Stacey's Secret Friend Chapters 11-15
Chapter 11
I am really looking forward to finishing this. I chose this book because I read other snarks and figured I’d have enough stuff to rant at, but I don’t think I grasped how horrible this book is. Luckily, there aren’t any weapons near me, but there is a needle on my desk.
Tess not paying attention at the football game proved to Stacey that she really needs to help Tess. If she doesn’t like football, she’ll be eaten alive by those assholes who have been bullying her. Why should you have to like football in order to fit in? I don’t like football and I wasn’t a pariah at my middle school. Why would the school care that Tess doesn’t like football? She can’t be the only one. I’m pretty sure Mary Anne doesn’t like football much either. Also, you should not have to force yourself to like activities or pretend to like activities just to get assholes off your back.
Stacey tries to invite Tess over for another makeover session, but she doesn’t say that. She just asks if Tess wants to come over so they can work on the castle. Tess has more than one brain cell, so she’s obviously figured out that Stacey wants to badger her into doing things she doesn’t want to. Tess looks wary and Stacey thinks it’s because she didn’t sit with Tess. No, I think Tess is happy that you didn’t sit with her. She finally had a moment without you yammering on about stuff she didn’t care about and bossing her around.
Tess agrees to meet Stacey to work on the project. Stacey hasn’t done any work on the project so she has to beg Claudia for an idea. Claudia tells Stacey to glue pebbles to cardboard to make it look like the outside of a castle. I’m pretty sure the glue wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the pebbles. It isn’t. Tess comes over and uses Styrofoam she’s cut into shapes to make the castle. Tess mentions that she took a set design class at her old school. I think I’d like to go to Tess’s old school. Tess and Stacey work on the project and Stacey manages not to be a condescending ass towards Tess.
Tess asks Stacey about the BSC and Stacey tells her they don’t need any more members. Why? More members would mean less chance that a sitter wouldn’t be available. Tess doesn’t want to be a member. That’s right, Stacey. Not everyone is lining up to join the BSC. Maybe Tess was just asking questions about the BSC to be polite. I think it’s considered polite to ask questions about others instead of telling them what to do all the time. Stacey starts blathering on about other clubs Tess might like because she clearly needs to join a club. Maybe Tess just asked you about the BSC to make polite conversation. Stacey tries to think of what else Tess likes, but I’m positive Stacey would find out what Tess likes, declare it uncool, and force her to join a club that popular kids like.
The next day Tess is wearing a puffy sleeved blouse with a black skirt. I probably wouldn’t glance at an outfit like that. Who the hell would notice a puffy pink blouse and a skirt when Claudia has worn more eye catching outfits on a daily basis? I think this is Tess’s tamest outfit of all. Stacey goes to the art room after school and sees that the animal sketches for the mascot are really well done. Barbara tells Stacey Tess is the artist and suggests that Stacey try to get Claudia to get Tess into the art club. Stacey is reluctant because she doesn’t want to pass her problem to Claudia. Tess isn’t a problem. You’re the one who took it upon yourself to try to change her. You’re the one who acts like Tess shouldn’t act like herself and should conform. I hate how Stacey only sees Tess as a problem, not as a girl with feelings that just has a different way of dressing and different interests. I hate how Stacey assumes that anyone who interacts with Tess would also treat her as a project, instead of taking an interest in her. Maybe Claudia and Tess would get along. Maybe Tess could tell Claudia about her set design class. Claudia might like to have someone to discuss art with.
