The Mystery at Claudia's House
Chapter 5
Claudia wakes up the next morning to the sun shining brightly through her window, then realizes it's 8:00 and she panics because her alarm didn't go off and she is going to be late for school. She hobbles around trying to get dressed and do her hair and makeup as quickly as possible, and then she sees Janine standing in the doorway, wearing pajamas, and watching her. Claudia is amazed that both her and Janine managed to oversleep on the same day, and Janine is like um it's Saturday, you idiot. Okay so....last night wasn't even a school night, and the parents still freaked out that Janine stayed out until the terribly late hour of 9 pm? Wtf is wrong with these people.
Janine asks Claudia if she can borrow her red sweater, and Claudia says yes, but she is shocked because Janine never borrows her things, and if she were to, Claud imagined she'd borrow things that were black or brown or blue, because Janine never wears "wild colors like red." Okay, first of all, red is not a "wild color", at least not for a sweater anyway. Neon yellow would be a wild color. And second, why would Janine borrow something brown when her entire wardrobe is brown and gray? She has all the brown she needs, of course she wants to borrow something different. Claudia is about to ask Janine what's up with her lately, but Janine goes into her room, so Claudia forgets about it and gets dressed for her job at the Pike house.
Claudia arrives at the Pike house on time and meets total chaos because John and Dee couldn't stand the thought of sticking around until Claudia's scheduled arrival time, and dumped the kids on Mal alone a half hour earlier. The Pikes are cleaning up after breakfast and acting Pikey. The only mildly amusing thing is Claire and Margo arguing over how to arrange the cereals in the cabinet. Claire wants to put the Chex next to the Shredded Wheat because they are both squares, and Margo wants to put it next to the Cheerios because they both start with C.
The talk turns to the famous Derek, who is coming over for lunch. Jordan says maybe they can have Hershey's Kisses for dessert, and the boys all giggle. Mal and Claud are concerned, because they know everyone has been teasing Derek about the kissing scene for his show. The doorbell rings and the triplets tease Vanessa that her boyfriend is here. Vanessa gets nervous, and Mal tries to figure out what is going on.
Derek gets in and the boys kind of push Vanessa at him, who puckers her lips, and then Adam pushes Derek towards Vanessa, and wtf the triplets are being creepy perverts. Derek is like ummm I am not an idiot, I can tell you are trying to trick me into kissing Vanessa, and you're immature, it's NBD I have kissed a ton of girls.
The best part of this is Claudia and Mallory's reactions. Claud reacts like a normal "adult" and can tell Derek is just bluffing his way out of an embarrassing situation, but Mal totally takes him seriously and is like "omg you have?!?" and you can just tell she's already mentally composing a journal entry about how this 8 year old has kissed tons of girls and Ben still won't kiss her.
Derek keeps up the fake confidence and tells Mal sure, and then he takes a step toward Vanessa, who freaks out and runs away. The Pike boys look at Derek in awe, Claire and Margo are drooling, and Mal's mouth is hanging open in shock. Claud stares Derek down to let him know that she knows the score, but his secret is safe with her, and he smiles back gratefully and she knows she has made a friend for life.
Chapter 6
Monday afternoon at 4:30 and Claudia has a bunch of beads and string and is planning to spend the hour before the meeting starts making jewelry. The library is having a craft fair, and her mom asked her to contribute some things. There is a knock on the door and Claudia groans, because she is afraid it is Kristy, showing up early. hahahahaha. It's just Janine though, and she wants to ask Claud a favor. Janine gets nervous, but eventually spits it out and asks if Claudia could give her a makeup lesson and some clothing advice. Claudia is surprised and thinks about how weird it is for Janine to ask her for help with something, when it's usually the other way around. She agrees, and starts to ask why, but Janine is being mysterious and says she doesn't want to tell her why, just that it's time for a change.
Claud observes Janine's outfit: navy blue crew neck sweater with a white peter pan collar blouse underneath, pleated knee length gray wool skirt, white kneesocks, brown loafers. Claud thinks she looks like a skinny 12 year old, but like, wtf? 12 year olds wear bright colors and shit. I'd think Janine's outfit looks more like private school uniform. Janine says she doesn't want anything too wild, and Claudia says they will take it one step at a time.
