come here for two full weeks," I told her. "I just need to put her under the unavailable list and erase the fourteen days she was free on."

I fixed the book and told Kristy when she arrived two minutes later.

"Good," said Kristy. "She should've thought of that before she got punished."

"I know," I agreed.

Later, Dawn came to me and said, "Can we talk?"

I listened for her apologies.

"I was just jealous," said Dawn.

"But embarrassing people isn't the answer," I said. "We did took turns showing the girls around."

"That's true. I'm very sorry. I promise it won't happen and I'll say it for now on," said Dawn.

The next day, Kayla and Kaylee met me at my locker before my homeroom (Kayla's in mine and Kaylee's in Kristy's).

"Are you alright now from yesterday?" asked Kayla.

"I'm still a little embarrassed. I told Dad and Sharon about that and Dawn got punished because of that," I answered.

"That'll teach her a lesson not to do that to you ever again," said Kaylee.

"I agree with you, Kaylee," I said. "She apologized last night and was able to get off from her punishment."

"We both felt bad for you. Is Dawn jealous because we're both with you?" asked Kayla.

"Probably. But just remember, I'm not blaming it on either of you. It's not even your fault," I told them.

"I know. And, thanks for showing us around the mall and town," said Kaylee.

"Same here," smiled Kayla.

"Not a problem," I smiled back. "We all did."

"That's true," said Kaylee.

Once I shut my locker, we started to head for our homerooms. One minute later, Kayla and I went to our classrooms while Kaylee went across, which was Kristy's homeroom.

At lunch, I noticed that Kayla didn't feel so good and said in a worried tone, "Are you alright, Kayla?"

"I don't feel so well," answered Kayla. "My throat hurts. I can feel a lump there."

"Should one of us bring her to the nurse's office?" I asked the others.

"I would," replied Kristy.

"Come on. I'll go bring her since I'm done anyway," I volunteered.

Kayla and I went to the nurse's office. The nurse took a look at Kayla and she looked very pale.

"Is anyone home, dear?" asked the nurse.

"My mother is. She's starting her new job Monday morning," replied Kayla.

The nurse phoned her mom right away and she said she's on her way to take her to the doctor's to make sure she'd be fine. That was when Kayla left to get her things for a moment.

"I also noticed Kayla looked very tired," I added.

"It's good that you brought her here," said the nurse.

"I know," I said. "I was concerned about her."

That was when her mother arrived. Two minutes later, Kayla came back and she was still feeling tired.

"I'll tell Kaylee what's going on when I see her in the study hall," I said.

"Okay, thank you," said Mrs. Willis.

In the study hall, I did let Kaylee what was happening.

"I hope Kayla will be okay," said Kaylee.

"Me, too. Especially since I just met you both," I said.

"I agree," Kaylee nodded.

Later, after school, we were talking about Kayla on our way on home.

"Will you let me know about how Kayla is?" I asked.

"Of course," promised Kaylee.

"Thanks," I smiled.

At home, I prayed for her,

Two hours later, Kaylee phoned me. She looked very upset.

"Hi, Kaylee, are you alright? How's Kayla doing?" I asked.

"Mom just got home without Kayla, who's in the hospital, and told me they took a blood test & they told Mom that Kayla didn't have strep throat, it was leukemia," answered Kaylee. "Luckily, it was caught early enough. So, Kayla's staying overnight there. She'll be back home tomorrow, thank god."

"How awful! Is she going to live?" I asked.

"The doctors said she does have a good chance," answered Kaylee.

"Oh. I hope Kayla will get well soon," I told her.

"Me, too," agreed Kaylee. "I don't want to lose my best friend."

I felt bad for poor Kaylee. And, imagine losing your new friend you just met? That'd be terrible!

I just need to talk to someone, but I don't know where to start. I'll just talk to Dad later on when he gets home. At dinner, I was helping Sharon with dinner. That was when Dad came home from work.

At dinner, I didn't say a word.

"You're quiet tonight," said Sharon.

"Kayla got very ill today," I said.

"Really?" asked Sharon.

"Yes. I noticed Kayla looked pale and she figured it was a sore throat, but a lump, so I took her to the nurse's office. I also noticed she was feeling tired. Her mom picked her up and took her to the doctor's. Kaylee called me earlier to tell me, but it was caught early," I explained. "Kayla has a very good chance to live."

"That's a good thing," said Sharon.

"I know," I agreed.

"It's good you noticed the signs," said Dad.

"That's true," I agreed.

I just had to do something to help Kayla, but what can I do?

 

4: Chapter 4: The Fundraiser

The next day, I managed to go to school. When I got to school, an idea hit me to save Kayla's life. I'll tell it to the other girls later on at the meeting.

Later that afternoon, I left the house at around five. At the meeting, when the others arrived, I told my idea: doing a fundraiser to raise money for cancer, including to save Kayla's life. Everyone agreed with that idea.

"Dawn can join now. She apologized," I said. "But she's still being punished right now."

"Good," said Stacey.

"She admit she was a little jealous, but I told her embarrassing people isn't the answer," I said.

"That's right," said Kristy.

"We can do a bake sale or a money drive," said Claudia.

"We can do both," said Kristy.

"Perfect plan!" exclaimed Mallory excitedly.

"We can bake this week and start the bake sale next Sunday through Saturday," I said. "We can ask Logan and Shannon to help out. Maybe I can include Kaylee as well."

"That's a good idea to save her own twin," said Stacey.

"I agree," said Jessi.

The others agreed, too.

"We can set up the time and place," said Kristy.

"I know: how about at the hospital?" I asked.

"Sounds good," said Claudia.

"Sunday and Saturday can be from one to four in the afternoon while Monday through Friday can be after school from three to five and we can come here together," said Mallory.

"Depends if who's baby-sitting on those days. We can do it in the pairs," I said.

"Makes more sense to me," said Kristy. "Who's sitting for what next week?"

"Let me check," I replied as I checked. "Let's see. I'm sitting for Jenny next Tuesday, but that's at night, so I'm free that day. You're watching the Barretts next Friday in the afternoon, so you're free on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Want to be my partner?"

"I'd be honored to do so," said Kristy as we laughed.

"No one else is sitting at this moment, but you girls can pick a day and I'll make sure I won't schedule unless it's at night. But Mallory and Jessi are the only ones would have the afternoon jobs," I said.

"Okay. Mallory and I can do it Sunday and Saturday," said Jessi.

"We can do it that way, too," I said.

I wrote down the days and pairs.

"Stacey and I can take Monday and Thursday," said Claudia.

"Okay," I said as I wrote them down as well. "Kristy, you can ask Shannon and I'll ask Logan and Kaylee."

"Sounds good," agreed Kristy.

"Two free days are Wednesday and Friday," I said. "I can ask Kaylee if she wants to join you and me."

"Good idea," said Kristy. "Mallory and Jessi can have her first, then you and me, and Claudia and Stacey can have her as well. Depends if Logan and Shannon can help out."

"That's a good idea to take turns to include Kaylee," said Claudia.

"Yeah," said Stacey.

"We'll also make sure we don't add sugar for the ones who are diabetics," said Kristy.

"That's a good point," said Jessi. "We can buy sugar-free stuff at a store."

"Good thinking," said Stacey.

That's all set.

"We can bake separately," said Kristy.

"Okay," I said.

"Let's make a list," said Mallory.

That's what we did. Here's what we made it:

Me - Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kristy - Peanut Butter Cookies

Mallory - Brownies

Jessi - Cupcakes

Stacey - Chocolate & Vanilla Lollipops

Claudia - M & M Cookies

Dawn- Tofu Fudge (yuck)

"Kaylee, Logan and Shannon can pick, too," I said.

