Stacey's Movie Chapters 6-10
Chapter 6
Stacey is worried about the movie. She goes to bed and has a dream that inspires her. It does not involve a sparkling vampire, by the way. I was thinking about whether Stacey would be Team Edward or Team Jacob. I would say Edward because he’s rich and I think Stacey will grow up to be a gold digger. Stacey wakes up with a great idea and says she can thank the dream for it. Stephenie Meyer had a dream as well. Stacey calls up her group and says the movie is dumb. Pete defends the movie and says it’s supposed to be fun and it is. Stacey says that the movie is meaningless. It doesn’t say anything. Carrie is making documentaries and all they’re doing is screwing around with a camera. I wouldn’t automatically expect award winning documentaries from middle-schoolers. What’s wrong with a fun zombie movie? Not everything has to have some deep meaning.
The new movie idea is to interview kids at school about what it’s like to be a middle school student. I think I would prefer the zombie movie. I think it’d be fun to run around as a zombie. I don’t really like talking about myself. How do they know the people they select to interview will give them open-ended answers? I would probably just say yes, no, and shrug. What am I supposed to say? Middle school was boring for me. I went to school. I was a quiet kid and didn’t have very many friends. Didn’t have a lot of enemies, either. No one would want to hear about my middle school experience. I wouldn’t want to hear about my middle school experience.
Maybe they can do a documentary on bullying and cliqueish behavior in middle school. The BSC would make excellent test subjects. They can talk about how they ostracized Claudia for hanging out with a new friend and Mary Anne for getting her hair cut. They can talk about how the BSC always gets angry when a member displays a new interest or makes a new friend. I wasn’t happy when my friends had new friends because I was afraid they were going to leave me. I suppose it might be the same way for the BSC. Or maybe the BSC is just controlling.
Pete is being interviewed. Emily asks him what it’s like to be a middle school student. He shrugs. That question is kind of hard to answer. What is he supposed to say? Emily asks what the most difficult thing in his life is and Pete withdraws. Emily wants to ask personal questions to get to the juicy stuff. We were talking about interviewing in my clinical psychology class. We learned that it was very important to have a good rapport with the client. If there’s good rapport with the client, the client will trust you and tell you things. I don’t know if you’re supposed to open up with, “Tell me the most difficult thing in your life right now.” I would probably shut down if someone asked me that at the beginning of an interview.
Stacey suggests asking polite questions first before getting into personal stuff. Emily asks how Pete’s day has been so far and snaps at him for being sarcastic. Pete, you aren’t allowed to have a personality. Pete says that he was just going to call up some guys and hang out, but Stacey called. I would be thinking, “And now we have to rework our project because Stacey thinks our project isn’t meaningful enough.” Now that I think about it, it might be possible to use zombies for symbolism. Anyway, Pete talks about how he feels stuck at being thirteen. He knows how to drive, but he can’t legally do it. He’s sick of mowing lawns for money. He knows he can do a job at the mall well and he gets more money, but he can’t do that because he isn’t old enough. Pete does have a good point. There really aren’t a lot of perks that comes from being thirteen now that I think abot it.
Erica asks why he wants to make a lot of money. I would just answer, “Because I like money.” Whenever I’m applying for a job and they ask why I want to work there I just think, “I want money and you guys are hiring. I want to buy stuff.” Pete’s answer is so that he can buy a car and go somewhere. He also wants to have money for college so he isn’t stuck in Stoneybrook all of his life. Go, Pete! Maybe Pete is also thinking that something stinks in Stoneybrook.
Stacey asks what’s wrong with Stoneybrook. Pete says nothing (I think he’s lying) but he’s sick of Stoneybrook. I get how Pete is feeling. I’ve lived in Florida most of my life. I like it. But there are times when I want to see something different. I want to jump in a pile of leaves. I want to watch snow falling. I want to build a snow man. I want to see something different. Pete’s interview ends. He did well. They decide to interview their other classmates. Stacey is kind of nervous because she learned things about Pete that she didn’t know and she’s wondering what she’ll learn about her other classmates and friends. It’s always amazing what you can learn about someone despite knowing them a long time. I’ve learned things about my family that I didn’t know until recently.
Chapter 7
Abby is being interviewed. She talks about how she has a long day because her mom wakes up at five-thirty and Abby can’t go back to sleep, but she doesn’t have the energy to do anything. Stacey asks Abby what her favorite part of the day is and she says bedtime. I love it when I wake up in the morning and I realize I can go back to sleep. It’s a glorious feeling. The interview is kind of dead. Yeah, it’s kind of hard to ask good questions during an interview. I say go back to the zombie movie.
Emily says that bedtime isn’t Abby’s favorite time. Shut up, Emily. Bedtime is a wonderful time for an overworked person. Abby says that she likes a lot of things but has a hard time fitting it all in. She manages to do so anyway. Emily points out that Abby is like her mother. Abby is horrified because being like her mother is the worst thing in the world. Well, she is thirteen. Maybe that’s a horrible thing to a thirteen-year-old. She doesn’t want to be always rushed and pressed for time. Some people like those conditions. Abby wanders off to ponder the possibility that she might be like her mother. I don’t see what the big deal is. Abby likes a lot of activities. Is it really so horrible to realize that she’s always on the go? Stacey apologizes for Abby wandering off. There’s no need to apologize because this is real-life drama. I wouldn’t call that drama or a profound revelation.
Jessi is being interviewed next. She asks if Emily wants to hear about the BSC and she says later. Good for her. She really dodged a bullet. I would be watching someone babbling on about the BSC and thinking, “God, cleaning out my belly button is more exciting.” Actually, that’s pretty much what I think whenever I skim chapter 2. Jessi talks about her hobbies and how Mallory went to boarding school. Emily says that Jessi recently lost her best friend. Mallory went to boarding school. She didn’t die. Maybe the BSC just declared Mallory an unperson because she left the BSC ranks and Jessi is having a hard time coping.