Chapter 12
Stacey tries to be extra nice to Tess at the football game. I bet her niceness comes off as fake and condescending. Maybe because it probably is. Half-time arrives and Stacey goes to hold up the pictures for the mascot. Everything is going along fine until Stacey holds up a picture for the pig mascot. The crowd erupts into laughter and Stacey holds the card up higher. Then she takes a look at Barbara’s face, realizes she’s horrified, and looks at the picture herself. Someone has placed a picture of Tess on the poster. Some asshole yells “Swineheart the Destroyer!” and the entire school start chanting “Swineheart!” Then, because the kids at SMS want to prove that they can be even bigger assholes, they start throwing hot dogs at Tess. I’m going to focus on the fact that I had a really good hot dog today. I had no idea that pickles on hot dogs could be so delicious. I don’t really feel anything here. I know this is horrible. I know the kids at SMS are assholes and that Tess desperately needs a real friend. I know all this. But I can’t seem to muster up any rage. Maybe I’m going through tranquil fury. Or maybe I shut down because I really can’t afford to throw my laptop across the room in anger. I can’t really tell my parents that I read this horrible book and it offended me deeply. They don’t really have emotional connections with books.
Tess falls off the bleachers trying to avoid a hot dog and all I can think of is the scene in “The Simpsons” where Maude Flanders gets knocked off the bleachers. Stacey tries to see what’s going on. Kristy comes to stand next to Stacey and tells her that Tess broke her ankle. I don’t know if Kristy knows that because she’s familiar with sports, or because a broken bone would be sticking out at an odd angle. I wonder if Kristy has ever broken or sprained anything. Tess’s wrist might also be fractured. The ambulance arrives and Stacey is desperate to let Tess know that she wasn’t in on the prank. The medics tell her to leave, but Stacey volunteers to come along. Stacey, you’re the last thing Tess needs right now. One of the teachers volunteers to go with Tess. Stacey is asked if she’s a friend of Tess and if she knows her parents’ number. No, Stacey is not Tess’s friend, and she doesn’t know Tess’s number because she doesn’t know anything about Tess. Tess is awesome and tells Stacey to go away because she’s not her friend.
Chapter 13
Stacey is feeling guilty about what happened to Tess, even though she had nothing to do with the poster. I would probably feel guilty even though I wasn’t in on the prank because I was the one who held it up. Maybe I would think that if I’d checked the pictures beforehand, this wouldn’t have happened. Claudia is trying to convince Stacey that what happened wasn’t her fault, but Stacey still feels guilty. Claudia thinks that Stacey might be feeling guilty because of how she’s treated Tess in general. Stacey refuses to believe that she’s treated Tess like crap because forcing someone to be someone they’re not to appease bullies, dismissing any interests they have, and not listening to a word they say is totally friendly behavior. I wonder if Stacey acts this way because she has a gigantic ego because she’s from New York and therefore assumes that she’s the ultimate authority on style and fashion. She always acts like she’s better than everyone because she’s from New York. Maybe she just assumes that since New York is the greatest place in the world, everyone should be like her.
Stacey refuses to believe that she’s treated Tess badly and hangs up. Barbara and Stacey are called into the principal’s office the next day. Mr. Taylor is very upset about what happened, but Stacey and Barbara manage to convince him that they weren’t in on it. They have to tell him about the Swine heart jokes. Practically the entire school has been bullying Tess. Would Mr. Taylor really not be aware of this? Then again, I have heard that school administrators are depressingly unaware of bullying that goes on in their schools, so maybe this is realistic. And since the bullying was just name-calling, oinking, and comics, it might be easier to dismiss. Sometimes I feel like people dismiss bullying if it isn’t physical because they feel that teasing and name-calling is a part of life and kids should learn to grow a thicker skin.
They find out that Tess’s ankle is broken and she has a sprained wrist. Her parents aren’t sure when Tess will be coming back, but Tess doesn’t really want to. I would have pulled my kid out of school if some assholes had thrown hot dogs at her and caused her to fall and break her ankle. I wonder if they could take legal action. Stacey and Barbara are dismissed. Emily Bernstein comes up to Stacey in the hallway and asks if she feels awful. Stacey protests that she had nothing to do with the prank. Emily tells Stacey that she knows that Stacey wouldn’t do something like that. Stacey hopes that the rest of the school knows that too. I’m not seeing any concern for Tess from Stacey. All I’m getting is “I feel guilty, but why should I feel guilty- I didn’t do anything!” and “I hope everyone knows that I had nothing to do with this.” I’m not getting any, “I wonder how Tess is feeling,” or “I hope she’s feeling better,” or “I hope she’ll be okay.”