"After we're done, we can see how much we can charge them," said Kristy.

"Okay. We can do it at least fifty cents or higher," said Claudia.

"I think one dollar a piece is enough," I said.

"Perfect," said Stacey.

After the meeting, I was in a good mood to make dinner while Dawn was sitting the table. At least everything made out fine with me and Dawn now. At dinner, I told Dad about the fundraising plan.

"That's a nice idea and very thoughtful of you," said Dad.

"Yeah. Logan and Kaylee are coming after dinner so we can talk about what day they can do it. In fact, we're taking turns to have Kaylee since we're doing it in pairs," I said.

"Good idea. Dawn can join you when her punishment ends on Saturday or earlier if she behaves," said Sharon.

"We're each baking separately," I added.

I told them about that.

"That's a good idea," said Dad.

After dinner, Logan and Kaylee came over right after I helped Dawn with the kitchen. I told them my idea.

"Swell! To keep Kayla alive!" exclaimed Kaylee happily.

"That's a good idea," added Logan.

I told the available days and told Kaylee she can be with the pairs each day until Saturday. She loved that idea.

"You can bake anything you want. We already know who's baking what," I said as I showed them the list.

"Okay. I can make an apple pie," said Kaylee. "I love to bake."

"And, I can make key lime pie," said Logan.

"Good idea. Kristy is going to talk to Shannon about it, too," I said.

"I'm glad you're doing the bake sale at the hospital. It means so much to me. I don't want to lose my sister and best friend," said Kaylee who was in happy tears.

"Me, too," I smiled.

I was happy and felt good about this. Later on, I was in my nightgown. I just hope the bake sale would go well so Kayla would live especially since I just met her. Would you imagine losing a friend that you just met? I'd be heartbroken for awhile.

I never lose a friend before except for Amelia Freeman who died after a drunk driver crashed into her family's car.

The next day, after school, Dawn and I walked to the store getting a box of chocolate chip cookies. She was going to make them with me since she had no idea what to bake. She just got off punishment this morning since she was on her best behavior last night.

"We can bake them on Friday since it's too early to do this," I said.

"I agree with you," said Dawn.

Kristy told me earlier that Shannon was out baby-sitting her mom's friend's children and wasn't going to be home until late tonight.

Later at home, the blood started to come out of my nose and ran upstairs for a Kleenex. In the bathroom, I was holding it on my nose to block the blood. I never had that, but Dad told me if that happens, I'd have to tilt my head back and try not to blow too hard. Sure enough, when I sneeze, more blood came out. Good thing I was prepared with another tissue. It didn't stop until about ten to twenty minutes later. All I had was a scap. At least that stopped.

At around six pm, as I was preparing dinner, the scap came off and blood started to come out again.

"Not again," I muttered as I ran off to take care of that.

It was still coming out by the time Dad came home from work. Good thing I told Dawn to take over for me.

"Where's Mary Anne?" asked Dad.

"She's upstairs. Her nose started bleeding twice," replied Dawn. "She asked me to take over. Dinner will be ready shortly."

"I should go see if she's alright," said Dad.

When he did, my nose was still bleeding.

"Were you okay, honey? Dawn told me your nose started bleeding twice," said Dad.

"Yes. At first, I had a scap. Then, unfortunately, it came off and started bleeding again," I replied.

It felt forever the blood to stop. It finally did twenty minutes later during dinner. Luckily, it kept warm for me.

"I don't know how the scap came off. I didn't even pick it," I said.

"That is odd," said Sharon as I agreed.

The next day, Kristy told me Shannon would be glad to help out, so she's going to be with Logan on Wednesday and Friday.

On Friday, when Dawn and I got home from school, we baked chocolate chip cookies. We just had to add ingredients; we took turns doing it. We put them in the oven for about thirty minutes on 350 degrees. While we waited for them to be ready, we cleaned up the kitchen. She made her homemade tofu fudge.

Then, we did some homework in the kitchen so we can listen out for the oven timer. I was half-way done when the timer buzzed and we got up to turn it off. I checked the cookies and they were ready as I took it out and put them on the rack so they can cooled off. We still had the batter in the bowl, so we used the rest of it to make six more. We'd had twelve cookies altogether. We put that for thirty minutes again.

We continued to do homework. We were both done ten minutes before the timer buzzed. The cookies were done ten minutes later and put them with the other cookies on the rack. We finished cleaning up as I put the bowl, spoon, and cookie sheet in the dishwasher.

"That's all set for Sunday. Once they're cooled down, we put them on a paper plate and wrap it around," I said.

"Sounds good," said Dawn.

That's what we did after the cookies got cool enough two minutes later.

On Sunday, Mallory and Jessi had their first turn to do the bake sale. Kaylee was with them like they planned. She was collecting money since she's good at math like Stacey. She was going to do it until the days Stacey would do it. She said Kayla wanted to help out, but she was too tired to do so right now, so she might do it sometime this week. She was glad we're doing this for her and others who has cancer. She just hopes that'd help her to survive.

The bake sale week went well. Everyone loved the idea and the baked goods. They even gave us tips. This is how much we made whole week:

Sunday - $20.00 with ten dollar tip

Monday - $30.00 with twenty dollar tip

Tuesday - $25.00 with fifteen dollar tip

Wednesday - $15.00 with twenty-five dollar tip

Thursday - $30.00 with thirty dollar tip

Friday - $40.00 with ten dollar tip

Saturday - $31.00 with ten dollar tip

The total was $201.00 and total tip was $120.00. We put it together and the subtotal was $321.00.

That was a good total. We decided to deposit that as a check. Dad volunteered to do that and we sent it to the hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the first one was built way back in 1751. One of the doctors told us that after we asked where to send it.

I just pray that helped Kayla. Honestly, I was very nervous about that. Dad said it'll take awhile to find out.

 

5: Chapter 5: The Good News

A few days later, Kayla told me she had a doctor's appointment and I was in a nervous wreck about what's going to happen. I was able to pay attention in class to get good grades. That was a good thing. After school, I did my homework, but I was still anxious about Kayla. I hope Kayla's cancer free. I know Mom lost her battle, so I hope Kayla would beat hers.

Two hours later, Kayla came over to me. I knew something must be good because she seemed to be very happy.

"You seem excited about something," I said.

"I am. I'm cancer free, thanks to you and your friends who saved my life," said Kayla.

"You are?" I asked as she nodded. "Good!"

We hugged happily. I thanked God to keep her alive. The rest of my family was happy for her. When I told that to the other girls at the meeting, they were happy about it, too.

"I'm glad we saved her life," said Stacey.

"If it wasn't for your idea, she wouldn't be here right now," said Claudia.

"I know," I agreed.

Later on, back at home, I made dinner. We were having homemade pizza and Kayla and Kaylee were coming over for dinner to celebrate for being cancer free.

They came over a few minutes later shortly before Dad came home from work. It was actually his idea to have them over for dinner.

"Mom said whenever we go to New York City to visit our grandparents every other weekend, you can come along," Kayla said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," said Kaylee.

"Sweet," I said.

"If it's alright with your dad," said Kaylee.

"Of course she can," Dad said who surprised us.

"I didn't know you were there," I said.

"I know, you surprised me," said Kayla.

"He does that everytime. It never, ever fails," I said.

They both laughed at that. At dinner, the girls and I had permission to eat in the living room.

"Isn't this great that I'm cancer free?" asked Kayla.

"I'm glad." I smiled.

"We should celebrate some more by hanging out," said Kaylee.

"Sounds like a perfect plan," I said.

