"Did he ask you to the dance or not?!" Kristy asked Claudia.
She was having some boy problems.
Couldn't be me.
Claudia stayed quiet.
"Well?" Kristy continued asking.
"You should chill out Kristy," I told her, not tearing my eyes off of my magazine, "Not everyone likes talking about boys."
"Yeah. That's cause the only boy you wanna talk about is my brother." She smirked at me.
I threw the magazine at her.
"Are you trying to hurt my feelings? Because if so you're succeeding." I asked playfully.
"Kristy. He asked me if I was going and said he'd see me there. So he basically asked me." Claudia told the eager girl.
"We'll be there together. Basically." Claudia finished.
"Here's the thing. A guy like Trevor Sandbourne isn't gonna, like, show up at your door with a corsage. That's just not the way things are done in his kind of circles." Stacey explained.
"Which are what, exactly?" Kristy asked.
"Sophisticated circles. Artistic circles." Stacey answered.
"Are you gonna wear a costume?" Mary Ann asked.
"I was going to be a Troll doll, but for Trevor, I might have to think of something a little more soigné." Claudia smiled.
"Totally." Stacey agreed.
"Seriously? You're gonna get all dressed up for some dude who couldn't even be bothered to ask you out for real?" Kristy sneered.
"Kristy, I don't want to look like a baby." Claudia whispered.
"What's babyish is this stupid dance, giving boys yet another way to be disappointing, setting up girls for a lifetime of making excuses for them," Kristy crossed her arms, "I wouldn't go if you paid me."
"What about you, Mary Ann? That cute boy Logan might be there." Stacey teased, "the one you're always staring at who volunteers at the library?"
"I dunno what you're talking about." The curly haired girl defended, "anyways, there's no way my dad would ever let me go."
"Are you going, Bubbles?" Stacey asked me.
"Oh, I dunno. Dances aren't my vibe." I cringed.
"Why?" Claudia asked.
"I can't dance. I look like a weirdo when I try." I frowned.
"No one can actually dance good. We just look at them and we think it's good." Mary Ann pointed out to me.
"And my dad is freaking out about the phantom caller."
"What's that?" Stacey asked.
"Some weirdo home invader that was on the news. Apparently, you get these creepy anonymous phone calls. Then, you realize that the calls were coming from inside the house." Mary Ann explained, creepily.
The phone started ringing.
"HE HEARD US!" I yelled, running and picking up the phone.
"Babysitters Club. Leah 'Bubbles' Wish speaking." I smiled.
"Oh, hi Leah! Watson and I are going to a Halloween party on Friday night, and we need a sitter for Karen and Andrew."
"Hold for just one moment, Ms. Thomas!"
I sat the phone on my shoulder.
"Watson needs a sitter Friday night." I told Mary Ann.
"But that's the night of the dance!" Claudia bickered.
"Yeah. We're definitely going." Stacey cringed.
"Kristy, this is, like, the seventh time since the club has started that your mom or Watson has called in with a job. You're the only one that hasn't gone. Even Bubbles has gone!" Mary Ann told the angry brunette.
Kristy grabbed the phone off my shoulder.
"Mary Ann Spier will be your sitter on Friday. Have a wonderful day!" Kristy sarcastically spoke into the phone, slamming it onto the receiver.
"So, does that mean you're going to the Halloween Hop after all?" Claudia asked.
"I'd rather have head lice. Again." Kristy sneered.
"You get head lice a lot." Claudia pointed out.
Kristy awkwardly shrugged.
••••
"Okay, Leah, I need to run to work for a couple hours tonight." My mom explained as I washed the dishes, "watch Louise for some babysitting practice."
"Okay mom." I smiled, placing a place in the cabinet
"I love you." She kissed my cheek.
"Bye Louise!" She called you to her room.
"Bye bye!" She giggled.
"I'll be back by eleven tonight, love you!" She called one last time, before going out the door.
"Louise! Wanna watch a movie?" I called as I finished the last dish.
No response.
"Louise?"
I place the silverware in the drawer and went upstairs.
"Louise!" I yelled.
I heard her giggling.
I ran into my moms room.
"What are you doing?!"
Louise was currently putting on makeup. She had my moms expensive jewelry and lipstick.
"NO!" I yelled.
"Don't I look pretty~" she laughed, extending the 'y.'
"Yes! Very! But we need to clean up!" I demanded.
"Why?" She whined.
"Because! This is expensive!"
I grabbed a makeup remover from my moms dresser and rubbed it on her little face. All of it came off.
"Okay, take the necklaces off," I took them off her neck, "and the bracelets and rings."
I gently slid them off.
"Never play with moms stuff. Okay?" I told her, pointing a finger at her face.
"Oh." She whispered in sadness, "okay."
I smiled and picked her up and placing her in my lap, kissing her face senseless.