Mr. Taylor comes on the PA to read the school the riot act about Tess’s treatment, and his lines sound really similar to the principal’s lines in Mean Girls when the entire school went nuts after reading The Burn Book. I’m going to picture Mr. Taylor as the principal from Mean Girls. Stacey sees Barbara at lunch and asks if she feels guilty. Barbara doesn’t feel guilty because she had nothing to do with what happened to Tess. Maybe Stacey is feeling guilty because there’s a tiny part of her that knows she’s treated Tess horribly and that part is struggling to make itself known.
Tess knows that Stacey and Barbara had nothing to do with what happened, but doesn’t understand why. Stacey thinks it’s because Tess made herself an oddball and that made her a target. So if you dress differently or have unusual interests, it’s perfectly acceptable to for people to bully you for it because if you really wanted the bullying to stop, you’d conform. That’s a bunch of victim-blaming bullshit. It is not the victim’s job to change themselves so they won’t be bullied. That’s just putting all the responsibility on the victim, not on the bully. It completely absolves the bully of all blame and responsibility because if the victim hadn’t been an oddball, the bully wouldn’t have targeted them. That point of view assumes that the victim provoked the bullies. It assumes that the bullies have no self-control and will mercilessly bully anyone that is different. Why is this book saying that the only way to appease bullies is to change yourself? How about instead of telling kids to change themselves to avoid being bullied, you tell kids that it is not okay to bully people for being different? That everyone is an individual and as long as expressing themselves doesn’t hurt anyone, they should be free to express themselves without being treated like crap.
Stacey wants to call Tess but she keeps putting it off. She doesn’t want to be called out on what a crappy friend she is just yet. Tess returns to school on Monday and Stacey hurries over to see how Tess is doing. She tries to convince Tess that the whole school wasn’t in on the prank, but Tess points out that most of the school was laughing. Tess tells Stacey to go away. I think she’s being politer than Stacey deserves. Stacey notices that some kids are helping Tess. I’m going to assume that Stacey is so self-absorbed and so convinced that no one would like Tess unless Tess changed herself that she didn’t notice Tess had made some friends. At lunch Stacey tries to catch Tess’s eye, but Tess ignores her. Stacey notices that Tess has no problem talking to Barbara and wonders why.
Maybe Tess doesn’t want to talk to you because she got sick of you not listening to her? You haven’t asked Tess anything about herself. All you’ve been focused on is changing her into a clone of you. You’ve badgered her into doing things she doesn’t want to, such as getting a makeover and joining the Pep Squad. You act like she’s a chore and a problem. You assume that just because you have no interests in what she likes no one else will either. I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who constantly bossed me around and didn’t listen to a word I said.
Stacey goes to visit Tess at home so she can see why Tess is ignoring her. She goes up to Tess’ room and gets in another shot at Tess because Tess has a great room, and obviously a loser like Tess wouldn’t have a cool room. Tess finally reveals that she’s from Paris. Stacey sees some pictures of Tess with her friends and sees that Tess’s look is actually in style there. I only like the fact that Tess is from Paris because she out sophisticates Stacey. After reading about Stacey bragging about how awesome she is because she’s from New York, it’s kind of amusing to see that Tess is from a more sophisticated part of the world. I don’t like that Tess is in style in Paris. There’s nothing wrong with dressing how Tess does even if it’s not sophisticated or in style in Paris. I think it would have been funny if Tess had been from Paris but wasn’t in style, but instead had her own quirky fashion sense. I’d have loved to see the look on Stacey’s face when she realizes that just because you’re from Paris or New York doesn’t automatically mean you’re a fashion expert. It would have been nice to see that people from sophisticated areas like Paris and New York aren’t all glamorous like Stacey thinks she is. Stacey’s brain would probably melt because people from New York and Paris must always be sophisticated and in style. People from Paris and New York obviously can’t like designing castles. I just would like Stacey to see that not everyone has the same interests or acts the same way just because of where they’re from. Being from a certain part of the world doesn’t automatically make you sophisticated.
