Kristy's Great Idea
Friday after school Kristy Thomas and her best friend Maryanne Spier walked home together. Kristy spoke in words Maryanne understood just had to process at the speed they came out of her friends mouth. She was telling Maryanne about something that happened In class.
"It was boiling in there, like surface of Venus hot." Kristy exaggerated. "And he just kept going on and on about the genius of Thomas Jefferson and how all men are created equal." She told the girl next to her who curiously asked, "This is Mr. Redmond?" She looked at her friend, both oblivious of the girl in yellow sneaking up on them.
"Yeah. So finally I stood up and i was like, if he was such a genius why didn't he say all people?" Maryanne gave a small 'cool'. "Except apparently i raised my voice. and I didn't raise my-" Kristy was cut off by Theo James, Kristy's older brother Sam's best friend, who jumped in between the two scaring the life out of them, "Ha! You should've seen your faces!" The girl laughed and swung her arms around the girls. Kristy playfully slapped her whilst Maryanne gave a large closed lip smile.
"Thank you for that, Crayon." Kristy told the older girl unamused, using the nickname 'Crayon' her, Maryanne and Claudia Kishi made for the girl when they where younger. "Anyways, I didn't raise my hand."
"Did he give you detention?" The Spier girl asked, "Wait-what teacher is this?" Theo asked looking at Kristy,
"Mr. Redmond." The older girl rolled her eyes, "Of course it is. Anyway, continue."
"Essay. On the importance of decorum." Kristy spoke as Theo leaned down to Maryanne "Whats decorum?" She asked in a hushed voice.
"I- shouldn't you know this? Nevermind." The girl looked passed the teen, "What does that even mean?" She asked Kristy,
"Like not talking unless you were called on, being polite, and invisible." She rolled her eyes. "Meanwhile the boys are in the back of the room sticking Kleenex down their pants-" Theo snorted. "-and wiping sweat on each other, but somehow I'm the disruptive one."
Maryanne took the opportunity to stop and turn to Kristy, "Do you think he's gonna call your mom? I don't want anything to ruin our sleepover tomorrow night. I almost convinced my dad to let us postmate pizza and ice cream!"
"Double dairy, wow." Kristy exclaimed "Whats next, the key to the liquor cabinet?" Theo joked.
"Sugar is process." Maryanne reminded the two,
"I can't wait." The younger girls spoke in sinc. "Don't do that ever again. You sound like me and Navy." Theo spoke joking that she was disgusted and the two laughed. "Later Spier." She patted Maryanne's head before the girl walked off toward her house with her wheeled bag following.
"Lets go loser." Theo put an arm around Kristy as they started walking to the Thomas's. They walked down the street a bit before Kristy stopped and starred at the Kishi's. Claudia, a blonde girl and a couple of boys stood there, Claudia looked over to the two and waved. Kristy waved back, Theo being Theo she nodded.
"You know you walk so slow." Theo spoke already at the Thomas's porch, Kristy rolled her eyes and pulled her backpack to the front of her body so she can get her key. Pulling the lanyard the two girls heard a 'psst', "Did that bush just 'psst' at us?" The older teen asked walking forward a tiny bit.
"Theo! Kristy! Over here!" The voice whispered to the girls, they slowlyl walked to the bush to see David Michael, Kristy's younger brother hiding "Hey, what are you doing back there? Huh bud?" Theo asked the young boy. "Neither of you where here to let me in."
"You weren't supposed to be home for another twenty minutes. Why didn't you go to the Kishi's? Mimi would've let you in." David Michael looked down at his pants and the girls followed his eyes to see a wet stain, "I really, really had to go on the bus please don't tell anyone, especially not Charlie and Sam they'll think I'm a baby." He spoke mostly looking at Theo.
"Of course not, dude." Theo but a recurring arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I'll go find you some clothes while Kristy makes you quesadilla." The three of them walked to the porch.
□■□■□■□
Theo sat next to Sam as he played a game with Charlie. She turned her phone off and put her head on her best friend's shoulder, Kristy looked over at the girl who was watching her and David Michael. The younger girl smirked at Theo who simply rolled her eyes.
"Oh, nice shot Charlie." Sam sarcastically said to his older brother, not taking his eyes off of the screen. "Yeah, it's better than yours." Charlie replied cockily
"Lets just say you both suck." Theo lifted her head from Sam's shoulder. "Because you do." She suspiciously watched as Elizabeth Thomas walk in with pizza.
