Mary Anne in the Middle Read online

  She explained how long ago, the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been ruined by enemies, was reclaimed by the Jewish people. But in order to rededicate it, the people needed oil to light the great menorah inside the Temple. Although they had only a tiny bit of oil, it miraculously burned for eight days and nights. “And that’s why we light candles for eight nights,” Abby concluded.

  “Cool story,” James said.

  Using scrap paper and a marker, Abby drew the boys some pictures of the different items to include on the banner. “That looks like a blob,” Mathew said, pointing at Abby’s latke.

  “It does,” she agreed. “Well, don’t make too many of those. They’re not the most artistic-looking things. But they taste great.”

  “Could we make some?” James asked.

  Abby thought about it for a moment. “No,” she decided. “Too much work. You have to peel the potatoes and then grate them. Besides, I forget what else goes into the mix besides potato.” She remembered the wonderful smell of her gram Elsie’s delicious latkes frying in the pan. “My grandmother will probably make some at my house when she visits for the holiday. I’ll get her recipe and we can make some next time I come over, if your mom says it’s okay.”

  The boys cheered this wholeheartedly. “We’re getting latkes!” James shouted. “All right!”

  For the next hour they snipped at the felt, creating different designs. Abby assigned the latkes to Johnny, since they were the easiest to make.

  The next step was to glue all the small felt pieces to the larger one. While they were doing this, Ben came in. He’d stayed after school for a meeting of the newspaper staff. “Whoa, awesome,” he said, admiring their work. As he pulled up a chair, his brothers explained what the banner was for.

  “You should put a Star of David on top,” he suggested, meaning the six-pointed Jewish star. “I know how to make one. Can I?”

  “Go ahead,” Abby told him. “That’s a good idea.” Ben began working on his star, cutting lines of gold felt and accurately crossing them into the shape of the six-pointed star.

  As he glued it into place, he looked at Abby with a serious expression. “You’re Mallory’s friend,” he said. “Is she okay?”

  Ben and Mallory are friends — more than friends, really. He’s taken her to several dances and events. “Have you talked to her lately?” Abby asked.

  “No. She seems kind of … unhappy. She doesn’t seem to want to talk to me. I don’t think she’s mad at me. She smiles and waves and all. It’s just … I don’t know…. She never stops to talk anymore.”

  “She’s having a hard time at school,” Abby explained. “Some jerks have been —”

  “I’ve heard about it,” Ben cut in. “It’s totally unfair.”

  Abby thought that maybe Mallory was avoiding Ben because she was embarrassed about the Spaz Girl thing. “Give her a call,” she suggested. “I think she could use a little extra support from her friends these days.”

  She decided not to say anything about Riverbend. That was for Mallory to do. Plus, she didn’t know if Mallory had decided whether to attend the school.

  By the time Mrs. Hobart returned home from her holiday shopping trip, Abby and the boys had produced a great-looking Hanukkah banner. “The people at Stoneybrook Manor will love it,” she said. “What a work of art!”

  “Mallory, I don’t want to upset you or anything, but isn’t time sort of … running out? Don’t you have to make your decision about Riverbend?”

  We were leaving school together again that Friday for another Pike baby-sitting job. “I did. And I told Riverbend I’m coming,” she said quietly.

  “You did!” I gasped. I shouldn’t have been shocked. This made it final, though. So real!

  “Mom e-mailed them last night,” she went on. “Then she and Dad sat everyone down for a big family meeting and told them I was going.”

  “Wow,” I said softly. “Wow.”

  “I know.”

  “You really have to tell everyone else now,” I reminded her.

  The afternoon had grown quite cold, with the kind of wind that blows down your collar and up your jacket. “Why do I have to?” she challenged me.

  “Because … you just do.” Not exactly a brilliant reply.

  “What if I simply didn’t show up one day?” she suggested.

  “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

  “No, only wondering. If I was just suddenly gone, then I wouldn’t have to deal with any attitudes. No anger. No tears. Just — poof! — no Mallory.”