She explains that Janine can keep the same style, but that she just needs to pep things up a bit. She pulls out a green and blue patterned sweater, white oxford shirt, and a short black wool skirt. Janine goes to the bathroom to try it on, and comes back smiling. Claudia also tells her to ditch the loafers and picks out a pair of black ankle boots for Janine to wear instead. Alright, this all sounds pretty decent so far, I'm glad she's not trying to make Janine wear theme outfits or anything. All the girl really needs is a bit of color.
They do Janine's hair next, after trying a couple different styles, Claudia settles for just pushing Janine's bangs to one side with some colored barrettes. They move on to makeup, and at first Claud just pulls out some blush, mascara, and lipgloss, but Janine asks about eyeshadow. Claudia remembers the blue monstrosity, and tells Janine she would look better if she used brown shadow. Claudia does the makeup, and the result is Janine looks fantastic. Claudia tells Janine she should stick around because the girls will be arriving for the meeting soon and she can show off her new look. Janine freaks out when she realizes it's almost 5:30 though, and starts stammering "I have to go, I'm late, I'm supposed to meet um, I mean, books, papers...library! That's it, gotta go, bye!" and runs out of the room.
The girls arrive a few minutes later, and Claud explains to everyone what just happened, and she tells them she's even starting to put two and two together and realizes Janine might be the one who went through her makeup!! They all wonder WHY though. Jessi thinks that Janine got offered a part in a tv commercial, which she claims happened to a boy she used to know, he was just walking down the street, and then...Kristy interrupts Jessi and is like um, no. She suggests Janine is running for student council. Dawn suggests Janine is up for a big academic award and is trying to impress her teacher. Mallory suggests that maybe she has a boyfriend, but of course everyone just laughs at her. Now Mallory has even more things to angst about in her journal.
Chapter 7
Stacey notebook entry. Blah blah I can't believe how silly the kids we sit for are. I was never like that. Well except for that time when I was 7 and I convinced myself I was a real live princess. But I can't write about that because then you guys will think I'm not sophisticated. Blah blah I babysat Derek and Todd.
Derek tells Stacey he just wants to relax, he had a long week. She laughs because he sounds like a middle aged man. Derek says that Stoneybrook Elementary is really stressful. Stacey offers the kids a snack. Todd wants a popsicle and when Stacey asks what flavor, he replies blue.
Byron calls and Derek asks if the guys can come over. Stacey tries to be funny and is like omg what guys, and then she names the mutant turtles, and whatever Stace, you're not considered one of the funnier members of the BSC. Derek is like no the Pikes, duh. Stacey says yes, and Todd is so excited he flings his popsicle across the room. Derek ends the call by saying "don't forget to bring the you know what"
The doorbell rings, and Stacey goes to answer it, and she opens the door and says "Come on in, guys!" like she is Jeff Probst or something. The Pikes come in, Jordan is smuggling something in his jacket, and the boys all run to Derek's room. Stacey sits down on the couch and reads fashion magazines. Nicky sneaks out holding a piece of paper and makes a phone call, talking in a low voice so she can't hear what he is saying. She asks him if they are making prank phone calls, and he says no, they have gotten in trouble for that before, and she decides she believes him, because she figures if he was, the other boys would crowd around the phone as well. A few minutes later Adam sneaks out and does the same thing. Stacey waits until he is back in the room, then she knocks on the door and opens it without waiting for an answer.
Jordan tries to shove something under the bed, and she pulls it out to see a phone book with the name Pike on it. Jordan explains he brought it over, and Todd blurts out that they were getting phone numbers for Becca and Charlotte. Derek tells Stacey that he invited the girls over, and asks if it's okay. Ummmm your mom hired Stacey to watch 2 kids, not the whole neighborhood. She shouldn't be watching 8 kids alone. Stacey says it's fine since he already invited them, but next time he wants to have a party he should tell his mom in advance, and ask the baby-sitter before he invites people over.
The girls arrive and the kids all go in the rec room. Stacey hears giggles and shrieks, and then she pulls Todd out and asks what's going on. He explains Derek is going to give kissing lessons, and Becca and Charlotte are there to demonstrate on. Ugh just no to this plotline, it's weird. Stacey comes in to bust up the almost kissing party, and suggests everyone plays Crazy Olympics, which is pretty much make your own random events, which sounds like fun, but if there are 8 kids involved maybe there should be a second sitter. She notices Derek looks relieved at the change of plans.