"Who's hungry?" The Thomas's mother sang stepping in front of the TV. "Mom you just blocked my shot!" Charlie exclaimed, both Sam and Theo chuckled while Liz looked back at the TV and scoffed.
"I brought you pizza." The mother deadpanned. "Whats going on?" Kristy asked as Theo pointed to her laying her head back on Sam's shoulder.
"What do you mean Whats going on?" Liz walked into the dining room with Kristy following. "Hey Yellow." Sam whispered to the girl who's head was on his shoulder.
"Hey Navy." Theo replied in the same tone as her best friend. "You should get me some pizza." The girl chuckled. "No, but David Michael can." Sam rolled his eyes and looked to his younger brother, "Can you grab us some pizza please?" He asked, Theo lifted her head and looked at Sam with her jaw dropped.
"You ask him. And here I thought I was your best friend." Sam playfully rolled his eyes at the girl again and put an arm around her shoulder. She once again rested her head on his shoulder and pulled out her phone. She zoned out for a bit until Liz spoke. "I do have a small favor to ask you all." The woman looked over Kristy's shoulder to see Sam and Charlie pushing each other's arms around.
"Is anyone going to be around tomorrow night to look after David Michael?" She rubbed her hands together. "Hot date with Watson?" Her daughter asked squinting her eyes.
"Actually I have some potential clients in town for the weekend." Kristy looked down embarrassed. "I'm going out with Olivia tomorrow night." Charlie didn't take his eyes off the screen.
"And we're going with Emmet and Oliver to see The Carsonogens." Sam spoke, the 'we're' referring to Theo and himself. "Also, I need the car." Charlie looked and pointed at his mother
"Thanks guys." Liz sarcastically told the boys. "You are so very welcome." Theo joked, the woman playfully rolled her eyes at the girl in yellow.
"You are so weird, how can you not like pizza?" Sam asked his best friend who rolled her eyes at the question, "I've told you, pizza just doesn't sit right with me." She looked at the pizza and squinted her eyes.
"Still doesn't answer my question." He muttered, placing the slice of pizza in his mouth before grabbing the controller so he could continue to battle his brother.
Theo starred unknowingly at the boy as he played with the pizza in his mouth, he glanced down at her and she looked at her phone as quick as possible.
Theo then heard Liz speak, "Seeing as the boys didn't even give it a second thought." Sam heard a bit and looked towards her as she told him it was nothing.
Theo looked at Sam and flicked his head, "Hey, Navy." He turned to her rubbing his head, "I gotta get going." The boys face fell, he nodded and hugged the girl, the smell of lemonade and rain filled his nose, Liz who was watching as she was trying to find a babysitter for David Michael, smiled at the sight.
"Bye." Theo kissed his cheek leaving him a blushing mess, she grabbed her yellow bag and walked towards the door. "Later Thomas's!" She got multiple 'goodbye's'.
□■□■□■□
"Parental! I'm home!" Theo yelled at her father as she walked through the door. "Ah! Demon!" Her father, Charles Jones pointed a spoon with ice cream on it towards the girl.
She stopped and looked at him unamused, she turned to the TV where 'Teen Wolf' was playing. "I- dude! You are not watching this without me!" Charles froze looking to the TV to his daughter, "I couldn't find the remote?" Theo pursed her lips, "Okay then. What episode is this?"
□■□■□■□
Theo sat in bed reading Little Women for the seventh time. The ring tone she had picked for Kristy started playing, she looked over to her night stand made of soda cans. Lifting her phone she took it off of the charger, replacing it with the book. "Yellow." She answered. "THEO!" The younger girl yelled into the phone.
"Whoah there, calm yourself child! What's wrong?"
"Nothings wrong." She spoke in a calmer voice. "I need you to come to Claudia's house after school." Theo furrowed her eyebrows.
"You want me to come to Claudia's. Why?" She heard Kristy groan on the other end. "Because, Crayola. we're starting a babysitting business."
Theo nodded, "Shouldn't you be in class?" Kristy froze looking around the restroom. "Shouldn't you be at school?"
"Touché. Sure, whatever, I'll see you there. Later loser."
□■□■□■□
Theo walked up the steps to Claudia's house, knocking on the dark gray door she twiddled with her watch. The watch was special, she's had it since before her mom passed away. She says it's her "Roscoe to her Stiles." Moments later, Mimi Claudia's grandmother opened the door. "Theo! How wonderful it is to see you! How have you been?" The woman asked as she pulled the girl in for a hug.
