My Story: Anastasia Elizabeth McGill-Caroll

Author’s Note: 1–I do not own the baby-sitters club, they belong to Ann M. Martin

2–This story belongs to me, please do not take

3–Only my second fanfic, please be kind with reviews

4–Told in Stacey’s point of view, unless specified. Takes place ten years after the BSC graduates from high school.

5–Please enjoy

Chapter 1–We’re gonna be seniors!

New York had always been my true home. I was born here and lived here until I was twelve. Then my dad’s company transferred him, so we (me, my mom, and my dad) moved to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. We only lived there for a year before my dad’s company transferred him back to New York. Soon after my parents, who had been fighting back when we first moved, got divorced. My dad was going to stay in New York with his job, but my mother planned to return to Stoneybrook. I had to choose which parent to live with. At the time, I chose my mom.

See the thing was while I was in Stoneybrook, I made all these great friends. We even had a club, the Baby-Sitters Club. Of course we baby-sat. My friends were Kristy Thomas, Claudia Kishi, Mary Anne Spier, Dawn Shafer, Mallory Pike, Jessi Ramsey, Abby Stevenson, Logan Bruno, and Shannon Kilborne. I was friendly with other people too, I get along well with others, but the club members were my closest friends. Claudia was my best friend.

Our club wasn’t perfect. There was a time when we were all so mad at each other, only one person was at a meeting at a time. There was the time, I got so caught up in my former boy-friend Robert that I quit/was fired thinking my friends were too babyish, (I joined again about three months later), there was the time Dawn left for six months, was back, before deciding to live in California, with her dad. Her parents are also divorced, her mother grew up in Stoneybrook, so that’s why she moved here. Those times were hard, yet we always managed to stay together. Those small problems were nothing to what happened the last week of August, just before our senior year of high school.

Most of us had gone away come August. Kristy had gone to visit a friend who lived in Canada. Claudia (as she said finally) had gone to Japan (her parents were born there), Mary Anne had gone to visit her grandmother in Iowa, Dawn was staying California, due to the fact she planned to come back to Stoneybrook for her senior year, I had gone to visit my dad in New York. The others had stayed to hold down the fort while we were away. When we returned everything went wrong.

I came back wearing a diamond ring. Claudia said “So, you finally got your birthstone ring?” (My birthday is in April)

“Nope.” I replied, smiling, “Ethan asked me to marry him and I said yes.” Ethan Caroll was my boyfriend at the time.

“You’re only seventeen!”Claudia cried, “Aren’t you a bit young?”

“I’m not married yet.” I replied, “We plan on having a long engagement.”

Claudia made a face. That’s when I noticed something strange. Her room, which had been a pigsty since the day I met her was, was spotless. Also Claudia and I used to dress the same, although she dressed a little wilder. Now she was dressed so conservative. She was wearing a blue button-down shirt, with all the buttons done, and a pair of blue jeans. That was just so plain for her. She wasn’t even wearing any of her crazy jewelry, just a pair of gold hoops in her ears and a garnet cross. Also she was just wearing ballet flats.

“New wardrobe?” I asked.

Claudia shrugged, “I’m not a freak, so I quit dressing like one. You should too.”

“There is nothing freaky about the way I dress!” I screamed. That day I was wearing my Hard Rock Café shirt, and jean skirt with a beaded belt. I was wearing red and blue flip-flops, a pair of dangly heart earring, a aquamarine cross and Ethan’s ring. Although I have to admit, it was a little tame for me.

Claud knew that, “Yeah, Today.” She replied snarling. “You should stop dressing like you’re still thirteen!”

I was all set with a remark, when light footsteps came up the stairs. I figured Mary Anne was coming so I shut my mouth. Imagine my surprise to see Kristy. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and a blue jean skirt, (longer than mine), and platform sandals making her look three inches taller than her five feet. “Who died?” I asked.

Kristy glared at me, “Michel bought it for me. Plus I felt like a change.”

I stared at her, “A change is cutting your hair, not your personality!”

“I did cut my hair.” Kristy replied. I noticed that also her hair was down around her shoulders for once. I haven’t seen it like that in years. Than again I never noticed the length of her hair, it constantly being in a ponytail.

“If you say so.” Claudia commented. She looked around, “Where the hell is everyone?”