Emily says something about Jessi not having a lot of friends from her own African American background. This made me blink when I first read it. I don’t know if Stoneybrook is rolling in black people. I think that Miss Colman is black and one of Karen’s classmates is. Otherwise, I just assume that most of the people in Stoneyrook are white. Why would Emily point out that Jessi doesn’t have a lot of black friends? I’m biracial, but I never based my friendships on the fact that I was the same race as them. I did have friends that were black and Indian, but I was friends with them because we shared common interests. That’s what I look for in friendships. Maybe it’s because I live in a diverse area in Florida, so I’m not the only non-white person in the sea of whites. Maybe I would have bonded with someone from my background if I was in the minority, but I wasn’t.
Jessi says that she has African American friends and Latina friends in New York. She met them through this dance program. She talks about how she can talk about dance with them. People are usually bored when she talks about dance, but she can talk about how hard it is to do a certain step and people will actually respond. I know how Jessi feels. It’s always nice when you meet someone you can talk to about something that you’re passionate about. I remember that what made this guy really attractive to me was that he could talk about books. He actually opened his mouth and said more than two words. I can’t talk to my family about certain things because they don’t share my interests, but I can talk to my friends because they share my interest.
Emily asks if it’s easier to be around kids of a similar background. Stacey wishes Emily would stop that line of questioning. Jessi doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable. I think Stacey wants to stop because she’s uncomfortable. Jessi tells Emily that her old neighborhood was pretty integrated so she’s used to being around white kids. Stacey is stunned because she didn’t think that Jessi thought of them as white kids. You are white, Stacey. Why can’t Jessi think of you as white kids? I guess it would be a shock to move from a place where race wasn’t important to a place where you were in the minority and people judged you.
Emily asks if there’s a strain on Jessi because she’s a minority. Stacey tries to interrupt, but Jessi says that it’s okay. No one has ever asked her that before. Maybe they were afraid of offending Jessi. Why is Stacey so eager to stop this interview? Jessi isn’t displaying any signs of discomfort. Maybe Stacey just doesn’t want to hear that Jessi faces problems because she’s black. Maybe she figured that just because the BSC accepted Jessi everyone else did and no one would ever be prejudiced against Jessi as well.
Jessi says that it can be a strain. With Mallory gone, she’s aware that she’s different. She feels like she always has to be on her best behavior because she’s representing her race and she resents that pressure. I never felt that pressure. I think it has something to do with the fact that I come from a diverse area, so I’m not the only minority. One of the reasons my family moved to Florida from South Carolina was because my mom wanted me to grow up in a more diverse area. Emily asks if Jessi feels that she has more in common with her dance school friends. Stacey waits for her to say no, but Jessi doesn’t. She says she has more in common with her dance school friends and she doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s not like the BSC has anything in common with each other besides a creepy obsession with babysitting.
Stacey is upset. It’s like Jessi forgot she was there. Shut up, Stacey. This isn’t about you. Why should Jessi have to tailor her answers so that you won’t be hurt? You aren’t even close to Jessi. I could understand if Claudia was saying that she felt closer to other people, but you and Jessi have never been close. Jessi says that she likes her BSC friends, but she is the only African American and that makes her feel weird. She also feels weird with the older members. I probably would have felt awkward around older friends during middle school. Pete starts filming Stacey because she looks really distressed. I don’t know what was so distressing about that interview. I guess I probably would feel bad if I realized my friend felt out of place in our group and I never realized.
Cokie comes up to Stacey’s group on Tuesday to ask if she isn’t good enough to be in their film. No, you aren’t, Cokie. The only people being interviewed are friends of Stacey, because they’re the only people that matter. You’re going to have to go up to her group and tell her that there are other people besides the BSC in the school. I mean, Stacey was making such a big deal about this film being meaningful, but if she’s only going to interview her friends and not even attempt to interview anyone outside her social circle, I’m going to think she’s just using this project as an excuse to film her friends.
They agree to interview Cokie. Cokie wants to sit on the back of a car because she thinks it will look cool. I’m pretty sure there are dumber things a person can do because they want to look cool. This is ranking pretty low on the list. Now Cokie wants to fix her makeup. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting to look nice when they’re being videotaped. Besides, I’m sure Stacey would want to look nice if she was being interviewed as well.
Emily tries to hurry Cokie along by saying that she looks gorgeous, but Cokie says Emily doesn’t understand. Looking good is important to Cokie. Emily and Stacey roll their eyes. Shut up. I see no problem with someone wanting to look good. I like to look good, but I prefer to just laze around in shorts and a shirt. I’ll get dressed up when there’s a special occasion, because I’m too lazy to bother with my hair, makeup, and a cute outfit on a daily basis. But I like it when I get to wear a really nice outfit and put on makeup. It makes me feel pretty. Also, Stacey likes to look good as well. This is pretty hypocritical coming from her. Stacey cares about her appearance. I guess she’s judging Cokie because Cokie is her enemy.
The interview starts. Cokie explains that the real reason anyone goes to school is so you can see your friends and boys. My middle school cousin would agree with that. I always thought that people went to school because it was required up to a certain age. As far as I’m aware, people can’t drop out of middle school. Emily asks Cokie to tell her about boys. My response during middle school would be that I didn’t find any of them cute and I found them really immature. Cokie says that boys can be jerky or adorable. Can they be anything else besides jerky and adorable? Cokie also smiles at Pete and he smiles back. Stacey can’t believe it. I’m going to imagine that Stacey is jealous.