"Same old, same old. You know?" She replied. Mimi nodded, "The other girls are upstairs. The tea is almost ready." Mimi told her as Theo took her black Converse off.
"Okay, uh, thanks." The girl shot an awkward finger gun at Mimi and quickly crawled up the stares. As she made it to the top she stood up and walked over to Janine's room, who's door was still open. "Shut your door Janie, no one wants to hear your typing."
She continued to walk to Claudia's room just before she walked in she paused to hear Janine's door shut. As the slam was heard she smiled, turning the knob the girls inside stopped moving as Theo slowly opened the door. "I have arrived! No applause please." She announced herself, a second later a pillow was thrown at her. "You're late." Kristy narrowed her eyes at the older girl.
"I was never told to come at a specific time." She put her hands up in defense and turned to the bed where a blonde girl sat. "Who's blondie?" She pointed at her as she turned to Maryanne. Maryanne was just about to answer until the girl stepped up.
"I'm Stacey. Stacey McGill." She held her hand out. "She's from New York!" Maryanne's enthusiastic self smiled as the girls shook hands.
"Well, Stacey Stacey McGill, from New York. I'm Theo. The pleasure is mine." She bowed andb kissed the girls hand living the blonde in blush. "Alright! Babysitting...why?" She walked into Claudia's closet and took a box out that marked "THEO'S STAY AWAY! I HAVE A KNIFE!"
"I can't believe you remember where that was." Claudia spoke eating a twizzler. "Okay. It's a babysitting club." Said Kristy waving a twizzler around.
"Are we going to be making money?" Theo asked hanging upside down from Claudia's bed. "Let me finish Crayon." Stacey furrowed her eyebrows confused on why Kristy called Theo 'Crayon'. "So the other night my mom needed a sitter for David Michael. And she had to make like a million phone calls and pay eighty bucks to join this weird website."
"Which will then sell her personal information to like the Russians." Claudia cut in.
"Uh, sure. And I thought, wouldn't it be a great idea if you could like make one phone call and reach a whole bunch of good sitters at the same time. A few times a week we'd all meet together in one place and people will call and offer us jobs." The girl smiled. "My dad doesn't let me pick up the phone if I don't recognize the number." Maryanne spoke twiddling with her braid.
"Your dad is uptight." Theo spoke before she fell off of Claudia bed. An 'ow' was heard after the thump. "Not your phone. An olden times phone." Kristy smirked.
"A landline. I've got one up here. We've got an extra line with super extra high-speed internet package, Janine needed for her stupid nerd servers." Claudia rolled her eyes.
"So you'll do it?" Kristy smiled in a hopeful voice. "Maybe, if it doesn't conflict with my art class." Claudia sat down.
"Hey guys." She turned to her desk and pulled a bag of candy out from behind a frame. "Watermelon gummies!" She handed the bag to Stacey who gave them to Kristy.
"So how many times a week will we meet?" Stacey asked, "A few...three."
"Monday, Wednesday, Friday? Easy to remember." The blonde suggested. "Targeted social media adds are probably the best marketing strategy. I can figure out the best ratio of click-through adds to investment. I'm pretty good at math." She smiled.
"I like you McGill." Theo spoke with her head on Maryanne's legs.
"Have you ever even babysat before?" Kristy asked, Theo rolled her eyes at the girl who continued to talk. "Don't all the kids in New York just have fancy Polish nannies until they graduate from college?"
"I think you're confusing real life with Gossip Girl."
"And Dorota's actually a maid." Maryanne spoke up. "But you're right. Most of the kids in out building had nannies, but not on the weekends or evenings. So I babysat a lot when their parents had events."
"Events." Maryanne dreamily spoke, "Like the Tony's." She leaned back on the bed.
"Speaking of marketing." Kristy smiled. "Uh, Claud, I was wondering if you would like to draw us something. Like a logo." She suggested to the girl.
"Maybe, I need to process." The girl spoke looking back at the sculpture she was making.
"Oh, that sculpture's cool what is it?" Kristy asked. "Lemme guess! Menstruation?" Theo exclaimed
Claudia nodded. "Menstruation." She popped a gummy in her mouth before going back to work.
Minutes went by until Kristy decided it was time for the girls to go.
"Yeah, I'll see you guys. Claudia. McGill." Theo smiled at the girls as she opened the door of Claudia's room for Kristy and Maryanne.