"We'll include the other girls since they helped to save my life," said Kayla.

"Okay," I said. "They'll love that idea as well."

The next day, after school, we did hang out to celebrate. We decided to go to the mall. We saw a movie, explored the FYE store, and so on. We ate at Friendly's, which the twins love.

"When are you starting to go ahead for New York City?" I asked.

"Next month," replied Kaylee.

"You'll love our grandparents," said Kayla. "They're from our mother's side."

"Our dad's parents died in a car crash two years before Kayla and I were born," said Kaylee.

"Oh," I said.

"Mom and Dad were married only a year when his parents passed away," said Kayla.

"They would love you. My mom's parents and my dad's parents were good friends," said Kaylee.

"I bet they were crushed about that," I said.

"Yes, they were," said Kayla.

"They all grew up together. That's how our parents met," said Kaylee. "They didn't start dating until they started high school."

"That's a cool story how they met," I said.

"How did your parents meet?" asked Kayla.

"They met in college. Dad's roommate was Mom's best friend, Savannah Morrison, who is my godmother," I said.

"Oh, cool," said Kayla.

"Mom and Dad got engaged on Valentine's Day at Stamford Fan Zone by using her favorite song, The Promise by The Rolling Stones," I said.

"Awesome," said Kaylee.

"That's Dad's favorite memory," I said. "Whenever I heard that song, I always think about that's how Dad surprised her to ask her to marry him. He told me that when I was younger when I first heard that song."

"Wow," said Kayla and Kaylee.

"Yeah," I said. "Sometimes I get upset because I wished I'd remember her."

"That's too bad," said Kayla.

Later on, at home, I was doing some homework. After I did it, I was reading A Wrinkle in Time when the phone rang as I came down to answer.

"Hello. Oh, hi, Logan," I said. "What's up?"

"Do you want to go out to the movies tomorrow?" asked Logan.

"Sure. I'd love to. What time?" I asked.

"The movie starts at seven tomorrow night," said Logan.

"Okay. What movie is it?" I asked.

"We'll be seeing A Child's Wish," Logan said.

"Oh, I've heard about it," I said.

The following night, at six, Logan and his mother came by to get me as I headed out the door to the car. We had dinner at Johnny Rockets first. The movie was pretty good. I felt bad for the girl who had cancer in her leg and it had to be amputated. She dies at the end. That was the sad part. I had tears in my eyes when I saw the part when she was told she had cancer. That reminded me of Kayla who just got over leukemia.

After the movies, Mrs. Bruno came by to bring me home. I was undressed. I don't think I want to see another movie with someone battling cancer that would remind me of Kayla even though I'm glad she lived.

 

6: Chapter 6: Kayla Returns to School

The next day, I was tired, so I took a shower to keep me awake. I always take a nice shower when I feel tired and it keeps me wide awake.

Later, at school, Kayla returned to school and I was thrilled about it. I was glad to see her back. We spent most of the day alone. We were partners in English and we sat alone at lunch after we invited Kaylee to join us. It felt great to get back together at school. After school, at home, the twins and I hung out. We did our homework together and just chill out in the backyard for awhile.

"I'm glad that I'm back at school," said Kayla.

"I agree, I'm glad you're back, too," I smiled.

"I'm lucky to have friends like you who helped me fight against leukemia," said Kayla as as Kaylee and I agreed.

"We all should get together alone all this week to catch up, Mary Anne," added Kaylee.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," I said.

"I like that idea," said Kayla.

That's what we've been doing all that time. My friends, including Dawn, didn't mind at all.

"Imagine how fun it would be if Kayla and I join your club?" asked Kaylee.

"That'd be a good idea; you can talk to Kristy about it," I replied.

"I'm good at math," said Kaylee.

"I write neat," said Kayla.

"So do I," said Kaylee.

"We could vice-secretary and vice-treasurer. Dawn isn't good at math, so she'll be thrilled to have you take over whenever Stacey misses a meeting. It's also a good thing since Claudia is not good at writing. Mallory loves writing, too," I said. "So, that'd work out just fine."

"Purr-fect," said Kayla as we laughed.

"That was a good one," said Kaylee as we were still laughing.

At dinner, I already finished my meal.

"Do you want any blueberry pie?" asked Sharon. "It's sugar-free."

"No, thanks," I said. "May I leave the table?"

"Yes, of course," said Dad.

I got up and went to my room. After dinner, I helped Dawn with the table and asked Dad if I can go over next door for awhile as I headed out to see Kayla and Kaylee. I rang their bell and Mrs. Willis answered.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said Mrs. Willis.

"Hi, can Kayla and Kaylee come out?" I asked.

"Of course. Kayla and Kaylee, Mary Anne's here to see you!" called their mother.

"Okay, Mom," said the girls.

They came out and we hung out on their porch. We stayed out until around eight-thirty. The next day, it was raining and there was nothing to do at all. At four, I got the kid-kit and left for the Newtons, whom I was sitting for until seven, so this means I can't go to the meeting. Kristy already knew that. That was all set.

At the Newtons, I entertained Lucy and Jamie. Jamie colored while I was with Lucy who was watching TV- Sesame Street, which was my favorite when I was little. I fed them at six and we continued to do fun stuff until Mr. Newton came home from work at seven on the nose. He paid me and went home.

At home, I had a surprise visitor.

"Hi, Grandma Verna, what a nice surprise!" I exclaimed as I hugged her.

"Hi, my darling, I heard you saved your friend's life to help her fight against cancer. Your father was telling me about it," said Grandma Verna.

"Yes, she was glad about that. She was back at school the other day and we've been together alone since then," I told her.

"That's good to hear," smiled Grandma Verna.

"I know. I didn't want to lose her especially since I just met her," I said. "The fundraiser was my idea."

"That was best idea," said Grandma Verna.

"I agree," I said.

"I'm going to be staying here for a month," said Grandma Verna.

"Sweet," I smiled.

I love having her here. She's my mother's mother and lives in Iowa where Mom grew up. After she died, I was raised by my grandparents to help Dad getting over Mom's death. I was eighteen months when he took me back. Grandpa Bill died of colon cancer the week before I met Grandma Verna, so I never knew him.

7: Chapter 7: The Interview

The next day, at school, I was told I was going to be interviewed during the school day on Friday morning.

"I'm going to be interviewed?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Kristy.

"Oh," I said. "I don't know if I can do it with the whole school in the audience watching me."

"I'm sure you don't have to look at them, just look at the reporters' eyes and you'd do fine," Kristy was using her comfort words.

I knew she's right because I get nervous if I do have to look at the audience. I'm very shy around people.

"Don't you worry about a thing, we'll be right by your side," said Claudia.

"Yeah, you usually feel comfortable when you're with friends anyway when we sit in the front row," added Stacey.

That's true I usually feel better when I spot them in the front seats.

"Thanks," I said in a low voice.

That was when the Willis twins came to join us.

"What's going on here?" asked Kayla as she sat next to Stacey.

"Mary Anne's going to be interviewed Friday morning," answered Stacey.

"Cool," the Willis twins said.

"This must be about Mary Anne saving people who struggle to fight leukemia," said Kaylee, who was with Kristy.

"It is," replied Dawn.

"Wow," smiled Kayla.

"But I hope I can do it just fine, I'm a bit nervous about it," I added.

"But why none of you are being interviewed? You girls and I helped, too," Kaylee pointed out.

"I think it's because it was Mary Anne's idea," said Kristy.

"We don't mind at all," added Stacey.

"Oh, I was wondering about that," said Kaylee.

I knew that Kaylee was correct; they all pitched in.

"I'll add that you guys helped me," I promised.