Cokie says that boys are the most important thing in the life of a middle school girl. They weren’t for me. Cokie is holding out for a really good boyfriend right now. Her new boyfriend will be ultimately cool. He will have good looks and cool clothes. I have to admit that I was attracted to some of the guys in my college because they were cute. But since I’m really shy, the only relationship we ever had was my trying to discretely stare at them. Cokie wants a boy that isn’t failing school, but doesn’t spend his time studying words that people have to look up. I would probably want a boyfriend like that, but I like words. I would probably be a little interested if a guy used a word I liked or one that I hadn’t heard but I thought was cool. There are words I like but I never get to use them because they aren’t conversation words. Sometimes there are certain words that I would feel weird using in conversation because there would always be a chance that I would use it incorrectly and people would think that I’m showing off. Besides, I can’t really think of an occasion where gibbous, avaricious, and susurrus would come up in casual conversation. There’s also the fact that I don’t know how to pronounce some of the words I like.
Emily asks about a sense of humor, intelligence and integrity. I think it depends on the sense of humor. I’m not into slapstick comedy humor, but I’m into deadpan snarker sense of humor. Cokie thinks that those things don’t make you cool. Stacey interrupts to yell at Cokie for not wanting to hang out with someone who didn’t have the right clothes or who was plain? Shut up, Stacey. You do the exact same thing. You’re just as judgmental as Cokie is. Remember when you joined the mathletes and you were busy whining that you couldn’t hang out with geeks with a permanent bad hair day? Remember when you were afraid that people would see you going to a mathlete meeting? It’s not like you would ever hang out with anyone lower on the social ladder than you are. You’re the stereotypical mean girl.
Cokie points out that Stacey could hang out with her group because she has the right look. Don’t forget attitude. Stacey is a totally judgmental mean girl. Cokie also points out that Stacey and the BSC are snobs. Thank you. I’ve been saying that, but it’s so nice when someone in the book actually says it. Stacey realizes that Cokie is right. She and the BSC do think that they’re better than Cokie. The BSC pretty much thinks that they’re better than everyone, not just Cokie. Cokie tells Stacey that it’s fine because all groups in middle school only care about their little group and didn’t want outsiders. That was sort of true for me in middle school. People were already friends and they weren’t always welcoming when someone outside the group tried to join in the conversation, so the only hope I had of making a friend was praying for a new kid. Stacey thinks that Cokie has a point and is surprised at that. I’m pretty sure that the BSC thinks that no one besides them could come up with a good idea.
Chapter 8
Claudia is being interviewed next. Her interview is basically about how she hates school and how the school won’t let her do what she loves and how no one gives a shit about art and they only care about the subjects that she hates. Stacey didn’t realize Claudia was angry about that. Emily is working on the paper during her interview. She talks about how she loves being editor of the paper, but it can be stressful because of deadlines, and kids not turning in their articles on time, or the articles being full of mistakes so she has to correct them. I thought editors corrected mistakes. I probably wouldn’t mind a mistake here and there, but I would probably appreciate it if someone tried to do a quick proof-read if they were going to hand me an article. Emily asks Stacey why she doesn’t take charge despite being a take charge person.
Stacey starts to answer then realizes she’s supposed to be asking the questions. Emily really isn’t saying much. Maybe Stacey isn’t good at getting elaborate answers out of people who aren’t her friends. Emily asks Stacey about math. She notices that Stacey loves it, but Stacey can’t make a career out of it. Stacey has to defend her favorite subject and says that you can do a lot of stuff with a college degree in math, such as engineering. The conversation shifts to Stacey and how she’s interested in engineering, but lately she’s been considering filmmaking. I say Stacey still has time to decide.
Stacey asks why Emily doesn’t want to talk about herself. Maybe some people aren’t comfortable talking about themselves. I’m not comfortable talking about myself because I consider myself boring. I have a hard time opening myself up to people. I also feel guilty when I tell people stuff about myself. Emily says it’s because she’s a writer and a journalist and they’re more comfortable observing than being observed. Emily feels sure that being a journalist is in her future. I thought publishing a book was in my future when I was thirteen. I still do want to publish a book, but I spend way too much time worrying about my writing style, pacing, etc. to get things done. I manage to write a page or so, then I think it’s crap and delete it. There are also times when I have the scene in my head, but I can’t write it exactly the way I want.
Mary Anne is being interviewed. Emily suggested her. Stacey is apprehensive because Mary Anne is too sweet and worried about other people to say what’s really on her mind. Mary Anne is also more of a listener than a talker. Yeah, she’s the type of person that will talk about you behind your back, and then play all innocent when you confront her so you end up looking like the bad guy. Mary Anne is slightly moody during the interview. Stacey asks if anything makes her mad. Mary Anne snaps that things do make her mad, such as people who can’t be nice (the BSC) people who yell (Kristy) people who think they’re better than everyone (the BSC). Mary Anne also gets angry at teachers you play favorites. I think I’d like to hear more about that. Is it something Mary Anne has experienced, or is she just saying that she dislikes that teachers do that, but she hasn’t experienced it.
Mary Anne also gets angry at her parents even though she knows she shouldn’t. Do you know how many times I got angry at my parents and how many times my mother has gotten angry at her parents? Getting angry at parents doesn’t make you a bad person. Mary Anne is really angry at her mother. Stacey is confused because she thought Mary Anne and Sharon got along well. Mary Anne snaps that she means her biological mother and that she hates her for not being there. Everyone is stunned at her outburst. Mary Anne asks to stop and wipes away tears. Erica says that it was a great interview and Stacey agrees. She just didn’t expect it to come from Mary Anne. I would probably be thinking what the hell. Seriously, Mary Anne is talking about what makes her angry and then she snaps that she hates her mother for dying and cries. How am I supposed to respond to that? I’d probably just stand there blinking.