I sat on the bed, “It’s only 5:20.”

Claudia snorted and sat next to me. “Usually people are here by now.”

I rolled my eyes. I heard heavy footsteps bounding up the stairs. I thought it might be Abby. It wasn’t, it was Mary Anne. When I saw her I nearly fell off the bed. She had practically buzzed her hair and dyed it blue. She had also gotten her ears and nose pierced. She was wearing a tank top, leather vest, low rise jeans and boots. (I’m actually surprised her father let her out of the house.)

Kristy was shocked. “Mary Anne, what happened? Has you’re father seen you?”

“Yeah,” Mary Anne replied sitting next to me, “Nice rock.”

Kristy stared at me, “What’s that?”

I wanted to scream. “It’s an engagement ring.” I said as calm as possible, ‘Ethan asked me to marry him.”

“Glad Logan’s not that clingy.” Mary Anne commented.

Kristy yelled, “Has HE seen you?”

Mary Anne huffed, “No.”

“What do you think he’s gonna say?” Kristy asked.

Mary Anne glared at her, “Hopefully nothing.”

“Umm...” I wondered, “Where’s Dawn? Isn’t she back yet?”

Mary Anne narrowed her eyes, “Don’t know. I have no idea where that freakin’ dyke is.”

That floored me. I actually did fall off the bed. Luckily the floor broke my fall. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

Mary Anne rolled her eyes, “Are you hard of hearing?”

Dawn walked in then and she looked terrible. Her blond hair, which I had often admired was unbrushed and knotted. Her eyes were red-rimmed and had dark circles, also most of her healthy California tan was gone. She still dressed the way she always did, we often called her style ‘California casual’. She was wearing a white t-shirt with her name in blue paint, with a long peasant skirt, white with blue flowers and was wearing blue flip-flops. She sat on the floor without a word. I sat next to her and said, “Are you okay?”

“Mary Anne told you, didn’t she?” Dawn whispered so only I could hear.

“I lived in New York. I’ve watched the gay pride parade for a couple years now. I don’t care. You’re my friend, I’ll never betray you or stop being friends with you, because of something stupid. Just don’t hit on me, I’m engaged.” I whispered back.

Dawn pulled at my hand to see the ring. From behind us Mary Anne asked, “Found someone else you want to love?”

I wanted to slap her, But Kristy said, “Dawn, why didn’t you tell us earlier? You could have at least warned us.”

“The Bible says homosexuality is a sin.” Claudia interjected.

“Yes she is full of sin. Just walking out on us was a sin too. They don’t want her in California so she comes running back here.” Mary Anne yelled.

But then Mallory and Jessi walked in and conversation was stalled. They looked at us curiously us, but thankfully kept quiet.

Soon after Abby came bouncing in her hair flying behind her, but was shocked at our appearance and the fact that we were silent, she would tell me a few weeks later.

At 5:30 Kristy said, “This meeting will now come to order. Any new business?”

“Yeah, I have something to say.” I stood up. “Dawn and I quit.” Everyone turned to me. “Dawn refuses to stay her and be trashed because of her sexuality! Also let’s admit it, we no longer have any interest in being friends, let’s hand the rains over to people like Becca and Charlotte. Let them handle the burden.” I pulled Dawn up and we marched out.

“I can’t believe you did that.” Dawn whispered as we walked toward my house. “We quit the club.”

I shrugged, “I’ve done it before.”

I got a call from Mallory later that evening. She told me that after we left the fighting began and they chose our successors. Her sisters Margo and Vanessa. Who were 11 and 13. Jessi’s younger sister Becca who just turned 13, and Kristy’s step-sister Karen who is also 11. As well as Shannon’s younger sister Maria who just turned 12. The others were old baby-sitting charges, Charlotte, who’s 12 (she and I are really close. She’s my almost sister.) And Hayley Braddock who’s 13.

“That’s a good group.” I replied, “They’ll do fine.”

“I know. ‘Bye Stace.” Mallory said.

“‘Bye Mal.” I responded.

That was a tough week before school started, but it didn’t hold a candle to what changed my life forever that October.

AN–The first two chapter will be introductions, talking briefly about the BSC’s senior year. After that the story will jump ahead ten years and that will be the main story. Bear with me, the introductions are important.