"That's a better idea," agreed Claudia.

"Thank you," said the other girls.

"It's a good thing you mentioned it, Kaylee, before I forget," I told Kaylee.

"I know," agreed Kaylee.

After school, at home, I was doing my homework. I was doing an essay about what was the best moment of my life and I decided to write how I helped Kayla survived from leukemia. It was for English. I decided to do that before my other homework, which is math.

I wrote the title, 'Saving a Friend's Life'. Then I started like this:

'It all started a few days after I met my new neighbor, Kayla Willis, who moved from New York City with her parents and seven siblings. I showed her around Stoneybrook and she loved it. One day, at lunch, she wasn't feeling well; she felt a lump in her throat and she felt tired. I took her to the nurse's office and she got dismissed by her mom. I told her twin sister, Kaylee, about what was going on and told her to let me know about Kayla. I was very worried about it. Later that day, Kaylee called me and told me Kayla was diagnosed with leukemia- that's why she was feeling tired. I was so upset about that. The following day, the idea came to me. I decided to do something better: doing a fundraiser. I told it to my other friends and they all liked it. We did the bake sale with the money drive. We did it on a Sunday and we continued to do it through Saturday. The bake sale and the money drive were excellent. The first total was $201.00 and the tip total was $120.00. The subtotal was $321.00 and my father & I sent a check to a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A few days later, Kayla went to a doctor's office and found out she was leukemia free! I also found out I saved the other people's life. I was happy for Kayla. It's nice when you help people who are struggling to fight against cancer. My mom lost her battle to leukemia long time ago. I never met her at all. Her father, Grandpa Bill, recently died of colon cancer before we got reunited, so I don't remember him either. Some people beat cancer and others lose it. So, I was glad that I saved Kayla's life; otherwise I'd lose her after I just met her. That was the best moment of my life.'

I was done with the essay. I read it to make sure I didn't spell anything wrong and the essay seems to be perfect. It was due the day after tomorrow, so I'm glad I did it early so I can pass it in tomorrow like my teacher said we could if we did it early and I know Kayla would like it.

I did my math homework after that. I did that within two to four minutes. It was pretty easy.

That dinner, I told my family about what was happening on Friday. Dawn was the only one who knew about that.

"How did you feel about it?" asked Dad.

"I was feeling nervous, but my other friends made me feel better by telling they'd be there by my side in the front seats, which it's a good thing in case I had to do it in front of the whole school," I replied. "My English teacher assigned us a very simple essay, about the best moment of my life, so I did it on saving a friend's life."

"That's cool," said Sharon with a grin.

"I know, it didn't take me too long to do it," I smiled back.

"I bet your essay would be the best one and I bet Kayla & all other cancer survivors would love it," said Dad.

"I added that, too," I told him.

Two days later, everyone passed in their essays.

"What topic did you write about for the essay?" asked Kayla.

"My lips are sealed, it's something special," I replied.

"I already corrected one of the student's essays since it was turned in yesterday and I will give it back to the student after I correct the rest of your essays," announced the English teacher.

She did correct them within ten minutes later while we were doing our English questions with our partners.

"The highest essay score was an A+," announced the teacher. "You all did very well, if I put red marks, you may correct them to get a better grade on a computer."

When she gave me back my essay, she just smiled and said, "Very good on your essay. You must be very proud of what you did."

"I am," I smiled.

That was when I noticed I was the one who had an A+ with no errors and nothing to be added.

"What did she mean by that?" asked Kayla.

"Can she read it? It's a surprise," I said.

"Of course," responded the teacher.

I gave it to Kayla to read it and was surprised that I wrote about how I saved her life. She had a B+ on her essay. When I read hers, I noticed she wrote about me, too, about how I was a good friend to her since she first came to this school. She just needed to add a few things to fix it to get a higher grade.

"That is so sweet," we both choired at the same time.

We both laughed at that.

"Jinx. You owe me a drink," I said.

"You beat me saying that," said Kayla as we laughed again.

At lunch, we both showed it to our friends.

"You added us, too," smiled Kristy.

"Of course I did, I wouldn't forget about you girls," I smiled back.

"I don't get that you never get any errors on any essays because you always get A plusses," said Claudia.

"Because I read it over just in case," I replied.

We all laughed.

On Friday, it was the big day for me to be interviewed. I found out I don't have to do it in front of everyone- thank goodness.

"I'll ask you a few questions, it won't take long," said a newspaper reporter named Mrs. Millis.

"Okay," I smiled.

"The first question is what kind of fundraisers that you did?" asked Mrs. Millers.

"I did the bake sale and the money drive. I did it all week from Sunday through Sunday," I replied as she was writing it down.

"The next question; were you doing it all by yourself?" asked Mrs. Millers.

"No, my friends helped me out. We all did it as pairs. We included Kayla Willis' twin sister, Kaylee, too. Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey did it on two days, Sunday and Saturday, Claudia Kishi and Stacey McGill did it on Monday and Thursday, Kristy Thomas & I did it on Tuesday, and so on. We had a great time doing it," I answered.

"How much money did you made?" asked Mrs. Millers.

"$201.00 for the first total and we made a $120.00 for the tips. The subtotal was $320.00," I replied.

"Where did you send the money to?" asked Mrs. Millers.

"We sent it as a check to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," I said.

"The last question is would you keep on doing fundraisers to raise money for cancer?" asked the reporter.

"The answer is yes. We enjoyed doing it. I'd also tell the ones who are struggling not to give up hope," I answered in a proud voice.

"It was nice meeting you, Mary Anne," smiled Mrs. Millers. "Mind if I take a picture of you?"

"Sure," I said.

She did and liked the picture.

At lunch, the girls all asked me how I did with the interview.

"I feel proud of myself. I'm glad I don't need to be interviewed in front of everyone," I replied.

"That's good," grinned my sister.

"We're all happy for you," added Stacey, who was smiling.

"Thanks," I smiled back.

"We can't wait to see you in the newspaper when it comes out," Kristy said excitedly.

"And, the next thing you'll know it, you'd be famous," added Claudia as we laughed.

"I know, I added all of you as my helpers like I promised," I told them.

"Good girl," teased Dawn.

We laughed again. Then, the milk came out of my nose and we laughed even harder until our faces turned red.

Two days later, the newspaper came and I spotted myself on the front page.

"Neat! I'm on the front page," I said in my excited voice.

I can't wait to show it to the others. I was the first one up because I was too excited to see if I'm on the front page today. The rest of my family wouldn't get up for another hour and I went to the living room as I read my own interview. Claudia was right, I'd be famous. This was my first interview. I'm glad that I did it.

An hour later, I was having breakfast when the others came down.

"You're up already?" asked Dad.

"Yes, I can't wait to show something," I said as I went to get the newspaper. "I'm on the front page."

"That's good," said Sharon as they read it.

"Wow. That is so cool," commented Grandma Verna.

"We're very proud of you," added Dad.

"Thanks," I replied.

"We should celebrate today and take Mary Anne out for dinner tonight,"suggested Sharon.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"We can go out for the day," added Dawn.

"Like going to the mall," continued Grandma Verna.

"I like those ideas," I smiled as I hugged them.

 

8: Chapter 8: Let's Celebrate!

At noon, we did start to celebrate. We did end up going to the mall like we planned. We went to the one in Stamford. We explored all over the mall. We ate lunch at Johnny Rockets.

"This is going to be the best day ever," I smiled.

"I bet, you deserved it," said Grandma Verna.

"I agree," said my sister.

"We should celebrate every day," I teased as we laughed.

"I know," said Dawn.

"We can still celebrate tomorrow," said Dad.