"I love her." Maryanne spoke walking down the stairs. "She's so, I dont know how to say this..."
"Chic?"
"Chic. Yeah! She's so chic." The girl smiled as she put her shoes on. Theo smiled at the enthusiastic girl.
Kristy hasn't said anything the whole way down. She opened the door and Maryanne and Theo walker out before her. "And her sweater. So cool, it was be what their wearing in the city." She smiled as the girls walked down the stairs. "Don't you love it how she calls it the city."
"She didn't eat anything."
"Maybe she's not into Twizzlers. Crayon hates them." Maryanne replied.
"Or maybe she has body image issues. That's not a great example for the girls we'll be taking care of." Theo rolled her eyes at the younger girl as she watched her walk in font of herself and the Spier girl.
"Dude, she's nice get over it." Theo rolled her eyes another time. "She's just new." Spoke Maryanne.
"Its not the wort think in the world to make a new friend." Maryanne smiled before walking across the street to her house. "Lets go little Thomas."
"Can't you pick just one nickname for me?"
"Of course not, Karma."
"Kristy."
"Kristen."
Kristy groaned as she opened the door of the Thomas household for Theo to walk in beforehand. "Why don't you eat at your house?" She asked petting their dog.
"With my dad's cooking? Ha! You're funny."
Kristy was about to tell her about ordering take out before she was interrupted as they walked into the dining room. "Suprise! Have Dim Sum-thing to eat." Watson Brewer made a joke.
Sam looked to Theo who was already looking at him with confusion, he only shrugged and walked over to her. He grabbed her hand and walked her over to the seat next to his. "You're a dork." She smiled as Sam pulled the chair out for her.
"Yeah whatever." Everyone at the table stared at the two with either a small smile or a smirk.
"Mmh, so good. Usually soup dumplings don't travel well but these are so delicious." Liz spoke, "Well, I aim to please." Watson smiled at his girlfriend.
"Its not like you made them." Kristy furrowed her brows at the two. "I didn't, no I didn't make them." Charlie, Sam and Theo looked to each other hiding a laugh.
"Kristy and Theo are starting a babysitting club. They had their first meeting today, right." Liz mentioned, Theo cringed at her name being brought up. "For girls to learn about babysitting?" Watson asked the girls, Theo choked on the juice in the small box as she laughed.
"No. It's a babysitting business where people can hire us to look after their children." The kicked Sam in the leg, "And boys can babysit too don't be sexist Watson." Sam kicked back leading the two to a kicking war.
"Yeah. No, no, of course they can. So what your business plan?"He asked Kristy. "I mean, how does it work?" Watson glanced at Theo who was shoving noodles into her mouth.
"Well, we meet three times a week and people call into the meeting to offer us jobs and it get scheduled and confirmed right then." Kristy answered. "So, someone coordinates your schedules?"
"Mhm." Kristy nodded. "How are your rates?"
"Competitive."
"Do you kick up a percentage of your earnings like, dues?"
"Yeah, all of that."
"You have no idea what they're talking about do you?" Sam asked Theo in a hushed voice. "You think I'd be shoving food into my face if I did?" Sam chuckled at her bluntness.
"Well as a business man and a dad, I think it's genius, I love that idea." Theo threw on a tense smile leaning to Sam's ear. "He's trying too hard to get on her good side. So how much are we betting if Kristy is gonna blow up at him or mom?"
"I know, yellow. Let's say ten bucks." He responded, "You have ten bucks?" Theo quietly snorted.
"Shut up, I do. And I say she won't."
"Deal." Theo extended her hand towards him waiting for him to shake on it before Sam moved her head back to her plate. "So, guys, the reason Watson came over for dinner tonight is because we have some news." Liz looked around the table, eyes landing on Theo who was debating weather or not to ask I'd she should leave in her head. "Theo you can stay you're just as much family as Sam."
"How'd you-" the girl was cut off by David Michael, "What is it?" He asked.
"Well we've been seeing each other for a while now." Sam's hand reached Theo's under the table, the boy immediately interlaced their fingers. "And he asked him to marry him."
Theo looked up to the couple immediately, feeling Sam's hand squeeze hers tighter as herself, Sam, Charlie and Kristy looked to each other, stunned on what their mother had said.
"What did you say?" Charlie hesitantly asked. "I said I wanted to have a family conversation first to make sure you're all okay about it."
