#10 Logan Likes Mary Anne

Ug…I knew I would have to snark a Mary Anne book, but I am not a fan.  She’s the most passive aggressive and self absorbed of all the girls.  Oh, but I can’t be too harsh on her because her mom died…On to the snark!

“It was the last day of summer vacation….Tomorrow my friends and I would become eighth-graders.”  The first of many times you’ll become an eighth grader, Mary Anne.  Don’t get too excited.

The girls have their last meeting of the summer, which is kind of bittersweet for them.  They dish about Cam Geary, the BSC land heartthrob and MA’s true love.  Mrs. Prezzioso calls and everyone groans about Jenny…honestly, they way they whine about this kid, you’d think she was a hair-pulling, biting, kicking, back-taking terror who spends her time terrorizing the cat and destroying the house.  Anyway, they wrap up the meeting, taking a little longer to say good-bye to summer…

MA arrives for the first day of school, gets her schedule, blah, blah, blah, you remember, all the first day stuff.  That’s been too long ago.  Anyway, at lunch all the girls sit together for the first time, since Claudia and Stacy are so much more sophisticated than the other girls and talk about…boys.  There’s a nasty description of the lunch, which Kristy and MA decide to buy because bagged lunches are not cool.  Needless to say, it doesn’t get eaten.  Mommy Moment: If you aren’t eating it, I ain’t paying for it.   Anyway, MA sees Cam Geary…oh, nope, just a guy who looks like him and knows Stacy.  Behold the green-eyed monster!

Friday brings the next BSC meeting where Kristy gets her next great idea to advertise in the schools where parents will see them at their next PTA meetings.  Dawn suggests fliers at the meeting and then the idea comes up to advertise in Kristy’s new neighborhood.  We can all see where this is headed, right?  The BSC ends up with too many clients for them to handle and they need more help.  Enter Logan Bruno, Cam Geary look alike and lover of children….that doesn’t sound right at all.  He also has a dreamy southern accent.  MA is hooked.  He volunteers to help them out and they invite him to come to a meeting.

MA totally stresses, brushes her hair a million times and panics slightly during the meeting.  Obviously a boy in a group of girls makes for some awkward moments, especially when the topic of bras and some toilet stories.  While Logan is out of the room, all the girls feel this is awkward and worry about asking him to join the club.  He returns and they line up a trial job for Logan with a new client, the Rodowskys.  MA is going to be going with him….bum, bum, bum!

Here we meet Jackie Rodowsky, probably one of the most picked on kids the BSC sits for.  His mother mentions they need to keep an eye on him.  Well, he cannon balls off of the couch, falls from the shower curtain rod, spills an entire cup of juice on the floor, gets his hand stuck in a jar, falls of his bike, rips his jeans, and manages to knock MA into Logan’s arms (like she really minded).  Their day ends with Logan telling MA she has a pretty smile and she melts into a MA puddle.

Claudia has a sitting job with the Perkins girls (pre Laura) and she has an adventure with their dog Chewy stealing a construction worker’s orange cones.  Yawn.

At the next meeting the girls again debate Logan joining the club.  Yes, he’s a good sitter, but he’s a boy and the meeting with him there was miserable.  Still, they need help so they decide to ask him to join.  MA calls him later at home to ask him and he says he’s decided not to join.  On the plus side, he asks her to the Remember September dance and she says yes.

Stacy has the next sitting job for Charlotte Johanssen and Charlotte finds out that MA’s birthday is coming up.  She suggests a surprise party and Stacy (quite wisely) says that’s not a good idea since MA’s so shy.  Then Char says what about a regular party with a surprise cake and Stacy is intrigued.  She starts planning the party and hints to MA that she should invite Logan.

MA’s dad is okay with her going to the dance with Logan and even gives her his charge card for a new outfit.  Mommy Moment: For being strict, I think Richard is pretty easy going.  I don’t know that I would be comfortable with my 13-year-old daughter dating.  Of course, I don’t have a daughter, but still.  Maybe it’s just because I’m a mom, and teen pregnancy ads are everywhere, but 13 seems too young.

MA gets a great outfit and the night of the dance, she actually gets into the gym and over to Logan without freaking out.  It actually seems sort of normal for them to meet at the school; I don’t know if a 13 year old boy would actually get a flower for a girl though.  They dance together and start getting a little groovy when MA’s shoe flies off.  That’s the end of dancing for her and she spends the rest of the dance on the bleachers.  Common Sense Moment: People talk a lot more about you pouting on the bleachers than they do about your shoe flying off.  Learn to laugh it off! (This is another reason why I never liked MA ever).

The next notebook entry is Kristy sitting for her sibs and stepsibs while Dawn is over for a sleepover.  They talk about boys and the fact that MA seems to be maturing and really into Logan while Andrew, Karen and DM fight.

MA and Logan have some awkward phone conversation, Stacy calls and chides her for not asking her father about coming to the party, MA interrupts her father in a meeting to ask him and then calls Logan back to ask him if he would come with her.  Then she calls Stacy to confirm and then Kristy calls MA to talk.  WHEW!  It’s all arranged.

The night of the party MA arrives on time, but everyone else is already there (so they could sneak in their presents).  MA is having a great time with Logan when suddenly the lights dim, a cake comes out, her friends start singing happy birthday and MA runs out of the house and home.,

She sits at home and pretty much pouts, because no one thought about how shy she is and how she would absolutely hate to be the center of attention.  Those heinous bitches, how dare they try to do something special for their friend’s birthday. “I take people seriously, but no one took me seriously.”  Puhleese.  Think about someone else besides yourself for a change.  I’m sorry, but this is why I HATE MA.  Anyway, she sits there thinking Logan or Stacy will call and apologize and invite her back to the party.  They don’t.  She spends the rest of her evening having a pity party and being mad at her friends.

The next morning MA goes downstairs and point blank asks her dad for a cat.  He points out the cons, MA counters it and he says okay.  All he asks is that she take care of it and that she adopt one from a shelter. Mommy Moment:  A pet is not something you can decide on in an instant.  C’mon Richard.

Later MA calls Logan and he says that everyone feels bad and they hope she doesn’t hate them.  She tells him she’s getting a cat and invites him along.  She picks out a gray tiger cat and names him Tigger.  Logan gives her a silver bracelet for her birthday and invites MA to the 50’s fling the next month.  Mommy Moment:  You did not just give my 13-year-old daughter a silver bracelet (even though I don’t have one).  Seriously?  What teen boy would even think of that? 

Then MA calls Stacy and they apologize to each other.  MA invites everyone over to her house the next day to see Tigger.  They bring over some cake and her birthday presents.  She opens her presents while Tigger plays with the wrapping paper.  Everyone has some cake, except Stacy and Dawn goes and brushes her teeth after eating all that refined sugar.  It’s good to know this character trait is cemented early.

At the next BSC meeting the jobs are rolling in and again the girls suggest Logan as a sitter.  Instead of having him be a member, they decided to offer to make him an associate member and call him when they get really busy and need help and he won’t have to come to meetings.  He accepts and MA glows.  She’s so happy!  Yay!  Gag.  I need to go brush my teeth now.