"Sweet," I smiled.

"As a father-daughter day," added Dad.

"As in just you and me?" I asked as he nodded. "Awesome."

I love that idea the best because I love going out with him. After we had lunch, we saw a movie of My Cousin Vinnie. It was the funniest movie ever! I loved it, it was a special presentation. It's odd, though because it's rated 'R'. I guess the special presentations are exceptional. Weird, right?

After that, we went to Borders and FYE. We even went to the magazine store and Dad brought me to the Verizon Wireless store.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"You deserve a little gift; your first cell phone," smiled Dad.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Dad.

"Thanks!" I happily exclaimed.

I looked at a few nice cell phones. I would like to have a flip phone that has the lowest price. There were four of them: one was $100.00, one was $60.00, one was $50.00, and the lowest price was $45.00. I picked the fourth choice, so I bought that with my own money. I had the exact change and gave it to the cashier who gave me the phone number. I was all set after that.

"Is it alright if I give it to any of my friends?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Dad.

"I just want to make sure before I do that," I said.

"That's fine by me," said Dad.

"I'll give it the ones who have their cell phones first, but I'm sure I can add their house numbers as well," I said.

"That's a good idea," agreed Grandma Verna.

"Does Bob have a cell phone?" I asked.

"I think so," said Grandma Verna. "I'll ask him when I go home next month."

"Okay," I said. "Let me know so I can give the cell phone number to him when I add his in my contacts."

"I will, honey," smiled my grandmother.

"Thanks," I said.

"Not a problem," I grinned.

Later on that night, I don't know what was going on because none of my family would tell me where we were going to eat for dinner. They told me to wait and see after seven later on.

At seven pm, we left the house to go out for dinner like they planned.

When we entered Stamford, I noticed we'd be going to Stamford Fan Club, which is my favorite restaurant, and when we went inside,the crowd exclaimed, "Congratulations, Mary Anne!"

I was even more surprised than ever!

"Oh, my goodness, what a nice surprise," I smiled.

We had a fun time. I rather be at a party with my friends and family to be honest with you. I know because they threw me a surprise birthday party last year. Only I didn't know because the next thing I knew they surprised me with a cake and I didn't know most of them, except for my friends of course, from my school and I ran away from my own birthday party. I just hated being with crowds I don't know too well.

When the party ended at nine, we went home. At home, I was exhausted even though I had fun. I had my nightgown and was in bed by nine-thirty thinking about my great day. This is the day I'd never forget for the rest of my life. I'm keeping the front page in my room when Dad's done reading the paper. The interview questions & answers were on the last page.

The next day, Dad and I did have a father-daughter day like we planned. We had a great day; we spent the entire day at a fair in New Haven, only two hours away. We went on a few rides, ate lunch there, and played a few games. Neither of us like going on rides on full stomachs. We stayed there until it was around six and we ate dinner in town at Cracker Barrel.

"I had a fun time today," I said.

"I'm glad that you did," smiled my father.

"I love it when we have a father-daughter day; we always have fun for that," I added.

"I agree with you, sweetie," said Dad.

We didn't go back home until eight. Sharon and Dawn were with my step grandparents for the night. They didn't come home until after ten and I was already in bed at that time.

 

9: Chapter 9: Cell Phone Numbers Exchange

The next day, at school, I told my friends about my day yesterday with Dad.

"You're so lucky," said Kristy.

"I know," I smiled.

"They told me all about it this morning because Mom and I were with my grandparents until after ten last night," said Dawn.

"Wow," said Claudia.

"So, I'm glad I had a terrific weekend," I said.

"That's good. What did you like best about the weekend?" asked Stacey.

"Both Saturday and Sunday," I replied.

We laughed.

"Plus, I just got a new cell phone," I continued.

"Wow," said Jessi.

"Dad said I can give the number to all of you," I told them.

"Sweet," said Mallory.

"I already added your house numbers," I said.

"Okay," said the other girls.

"I was there with my family when she got hers," said my sister.

"Do you any of you have cell phones?" I asked.

"I do," replied Kristy and Stacey.

"I have to wait until Christmas," said Claudia.

"That's okay," I smiled.

"And, our parents think Jessi & I aren't responsible enough to have our own cell phones," said Mallory.

"Yeah, we have to wait until we're at least twelve or older," added Jessi.

"Plus, we'll be twelve soon," continued Mallory.

"I already gave Mary Anne my cell phone number. I've have mine since my twelfth birthday," said my sister.

"Lucky you," said Jessi.

"I think Logan has a cell phone, too, I'll ask him after," I said while Kristy and Stacey switched the cell phone numbers with me after I wrote mine down. "Grandma Verna is going to check to see if Bob has one, too, when she goes home next month."

On my way to homeroom, I turned my cell phone off after I added the other two cell phone numbers in there so it won't disturb the class- especially teachers. I even added the emergency number in it yesterday.

In English, I was doing the questions when Kayla arrived.

"Hi," said Kayla.

I looked up and said, "Hi."

"I was delayed because Mom had a flat tire on the way here after I had a dentist's appointment," said Kayla.

"Kaylee told me you were going to be tardy," I said remembering that this morning. "What was the cause to have a flat tire?"

"She ran over a nail," replied Kayla.

"Uh-oh," I said.

"I know," agreed Kayla. "What are we doing right now?"

"We're just doing the English questions," I said showing the page number.

"Okay," said Kayla taking her textbook and notebook out.

"Thank you for letting her know, Mary Anne," smiled the teacher.

"Not a problem," I said.

As she started hers, we were whispering. The whole class is allowed to talk as long as we whisper while doing classwork.

"I got a new cell phone the other day," I said in a low voice.

"Was it because you were the front page, right?" replied Kayla.

"Yes, do you and Kaylee have a cell phone?" I asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "We both got it for our thirteen birthday three months ago."

"We'll switch our cell phone numbers at lunch," I said.

"Sounds good," said Kayla using her indoor voice.

"How did it go at the dentist?" I asked.

"I have to go back next week, I'm getting braces," answered Kayla in a low voice.

"Oh," I whispered.

"I don't mind. My teeth are crooked a bit, that's all," said Kayla. "It's no big deal."

"How long you'll be having them?" I asked.

"The dentist said I'll be having them for about four years," whispered Kayla. "Kaylee already had hers when she was nine. She just had them taken off just before we moved here."

"Oh," I said in a low voice.

At lunch, Kayla & Kaylee gave me their cell phone numbers after I gave them mine. After I added them in my cell phone, I turned it back off.

"Five down, two to go after adding Logan and Bob in my cell phone, and the other three have to wait for awhile," I said.

"Whenever we hang out, we put our cell phones on vibrate in case of our parents call if they have an emergency," said Kaylee.

"Dad and Sharon do the same thing, Sharon forgets to do so sometimes and it rings in any restaurants and everyone would hear it," I said. "Both Dawn and I would tell Sharon that everyone was staring at her."

"How embarrassing!" exclaimed Kayla in a low voice trying not to giggle.

"I know," I agreed.

"When I first got my cell phone, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to use it in school, and it rang while I was doing schoolwork, so before the teacher heard it, I turned it off," said Kaylee. "And, when the teacher asked me why I was using it, I told her I was turning it off because I forgot to shut it off and didn't know cell phones aren't allowed in school. Luckily, the teacher didn't get mad and told me try to shut it off before going into school."

"That happened to me once, too. I told my teacher the same and that was the week after we got our cell phone," said Kayla. "Mine didn't get mad either and told me the same."

We all laughed at those embarrassing moments about the first cell phones.

"At least you remembered about the cell phone policy," said Kayla.