That's a wrap for tonight!
Claudia wakes up the next morning to the sun shining brightly through her window, then realizes it's 8:00 and she panics because her alarm didn't go off and she is going to be late for school. She hobbles around trying to get dressed and do her hair and makeup as quickly as possible, and then she sees Janine standing in the doorway, wearing pajamas, and watching her. Claudia is amazed that both her and Janine managed to oversleep on the same day, and Janine is like um it's Saturday, you idiot. Okay so....last night wasn't even a school night, and the parents still freaked out that Janine stayed out until the terribly late hour of 9 pm? Wtf is wrong with these people.
Janine asks Claudia if she can borrow her red sweater, and Claudia says yes, but she is shocked because Janine never borrows her things, and if she were to, Claud imagined she'd borrow things that were black or brown or blue, because Janine never wears "wild colors like red." Okay, first of all, red is not a "wild color", at least not for a sweater anyway. Neon yellow would be a wild color. And second, why would Janine borrow something brown when her entire wardrobe is brown and gray? She has all the brown she needs, of course she wants to borrow something different. Claudia is about to ask Janine what's up with her lately, but Janine goes into her room, so Claudia forgets about it and gets dressed for her job at the Pike house.
Claudia arrives at the Pike house on time and meets total chaos because John and Dee couldn't stand the thought of sticking around until Claudia's scheduled arrival time, and dumped the kids on Mal alone a half hour earlier. The Pikes are cleaning up after breakfast and acting Pikey. The only mildly amusing thing is Claire and Margo arguing over how to arrange the cereals in the cabinet. Claire wants to put the Chex next to the Shredded Wheat because they are both squares, and Margo wants to put it next to the Cheerios because they both start with C.
The talk turns to the famous Derek, who is coming over for lunch. Jordan says maybe they can have Hershey's Kisses for dessert, and the boys all giggle. Mal and Claud are concerned, because they know everyone has been teasing Derek about the kissing scene for his show. The doorbell rings and the triplets tease Vanessa that her boyfriend is here. Vanessa gets nervous, and Mal tries to figure out what is going on.
Derek gets in and the boys kind of push Vanessa at him, who puckers her lips, and then Adam pushes Derek towards Vanessa, and wtf the triplets are being creepy perverts. Derek is like ummm I am not an idiot, I can tell you are trying to trick me into kissing Vanessa, and you're immature, it's NBD I have kissed a ton of girls.
The best part of this is Claudia and Mallory's reactions. Claud reacts like a normal "adult" and can tell Derek is just bluffing his way out of an embarrassing situation, but Mal totally takes him seriously and is like "omg you have?!?" and you can just tell she's already mentally composing a journal entry about how this 8 year old has kissed tons of girls and Ben still won't kiss her.
Derek keeps up the fake confidence and tells Mal sure, and then he takes a step toward Vanessa, who freaks out and runs away. The Pike boys look at Derek in awe, Claire and Margo are drooling, and Mal's mouth is hanging open in shock. Claud stares Derek down to let him know that she knows the score, but his secret is safe with her, and he smiles back gratefully and she knows she has made a friend for life.
Chapter 6
Monday afternoon at 4:30 and Claudia has a bunch of beads and string and is planning to spend the hour before the meeting starts making jewelry. The library is having a craft fair, and her mom asked her to contribute some things. There is a knock on the door and Claudia groans, because she is afraid it is Kristy, showing up early. hahahahaha. It's just Janine though, and she wants to ask Claud a favor. Janine gets nervous, but eventually spits it out and asks if Claudia could give her a makeup lesson and some clothing advice. Claudia is surprised and thinks about how weird it is for Janine to ask her for help with something, when it's usually the other way around. She agrees, and starts to ask why, but Janine is being mysterious and says she doesn't want to tell her why, just that it's time for a change.
Claud observes Janine's outfit: navy blue crew neck sweater with a white peter pan collar blouse underneath, pleated knee length gray wool skirt, white kneesocks, brown loafers. Claud thinks she looks like a skinny 12 year old, but like, wtf? 12 year olds wear bright colors and shit. I'd think Janine's outfit looks more like private school uniform. Janine says she doesn't want anything too wild, and Claudia says they will take it one step at a time.