  “You can’t do that to your friends.”

  “I’d like to do it to one of my friends.”

  “Jessi?”

  Mal nodded, frowning. “I can’t believe how selfish she’s being. She wants me to stay because that’s what she wants. She doesn’t care at all what I want or what might be the best thing for me. What kind of friend is that?”

  “You’re being awfully hard on her,” I said as we approached SES. “I can understand how she feels. Remember what it was like for me when Dawn told us she was leaving? We had that huge fight about it — a lot like what you and Jessi are going through right now.”

  “It’s not the same,” Mallory muttered.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know … we’re not sisters … and … and …” She flapped her arms at her side in frustration. “It’s just not the same.” We walked a few paces in silence. “Maybe it is the same,” she admitted. “Sort of. But she owes me an apology for acting the way she did yesterday. And for saying I was abandoning my brothers and sisters. Saying it right in front of them!”

  “I agree,” I said.

  When the Pike kids emerged from SES, it was clear that something weird was going on. They said hi to me but not to Mallory. In fact, for the entire walk home, no one spoke to Mallory or even looked at her.

  “What’s going on?” Mallory asked when we were in front of the house.

  “We’re practicing,” Margo informed her. “For when you’re gone.”

  “I’m not gone yet,” she replied impatiently.

  “But you will be,” Vanessa countered in a chilly tone. “And we want to adjust to it now. Why wait?”

  I was surprised that Vanessa — who’d been so sympathetic to Mallory up until now — was saying this.

  “Jessi was right,” Vanessa added. “You are abandoning us.”

  “Jessi,” Mallory muttered.

  Without another word, the kids walked past Mallory toward the house. They wore hurt but dignified expressions.

  Mallory turned to me. Her face was red with anger. “See what she did?” she cried.

  * * *

  Ever since they first joined the BSC, Mallory and Jessi have sat side by side on the floor of Claudia’s room at meetings. That Friday afternoon, they sat on opposite sides of the room. So it wasn’t hard for anyone to figure out that they were fighting. They didn’t even glance at each other.

  There were a lot of darting glances in the first few minutes of that meeting, though. One of us would look to Mallory, look to Jessi, and then catch the eye of another member. No one knew what to say or do.

  Kristy broke the tension by starting the meeting. “Any new business?” she asked as she always does.

  Jessi’s hand shot up. “We need to know if Mallory will be going to that boarding school or not.”

  “That’s not club business!” Mallory objected.

  “Of course it is.” Jessi looked around at the rest of us for support. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “We need to know, but not this second,” I said. “Mallory will tell us when she’s ready. Won’t you, Mallory?”

  “We do need to know soon,” Kristy said. I was sure she must be thinking about all the other club comings and goings. They’d caused a lot of confusion. Not only had Dawn left, but Stacey had left twice — once when she moved back to New York and another time when she started hanging out with a new group of friends and decided the club wasn’t for her anymore. (For
tunately, she changed her mind and came back again.) Even Shannon, one of our associates, had come and gone. She had tried being a full-time member but just couldn’t find the time. Mallory, herself, had once been missing for a few months because she was sick with mono.

  All the changes had been hard on us. Kristy couldn’t possibly be looking forward to another one.

  “Any more new business?” Kristy asked.

  Good, I thought. That was done with. Or so I assumed.

  “Come on, Mal,” Jessi persisted. “Aren’t you going to tell us?”

  “Fine!” Mallory replied, her voice rising angrily. “I’m leaving! Are you happy?”

  There it was.

  She’d dropped the bomb.

  Everyone was speechless. Even Jessi. With just a few words, Mallory had knocked all the fight out of her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she might cry. But no tears fell.

  After a long moment, Stacey broke the silence. “We’ll miss you.”

  That opened the floodgates. Words tumbled from everyone’s lips, all at once. Everyone’s but Jessi’s. She remained silent.

  “You’re making the right decision,” Claudia said.

  “We’ll come visit,” Abby assured her.

  “You can baby-sit during the summer and holidays,” Kristy put in. “The way Dawn does.”

