That Blonde Beauty <> Stacey McGill

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls

"Did he ask you to the dance or not?" Kristy pressed. "Well?"

It was after school and we were currently in the middle of a Baby-Sitters Club meeting.

"He asked me if I was going and said he'd see me there. So he basically asked me. We'll be there together...Basically." Claudia struggled.

"Here's the thing." Stacey spoke up from the head of the bed. "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." 

"Which are what, exactly?" Kristy asked.

"Sophisticated circles. Artistic circles."

"Are you gonna wear a costume?" Mary Anne asked.

"I was gonna be a Troll doll, but for Trevor, I might have to think of something a little more soigne."

"Swan-what?" I asked.

"Soigne. It means to be well dressed." Stacey helped.

"Oh." I shortly said.

"Seriously?" Kristy was always going to be that one person that ruins sweet moments. "You're gonna get all dressed up for some dude who couldn't even be bothered to ask you out for real?" 

"What do you know about dances, Kristy?" I snapped. "You have NEVER been to one, NEVER had a date, never even had a CRUSH for that matter. Why are you giving advice on something that you know nothing about?" 

"Oh, and you know more? All that you've ever done on this topic is kiss up to Stacey! And how's that going for you? Oh, yeah, nothing has happened!" 

There was silence for a minute or two before I stood up and left the room.

"Where are you going? The meeting hasn't ended yet!" Kristy called after me.

"Das Treffen ist noch nicht zu Ende. I do not care! Und du hattest kein Recht, das zu sagen!" I stormed out of the room. 

(Translation: "The meeting hasn't ended yet"  "and you had no right to say that")

"What did she say?" I heard Stacey ask.

Yes, I had left the room, but I hadn't left the house. I slid down the wall outside Claudia's room.

"She mocked me saying, 'the meeting hasn't ended yet'. And that I had no right to say what I said. She speaks fluent Germen since her parents only speak Germen and no English." Kristy filled the room in. 

"Are you okay?" I looked up to see Janine standing above me. Janine had always had a soft spot for me. She told me that she thinks of me as a sister more than she does for Claudia. 

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Janine sat next to me on the floor. "If you were really okay, you would not have spoken in Germen. You only speak Germen when you are upset." The only time that you would ever hear Janine not speak smart is when she talks with me. 

"Ok, fine. I'm not ok." I admitted.

"Do you want to tell me what is troubling you?" 

"Well, Kristy sort of just outed me in front of my crush and it is so embarrassing."

"I heard what happened and Kristy should not have said what she said." Janine told me.

I hadn't been paying attention to the girls conversation until I heard Claudia mention me. "What about you, Stacey? Are you going to the dance? Rayna will be there."