"Don't jinx me," I warned her with a laugh.

"Yeah, Kayla," agreed Kaylee.

"What are you girls laughing about?" asked Claudia as the others were joining us.

"Just about our embarrassing moments when Kayla and I first got our cell phones for our thirteen birthdays a few months ago," said Kaylee. "We both forgot to turn them off and rang during class one time & we didn't know we weren't supposed to use cell phones during school hours."

"Yeah, I was in another class during her period when that happened," added Kayla.

Kristy just rolled her eyes while the rest of us were laughing.

"I also told them that happens to your mother when we're out to eat often," I told my sister.

"I know, the same thing happened to her when I was still living in California," said Dawn.

After school, I turned my cell phone on. We were planning to treat ourselves at the Rosebud Cafe before hanging-out at the mall. Kayla and Kaylee were going to join us.

"I can leave my backpack at your house, Claudia," said Kristy since Charlie would come for her at six.

"Good idea," said Claudia.

"The rest of us can bring our backpacks home," said Stacey.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Good thinking," said Mallory. "We can do that in order starting with the closest. Stacey and I can go first, then Burnt Hill Road, and then Fawcett Ave."

"Smart thinking, Mallory," agreed Kristy.

We all agreed on that idea, too. That's what we did and after we made the final stop, we walked straight to Rosebud Cafe. We all had ice cream-except for Stacey and Dawn who had salad- with yummy hot fudge and sprinkles with whipped cream. I had nuts with mine and I had chocolate ice cream. Some of them also had chocolate while the others had vanilla. Kayla had strawberry flavor.

Then, I could feel my cell phone vibrate.

"Can you excuse me?" I asked as I got out the door and answered. "This is Mary Anne speaking. Oh, hi, Grandma Verna."

We just talked for a bit that Bob does have a cell phone and I wrote down his cell phone number. I already wrote down mine when Dawn and I brought our stuff at the house and left it next to the phone near the stairs.

After we talked, I sat back down and said, "That was Grandma Verna giving me Bob's cell phone number."

"One more to go for now," said Dawn.

We giggled.

"Yup. Just Logan," I said. "I didn't see him at lunch."

"He's out with a flu," added Stacey, who's in his homeroom and English. "I asked Alan Gray who spoke to Logan."

"Maybe I should call him later on tonight," I said.

"That's a nice idea," agreed Kristy.

After we had our treats, we went to the mall. We had a terrific afternoon. We left there at least five so we can get to Claudia's for our BSC meeting.

 

10: Chapter 10: Mary Anne, Kayla, and Kaylee in NYC!

A month later, on a Thursday night, I was packing my suitcase. Kayla and Kaylee told me we can leave after the BSC meeting, so I told them they can come for me at Claudia's by six tomorrow and can give them my suitcase so they put it in their car trunk. We can't wait to spend our first weekend in New York City. I'm going to have fun since I always love New York City, one of the best places to visit! New York City, here I come!

The following day, at the BSC meeting, the phones kept ringing non-stop.

"Are you still baby-sitting on a weekend?" asked Kristy.

"Of course I would, it's only every other weekend," I replied.

"Oh, good," said Kristy as the others laughed.

At six, I was out there when The Willis Family Car Part 1 arrived as I went in.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said Kayla.

"Hi," I smiled.

On the way, D.J. and Mario were being immature. They were fighting over a book that was on the floor.

"It's my turn to read it," said D.J.

"No me!" yelled Mario.

Kayla grabbed it before they got hold of it and she sat on it.

"Guess what? Either share the book or neither of you is getting it back," said Kayla.

"Thank you, Kayla, honey," said Mrs. Willis.

"We don't want to share," said both boys.

"Then, I'm not giving it back to you until you can learn to share," said Kayla as she puts it in her suitcase.

"Good idea, Kayla," said Kaylee.

"I know how that feels. The Pike kids are the same way sometimes," I said.

In New York City, we got our suitcases and went in the apartment.

"Are they always like that?" I asked.

"Sometimes and it drives us crazy," said Kaylee.

"Tell me about it. Mom always tells us if any of our younger siblings don't share while baby-sitting, take it from them if it's not in their hands and not to give it to them until they can share," added Kayla.

"Good thinking," I said. "I can remember that when I go with you."

In the apartment, Mrs. Willis knocked on the door as her mother answered.

"Hello, Tina, come in," said the mother.

"Thank you," said Mrs. Willis. "The other crew will be here shortly."

"And, we brought our new friend along with us," said Kayla.

"You mean the one who saved your life?" asked her grandmother.

"Yes," smiled Kayla.

"You must be Mary Anne Spier, I read the interview in the article about you. You must be really proud of what you did," said the grandmother as I nodded. "I'm Ginnie Wells. It's finally to meet you."

"Same here," I said shyly.

"Don't be shy, my dear, we'll make you feel welcome here when you visit us," said Ginnie with her comfort words.

She knew she would be right.

"You're welcome to call me Ginnie," said Ginnie.

"Okay," I said still feeling shy.

That was when her husband came out from the living room.

"Hello, Dad," said Mrs. Willis.

"Hi, Tina," said her father. "And, you must be Mary Anne Spier who saved Kayla's life by helping her to fight leukemia."

I nodded.

"I'm Jeffrey Wells, you can call me Jeffrey or Jeff," said Jeffrey.

"That's my stepbrother's name," I told him starting to feel welcome.

"Kayla, can you show Mary Anne where she'd be sleeping in?" asked Mrs. Willis.

"Okay, Mom," said Kayla.

She brought me in the bedroom that Kayla and Kaylee share when they visit the apartment. The bedroom had three beds.

"This is a nice room," I said.

"This was the nursery room that Mom had," said Kayla.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, so when Kaylee and I were born, it was our turn to have the nursery room," said Kayla.

"Nice," I smiled.

"We'll be going to the movies tomorrow as the whole family," said Kaylee.

"What movie are we going to see?" I asked.

"We can go see any movies we want on our own, but M.J. has to stay with Mom and Dad or our grandparents because she's not exactly old enough to be on her own yet," replied Kayla. "But she doesn't have to stick with me and Kaylee. She don't have to stick with D.J. or Mario. She rather be with the triplets, Mom and Dad, or our grandparents."

"Oh," I said.

I hope it won't be another cancer movie.

"Is it a cancer movie?" I asked. "I went to see A Child's Wish and I had tears when I saw the part when she was diagnosed with cancer found in her leg and it had to be amputated. I almost cried at the end when the girl dies."

"There's no cancer in the movies at this moment," replied Kaylee.

"Good, because after that, I decided not go to see a movie that has cancer in it," I said.

"Was something bothering you not to do so?" asked Kayla.

"Yes. When I watched someone battling cancer, it reminded me of you even though I'm glad you lived," I replied.

"Really?" asked Kayla as I nodded. "Oh."

"Mary Anne, there's nothing to worry about," said Kaylee putting her hand on my shoulder.

"I know, but it worried me too much, that's all," I replied. "Sometimes cancer do come back anytime and lot of people die after they get it for the second time."

"Oh," said Kayla taking my hand. "But I'm sure it wouldn't happen to me."

I just knew she's right and that made me feel better. Leave that to Kayla and Kaylee.

"Thanks, that made me feel better," I smiled as we all did a group hug and laughed.

At dinner, Kayla, Kaylee, and I were sitting together.

"So, Mary Anne, you must be still happy about Kayla beating her battle against leukemia," said Ginnie.

"Yes," I said.

"Would you still be doing it if it happens again?" asked Jeffrey as I nodded. "Good."

"I just hope it won't," I said.

"I think she doesn't want to stick with that subject anymore," said Mrs. Willis.