Chapter 9
A notebook entry calling Kristy out. She’s being power-mad about her film (she’s not only power-made about her film) and that she’s being obnoxious. Abby and Kristy are babysitting the Pikes and Kristy is trying to be a film maker as well as babysitter. Kristy asks the Pikes what they can show her. Alan says that he’s the director, so it’s his decision if they’re going to include Vanessa’s poem. Kristy just moves Alan away. Kristy, this isn’t only your project. Stop using this as an excuse to obsess over Stoneybrook’s kids. No one cares about Vanessa’s poems outside of the BSC. You aren’t in charge this time. Get over it and quit trying to force everyone to do what you want. Alan is awesome and says that this isn’t Kristy’s movie, so they aren’t using her poem. I really think people should just call out Kristy more and not give in when she starts to throw a tantrum because they aren’t playing what she wants. Logan points out that Alan is right.
Claire starts to do a somersault off the couch and nearly hits the table, but Abby catches her. Kristy asks Abby why she did that. Seriously, Kristy? First of all, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to be doing somersaults of couches. Secondly, are you seriously asking why Abby would prevent Claire from hitting her head on the table? Abby is like, “Hello, she was going to hurt herself. How the hell could you just stand there and film it?” That’s an excellent point. Suppose Claire did fall? I bet Kristy would think that was a great comedy shot and continued filming without bothering to check on Claire. Kristy calls herself such a great sitter, but if she’s going to just stand around filming when a kid does something dangerous and yell at someone when they prevent it, then she has no business being around kids.
I think what really irritates me here is how the BSC acts like a kid getting hurt by accident makes you a bad sitter. Remember when Mallory first tried to join the BSC and Kristy told her that Nicky’s broken finger shouldn’t have happened? Accidents happen. It’s one thing not to be able to prevent an accident, but it’s another matter entirely to just film a kid doing something dangerous and yell at someone for stopping the kid. While I was reading this I was thinking that Kristy would probably rush to post pictures of a kid’s injury on Facebook before giving them medical attention.
Kristy films the Pike kids. Abby goes around doing all the work like cleaning shit up and telling them not to play so close to the lamp while Kristy just films. Kristy says that they’re fine. They aren’t fine. The lamp nearly falls, but Abby saves it. Abby yells at Kristy that she’ll show the Pikes the tape. I would say that the Pikes wouldn’t care, but Mallory isn’t around to sweep up the lamp, so maybe they would care. Kristy tells Abby to chill. Unfortunately, Abby doesn’t punch Kristy in the face like I wish she had done. I think this is excellent blackmail material. Whenever Kristy wants to get uppity about babysitting and how she’s the best sitter ever, I would just point out that she let kids do dangerous stuff and filmed it. Margo tells them not to fight and Abby snaps at her. She apologizes and explains that she’s mad at Kristy, not her. Kristy wants to know what Abby is mad at her for. Seriously? I’m beginning to think that Kristy is incapable of realizing that others have feelings and that she can be an inconsiderate bitch. I just had flashbacks to when Kristy went into Claudia’s room, tore down photos of her and Stacey, put up some checklist, and acted indignant when Claudia was mad. Did she seriously think that she could barge into someone else’s room and tear down their stuff? She probably did. Kristy thinks she should be able to do whatever she wants without anyone calling her on it.
I would have just flipped Kristy off, but Abby tells Kristy that she’s been a shitty babysitter. She’s so busty filming that she hasn’t done any work. I would totally take Kristy’s share of the money. Alan agrees. Kristy tells Alan to shut up. Why don’t you shut up, Kristy? Why don’t you stop forcing people to go along with whatever you want? The way she’s acting here I fully expect her to be a fully fledged mommy jacker. I could just see her at a college graduation or a wedding and trying to make it all about her kids.
Chapter 10
BSC meeting. Kristy is being an asshole. She annoys me when she takes a shot at Abby for being tired. She isn’t too tired to do more than one thing. Shut the fuck up, Kristy. Sometimes people get really exhausted. Maybe there are times when they get so exhausted that they can’t function. Stop shitting on someone just because they might need to sleep more. For all you know, they could be sick or have a medical condition. Knowing Kristy, she’d probably think that anyone who had a medical condition or was sick was just being weak and they could totally do labor intensive work if they just sucked it up.
Abby asks if Kristy is going to edit the movie. She probably is. Kristy snaps that filmmaking is a team effort. Don’t give me that bullshit, Kristy. You’ve ignored Alan every time he tried to say that he was the director. You’ve been too focused on filming the kids that you ignored everyone else in your group. Is it really normal for someone to be so obsessed with the neighborhood kids? Abby tells Kristy that she doesn’t think that she knows everything, unlike Kristy. I love Abby. Abby doesn’t want to ride with Kristy and calls her mom. Kristy calls her a big baby. I really want to just grab Kristy by the hair and smash her face into my knee. How the hell does Kristy not realize that she’s behaving like a jerk? Okay, I think she behaves like a jerk a lot of the time and she never realizes it. I hate people who act like jerks and then get mad when people get mad and call them out, because they have no right to be mad. Does Kristy seriously think that her behavior is okay?
Mary Anne asks Stacey if they can edit out the part about her mother because she doesn’t want that to be her only public comment about her mother. She also doesn’t want Sharon to see it because she doesn’t want Sharon to know that she doesn’t consider Sharon her mother. Stacey asks if Mary Anne considers Sharon her mother. Mary Anne replies that she’s a kind of mother, but she doesn’t know if it’s the same because she doesn’t have a mother that she can remember. Mary Anne and Sharon fought. Sharon forgot a dress that Mary Anne wanted to wear and Mary Anne was mad. Sharon was mad because Mary Anne didn’t appreciate what she did for her. I probably would be irked if someone kept forgetting to pick up things. Mary Anne thinks that if her mother was around, she wouldn’t have forgotten to pick up Mary Anne’s dress. Was her mother more organized than Sharon? What’s to say that her mother would never have forgotten to pick something up? I thought that Mary Anne was mad at her mother because if she hadn’t died, Richard probably wouldn’t have been such a hard ass.
Stacey tells Mary Anne that her group doesn’t operate like Kristy’s group. At first I thought she meant the BSC, but she’s talking about the film group. Same difference. Stacey promises to discuss it with the group.