She explains that Janine can keep the same style, but that she just needs to pep things up a bit. She pulls out a green and blue patterned sweater, white oxford shirt, and a short black wool skirt. Janine goes to the bathroom to try it on, and comes back smiling. Claudia also tells her to ditch the loafers and picks out a pair of black ankle boots for Janine to wear instead. Alright, this all sounds pretty decent so far, I'm glad she's not trying to make Janine wear theme outfits or anything. All the girl really needs is a bit of color.
They do Janine's hair next, after trying a couple different styles, Claudia settles for just pushing Janine's bangs to one side with some colored barrettes. They move on to makeup, and at first Claud just pulls out some blush, mascara, and lipgloss, but Janine asks about eyeshadow. Claudia remembers the blue monstrosity, and tells Janine she would look better if she used brown shadow. Claudia does the makeup, and the result is Janine looks fantastic. Claudia tells Janine she should stick around because the girls will be arriving for the meeting soon and she can show off her new look. Janine freaks out when she realizes it's almost 5:30 though, and starts stammering "I have to go, I'm late, I'm supposed to meet um, I mean, books, papers...library! That's it, gotta go, bye!" and runs out of the room.
The girls arrive a few minutes later, and Claud explains to everyone what just happened, and she tells them she's even starting to put two and two together and realizes Janine might be the one who went through her makeup!! They all wonder WHY though. Jessi thinks that Janine got offered a part in a tv commercial, which she claims happened to a boy she used to know, he was just walking down the street, and then...Kristy interrupts Jessi and is like um, no. She suggests Janine is running for student council. Dawn suggests Janine is up for a big academic award and is trying to impress her teacher. Mallory suggests that maybe she has a boyfriend, but of course everyone just laughs at her. Now Mallory has even more things to angst about in her journal.
Chapter 7
Stacey notebook entry. Blah blah I can't believe how silly the kids we sit for are. I was never like that. Well except for that time when I was 7 and I convinced myself I was a real live princess. But I can't write about that because then you guys will think I'm not sophisticated. Blah blah I babysat Derek and Todd.
Derek tells Stacey he just wants to relax, he had a long week. She laughs because he sounds like a middle aged man. Derek says that Stoneybrook Elementary is really stressful. Stacey offers the kids a snack. Todd wants a popsicle and when Stacey asks what flavor, he replies blue.
Byron calls and Derek asks if the guys can come over. Stacey tries to be funny and is like omg what guys, and then she names the mutant turtles, and whatever Stace, you're not considered one of the funnier members of the BSC. Derek is like no the Pikes, duh. Stacey says yes, and Todd is so excited he flings his popsicle across the room. Derek ends the call by saying "don't forget to bring the you know what"
The doorbell rings, and Stacey goes to answer it, and she opens the door and says "Come on in, guys!" like she is Jeff Probst or something. The Pikes come in, Jordan is smuggling something in his jacket, and the boys all run to Derek's room. Stacey sits down on the couch and reads fashion magazines. Nicky sneaks out holding a piece of paper and makes a phone call, talking in a low voice so she can't hear what he is saying. She asks him if they are making prank phone calls, and he says no, they have gotten in trouble for that before, and she decides she believes him, because she figures if he was, the other boys would crowd around the phone as well. A few minutes later Adam sneaks out and does the same thing. Stacey waits until he is back in the room, then she knocks on the door and opens it without waiting for an answer.
Jordan tries to shove something under the bed, and she pulls it out to see a phone book with the name Pike on it. Jordan explains he brought it over, and Todd blurts out that they were getting phone numbers for Becca and Charlotte. Derek tells Stacey that he invited the girls over, and asks if it's okay. Ummmm your mom hired Stacey to watch 2 kids, not the whole neighborhood. She shouldn't be watching 8 kids alone. Stacey says it's fine since he already invited them, but next time he wants to have a party he should tell his mom in advance, and ask the baby-sitter before he invites people over.
The girls arrive and the kids all go in the rec room. Stacey hears giggles and shrieks, and then she pulls Todd out and asks what's going on. He explains Derek is going to give kissing lessons, and Becca and Charlotte are there to demonstrate on. Ugh just no to this plotline, it's weird. Stacey comes in to bust up the almost kissing party, and suggests everyone plays Crazy Olympics, which is pretty much make your own random events, which sounds like fun, but if there are 8 kids involved maybe there should be a second sitter. She notices Derek looks relieved at the change of plans.
That's a wrap for tonight!