Also, this is a cop-out. What was wrong with Tess being a quirky girl that didn’t care what others thought? Now that it’s revealed that Tess’s look is trendy in Paris, I’m going to wonder if Stacey only regrets her actions because of that. I can’t be sure if Stacey regrets her actions because she knows that she treated Tess like crap, or because Tess is from Paris and Stacey wants to kiss up to her. Tess being in style in Paris is completely unnecessary. What does that tell kids- it’s wrong to bully people because they might be from Paris and the look you made fun of is trendy there?
Tess asks why Stacey is here and Stacey tells Tess that she wanted to see how she was doing. Tess awesomely calls Stacey out for not giving a crap about her. She tells Stacey that she hasn’t taken an interest in her because she’s been too busy dropping her improvement hints. I love Tess. Stacey is embarrassed because she was so busy trying to improve Tess that she didn’t listen to Tess. Just because you didn’t like her style doesn’t mean Tess needed improvement, Stacey. I’m willing to bet that Stacey is only embarrassed because she realized Tess’s look is trendy in Paris, not because she’s treated Tess badly in general. I suppose Stacey’s treatment of Tess would be fine if Tess wasn’t trendy and instead had a quirky sense of style.
Chapter 14
Abby is babysitting for Jackie and Archie. Some boys come over for Jackie. Abby can tell from their body language that they want a fight, but she just decides to stand back and watch. Abby doesn’t do shit and Jackie explains that it was just a misunderstanding, but everything is fine now.
Chapter 15
Emily comes up to Stacey to tell her that Alan Gray and some other people are planning a prank on Tess. I don’t know why she doesn’t go to the principal, since the principal would probably be pleased to have someone to punish. But no, everyone must go to the BSC in a crisis. Is Stacey friends or acquaintances with Emily? Do they know each other well? Emily asks Stacey to tell Tess because she thinks that Tess and Stacey are friends. Stacey says they aren’t, but it’s too bad because Tess would have made a cool friend. You weren’t saying that until you found out that she was from Paris. You probably only think that Tess would make a cool friend because you want to kiss her ass and find out what the hot fashions are. Stacey has basically treated Tess like crap. She’s acted like being near Tess was a chore. She does not get to say that Tess seems like she would be a cool friend now. But Tess does seem like she’d be a cool friend.
Stacey asks Kristy what to do. Seriously, the BSC obviously runs everything in Stoneybrook. People will probably report a crime to the BSC instead of the cops. Stacey manages to convince Tess that the date with Clarence is a set up. Tess believes Stacey and wants to cancel the date, but instead goes along with Kristy’s plan for payback. The plan works because aside from a few incidences, plans of Kristy’s usually work. The boys agree to stop bullying Tess or else embarrassing pictures as part of Kristy’s plan would be released. It would have been nice if someone had stood up for Tess before now. The BSC seems to like talking to Tess, especially Claudia. Claudia is interested in Tess’s art classes in Paris. Tess probably would have liked art club. But Stacey had to assume that Claudia would try to change Tess like she did, instead of listening to her.
Tess goes off with Barbara. I’m glad Stacey and Tess didn’t wind up becoming friends after how Stacey treated Tess. Stacey realizes that Barbara actually took an interest in Tess instead of dismissing her interests and trying to change her. Claudia comments that Tess is an interesting person, and Stacey agrees that she is, if you take the time to notice. Shut up, Stacey. You never took the time to learn anything about Tess. You’ve assumed for most of the book that she was a loser in desperate need of your help. I’m sure that if Tess hadn’t been from Paris and sophisticated, you still would have written her off as a loser.
