FF #5: Kristy Power! Part Two
So first, I’d like to thank the people who left comments on part one of this. You people are amazing and I love you forever. Thank you so much for reading! Now, I think we actually have to dive back into Kristy Power! I don’t dread it the way I usually do dread getting back into these.
Mainly because of Cary Retlin and my undying love for him.
I’d also like to apologize for everyone for how long it took to get back to this damn thing. I’ve been busy and my Kindle also died so I had to get a new one and reload everything, which meant that I also felt a strange need to try to re-read the entire BSC series. Got to Kristy In Charge and realized I kind of left you guys hanging!
So when last we left off, Kristy was a nosy bitch reading Cary’s private journal in his private bedroom. She heard footsteps and couldn’t move.
Chapter Six
So, it wasn’t Mrs. Porter coming to recast the time stands still curse. It was Cary. Which, if you think about it, makes more sense. After all, this is his house and she is reading his shit in his bedroom.
Kristy freezes in place at the sound of her name and just starts staring at an Escher print. So pretty much what I’m learning is that Cary is really into surrealism and its awesome and so fitting for his character.
Cary, rightfully, asks what she’s doing in his room and she keeps playing dumb. She even pretends to not know that it was his room. Really, K. Ron? Actually, no. Really, Stoneybrook? You leave her alone with your children? I wouldn’t leave her alone with my empty diet coke bottle. (I’d say full diet coke bottle, but I wouldn’t leave anyone alone with that… I’m an addict.)
Kristy deflects by complimenting his Escher and Cary kinda recites Escher’s history? I think he officially knows more about art than Claudia. He also has a book of Escher’s drawings because Cary is adorable. Cary offers to show Kristy the book, but while he’s getting it, K. Ron is obsessing over the fact that Cary is a criminal and a hacker and blah blah blah. She’s so gullible.
Cary calls her out on the fact that she’s a million light years away, asking if aliens have her brains again. Instead of getting angry, she agrees that its totally aliens. Yet another reason I ship them. Cary brings out a different side of Kristy that Bart didn’t. He shows her his favorite Escher and she studies his profile and I imagine their wedding because I’m just as bad as the BSC. I’m obsessed with the fictional relationship of two people half my age.
Cary keeps showing her Escher drawings, pointing out his favorites and why he likes them and Kristy is still distracted. She also decides that her biography is going to be awesome, because she now has the secret story of a boy who got kicked out of his last school. When Kristy says that Escher is cool, Cary admits to underestimating her and Kristy agrees. Then she figures out that she can’t tell about Cary’s secret, because no one would’ve ever told her about it and she’d be completely busted.
Cary again calls Kristy on acting as empty headed as Claudia and they make plans for Cary to come interview her family on Thursday. He actually marks it in a little calendar and they have some adorable flirtations that are incredibly lame and thirteen. Kristy rushes home. At dinner she’s so distracted she gives Watson ketchup instead of salt - which is probably better for his heart. Then she calls Mary Anne.
At first, she tries to ask about her Christmas party but changes her mind and wants to talk about Cary instead. Because she’s a young teen with a crush even if she won’t admit it. She actually asks Mary Anne if she should tell Cary that she knows his secret (without saying what the secret is) and Mary Anne asserts that honesty is the best policy.
Really, Mary Anne, I thought passive aggressive bitchcraft was your best policy?
Kristy admits to herself that MA is almost always right, but Cary isn’t a normal person so who knew if the norms applied there.
Chapter Seven
Kristy thinks that its going to be awkward to see Cary after reading his journal and is a total drama queen, thinking about how she’s the only one at school who knows there’s a criminal in their midst. She thinks about what it’d be like to get kicked out of school and thinks she wouldn’t like it because she’d spent so much time in the school over the last few years that it was like another home.
Oh god, is she becoming aware of the time warp? Has she realized she’s been in 8th grade for almost twenty years?