Stacey is worried about the movie. She goes to bed and has a dream that inspires her. It does not involve a sparkling vampire, by the way. I was thinking about whether Stacey would be Team Edward or Team Jacob. I would say Edward because he’s rich and I think Stacey will grow up to be a gold digger. Stacey wakes up with a great idea and says she can thank the dream for it. Stephenie Meyer had a dream as well. Stacey calls up her group and says the movie is dumb. Pete defends the movie and says it’s supposed to be fun and it is. Stacey says that the movie is meaningless. It doesn’t say anything. Carrie is making documentaries and all they’re doing is screwing around with a camera. I wouldn’t automatically expect award winning documentaries from middle-schoolers. What’s wrong with a fun zombie movie? Not everything has to have some deep meaning.
The new movie idea is to interview kids at school about what it’s like to be a middle school student. I think I would prefer the zombie movie. I think it’d be fun to run around as a zombie. I don’t really like talking about myself. How do they know the people they select to interview will give them open-ended answers? I would probably just say yes, no, and shrug. What am I supposed to say? Middle school was boring for me. I went to school. I was a quiet kid and didn’t have very many friends. Didn’t have a lot of enemies, either. No one would want to hear about my middle school experience. I wouldn’t want to hear about my middle school experience.
Maybe they can do a documentary on bullying and cliqueish behavior in middle school. The BSC would make excellent test subjects. They can talk about how they ostracized Claudia for hanging out with a new friend and Mary Anne for getting her hair cut. They can talk about how the BSC always gets angry when a member displays a new interest or makes a new friend. I wasn’t happy when my friends had new friends because I was afraid they were going to leave me. I suppose it might be the same way for the BSC. Or maybe the BSC is just controlling.
Pete is being interviewed. Emily asks him what it’s like to be a middle school student. He shrugs. That question is kind of hard to answer. What is he supposed to say? Emily asks what the most difficult thing in his life is and Pete withdraws. Emily wants to ask personal questions to get to the juicy stuff. We were talking about interviewing in my clinical psychology class. We learned that it was very important to have a good rapport with the client. If there’s good rapport with the client, the client will trust you and tell you things. I don’t know if you’re supposed to open up with, “Tell me the most difficult thing in your life right now.” I would probably shut down if someone asked me that at the beginning of an interview.
Stacey suggests asking polite questions first before getting into personal stuff. Emily asks how Pete’s day has been so far and snaps at him for being sarcastic. Pete, you aren’t allowed to have a personality. Pete says that he was just going to call up some guys and hang out, but Stacey called. I would be thinking, “And now we have to rework our project because Stacey thinks our project isn’t meaningful enough.” Now that I think about it, it might be possible to use zombies for symbolism. Anyway, Pete talks about how he feels stuck at being thirteen. He knows how to drive, but he can’t legally do it. He’s sick of mowing lawns for money. He knows he can do a job at the mall well and he gets more money, but he can’t do that because he isn’t old enough. Pete does have a good point. There really aren’t a lot of perks that comes from being thirteen now that I think abot it.
Erica asks why he wants to make a lot of money. I would just answer, “Because I like money.” Whenever I’m applying for a job and they ask why I want to work there I just think, “I want money and you guys are hiring. I want to buy stuff.” Pete’s answer is so that he can buy a car and go somewhere. He also wants to have money for college so he isn’t stuck in Stoneybrook all of his life. Go, Pete! Maybe Pete is also thinking that something stinks in Stoneybrook.
Stacey asks what’s wrong with Stoneybrook. Pete says nothing (I think he’s lying) but he’s sick of Stoneybrook. I get how Pete is feeling. I’ve lived in Florida most of my life. I like it. But there are times when I want to see something different. I want to jump in a pile of leaves. I want to watch snow falling. I want to build a snow man. I want to see something different. Pete’s interview ends. He did well. They decide to interview their other classmates. Stacey is kind of nervous because she learned things about Pete that she didn’t know and she’s wondering what she’ll learn about her other classmates and friends. It’s always amazing what you can learn about someone despite knowing them a long time. I’ve learned things about my family that I didn’t know until recently.
Chapter 7
Abby is being interviewed. She talks about how she has a long day because her mom wakes up at five-thirty and Abby can’t go back to sleep, but she doesn’t have the energy to do anything. Stacey asks Abby what her favorite part of the day is and she says bedtime. I love it when I wake up in the morning and I realize I can go back to sleep. It’s a glorious feeling. The interview is kind of dead. Yeah, it’s kind of hard to ask good questions during an interview. I say go back to the zombie movie.
Emily says that bedtime isn’t Abby’s favorite time. Shut up, Emily. Bedtime is a wonderful time for an overworked person. Abby says that she likes a lot of things but has a hard time fitting it all in. She manages to do so anyway. Emily points out that Abby is like her mother. Abby is horrified because being like her mother is the worst thing in the world. Well, she is thirteen. Maybe that’s a horrible thing to a thirteen-year-old. She doesn’t want to be always rushed and pressed for time. Some people like those conditions. Abby wanders off to ponder the possibility that she might be like her mother. I don’t see what the big deal is. Abby likes a lot of activities. Is it really so horrible to realize that she’s always on the go? Stacey apologizes for Abby wandering off. There’s no need to apologize because this is real-life drama. I wouldn’t call that drama or a profound revelation.
Jessi is being interviewed next. She asks if Emily wants to hear about the BSC and she says later. Good for her. She really dodged a bullet. I would be watching someone babbling on about the BSC and thinking, “God, cleaning out my belly button is more exciting.” Actually, that’s pretty much what I think whenever I skim chapter 2. Jessi talks about her hobbies and how Mallory went to boarding school. Emily says that Jessi recently lost her best friend. Mallory went to boarding school. She didn’t die. Maybe the BSC just declared Mallory an unperson because she left the BSC ranks and Jessi is having a hard time coping.