I am really looking forward to finishing this. I chose this book because I read other snarks and figured I’d have enough stuff to rant at, but I don’t think I grasped how horrible this book is. Luckily, there aren’t any weapons near me, but there is a needle on my desk.
Tess not paying attention at the football game proved to Stacey that she really needs to help Tess. If she doesn’t like football, she’ll be eaten alive by those assholes who have been bullying her. Why should you have to like football in order to fit in? I don’t like football and I wasn’t a pariah at my middle school. Why would the school care that Tess doesn’t like football? She can’t be the only one. I’m pretty sure Mary Anne doesn’t like football much either. Also, you should not have to force yourself to like activities or pretend to like activities just to get assholes off your back.
Stacey tries to invite Tess over for another makeover session, but she doesn’t say that. She just asks if Tess wants to come over so they can work on the castle. Tess has more than one brain cell, so she’s obviously figured out that Stacey wants to badger her into doing things she doesn’t want to. Tess looks wary and Stacey thinks it’s because she didn’t sit with Tess. No, I think Tess is happy that you didn’t sit with her. She finally had a moment without you yammering on about stuff she didn’t care about and bossing her around.
Tess agrees to meet Stacey to work on the project. Stacey hasn’t done any work on the project so she has to beg Claudia for an idea. Claudia tells Stacey to glue pebbles to cardboard to make it look like the outside of a castle. I’m pretty sure the glue wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the pebbles. It isn’t. Tess comes over and uses Styrofoam she’s cut into shapes to make the castle. Tess mentions that she took a set design class at her old school. I think I’d like to go to Tess’s old school. Tess and Stacey work on the project and Stacey manages not to be a condescending ass towards Tess.
Tess asks Stacey about the BSC and Stacey tells her they don’t need any more members. Why? More members would mean less chance that a sitter wouldn’t be available. Tess doesn’t want to be a member. That’s right, Stacey. Not everyone is lining up to join the BSC. Maybe Tess was just asking questions about the BSC to be polite. I think it’s considered polite to ask questions about others instead of telling them what to do all the time. Stacey starts blathering on about other clubs Tess might like because she clearly needs to join a club. Maybe Tess just asked you about the BSC to make polite conversation. Stacey tries to think of what else Tess likes, but I’m positive Stacey would find out what Tess likes, declare it uncool, and force her to join a club that popular kids like.
The next day Tess is wearing a puffy sleeved blouse with a black skirt. I probably wouldn’t glance at an outfit like that. Who the hell would notice a puffy pink blouse and a skirt when Claudia has worn more eye catching outfits on a daily basis? I think this is Tess’s tamest outfit of all. Stacey goes to the art room after school and sees that the animal sketches for the mascot are really well done. Barbara tells Stacey Tess is the artist and suggests that Stacey try to get Claudia to get Tess into the art club. Stacey is reluctant because she doesn’t want to pass her problem to Claudia. Tess isn’t a problem. You’re the one who took it upon yourself to try to change her. You’re the one who acts like Tess shouldn’t act like herself and should conform. I hate how Stacey only sees Tess as a problem, not as a girl with feelings that just has a different way of dressing and different interests. I hate how Stacey assumes that anyone who interacts with Tess would also treat her as a project, instead of taking an interest in her. Maybe Claudia and Tess would get along. Maybe Tess could tell Claudia about her set design class. Claudia might like to have someone to discuss art with.
