By Ann M. Martin. Published October 1990.
We open with a Krushers game. But guess what? The Krushers
win the damn game. For the very first time. Huzzah. Then Kristy’s day gets even
better. Bart walks her home, and they talk about things other than softball.
For the very first time.
Shannon the person calls Kristy one evening, and tells her
she got a heart and flower covered envelope with “Kristy” written on it in her
mailbox. She brings it over after dinner. Inside is a letter, saying how the
writer thinks Kristy is beautiful, and he wants to go steady with her. It’s
signed her mystery admirer. Kristy thinks it’s Sam playing a joke, but Shannon
is convinced it’s from Bart. Kristy gives Bart a call to see if he drops
anything about the letter, but he doesn’t.
Kristy receives another letter (at her house this time) the
next morning, and then another that afternoon. Persistent little fucker, isn’t
he? Also that afternoon, Stacey sits for the Perfect Perkins, but she just has
to take them to Krushers practice, and Laura sleeps the whole time. So Stacey
has time to talk with Shannon, who shows up. After she gets home, Stacey gets a
call from Kristy. She tells Stacey that Bart walked her home from practice.
They decided to have a one game World Series between their teams. How that is
considered a series, I have no idea. Kristy also asks Bart to the Halloween
Hop, and he accepts. It’s very weird reading this secondhand, and not actually
seeing it. I guess it’s because it’s part of a Stacey sitting chapter, but it’s
very strange.
Kristy and the girls discuss the letters at lunch. Kristy
has brought the letters, plus the envelopes, with her. They are talking very
loudly, when they notice Cokie and her friends listening in. GOSH, I WONDER IF
SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN. They even talk about last Halloween (even
though they were in eighth grade then, too) when they had issues with Cokiepulling a prank.
And then, what do you freaking know, Kristy gets another
letter that afternoon, but this time it’s weird, telling her to beware. She
wonders if she’s invited a psycho to the Halloween Hop.
Mal and Jessi sit for the Pikes, and the kids discuss what
their Halloween costumes are going to be. They decide to have a haunted house
in their basement during the day of Halloween. Then they start talking about
the Krushers’ game, and Vanessa decides the cheerleaders should dress up in
costumes for the World Series game. The three of them choose to be the Three
Stooges.
Kristy is totally distracted at the next BSC meeting. She
even forgets to call the meeting to order! The others are aghast. But then she
fills them in on the creepy notes. She’s gotten a few more, and they just get
weirder, talking about blood and death. The others completely freak out, and
jump onboard on the “Bart is psycho” train. Stacey says she should just
confront him, but Kristy doesn’t want to confront a psycho. Then she has
another thought. This could just be some random psycho, who’s going to kidnap
Kristy and demand a ransom from Watson. She considers telling her mom and
Watson, but she thinks they’ll just think she’s crazy. Quite possibly, Kristy,
but maybe you need to hear that.
On the way to a Krushers game, Shannon has a new theory. She
thinks Bart is trying to psyche Kristy out for the World Series game. Kristy
totally gets behind this idea, and so do Mary Anne and Dawn, who are at the
game. They all act like total bitches to poor Bart.
In her next letter, there are fingernail clippings included.
Things are getting gross, y’all.
Kristy continues blowing Bart off, and he finally has enough.
He shows up at her house, and demands to know what’s going on. She tells him he
should know, and shows him the letters. He’s both embarrassed and pissed. He did send the nice letters, but he has no
idea about the creepy ones, and he’s offended that Kristy would think he could
do something like that. With good reason. Kristy is super pleased that he sent
the good notes. Then they try to figure out who could have sent the weird ones.
Bart asks her if she has any enemies, but she can’t think of any. Really,
Kristy? You can’t think of anyone? Oy. So she’s back to thinking it’s some
crazy kidnapper.
It’s the day of the World Series, and it’s highly exciting.
Even Cokie and her friends show up for the game. How nice! Kristy runs into
her, and they exchange a few words. And Cokie totally gives herself way by
using a phrase from one of the notes. WHAT? OMG NO WAY! IT WAS COKIE ALL
ALONG?!?! Kristy asks her why, and Cokie says it’s because they made her look
like an idiot in front of Logan. Kristy’s all, Bitch now you’re going to look
like a fool in front of the whole school, and Stoneybrook Day School, too.
So that settles that.
On to the game. It’s apparently very intense, and Kristy
even lets the thought go through her mind that she should let the Bashers win
so Bart will continue liking her. Kristy. Fortunately, she pushes that thought
away. And the Krushers win, 8-7. Yay!
Shannon shows up at Kristy’s and works on talking her into
wearing a dress and makeup to the dance. Then Bart calls, and says he found a
couple of costumes they can wear. They’ll be going as a pair of lobsters.
Awesome. Kristy is thrilled, Shannon, not so much.
Kristy is nervous for the dance, but excited as well. It
goes fine, she and Bart dance in their lobster costumes the whole night,
including the slow dances, which Kristy is surprised she likes. At the end,
Bart kisses her on the cheek. Kristy thinks she’s in love.
The girls, including Shannon, have a sleepover at Kristy’s
after the dance. They fill Shannon in on everything that happened at the dance,
since she wasn’t there. When Kristy pulls back her covers, she finds a
kidnapping note, and freaks out. Until Shannon starts laughing. She got bored
that night waiting for them to come back. I always liked Shannon. It gives
Kristy an idea, though. They go down to the den, where their computer is set
up. Fancy for 1990. Kristy slips a disk in (!) so she can write a letter to
Cokie. It is a “heartfelt invitation to dissect a frog” with her Mystery
Perspirer. Oh, you girls. You’re so damn funny.
o
When pointing out how Nannie isn’t like a normal
grandmother, one of her points is that she wears pants. I very rarely saw
either of grandmothers in anything besides pants or shorts.
o
Boo for super poor editing. Kristy says Mal says
something at lunch, when six paragraphs earlier it was stated she and Jessi
have lunch at a different time.
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