Emily says something about Jessi not having a lot of friends from her own African American background. This made me blink when I first read it. I don’t know if Stoneybrook is rolling in black people. I think that Miss Colman is black and one of Karen’s classmates is. Otherwise, I just assume that most of the people in Stoneyrook are white. Why would Emily point out that Jessi doesn’t have a lot of black friends? I’m biracial, but I never based my friendships on the fact that I was the same race as them. I did have friends that were black and Indian, but I was friends with them because we shared common interests. That’s what I look for in friendships. Maybe it’s because I live in a diverse area in Florida, so I’m not the only non-white person in the sea of whites. Maybe I would have bonded with someone from my background if I was in the minority, but I wasn’t.
Jessi says that she has African American friends and Latina friends in New York. She met them through this dance program. She talks about how she can talk about dance with them. People are usually bored when she talks about dance, but she can talk about how hard it is to do a certain step and people will actually respond. I know how Jessi feels. It’s always nice when you meet someone you can talk to about something that you’re passionate about. I remember that what made this guy really attractive to me was that he could talk about books. He actually opened his mouth and said more than two words. I can’t talk to my family about certain things because they don’t share my interests, but I can talk to my friends because they share my interest.
Emily asks if it’s easier to be around kids of a similar background. Stacey wishes Emily would stop that line of questioning. Jessi doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable. I think Stacey wants to stop because she’s uncomfortable. Jessi tells Emily that her old neighborhood was pretty integrated so she’s used to being around white kids. Stacey is stunned because she didn’t think that Jessi thought of them as white kids. You are white, Stacey. Why can’t Jessi think of you as white kids? I guess it would be a shock to move from a place where race wasn’t important to a place where you were in the minority and people judged you.
Emily asks if there’s a strain on Jessi because she’s a minority. Stacey tries to interrupt, but Jessi says that it’s okay. No one has ever asked her that before. Maybe they were afraid of offending Jessi. Why is Stacey so eager to stop this interview? Jessi isn’t displaying any signs of discomfort. Maybe Stacey just doesn’t want to hear that Jessi faces problems because she’s black. Maybe she figured that just because the BSC accepted Jessi everyone else did and no one would ever be prejudiced against Jessi as well.
Jessi says that it can be a strain. With Mallory gone, she’s aware that she’s different. She feels like she always has to be on her best behavior because she’s representing her race and she resents that pressure. I never felt that pressure. I think it has something to do with the fact that I come from a diverse area, so I’m not the only minority. One of the reasons my family moved to Florida from South Carolina was because my mom wanted me to grow up in a more diverse area. Emily asks if Jessi feels that she has more in common with her dance school friends. Stacey waits for her to say no, but Jessi doesn’t. She says she has more in common with her dance school friends and she doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s not like the BSC has anything in common with each other besides a creepy obsession with babysitting.
Stacey is upset. It’s like Jessi forgot she was there. Shut up, Stacey. This isn’t about you. Why should Jessi have to tailor her answers so that you won’t be hurt? You aren’t even close to Jessi. I could understand if Claudia was saying that she felt closer to other people, but you and Jessi have never been close. Jessi says that she likes her BSC friends, but she is the only African American and that makes her feel weird. She also feels weird with the older members. I probably would have felt awkward around older friends during middle school. Pete starts filming Stacey because she looks really distressed. I don’t know what was so distressing about that interview. I guess I probably would feel bad if I realized my friend felt out of place in our group and I never realized.
Cokie comes up to Stacey’s group on Tuesday to ask if she isn’t good enough to be in their film. No, you aren’t, Cokie. The only people being interviewed are friends of Stacey, because they’re the only people that matter. You’re going to have to go up to her group and tell her that there are other people besides the BSC in the school. I mean, Stacey was making such a big deal about this film being meaningful, but if she’s only going to interview her friends and not even attempt to interview anyone outside her social circle, I’m going to think she’s just using this project as an excuse to film her friends.
They agree to interview Cokie. Cokie wants to sit on the back of a car because she thinks it will look cool. I’m pretty sure there are dumber things a person can do because they want to look cool. This is ranking pretty low on the list. Now Cokie wants to fix her makeup. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting to look nice when they’re being videotaped. Besides, I’m sure Stacey would want to look nice if she was being interviewed as well.
Emily tries to hurry Cokie along by saying that she looks gorgeous, but Cokie says Emily doesn’t understand. Looking good is important to Cokie. Emily and Stacey roll their eyes. Shut up. I see no problem with someone wanting to look good. I like to look good, but I prefer to just laze around in shorts and a shirt. I’ll get dressed up when there’s a special occasion, because I’m too lazy to bother with my hair, makeup, and a cute outfit on a daily basis. But I like it when I get to wear a really nice outfit and put on makeup. It makes me feel pretty. Also, Stacey likes to look good as well. This is pretty hypocritical coming from her. Stacey cares about her appearance. I guess she’s judging Cokie because Cokie is her enemy.
The interview starts. Cokie explains that the real reason anyone goes to school is so you can see your friends and boys. My middle school cousin would agree with that. I always thought that people went to school because it was required up to a certain age. As far as I’m aware, people can’t drop out of middle school. Emily asks Cokie to tell her about boys. My response during middle school would be that I didn’t find any of them cute and I found them really immature. Cokie says that boys can be jerky or adorable. Can they be anything else besides jerky and adorable? Cokie also smiles at Pete and he smiles back. Stacey can’t believe it. I’m going to imagine that Stacey is jealous.