Chapter 12
Stacey tries to be extra nice to Tess at the football game. I bet her niceness comes off as fake and condescending. Maybe because it probably is. Half-time arrives and Stacey goes to hold up the pictures for the mascot. Everything is going along fine until Stacey holds up a picture for the pig mascot. The crowd erupts into laughter and Stacey holds the card up higher. Then she takes a look at Barbara’s face, realizes she’s horrified, and looks at the picture herself. Someone has placed a picture of Tess on the poster. Some asshole yells “Swineheart the Destroyer!” and the entire school start chanting “Swineheart!” Then, because the kids at SMS want to prove that they can be even bigger assholes, they start throwing hot dogs at Tess. I’m going to focus on the fact that I had a really good hot dog today. I had no idea that pickles on hot dogs could be so delicious. I don’t really feel anything here. I know this is horrible. I know the kids at SMS are assholes and that Tess desperately needs a real friend. I know all this. But I can’t seem to muster up any rage. Maybe I’m going through tranquil fury. Or maybe I shut down because I really can’t afford to throw my laptop across the room in anger. I can’t really tell my parents that I read this horrible book and it offended me deeply. They don’t really have emotional connections with books.
Tess falls off the bleachers trying to avoid a hot dog and all I can think of is the scene in “The Simpsons” where Maude Flanders gets knocked off the bleachers. Stacey tries to see what’s going on. Kristy comes to stand next to Stacey and tells her that Tess broke her ankle. I don’t know if Kristy knows that because she’s familiar with sports, or because a broken bone would be sticking out at an odd angle. I wonder if Kristy has ever broken or sprained anything. Tess’s wrist might also be fractured. The ambulance arrives and Stacey is desperate to let Tess know that she wasn’t in on the prank. The medics tell her to leave, but Stacey volunteers to come along. Stacey, you’re the last thing Tess needs right now. One of the teachers volunteers to go with Tess. Stacey is asked if she’s a friend of Tess and if she knows her parents’ number. No, Stacey is not Tess’s friend, and she doesn’t know Tess’s number because she doesn’t know anything about Tess. Tess is awesome and tells Stacey to go away because she’s not her friend.
Chapter 13
Stacey is feeling guilty about what happened to Tess, even though she had nothing to do with the poster. I would probably feel guilty even though I wasn’t in on the prank because I was the one who held it up. Maybe I would think that if I’d checked the pictures beforehand, this wouldn’t have happened. Claudia is trying to convince Stacey that what happened wasn’t her fault, but Stacey still feels guilty. Claudia thinks that Stacey might be feeling guilty because of how she’s treated Tess in general. Stacey refuses to believe that she’s treated Tess like crap because forcing someone to be someone they’re not to appease bullies, dismissing any interests they have, and not listening to a word they say is totally friendly behavior. I wonder if Stacey acts this way because she has a gigantic ego because she’s from New York and therefore assumes that she’s the ultimate authority on style and fashion. She always acts like she’s better than everyone because she’s from New York. Maybe she just assumes that since New York is the greatest place in the world, everyone should be like her.
Stacey refuses to believe that she’s treated Tess badly and hangs up. Barbara and Stacey are called into the principal’s office the next day. Mr. Taylor is very upset about what happened, but Stacey and Barbara manage to convince him that they weren’t in on it. They have to tell him about the Swine heart jokes. Practically the entire school has been bullying Tess. Would Mr. Taylor really not be aware of this? Then again, I have heard that school administrators are depressingly unaware of bullying that goes on in their schools, so maybe this is realistic. And since the bullying was just name-calling, oinking, and comics, it might be easier to dismiss. Sometimes I feel like people dismiss bullying if it isn’t physical because they feel that teasing and name-calling is a part of life and kids should learn to grow a thicker skin.
They find out that Tess’s ankle is broken and she has a sprained wrist. Her parents aren’t sure when Tess will be coming back, but Tess doesn’t really want to. I would have pulled my kid out of school if some assholes had thrown hot dogs at her and caused her to fall and break her ankle. I wonder if they could take legal action. Stacey and Barbara are dismissed. Emily Bernstein comes up to Stacey in the hallway and asks if she feels awful. Stacey protests that she had nothing to do with the prank. Emily tells Stacey that she knows that Stacey wouldn’t do something like that. Stacey hopes that the rest of the school knows that too. I’m not seeing any concern for Tess from Stacey. All I’m getting is “I feel guilty, but why should I feel guilty- I didn’t do anything!” and “I hope everyone knows that I had nothing to do with this.” I’m not getting any, “I wonder how Tess is feeling,” or “I hope she’s feeling better,” or “I hope she’ll be okay.”