She erupted with giggles.
••••
"Look, Claud, you almost got it!" Stacey motivated Claudia at the lunch table.
I sipped on my lemonade in peace, vibing with the energy coming from the table.
"Another tip, Claudia, if you feel nervous, draw a little flower in the palm of your hand with your finger." I smiled at her.
I grabbed her hand gently and drew a flower.
Circle.
Petal.
Petal.
Petal.
Petal.
Petal.
Stem.
Leaf.
"That does make me feel better." Claudia whispered.
"Probably cause Bubbles' hands are super soft." Stacey smiled.
Claudia turned around.
"Oh my god! He's coming over here!" Claudia squealed.
"Omg. I can't contain my excitement. Someone tie me to a tree and feed me grapes." I said with no emotion whatsoever.
"Preferably Sam." Stacey smiled at me.
I pointed my lemonade box and her and squeezed it, making a little bit of lemonade come out.
She squealed and laughed.
"Go on, tell them."
I looked up and saw Kristy and Mary Ann.
"I can't babysit for the Brewers tomorrow night." Mary Ann whispered in shame.
"Aww, Berry, it's okay!" I smiled.
The two sat down besides me.
"She was twenty minutes late last night, and her dad grounded her. Now I'm the one who's gonna have to sit for stupid Watson's stupid kids, unless one of you decides not to go to the dance." Kristy complained.
"Kristy. I would happily babysit for you!" I told her.
"You would?" She asked, happily.
"Yes! But no!" I smiled at her, "that dude is gonna be your step dad. Your bloody. Step dad. I don't have a dad either, so I know that it'll be hard to settle in. But sooner than later, you're gonna realize, that this man, is a-o-kay! His kids are so cute, you don't even need to make eye contact with Watson, just watch. The. Kids!"
"It's not my fault I hate him!" She yelled at me.
"It kind of is!" I said, smiling through the pain, "you're just lucky that... you get a dad now. You're kinda crazy!"
"I'll tell you who's crazy! Richard Spier." Kristy told the whole table.
"Kristy, come on." Mary Ann whispered in pain.
"He's paranoid! He treats you like some kind of China Doll in a box! And this whole thing with the Phantom Tollbooth-"
"Phantom Caller." Stacey corrected the frantic brunette.
"Whatever. He's a psycho. Even my mom thinks so. He's not normal-"
"And what would you know about having a normal dad?!" Mary Ann yelled at Kristy.
I was sitting in the middle of it, so I was...
Uncomfortable.
Kristy looked at her best friend with sad eyes.
"Kristy...I mean, I..." Mary Ann hesitated, regretting what she said.
Kristy grabbed her lunch and stormed off.
"I'm a horrible person." Mary Ann frowned, chasing after her.
"That was intense." I told the two.
"Very." They said together.
••••
"An F?!"
I looked over at Claudia's paper.
"Ouch! That hurts." I hissed.
"It's better than last time. Maybe you'll parent will be like, 'Yay! Improvement!'" Stacey suggested with no emotion.
"Trevor's gonna think I'm a total loser." Claudia frowned.
I sighed.
I grabbed the girls shoulders.
"If Trevor doesn't realize how fun, awesome, beautiful, and HOT you are...then you will and shall forget about him."
"You have sunflowers on your shirt." She pointed out.
"Not the point."
"Wait, what are you gonna do for the dance? You can't go now! I don't know a lot of people in this school. Only Bubbles, Mary Ann, Kristy and you." Stacey whined.
"I'm sorry Stace. I really am." Claudia apologized.
"Bubbles? Can you please-"
"I'm not going to that dance! Done is done." I told Stacey.
She groaned.
"Well, here you go Claudia." Stacey frowned.
"What's this?" Claudia asked.
"Officially, study purposes. Unofficially, you'll notice that I wrote everything in pencil, including my name at the top. So if you wanted to make use of one of those dang gummy erasers you carry around and take some artistic license-"
"You mean lie to my parents?" Claudia interrupted Stacey.
"No. Just hide the truth until tomorrow, after you and Trevor are fully in love," I made gagging noises, "and you got to wear your amazing Halloween costume."
Claudia looked down at the fake test and real test in shame.
"Claudia, it's my first dance at a new school. I really want to go. I just don't wanna go alone." Stacey said in sorrow.
Maybe going wouldn't be that bad.
The school bell rang, indicating that it was time to leave.
Stacey shut her locker and walked off.
"It's gonna be fine, Claudia." I smiled at the small girl, hugging her shoulders.
I then walked out of the doors, breathing in the fresh smell of trees and flowers.
••••
"You'll need this," my mom told me, grabbing a tube of lipstick, "this-"
She was throwing together a Halloween costume at last second. I decided I didn't want Stacey to go alone.
And I knew at one point, Claudia would realize what she was doing, and fess up.