Cokie says that boys are the most important thing in the life of a middle school girl. They weren’t for me. Cokie is holding out for a really good boyfriend right now. Her new boyfriend will be ultimately cool. He will have good looks and cool clothes. I have to admit that I was attracted to some of the guys in my college because they were cute. But since I’m really shy, the only relationship we ever had was my trying to discretely stare at them. Cokie wants a boy that isn’t failing school, but doesn’t spend his time studying words that people have to look up. I would probably want a boyfriend like that, but I like words. I would probably be a little interested if a guy used a word I liked or one that I hadn’t heard but I thought was cool. There are words I like but I never get to use them because they aren’t conversation words. Sometimes there are certain words that I would feel weird using in conversation because there would always be a chance that I would use it incorrectly and people would think that I’m showing off. Besides, I can’t really think of an occasion where gibbous, avaricious, and susurrus would come up in casual conversation. There’s also the fact that I don’t know how to pronounce some of the words I like.
Emily asks about a sense of humor, intelligence and integrity. I think it depends on the sense of humor. I’m not into slapstick comedy humor, but I’m into deadpan snarker sense of humor. Cokie thinks that those things don’t make you cool. Stacey interrupts to yell at Cokie for not wanting to hang out with someone who didn’t have the right clothes or who was plain? Shut up, Stacey. You do the exact same thing. You’re just as judgmental as Cokie is. Remember when you joined the mathletes and you were busy whining that you couldn’t hang out with geeks with a permanent bad hair day? Remember when you were afraid that people would see you going to a mathlete meeting? It’s not like you would ever hang out with anyone lower on the social ladder than you are. You’re the stereotypical mean girl.
Cokie points out that Stacey could hang out with her group because she has the right look. Don’t forget attitude. Stacey is a totally judgmental mean girl. Cokie also points out that Stacey and the BSC are snobs. Thank you. I’ve been saying that, but it’s so nice when someone in the book actually says it. Stacey realizes that Cokie is right. She and the BSC do think that they’re better than Cokie. The BSC pretty much thinks that they’re better than everyone, not just Cokie. Cokie tells Stacey that it’s fine because all groups in middle school only care about their little group and didn’t want outsiders. That was sort of true for me in middle school. People were already friends and they weren’t always welcoming when someone outside the group tried to join in the conversation, so the only hope I had of making a friend was praying for a new kid. Stacey thinks that Cokie has a point and is surprised at that. I’m pretty sure that the BSC thinks that no one besides them could come up with a good idea.
Chapter 8
Claudia is being interviewed next. Her interview is basically about how she hates school and how the school won’t let her do what she loves and how no one gives a shit about art and they only care about the subjects that she hates. Stacey didn’t realize Claudia was angry about that. Emily is working on the paper during her interview. She talks about how she loves being editor of the paper, but it can be stressful because of deadlines, and kids not turning in their articles on time, or the articles being full of mistakes so she has to correct them. I thought editors corrected mistakes. I probably wouldn’t mind a mistake here and there, but I would probably appreciate it if someone tried to do a quick proof-read if they were going to hand me an article. Emily asks Stacey why she doesn’t take charge despite being a take charge person.
Stacey starts to answer then realizes she’s supposed to be asking the questions. Emily really isn’t saying much. Maybe Stacey isn’t good at getting elaborate answers out of people who aren’t her friends. Emily asks Stacey about math. She notices that Stacey loves it, but Stacey can’t make a career out of it. Stacey has to defend her favorite subject and says that you can do a lot of stuff with a college degree in math, such as engineering. The conversation shifts to Stacey and how she’s interested in engineering, but lately she’s been considering filmmaking. I say Stacey still has time to decide.
Stacey asks why Emily doesn’t want to talk about herself. Maybe some people aren’t comfortable talking about themselves. I’m not comfortable talking about myself because I consider myself boring. I have a hard time opening myself up to people. I also feel guilty when I tell people stuff about myself. Emily says it’s because she’s a writer and a journalist and they’re more comfortable observing than being observed. Emily feels sure that being a journalist is in her future. I thought publishing a book was in my future when I was thirteen. I still do want to publish a book, but I spend way too much time worrying about my writing style, pacing, etc. to get things done. I manage to write a page or so, then I think it’s crap and delete it. There are also times when I have the scene in my head, but I can’t write it exactly the way I want.
Mary Anne is being interviewed. Emily suggested her. Stacey is apprehensive because Mary Anne is too sweet and worried about other people to say what’s really on her mind. Mary Anne is also more of a listener than a talker. Yeah, she’s the type of person that will talk about you behind your back, and then play all innocent when you confront her so you end up looking like the bad guy. Mary Anne is slightly moody during the interview. Stacey asks if anything makes her mad. Mary Anne snaps that things do make her mad, such as people who can’t be nice (the BSC) people who yell (Kristy) people who think they’re better than everyone (the BSC). Mary Anne also gets angry at teachers you play favorites. I think I’d like to hear more about that. Is it something Mary Anne has experienced, or is she just saying that she dislikes that teachers do that, but she hasn’t experienced it.
Mary Anne also gets angry at her parents even though she knows she shouldn’t. Do you know how many times I got angry at my parents and how many times my mother has gotten angry at her parents? Getting angry at parents doesn’t make you a bad person. Mary Anne is really angry at her mother. Stacey is confused because she thought Mary Anne and Sharon got along well. Mary Anne snaps that she means her biological mother and that she hates her for not being there. Everyone is stunned at her outburst. Mary Anne asks to stop and wipes away tears. Erica says that it was a great interview and Stacey agrees. She just didn’t expect it to come from Mary Anne. I would probably be thinking what the hell. Seriously, Mary Anne is talking about what makes her angry and then she snaps that she hates her mother for dying and cries. How am I supposed to respond to that? I’d probably just stand there blinking.