Mr. Taylor comes on the PA to read the school the riot act about Tess’s treatment, and his lines sound really similar to the principal’s lines in Mean Girls when the entire school went nuts after reading The Burn Book. I’m going to picture Mr. Taylor as the principal from Mean Girls. Stacey sees Barbara at lunch and asks if she feels guilty. Barbara doesn’t feel guilty because she had nothing to do with what happened to Tess. Maybe Stacey is feeling guilty because there’s a tiny part of her that knows she’s treated Tess horribly and that part is struggling to make itself known.
Tess knows that Stacey and Barbara had nothing to do with what happened, but doesn’t understand why. Stacey thinks it’s because Tess made herself an oddball and that made her a target. So if you dress differently or have unusual interests, it’s perfectly acceptable to for people to bully you for it because if you really wanted the bullying to stop, you’d conform. That’s a bunch of victim-blaming bullshit. It is not the victim’s job to change themselves so they won’t be bullied. That’s just putting all the responsibility on the victim, not on the bully. It completely absolves the bully of all blame and responsibility because if the victim hadn’t been an oddball, the bully wouldn’t have targeted them. That point of view assumes that the victim provoked the bullies. It assumes that the bullies have no self-control and will mercilessly bully anyone that is different. Why is this book saying that the only way to appease bullies is to change yourself? How about instead of telling kids to change themselves to avoid being bullied, you tell kids that it is not okay to bully people for being different? That everyone is an individual and as long as expressing themselves doesn’t hurt anyone, they should be free to express themselves without being treated like crap.
Stacey wants to call Tess but she keeps putting it off. She doesn’t want to be called out on what a crappy friend she is just yet. Tess returns to school on Monday and Stacey hurries over to see how Tess is doing. She tries to convince Tess that the whole school wasn’t in on the prank, but Tess points out that most of the school was laughing. Tess tells Stacey to go away. I think she’s being politer than Stacey deserves. Stacey notices that some kids are helping Tess. I’m going to assume that Stacey is so self-absorbed and so convinced that no one would like Tess unless Tess changed herself that she didn’t notice Tess had made some friends. At lunch Stacey tries to catch Tess’s eye, but Tess ignores her. Stacey notices that Tess has no problem talking to Barbara and wonders why.
Maybe Tess doesn’t want to talk to you because she got sick of you not listening to her? You haven’t asked Tess anything about herself. All you’ve been focused on is changing her into a clone of you. You’ve badgered her into doing things she doesn’t want to, such as getting a makeover and joining the Pep Squad. You act like she’s a chore and a problem. You assume that just because you have no interests in what she likes no one else will either. I wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who constantly bossed me around and didn’t listen to a word I said.
Stacey goes to visit Tess at home so she can see why Tess is ignoring her. She goes up to Tess’ room and gets in another shot at Tess because Tess has a great room, and obviously a loser like Tess wouldn’t have a cool room. Tess finally reveals that she’s from Paris. Stacey sees some pictures of Tess with her friends and sees that Tess’s look is actually in style there. I only like the fact that Tess is from Paris because she out sophisticates Stacey. After reading about Stacey bragging about how awesome she is because she’s from New York, it’s kind of amusing to see that Tess is from a more sophisticated part of the world. I don’t like that Tess is in style in Paris. There’s nothing wrong with dressing how Tess does even if it’s not sophisticated or in style in Paris. I think it would have been funny if Tess had been from Paris but wasn’t in style, but instead had her own quirky fashion sense. I’d have loved to see the look on Stacey’s face when she realizes that just because you’re from Paris or New York doesn’t automatically mean you’re a fashion expert. It would have been nice to see that people from sophisticated areas like Paris and New York aren’t all glamorous like Stacey thinks she is. Stacey’s brain would probably melt because people from New York and Paris must always be sophisticated and in style. People from Paris and New York obviously can’t like designing castles. I just would like Stacey to see that not everyone has the same interests or acts the same way just because of where they’re from. Being from a certain part of the world doesn’t automatically make you sophisticated.