  The only person not talking, besides Jessi, was me. This was too much like the day Dawn had announced she was leaving. Painful feelings came flooding back, feelings I thought I’d put behind me.

  That familiar tingle at the tip of my nose and in the corners of my eyes — the one that signals that I’m about to cry — began acting up. I didn’t want to cry, though. I didn’t think my tears would help anyone just then.

  As I summoned my willpower to fight back the tears, I looked over at Jessi. Our gazes met. A strange expression came over her face. It was as if she’d suddenly realized something terrible.

  She rose onto her knees. Her eyes were locked on mine. “You already knew!” she cried. “Mary Anne, you knew Mallory was leaving, didn’t you?”

  Before I could reply, she whirled around to face Mallory. “You told her before you told me?” It was more of an accusation than a question.

  Mallory looked down guiltily. “Just by a little bit,” she said in a small voice.

  “Never mind.” Jessi cut her off sharply. “Forget it.” She looked to Kristy. “Could I be excused from this meeting? I really need to leave.”

  Kristy looked surprised, but she nodded. “Okay.”

  Without waiting another moment, Jessi fled the room. I felt so sorry for her. I knew how she must feel.

  But I felt sorry for Mallory too. All her anger toward Jessi appeared to have left her, at least for the moment. She stared helplessly at Jessi’s back as she ran down the hall.

  The expression on her face almost broke my heart. She seemed helpless, confused, and panicked, all at the same time.

  The phone rang. The sound was jarring, startling everyone back into BSC mode. We’d been so wrapped up in our feelings about Mallory and our concern for Jessi that we’d momentarily forgotten the reason we were there.

  “Hello, Baby-sitters Club,” Claudia said.

  It was Mrs. DeWitt, needing two sitters for the following Tuesday afternoon. She and her new husband have seven kids in their blended family, so like the Pikes, they require two sitters.

  We tend to offer afternoon jobs to Mallory or Jessi first, if they’re free. With that in mind, I was suddenly struck with an idea.

  “Mallory, do you want to take this one?” I asked.

  She thought a moment and then nodded. “Sure. I’ll take it.” Then she turned to Kristy. “My stomach feels funny. Do you mind if I leave too?”

  “Go ahead,” Kristy said. “Do you want someone to walk with you?”

  “No. I can make it.”

  She actually did look slightly greenish. I wondered if she was coming down with something, or if the stress of the last few minutes had hit her stomach. With a small, sickly wave, she left.

  Kristy looked at me. “Who else is free to sit for the Barrett and DeWitt kids?”

  “Jessi,” I replied.

  Kristy bit down lightly on her lower lip, thinking. “Good idea,” she said after a moment.

  “Or it might be a terrible idea,” Claudia observed.

  “It’s worth a try,” Stacey said.

  “I think so,” Abby agreed. “They’ll either kill each other or they’ll make up.”

  There was a general murmur of agreement. I knew it wasn’t the best plan. But there wasn’t much time. It would be terrible if Jessi and Mallory spent their last weeks together mad at each other.

  Claudia picked up the phone to call back Mrs. DeWitt. “Do we really want to do this?” she asked.

  Kristy gave her a nod.

  “Okay, here goes,” Claudia said as she punched in the number. She told Mrs. DeWitt that Jessi and Mallory would be there.

  “I hate to say this,” Kristy said as Claudia hung up. “But we do have to think about replacing Mallory. I’m pretty sure Shannon still won’t want to become a full-time member. She’s really busy. What about Logan?”

  “He’s still too tied up with sports,” I said. “You can count him out.”

  “I thought so.” Kristy looked around at our group. “Anyone have any suggestions?”

  “Can we think about it and talk at the next meeting?” Stacey asked.

  “Sure,” said Kristy.

  No one said anything more. The idea of replacing Mallory was overwhelming. Also, it was turning into a big mess. And somehow, I’d landed right in the middle of it.

  “Mary Anne, I hope you know that what you just said is totally nuts,” said Dawn on the other end of the phone line. After our BSC meeting, I’d felt so bad that I’d called Dawn in California and told her what was going on.