Thank you, Mrs. Willis.

"That's fine if you don't want to," said Ginnie.

"Thanks, it just makes me upset. Both my mom and grandfather had it when they died," I said.

"Oh," said Jeffrey.

"I don't remember them at all. My mom died when I was an infant and my grandfather died not long ago before my grandmother and I got reunited," I told them.

"We can talk about your family instead then," said Ginnie.

"Well, when my mom died, my dad was too upset to handle me on his own, so I was raised by my grandparents who live in Iowa where my mom grew up. I was there until Dad was ready to take me back when I was eighteen months old," I explained as I continued on how I got a stepfamily skipping the parts when Dad used to be strict since I wasn't comfortable to tell them.

"That's cool," said Ginnie.

"I know. Dad is a lot happier when he married Sharon now," I told her.

"That's good," said Ginnie.

The next day, at noon, we were all at the movies and noticed a cancer movie had just come out.

"We can go see something else. I didn't know that a movie about cancer would be out since I barely watch TV except at night or weekends," said Kayla.

"That's okay," I said. "It's nobody's fault."

I noticed a movie with Cam Geary, my favorite movie star, is out.

"I'm a big fan of Cam Geary," I said.

"Really?" asked Kaylee.

"Us, too," said Kayla.

"He's so dreamy and hot," said Kaylee as we laughed.

"He reminds me of Logan. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes. When I met Logan, I thought he was really Cam Geary coming to our school," I said.

"That's going to start in ten minutes, let's our tickets right now," said Kayla.

That's what we did.

"We'll meet you out here when the movie's over," said Mrs. Willis.

"Come on," said Kaylee.

We rushed to the movie section and made it in there as the previews were starting.

"Good," I said.

Luckily, there was three available seats in the middle section as we sat there.

"This is great," whispered Kaylee.

"Superman and Superwoman sounds good," said Kayla.

She was right, it was good watching his movie. It was two hours long.

"I just love his movies," I said as we headed out of that section.

"Me, too," said Kayla.

"Me, three," said Kaylee.

Mr. and Mrs. Willis were already waiting for us.

"My parents and the younger kids should be out here in five to ten minutes," said Mrs. Willis.

"How was the movie?" asked Mr. Willis.

"Awesome," replied Kayla.

"Mary Anne loves Cam Geary, too," said Kaylee.

"Isn't that something?" asked Mrs. Willis.

"I know," replied Kayla as we laughed.

"You girls can explore on your own later on," said Mrs. Willis.

"Sweet," said Kayla.

"Thank you, Mom," said Kaylee.

"Yeah," I agreed.

Later on, that's what we did as long as we get back before dark.

"This is so exciting. I can't wait to do this every other weekend with your family," I smiled.

"Me, either," said Kayla "That would be fun."

We did everything. We went to Macy's, which was the biggest one in the whole United States, we went on bustours, which is my favorite thing to do, and ate dinner together at Bubba Gump. Mrs. Willis already knows and it was fine by her. After that, we headed back to the apartment.

"It's too bad we're going back home tomorrow," said Kayla.

"Yeah, it feels like we just got here," agreed Kaylee.

"Tell me about it," I said.

At the apartment, we were getting ready to leave tomorrow afternoon.

"What time we're leaving?" I asked.

"Mom and Dad want to leave after lunchtime," replied Kayla.

"Okay," I said. "Do you have a phone so I can call Dad? If not, I can use my cell phone."

"The phone's in the kitchen," said Kaylee.

"Okay, thanks," I said as I came out to the kitchen to call home.

"Hello," said Dad.

"Hi, Dad," I said.

"Hi, honey, how are you?" asked Dad.

"Good," I replied. "I just got back from dinner with Kayla and Kaylee."

"That's good," said Dad.

"We went to Bubba Gump. We went to the movies earlier and saw one of Cam Geary's new movies and Mrs. Willis was giving us permission to be on our own for the afternoon," I said.

"I'm glad you're having a good time there," said Dad.

"Me, too. Their grandparents are really nice. I liked them a lot. They already knew who I was because they saw my interview from the article last month," I told him as he laughed.

"Isn't that funny?" asked Dad.

"I know," I said.

"When are you coming home tomorrow?" asked Dad.

"Sometime in the afternoon. Kayla told me her parents want to leave after lunch," I replied.

"Can't wait to see you," smiled Dad.

"Me either," I smiled back.

The next day, after lunch, my stomach flipped-flopped. I hate it when that happens because it makes me nauseous. Luckily, I took TUMS I brought with me just in case it happens while I'm here.

"Time to go, kids," said Mrs. Willis.

Kayla, Kaylee, and I went to get our suitcases.

"Were you alright?" asked Kayla who saw me took TUMS.

"My stomach flipped-flopped, that's all," I said.

"Maybe you'd feel better if you sit in the front seat," suggested Kaylee.

"I think so, too," I agreed.

I checked with Mrs. Willis and didn't blame me for it. She didn't want me to get carsick either.

"Can we please listen to my CD?" asked D.J. on the highway.

"No mine first," said Mario.

"Boys, you both can choose or we're not putting any CDS in," said Mrs. Willis.

"I asked first," said D.J.

"Does it matter what CD we put in?" I asked.

"Thank you, Mary Anne," said Mrs. Willis.

"Yes," said the boys.

"You heard your mother: either share or none of your CDS are going in the radio," I warned them.

"That's right, if you can't cooperate, you both can listen to your CDS in your CD players," said Mrs. Willis.

"Good idea," said Kayla.

That did made them agreed on a CD to put in.

"That worked," I said.

"I agree. Thank you," said Mrs. Willis.

"You'd have a job handling D.J. and Mario if they get into any fights," said Kaylee.

"Leave that to me. I know how to handle kids when they fight," I said.

"Good," said Kayla as we laughed.

"When the Pike or the Barrett-Dewitt kids are like that, we always separate them until they can agree on things," I said.

"That's another good idea," said Kaylee.

"Tell me about it. It drives us crazy after awhile," I said.

Back in Stoneybrook, since I live three houses up, we stopped at the Willis' house and I went to my house to make that easier for them. The door was locked, so I got my key, unlocked it, and went in. I knew Dad and Sharon wasn't home because the car wasn't in the driveway.

"They must be doing errands," I said to myself.

Sure enough, I saw a note saying they're doing errands and would be back shortly. I went up to my room to unpack.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said a voice.

When I turned, it was Dawn standing at the doorway who just got home herself.

"Oh, hi, Dawn," I said.

"I just got home baby-sitting Kerry and Hunter," said Dawn. "They asked me about you."

"Really?" I asked. "Where was Logan?"

"Logan was at the baseball practice and he just got back," said Dawn.

"How did he do today?" I asked.

"He said he did well," replied my sister.

"That's good," I smiled.

I had just finished packing when the front door open and shut. When I came out, it was Dad and Sharon.

"Hi," I greeted them as I came down.

"Hi, honey," said Dad as we hugged.

"Hi," added Sharon as she hugged me, too.

"Did you just got home?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I said. "I just love visiting New York City."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun there," said Dad.

"Me, too," I smiled. "Kayla, Kaylee, and I can't wait to do so every other weekend."

"I bet," said Dad.

 

11: Chapter 11: The Fundraisers 2

That night, Dad decided to take me out for dinner as a father-daughter night. He took me out to Friendly's. We even had free ice cream after our meals. We shared a double cone; I had vanilla and he had chocolate. We always have fun together.

After that, back at home, Sharon met Dad at the door and said, "Randy called awhile ago and wants you to call him back immediately when you get back."