Also, this is a cop-out. What was wrong with Tess being a quirky girl that didn’t care what others thought? Now that it’s revealed that Tess’s look is trendy in Paris, I’m going to wonder if Stacey only regrets her actions because of that. I can’t be sure if Stacey regrets her actions because she knows that she treated Tess like crap, or because Tess is from Paris and Stacey wants to kiss up to her. Tess being in style in Paris is completely unnecessary. What does that tell kids- it’s wrong to bully people because they might be from Paris and the look you made fun of is trendy there?
Tess asks why Stacey is here and Stacey tells Tess that she wanted to see how she was doing. Tess awesomely calls Stacey out for not giving a crap about her. She tells Stacey that she hasn’t taken an interest in her because she’s been too busy dropping her improvement hints. I love Tess. Stacey is embarrassed because she was so busy trying to improve Tess that she didn’t listen to Tess. Just because you didn’t like her style doesn’t mean Tess needed improvement, Stacey. I’m willing to bet that Stacey is only embarrassed because she realized Tess’s look is trendy in Paris, not because she’s treated Tess badly in general. I suppose Stacey’s treatment of Tess would be fine if Tess wasn’t trendy and instead had a quirky sense of style.
Chapter 14
Abby is babysitting for Jackie and Archie. Some boys come over for Jackie. Abby can tell from their body language that they want a fight, but she just decides to stand back and watch. Abby doesn’t do shit and Jackie explains that it was just a misunderstanding, but everything is fine now.
Chapter 15
Emily comes up to Stacey to tell her that Alan Gray and some other people are planning a prank on Tess. I don’t know why she doesn’t go to the principal, since the principal would probably be pleased to have someone to punish. But no, everyone must go to the BSC in a crisis. Is Stacey friends or acquaintances with Emily? Do they know each other well? Emily asks Stacey to tell Tess because she thinks that Tess and Stacey are friends. Stacey says they aren’t, but it’s too bad because Tess would have made a cool friend. You weren’t saying that until you found out that she was from Paris. You probably only think that Tess would make a cool friend because you want to kiss her ass and find out what the hot fashions are. Stacey has basically treated Tess like crap. She’s acted like being near Tess was a chore. She does not get to say that Tess seems like she would be a cool friend now. But Tess does seem like she’d be a cool friend.
Stacey asks Kristy what to do. Seriously, the BSC obviously runs everything in Stoneybrook. People will probably report a crime to the BSC instead of the cops. Stacey manages to convince Tess that the date with Clarence is a set up. Tess believes Stacey and wants to cancel the date, but instead goes along with Kristy’s plan for payback. The plan works because aside from a few incidences, plans of Kristy’s usually work. The boys agree to stop bullying Tess or else embarrassing pictures as part of Kristy’s plan would be released. It would have been nice if someone had stood up for Tess before now. The BSC seems to like talking to Tess, especially Claudia. Claudia is interested in Tess’s art classes in Paris. Tess probably would have liked art club. But Stacey had to assume that Claudia would try to change Tess like she did, instead of listening to her.
Tess goes off with Barbara. I’m glad Stacey and Tess didn’t wind up becoming friends after how Stacey treated Tess. Stacey realizes that Barbara actually took an interest in Tess instead of dismissing her interests and trying to change her. Claudia comments that Tess is an interesting person, and Stacey agrees that she is, if you take the time to notice. Shut up, Stacey. You never took the time to learn anything about Tess. You’ve assumed for most of the book that she was a loser in desperate need of your help. I’m sure that if Tess hadn’t been from Paris and sophisticated, you still would have written her off as a loser.