Chapter 9
A notebook entry calling Kristy out. She’s being power-mad about her film (she’s not only power-made about her film) and that she’s being obnoxious. Abby and Kristy are babysitting the Pikes and Kristy is trying to be a film maker as well as babysitter. Kristy asks the Pikes what they can show her. Alan says that he’s the director, so it’s his decision if they’re going to include Vanessa’s poem. Kristy just moves Alan away. Kristy, this isn’t only your project. Stop using this as an excuse to obsess over Stoneybrook’s kids. No one cares about Vanessa’s poems outside of the BSC. You aren’t in charge this time. Get over it and quit trying to force everyone to do what you want. Alan is awesome and says that this isn’t Kristy’s movie, so they aren’t using her poem. I really think people should just call out Kristy more and not give in when she starts to throw a tantrum because they aren’t playing what she wants. Logan points out that Alan is right.
Claire starts to do a somersault off the couch and nearly hits the table, but Abby catches her. Kristy asks Abby why she did that. Seriously, Kristy? First of all, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to be doing somersaults of couches. Secondly, are you seriously asking why Abby would prevent Claire from hitting her head on the table? Abby is like, “Hello, she was going to hurt herself. How the hell could you just stand there and film it?” That’s an excellent point. Suppose Claire did fall? I bet Kristy would think that was a great comedy shot and continued filming without bothering to check on Claire. Kristy calls herself such a great sitter, but if she’s going to just stand around filming when a kid does something dangerous and yell at someone when they prevent it, then she has no business being around kids.
I think what really irritates me here is how the BSC acts like a kid getting hurt by accident makes you a bad sitter. Remember when Mallory first tried to join the BSC and Kristy told her that Nicky’s broken finger shouldn’t have happened? Accidents happen. It’s one thing not to be able to prevent an accident, but it’s another matter entirely to just film a kid doing something dangerous and yell at someone for stopping the kid. While I was reading this I was thinking that Kristy would probably rush to post pictures of a kid’s injury on Facebook before giving them medical attention.
Kristy films the Pike kids. Abby goes around doing all the work like cleaning shit up and telling them not to play so close to the lamp while Kristy just films. Kristy says that they’re fine. They aren’t fine. The lamp nearly falls, but Abby saves it. Abby yells at Kristy that she’ll show the Pikes the tape. I would say that the Pikes wouldn’t care, but Mallory isn’t around to sweep up the lamp, so maybe they would care. Kristy tells Abby to chill. Unfortunately, Abby doesn’t punch Kristy in the face like I wish she had done. I think this is excellent blackmail material. Whenever Kristy wants to get uppity about babysitting and how she’s the best sitter ever, I would just point out that she let kids do dangerous stuff and filmed it. Margo tells them not to fight and Abby snaps at her. She apologizes and explains that she’s mad at Kristy, not her. Kristy wants to know what Abby is mad at her for. Seriously? I’m beginning to think that Kristy is incapable of realizing that others have feelings and that she can be an inconsiderate bitch. I just had flashbacks to when Kristy went into Claudia’s room, tore down photos of her and Stacey, put up some checklist, and acted indignant when Claudia was mad. Did she seriously think that she could barge into someone else’s room and tear down their stuff? She probably did. Kristy thinks she should be able to do whatever she wants without anyone calling her on it.
I would have just flipped Kristy off, but Abby tells Kristy that she’s been a shitty babysitter. She’s so busty filming that she hasn’t done any work. I would totally take Kristy’s share of the money. Alan agrees. Kristy tells Alan to shut up. Why don’t you shut up, Kristy? Why don’t you stop forcing people to go along with whatever you want? The way she’s acting here I fully expect her to be a fully fledged mommy jacker. I could just see her at a college graduation or a wedding and trying to make it all about her kids.
Chapter 10
BSC meeting. Kristy is being an asshole. She annoys me when she takes a shot at Abby for being tired. She isn’t too tired to do more than one thing. Shut the fuck up, Kristy. Sometimes people get really exhausted. Maybe there are times when they get so exhausted that they can’t function. Stop shitting on someone just because they might need to sleep more. For all you know, they could be sick or have a medical condition. Knowing Kristy, she’d probably think that anyone who had a medical condition or was sick was just being weak and they could totally do labor intensive work if they just sucked it up.
Abby asks if Kristy is going to edit the movie. She probably is. Kristy snaps that filmmaking is a team effort. Don’t give me that bullshit, Kristy. You’ve ignored Alan every time he tried to say that he was the director. You’ve been too focused on filming the kids that you ignored everyone else in your group. Is it really normal for someone to be so obsessed with the neighborhood kids? Abby tells Kristy that she doesn’t think that she knows everything, unlike Kristy. I love Abby. Abby doesn’t want to ride with Kristy and calls her mom. Kristy calls her a big baby. I really want to just grab Kristy by the hair and smash her face into my knee. How the hell does Kristy not realize that she’s behaving like a jerk? Okay, I think she behaves like a jerk a lot of the time and she never realizes it. I hate people who act like jerks and then get mad when people get mad and call them out, because they have no right to be mad. Does Kristy seriously think that her behavior is okay?
Mary Anne asks Stacey if they can edit out the part about her mother because she doesn’t want that to be her only public comment about her mother. She also doesn’t want Sharon to see it because she doesn’t want Sharon to know that she doesn’t consider Sharon her mother. Stacey asks if Mary Anne considers Sharon her mother. Mary Anne replies that she’s a kind of mother, but she doesn’t know if it’s the same because she doesn’t have a mother that she can remember. Mary Anne and Sharon fought. Sharon forgot a dress that Mary Anne wanted to wear and Mary Anne was mad. Sharon was mad because Mary Anne didn’t appreciate what she did for her. I probably would be irked if someone kept forgetting to pick up things. Mary Anne thinks that if her mother was around, she wouldn’t have forgotten to pick up Mary Anne’s dress. Was her mother more organized than Sharon? What’s to say that her mother would never have forgotten to pick something up? I thought that Mary Anne was mad at her mother because if she hadn’t died, Richard probably wouldn’t have been such a hard ass.
Stacey tells Mary Anne that her group doesn’t operate like Kristy’s group. At first I thought she meant the BSC, but she’s talking about the film group. Same difference. Stacey promises to discuss it with the group.