  “How did Jessi even figure out that you already knew about Mal?” Dawn continued.

  “It’s my face!” I wailed. “Something in my face gave it away.”

  “So, you have a giveaway face,” Dawn said. “It’s true, you do. Everything you’re feeling shows up on your face. You’re incredibly easy to read. But you didn’t do anything wrong. So why do you feel guilty?”

  “Oh, I know I have no reason to feel guilty,” I admitted. “But I just do. Jessi feels bad, Mal feels bad, and I made everything even worse.”

  “You did not! You haven’t done anything wrong!”

  “You’re right. You’re right,” I said. “I hate being in the middle like this, though.”

  “Maybe your being in the middle is a good thing.”

  I didn’t understand. “What?”

  “Think about it. If no one was in the middle, the two of them might stay mad at each other forever. But since you’re already there, maybe you can help.”

  “Maybe,” I murmured. I told her how I’d assigned them to the same sitting job this Tuesday.

  “See?” Dawn said. “That’s helpful. They’re lucky you’re in the middle.”

  “I hope so.”

  That night I lay in bed with Dawn’s words tumbling around in my head. I was glad I’d called her. She always has an interesting way of looking at things. Maybe being in the middle wasn’t as terrible as I’d thought.

  I awoke the next morning and knew what I wanted to do. I dressed and headed over to Jessi’s house. As long as I was in the middle of the feud, I might as well try to make the best of the situation.

  Less than a minute after I rang the doorbell, Jessi answered. “Mary Anne?” she said.

  “Hi. Do you have a little time to talk?”

  “Sure.” She stepped back to let me in. I was happy to see that she seemed friendly. I’d been nervous, not knowing what to expect from her.

  Eight-year-old Becca was in the living room, watching TV. Squirt, their little brother, who’s a toddler, was beside her. “Hi, Mary Anne,” Becca greeted me.

  “Hi!” Squirt cried.

  In the
kitchen, to my left, I could see Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey and Jessi’s aunt Cecelia, who lives with them. I waved to them from the living room and they returned the wave. Then I followed Jessi to her bedroom.

  Jessi sat on the edge of her bed. “Before you say anything, I want you to know that I don’t think any of this is your fault,” she said.

  I smiled and sighed. “Oh, that’s good. I was worried.”

  “I can imagine. I’m sorry about yesterday. But it just blew me away when I looked at your face and realized that you already knew Mallory’s decision.”

  “It wasn’t Mallory’s fault,” I told her, sitting on the chair across from her bed. “I was the first friend she ran into after she contacted Riverbend. That’s all.” This was a huge lie.

  Jessi looked at me for a long moment. Too long. I squirmed. But how would Jessi know when Mal had given me the news?

  “You know that’s not completely true,” she said softly.

  “I do? I mean, it isn’t?”

  “No. Even if she ran into you first. There’s such a thing as a phone! I should have been the first one to know. She’s been talking to you about this all along. I know she has. But I’m supposed to be her best friend. Why hasn’t she been discussing it with me?”

  “Jessi,” I said. “It was easy to tell me. It wasn’t easy to tell you.”

  “Why not? I’m her best friend!”

  “That’s why not! She knew you’d be more upset than anyone else. Maybe she was trying to think of a way to tell you … I don’t know … to tell you gently.”

  “Oh, that was real gentle, the way she told everyone at once yesterday,” Jessi scoffed.

  “You kind of forced it from her,” I pointed out.

  “Because I knew — I knew — she’d already made up her mind. I could see it on her face. And it was driving me crazy. I wanted her to come out with it.”

  “I’m sorry it’s turned out this way,” I said.

  “You shouldn’t be. It’s her fault. Completely her fault.”

  “Look. You two are best friends. Why don’t you call her and talk it out?”

  “Me!” Jessi cried, jumping up from the bed and folding her arms. “Why do I have to call her? Don’t you think it should be the other way around? There is no way I am calling her.”