The Baby-Sitters Club #76: Stacey’s Lie

Stacey is sad because Robert is going to spend the summer on Fire Island. He was supposed to spend August there, but decided to leave early so he could work on the local ferry. He wants to spend one last weekend with her, but she has to go to New York and spend Father’s Day with her dad. Luckily her dad plans to take two weeks off and lets Stacey pick anywhere she wants to go, so she picks Fire Island.

Claudia gets to go too because her dad invited her, but Stacey doesn’t tell her about Robert. They also make plans for Shannon, Kristy and Mary Anne to come out for the 4^th of July weekend. Stacey notices pretty quickly that her dad is spending a lot of time at a friend’s house and that he’s rarely around. Within the first night in town, Claudia discovers that Robert is there. She’s a little unhappy, but willing to work with it.

Stacey starts spending every free minute with Robert. She wakes up early, just to see him before the first ferry and then sneaks back before breakfast. She also meets him every night as he gets off work. Claudia starts feeling like a third wheel and avoiding them all together. Stacey kind of tries to make her feel better, but doesn’t really care either.

Claudia spends a lot of time building sandcastles by herself and sketching costumes for the upcoming holiday parade. Stacey feels kind of guilty and suggests they have a night out together, a best friend date. Actually she feels bad because they go out alone together and run into Robert, which kind of ruins the best friend thing. Then Robert makes plans for them to go on a sunset sail.

Stacey tries to rush Claudia through the night. She makes her get dressed fast and walk to the restaurant fast, just so they can eat at 5 o’clock. Then she rushes her through dinner and when they walk outside, they run into Robert. He reveals their plans, Claudia gets pissed off and storms home. To make things worse, Stacey learns that her dad is dating this woman Samantha and that’s where he’s been the whole trip.

By the time the other girls get there, no one is happy. They march in the parade, but Claudia tells the other girls exactly what Stacey did. After an awkward weekend, they pack up and head home early, taking Claudia with them. Stacey tries to talk to Robert, but he tells her that he can’t trust her anymore and kind of breaks up with her.

The next day, she talks things out with her dad and he apologizes for not telling her the truth. Then Robert comes over and says he didn’t mean to break up with her. She also makes up with Claudia and discovers that a local gallery is showing some of her photographs. When she gets back in town, they have a long talk and really make up. Then she tells her mom about Samantha and her mom is actually fine with it.

*Stacey is such a bitch in this book. She lies to Claudia constantly and all she cares about is spending time with her boyfriend.

*Stacey asks her dad what he would do if she wanted to go somewhere else and he makes it out like he would have went wherever she did. BUT, he totally paid for Samantha’s house and reveals that the trip was actually supposed to be for the two of them, as was the house. Is that a mention of pre-marital sex??

*Another plot involves Mal and Jessi working as counselors at a day camp. Haley and Vanessa get in a huge fight because they have the same swimsuit and pull a bunch of pranks on each other. Eventually they make up.

*Ed is kind of a douche. He spends the whole trip with his girlfriend, ignoring his daughter and lying to her. Then he turns around and lectures her on the same thing.

*Ann’s notes at the end talk about how she spent five years going to this same area and wanted to pay homage to it, even though she hasn’t been there in years. Um yeah, this place is probably nothing at all like what it was when she first went there.