Mary Anne runs into her at her locker, doesn’t buy that she’s okay, and tells her they’ll talk later. Then Kristy goes to English and stutters about talking to Cary. She actually almost walks into the door and Cary teases her because Cary is awesome. The teasing stops when they go into the classroom and Mr. Taylor is sitting on Ted’s desk.
When everyone is in class, Mr. Taylor starts talking and calls Ted Mr. Morley which I probably already knew but am now picturing this guy:
and want to be in their English class. Anyway, look away from the gif, back to the story guys! Ted is taking ‘administrative leave’ while they investigate the charges against him. It took me a moment to remember that they’re talking about parents not approving of books. I think the gif got to me.
Kristy calls Mr. Taylor out on suspending the teacher for handing out a book list that some people didn’t like and Mr. Taylor says its part of the problem. Cary gets him to elaborate and the other part is that Ted didn’t have his list approved. Alan Gray actually has a good point about maybe Ted didn’t know the rule since the class is usually Mrs. Simon’s and Ted is new. Cary actually asks what Mr. Taylor thinks of the whole thing and Mr. Taylor assures them that Ted will get a fair hearing.
After class, Kristy hears other teachers upset about Ted’s suspension in the hallway. One of them mentions the First Amendment and Kristy has to go look it up. The librarian is totally creeping on her and points out what parts best fit Ted’s case and hands her a book with a list of all the banned and challenged books. Mr. Counts and Kristy talk about certain banned books, including a kids book that includes a picture of a naked boy. Mr. Counts lets her borrow the previous year’s edition of the book.
After school, its the topic of conversation for the BSC (I’m assuming after they discuss which triplet is being crushed on by an eight year old or to start planning banned book week for their charges) and even Claudia and Stacey manage to agree on how bad it sucks. Kristy’s parents are going to take action - including writing and calling the school. Kristy just hopes that there’s something she can do to help.
Chapter Eight
We’re back to the A-Plot now. Cary rides home with Kristy on the bus. He has stolen Abby’s seat and I bet Abby is sitting with Anna giggling about it because you know EVERYONE knows that Kristy and Cary like each other, even if they don’t know it yet. They are again talking about Ted and how this could mess up his entire life and Kristy wonders if Cary relates because his hacking thing clearly has messed up his life. But as the teachers don’t treat him differently, she thinks that his parents hired a lawyer to keep it off of his permanant record.
Kristy, since she knows though, has blocked her computer with a stack of books. Kristy lets us know that she ‘coached’ her family members in things to tell Cary - like coaching the Krushers and her volunteer work. She even hopes that her older brothers will brag about her presidency with the BSC. Sure, Charlie’s going to brag about how you and your friends use him for a cheap Taxi.
Cary is impressed by the mansion and they banter more and my shipper heart flitter flutters because damn it I love them even though they’re forever thirteen. They eat microwaved burritos while the rest of the Thomas/Brewer clan comes in and Kristy tells them to answer any and every question Cary has. Sam gets quippy and Cary decides to see him first, because Sam talks about disgusting personal habits. Cary tries to get Kristy to leave the room for the interviews, but she’s eating and refuses and promises to be quiet.
Except its K. Ron and she doesn’t know the meaning. She interrupts the interview a few times while Cary asks questions about teeny K. Ron and Cary legit kicks her out of her kitchen. I love him. She goes upstairs to study and an hour later, Cary knocks on the door and actually mentions some of the things he learned - like teh fact that she used to be convinced the moon would fall into her back yard.
Cary teases her about something called the Spaghetti Incident and Kristy loses her shit saying he can’t include it. He keeps teasing and she explodes that at least she’s never been kicked out of school. Cary is confused for a moment before realizing what she’s talking about. Needless to say, he’s PISSED. He says that now he knows the real Kristy Thomas ‘and she’s a real jerk’ and leaves, slamming the door behind him.
Oh Cary, so many people already knew she’s a jerk. You’re a bit late to that party.