"Okay, thanks, my dear," said Dad.

I went upstairs to get into my nightgown while Dad calls Randy back. Twenty minutes later, Dad came up to me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"He called me to tell me to take over for him for a few weeks because his mother is dying & has three weeks to live and he needs to go see her in Idaho first thing tomorrow morning, so I'll be working late until eight or nine-thirty, but the office will be closed on Saturday and Sunday," explained Dad.

"That's a shame," I said.

"She's been struggling with cancer for a long time," said Dad.

Then, I had an idea to help Randy's mother. The next day, I called an emergency meeting at lunch and told the girls about Randy's mother.

"We can do book drives with our old books that we don't read anymore for about a dollar per book or three for five bucks," I added.

"That's a good idea, we can mention it to Mal and Jessi after school," said Kristy.

"We can do it for a week," I said.

"Or we can do the money drive while we have the book drive like we did when we had the bake sale," said Claudia.

"That's a good one, too," I said.

After school, we talked to Mallory and Jessi about it.

"We can talk about doing it tomorrow until Friday if there's enough time," said Kristy.

"There should be enough time. Like Dad said, Randy's mother has three weeks to live," I said.

Later, at Claudia's, we talked to start doing it tomorrow through Friday. We made flyers to take place at my and Dawn's house from three to six on Tuesday and Thursday & three to five on the BSC meeting days. We figured we can let the clients come and buy some books for themselves or their kids or they can just add money or both. We figured we do the money drive for five to twenty bucks. In fact, we could add the five in the money drive jar if they want us to. That way we can use ones for change. We figured that we'd use our own money to give them change as well starting with a twenty bill, so we broke it into twenty ones. We decided to keep the twenty dollar bill in case we need to break it again.

The next day, after school, the book drive started and it went well. I found the books that were babyish for me like nursery rhymes and some other childish books with Sharon and Dad's help. He probably told Randy my idea because he told me it was very thoughtful of me to do so. Dawn had the books that her father gave her as a young kid and isn't into them anymore since she's getting too old for them. She only kept the ones that are about ghosts.

A few days later, on Friday, we did it and sold all of those old books. The clients also added money in the jar. We finished at four-thirty after the last book was sold. Mallory made her own stories and Vanessa helped to write a book with poems in it. Everyone was impressed with Mallory's writings and Vanessa's poems. Her siblings helped out by giving her their old books. Jessi didn't want to get rid of hers; she gave some to Becca and the other baby books to Squirt. So, she was the only one who didn't bring any of the old books and that was okay.

We were at Claudia's early counting the money. Stacey wrote it in the logbook and added all of them separately before including the money drive amount. Here's the total for each day:

Monday: $35.00 – money drive total: $50.00

Tuesday: $50.00- money drive total: $80.00

Wednesday: $25.00- money drive total: $35.00

Thursday: $60.00- money drive total: $40.00

Friday (today): $80.00- money drive total: $55.00

Book Drive total was $250.00 and the money drive total was $260.00.

"The book drive total was $250.00 and for the money drive, we made $260.00 and the subtotal is $510.00," announced our treasurer.

"That was more money we made last time," said Jessi.

"Exactly," I said.

"Maybe we can do more fundraisers to add more," said Kristy.

"That's a great idea," said Stacey.

"Once we get paid after our sitting jobs, we add that to a special piggy bank until next Friday," I added.

"That's a smart idea," agreed Mallory.

"Yeah," said the rest.

"Who's with me?" I asked.

"I am!" exclaimed the others as we laughed.

We decided to do so in my piggy bank. We agreed to hand their money over to me to put it in there. That's what they've been doing after school unless they didn't baby-sit yet. And, the next meeting on that Friday, we counted it and we had $100.88 and the total was $610.88.

We also decided to do more money drive at a store like Wal-Mart and Stop & Shop. We decided to split to do so: five of us were doing at Wal-Mart and six others-including Kayla and Kaylee- would be doing it at Stop and Shop on the same day: On Sunday from ten in the morning until five in the evening. That's what we did and we all did really well. The costumers did it on the way out and most others would do it going in.

After the money drive ended, we gathered at Claudia's to count the money. The five of us made $400.00 and the rest of the others made $600.00. The total of the money drive was $1,000.00 and the final total was $1,610.88!

"Wow," I said.

Mrs. Kishi offered to make a check to write that down to mail it tomorrow.

"You can keep the rest of the money to treat yourselves," said Claudia's mother.

"That's what we're planning on doing anyway," said Claudia.

We all laughed. The next day, at school, Claudia told us she mailed to the Cancer Society Foundation on her way to work. A few days later, at home, the phone rang as I answered it.

"Hello," I said. "Oh, hi, Randy."

He was telling me something and I couldn't understand it because I could hear he was very excited. So, I had to tell him to slow down a bit so I could understand what he was saying. He was telling me that I saved his mother's life: why? She got cancer free. She hopes to continue to live longer: she's an eighty-four-year-old widow and lives with her daughter & son-in-law and their three teenage kids. She only has Randy and his sister, Mandy. They're fraternal twins. Really, I'm serious. They were two of the triplets, but their brother, Manny, was stillborn and grew up without him. They didn't even remember their parents were supposed to have triplets. I can't wait until I tell Dad later on and he didn't even know about it because Randy wanted to be the first one to be told and wants me to tell him & my friends about that.

After we talked, I was happy about that we saved Randy's mother and we found out the others all over the world lived, too. Some were cancer-free and the others still have it. No one's been dying thank goodness. Doing fundraisers are really fun to do especially to help those who are fighting to live. Later on, at Claudia's, for our BSC meeting, I told the girls about Randy's mother and they were very happy about that!

"Dad doesn't know it yet since Randy wanted me to know first," I told them.

"He's going to be happy so he won't be working late when Randy returns from Idaho," said Kristy.

"I know, he's been tired when he comes home from work," I said. "He's been having dinner at work as well. He was happy when he's home on the weekends."

"I believe it," said Claudia.

Later on, at home, I was cooking dinner when to my surprise, Dad, came home early.

"Hi, you're early tonight," I greeted him.

"I know, for a change and I'm glad about that," said Dad.

"Randy called me today," I said.

"How's his mother doing?" asked Dad.

"He called to tell me the good news: his mother ended up beating her battle with cancer," I explained as I continue telling him about it. "He wanted me to the first one to be told."

"That's wonderful and I bet he was glad of what you did," said Dad.

"He sure was," I replied. "You should've seen the total that we made altogether; $1,610.88."

"That is great," said Dad.

"Mrs. Kishi mailed it as a check a few days ago and told us to keep the money to treat ourselves," I continued.

"That's a good idea, you all deserved it," agreed Dad.

"Dawn's baby-sitting the Pike kids with Mallory and won't be home for dinner, so it'll be you, me, and Sharon," I told him. "Dawn will be home sometime after eight."

"Okay," said Dad.

That was when Sharon came home.

"Hi, Sharon," I greeted her.

"Hi, honey," said Sharon. "Hi, Richard, this is a nice surprise that you're home early for a change."

"Cindy offered to take over since I've been working late for three weeks straight," replied Dad.

"That's good," said my stepmother.

"Mary Anne was just telling me that Randy's mother beat her battle," said Dad.

"Wow! Is it because of what you girls did?" asked Sharon.

"Yes," I replied.

"That is wonderful," said my stepmother.

Randy came home two days later and thanked me again for saving his mother's life. I'm glad I did the same way when Kayla was battling leukemia. I'm still glad that we saved her life, too. That's all it matters. My friends and I had dinner at the diner with Kayla and Kaylee. I just pray that Kayla would live longer.

THE END