"Good. 'Cause I dont." Kristy told the two in a pushed tone, Sam, Charlie and Theo looked to each other with wide eyes. "Kristy."
"I don't feel okay about it, end of discussion pass the shrimp." Kristy ordered. "Okay, Kristy, were not asking for your permission, we are trying to have a conversation here." Liz spoke.
"Then why bother to ask me about it at all?" She asked pulling shrimp out of the boxed container. "If you're just gonna do whatever you want, why pretend to care?"
"Okay, that's not fair at all."
"My whole life all you've told me is how important it is to be independent and to stand on your own two feet. But then you expect me to kiss the butt of the first rich guy who walks through the door." Kristy pushed back tears forming in her eyes.
"Okay, that's enough. I need you to go to your room."
"He might be able to buy you mom but he can't buy us."
"I said go to your room now!" Liz exclaimed. "Fine." Kristy slammed her chopsticks on the table and walked out of the room.
"I think me and Theo are gonna head up to my room too." Sam broke the awkward silence in the room, taking Theo with him as he left the room.
"That was the oddest dinner I've been to. And that's coming from a person who's Tia gets up on the tables fully sober and dances while my Tio is drunk sitting there peacefully fighting with my cousin." Theo exaggerated as she plopped on the bed of Sam's room with him following. "Your family dinners are pretty weird." Sam agreed wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Are you happy for her? Your mom I mean. Are you happy for her?" Theo asked as the two of them looked up at the glow in the dark stars shaped as a smiley face on the ceiling. "Well, yeah. Watson makes her happy. She's happy."
The girl hummed, adjusting her body to face the chest of her best friend. "C'mon. Let's go look at real stars." She sat up taking the boy with her as she made her way to the window.
The two sat on the board they put in the tree years ago, looking up at the stars. "Isn't that the big dipper?" Asked Sam as he cluelessly watched the sky, Theo followed his gaze with a smile as she bit into the gluten free cookie she had brought out of her room. "It is. And look if you look to the handle looking part and turn down a bit, there's Virgo." Theo maneuvered his hand as she used his pointer finger to point at the sky.
□■□■□■□
"Okay, so, club officers. The club was my idea so I am president." Kristy spoke as the group of five walked together. Stacey scoffed gaining the attention of the other four, "I'm bossy, get used to it."
"Kristy." Maryanne's small voice rang through Yellows ears. "Claudia you're vice president because we're meeting in your room." Theo scoffed.
"That's offensive." She crossed her arms. "Its offensive? To who Yellow?"
"To me! I'm oldest, I have the most experience and I'm most responsible! No offense Clawdeen but I should be vice." Kristy rolled her eyes at the girl. "Then you're vice president public relations."
"Kristy."
"What else...we'll nerd someone to handle business expenses, someone to handle marketing, social media..."
"Kristy!" Maryanne's exclaimed. The four girls stopped and turned their heads toward the usually quiet girl, "I wanna be secretary. im organized and excellent at record keeping. ill also start a google doc recording all the details of our jobs and ill take minuets at every meeting and distribute them at the end of the week. If that's okay with everybody?"
The other girls smiled, "Yeah, that'd be great." Maryanne let out a sigh before her, Kristy and Theo walled away as Stacey and Claudia spoke for a minutes.
"Okay, the fastest thing would be to use our existing platforms. to curate a community of influencers. Give me your insta handles and ill cross reference your followers." Stacey sope as everyone stared at the tablet she held. "Isn't it illegal to be on instagram before you turn thirteen?" Maryanne curiously asked.
"Is it? i've had it since i was ten.." Theo picked at her nails, Claudia looked to her and back to the tablet, "Social media rots your brain." The Kishi girl sang.
"I always forget to take pictures." Kristy mentioned, "Unless its of my own tongue, and that's by accident when i'm trying to see if there's something in my teeth."
"May I make a suggestion?" Janine stood in the doorway.
"Do we really have a choice-"
"Given the challenge inherent as the yellow hair noted in building a platform from scratch, I would ascertain that the most effective solution to your dilemma may be an analog one." They young girls were confused to say the leased, well, the younger girls, it would be suroizing to know that Theo understood the lot of it.
"So make something like a flyer and hand it out to people."
"precisely." Janine turned to walk away, Theo decided to throw a soda can at the slightly older girl.
"I wanna be treasure anyway."
"All right children, lets get to brainstorming ideas for this shi- stuff, print them out and distribute them amongst the town."