Chapter Nine
Kristy spent the night tossing and turning thinking about Cary. She spends the first hour trying to convince herself that what she did wasn’t that bad and making excuses for herself, but even she knows that she’s a jerk for reading Cary’s notebook. Then she berates herself for the next half hour. She even admits to herself that Cary isn’t that bad of a guy and that it isn’t fun when he’s mad at her.
Kristy actually manages to keep her mouth shut about what she’s learned about Cary, not wanting to spread his secret around. Now if only she could’ve done that when Dawn was moving… except we all know she did that on purpose to get Mary Anne to love her best.
Cary avoids her all day so she’s grateful to be in English where he can’t avoid her. Except he does. He actually sits somewhere else to avoid her. Have I mentioned I love Cary? Anyway, they have a substitute who is dressed all in beige. Kristy laments that she looks boring. Ms. Dewey, the substitute (I see what you did there...), has them pull out a piece of paper to write an essay about their favorite historical figure.
The class gives her hell about the boring topic and Kristy notes that it isn’t fair but there’s nothing the class can do about it. Then she realizes that she’s the all-powerful president of the BSC and obviously the town centers around her and her organization - they’re like the middle school mafia or something. So she starts talking about why the class is letting this happen to Ted.
Claudia and Cary agree with her, that this is wrong and that they have to do something before other good teachers are fired over censorship. Kristy then realizes that not only does she have their support, Ms. Dewey is also supporting her. Meaning that she’s clearly not as beige as she looks. Even Merrie Dow (whose mother is behind this whole thing) agrees with Kristy.
There’s actually a pretty funny exchange between Cokie and the rest of the class:
“I don’t know,” Cokie said above the din. “I mean, what if my parents don’t want me to read some of those books?” She looked worried.
“Then you don’t have to read them,” chorused three or four kids together.
Cokie nodded. “I guess that’s true,” she admitted. Then she grinned. “But I might anyway.”
Seriously, that actually seemed like something I would’ve said in the eighth grade.
Anyway, Ms. Dewey takes control of the class again. Except not to make them write about their favorite historical figure, but to actually plan how they’re going to let their voices be heard. She informs them that there’s going to be an open hearing about Ted’s case and Cary says they need to be there with as much support as possible. The rest of the class is spent planning the strategy and Ms. Dewey takes notes. She does joke that she could get suspended for this, but she’s only a substitute so she doesn’t give a fuck.
And because this is BSC-Land, Kristy gets voted to speak for the class.
Chapter Ten
On the way to her bus, Cary falls into step beside Kristy giving her hope that he doesn’t hate her. She tries to talk about what happened in English class, but Cary is having none of it. He point blank tells her that what she did was despicable and that he has no desire to talk to her, but they have to do their biographies. He gives her a list of questions and tells her that she can do the same for him. Then he leaves.
Kristy realizes that playing archenemies with Cary was fun, but she kinda hates being his enemy for real. She scans the list of questions and finds absolutely none of Cary’s signature humor in them. Which means he’s really pissed off at her and I kind of love it. She spends the time after school lamenting about the Cary situation and trying to figure out how to make it right. Even Charlie notices something is up but she doesn’t tell him. She’s not desperate enough to ask for his advice after all.
At the BSC meeting, Mary Anne asks how the project is going and Kristy says that she and Cary hit a snag. Then Claudia starts talking about all the great things she’s learned about Jeremy which makes Stacey pretty pissed. Kristy quickly changes the topic to her Christmas party and somehow even that circles back to Jeremy.
Mary Anne asks if Kristy is inviting Logan and Kristy says that she wants to but she had to make sure Mary Anne was okay with it first. Claudia’s baffled that someone would put their best friend over a guy. Even though the idea that Logan might come with a date makes Mary Anne lose her appetite, she says that she’s a big girl and can deal with Logan being there.
Kristy realizes that she’s not the only one with problems and that its a difficult time for all of them.
Okay so that’s the end of part two - FINALLY. Part three will be out shortly! I mean it this time.