I told my mom I wanted to be a hippie.
Hippies are cool.
(Lil note: it auto corrected to hickeys and I started giggling like a five year old :))
"Okay, put this on, and I'll get my makeup!" My mom smiled at me, rushing out of the room.
"Why does she get to wear makeup! She's already pretty!" Louise bickered in an annoyed tone.
"I dunno if that's a compliment or and insult." I told her honestly.
I closed my door and threw on the outfit.
"Okay, I got the-oh my goodness sweetie you look to DIE for!" My mom squealed, clapping her hands that were full of makeup.
"Thanks, mom." I smiled.
She sat me down on my bed and started applying foundation.
"You know..." she whispered while she was blending the foundation under my eyes, "someone might ask you to dance.
"No, mom. They won't. I'm there for Stacey." I told her honestly.
"Okay, okay." She teased, curling my eyelashes and putting on mascara.
"I don't really like anyone in my grade."
"Are you lesbian?" She asked me.
"NO! Mom! I like boys. Not saying I don't...SUPPORT lesbians and bisexuals and gays and-"
"LGBTQ+." She interrupted.
"YES! I support them one-hundred percent." I snapped my fingers, as she put on some ruby red lipstick on my plump lips, "I just... don't really feel anything."
"Well, that's fine." My mom told me, "you'll just have to wait I guess."
She pulled the lipstick away from my face and smiled.
"Aww. You look adorable." She cooed.
I laughed at her action.
"Here's the sunglasses, and make sure to keep your hair loose." She instructed me.
"Perfect." I laughed at her.
She handed me the turquoise, round sunglasses that were see through.
I plopped them on the end of my nose.
"Hippie!" She cheered with jazz hands.
Louise rushed in and looked at me.
She gasped.
"You look so pretty! Sam will love you!" She cheered.
"Sam?" My mom asked with a serious face, "Who's Sam?"
"Sam is a year older than me, Louise!" I yelled at her, "he won't be there!"
"Who's Sam?" My mom asked again.
"You can invite him!" Louise smiled.
"Who is Sam!" My mom yelled, laughing nervously.
"Someone. No one." I told her.
"Someone or no one?" She asked.
"It's no one-"
"SAM THOMAS?!" She asked.
"Yeah!" Louise cheered.
"Oh my gosh!" My mom laughed.
"Oh, would you look at the time..." I whispered, pointing my my clock.
It was a clock where I put little stop signs on each number.
Leah's Rights ©
They turned around and looked at it and I escaped the room.
••••
I ran to the school and saw Stacey in a costume.
"Stacey?" I asked.
She looked over at me and smiled.
"I thought you weren't coming!" She laughed, running up to me.
"Well, can't let you go to your first school dance alone." I smirked.
"Where are your shoes?" She asked.
I looked down and saw my feet with my painted white toes.
"Shoot. I knew I forgot something." I whispered.
"Cmon, Bubbles." She giggled, looping her arm with mine and walking into the gym.
••••
I spun Stacey around in circles as she laughed with glee.
"See? This is fun!" She laughed.
"Not really. But I'm glad you're having fun." I smiled at her.
She stopped spinning when she saw our art teacher, Mrs.Johanssen.
She was the best.
Mrs.Johanseen and her wife walked over to us.
"Hello, girls!" She smiled.
"Hi!" Stacey greeted them with glee.
"Oh, honey, you remember Stacey McGill and Leah Wish?" Mrs.Johanseen asked her wife.
"I remember Stacey as Charlotte's favorite babysitter and I remember Leah as Charlotte's best friend. But she called you 'Bubbles.'" Her wife hesitated.
"Oh! That's fine. It's a little nickname everyone calls me." I smiled at her.
"Wait. You're both chaperoning tonight?" Stacey asked.
"Mhm." Mrs.Johanssen hummed.
"Who's at home with Charolette?" Stacey finished.
"Oh." They both said, looking at each other.
••••
"Oh my god oh my god oh my god this isn't happening." I paced outside.
"'The Babysitters Agency?'" Stacey scoffed, looking at the flyer in her hand.
"This is horrible! We're gonna go out of business!" I cried.
"Hey." She snapped at me, standing up from the little wall she was placed on, "we're not going to go out of business. Ms.Bavv just had her baby, remember!"
"Yep. She did." I panicked.
"And she said she wants you as a babysitter."
"Yep." I breathed out.
"You're going to babysit little Holly!" Stacey cheered.
I took a couple deep breaths.
Stacey grabbed my palm and drew a flower on it.
"Okay." I breathed out, "I feel better."
"We gotta text this to Claudia." Stacey confirmed, taking a picture of the flyer.
A/N
ATTENTION! ALL OF THE OUTFITS ARE FROM A APP CALLED SHEIN!
I TAKE NO CREDIT!