The Baby-Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin

I was in the school library during study hall when I heard a noise. A librarian noticed there was a fight and went over to break it up. They both got thrown out. One of them was a bully. She probably told a girl something she didn't like. The rule is that no matter who starts it, both students can get in trouble.

My best friends, Kayla and her twin, Kaylee, were with me.

"Gosh," said Kayla

"She's always like that," said Kaylee. "That's Joyce. She's a tough one to be with and no one likes her. I can see why."

"Something must be bothering her," I said. "Maybe I'll talk to her after school."

"Good idea," said Kaylee. "I heard she has some issues."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" asked Kayla.

"It doesn't hurt to try," I replied. "People come to me when they have issues."

"That's true," said Kayla.

She has cancer, but it doesn't stop her from doing anything. She loves attending school.

I'm Mary Anne Spier. I'm 15 and attend Stoneybrook High School for tenth grade. I have diabetes, but it doesn't bother me.

After school, I asked the girls if can speak to Joyce alone.

"Certainly," replied Kaylee.

I somehow went to Joyce and said, "Was everything okay?"

"The girl was trying to beat me up," said Joyce.

"That's not good. My advice is that if it happens, walk away. That's what I do to avoid trouble," I said.

She was shocked about my advice and said, "Gee. I never thought of that. Thanks. I'm Joyce."

"I'm Mary Anne," I said. "Is something bugging you that cause you to have problems if you don't mind me asking?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," said Joyce.

"You can talk to me. All my friends come to me when they have issues. I'm a good listener," I said.

"Well, but can we keep it between us?" asked Joyce.

"Sure," I replied.

We sat on my steps as I listened carefully.

"My parents just filed for a divorce and I just moved here from Arizona with my mom," said Joyce.

"It's normal to be angry, but it's good to open up about your issues," I said. "I know it's hard. My stepsister's parents are divorced. My two friends have divorced parents, too."

"Thanks for listening," said Joyce. "That's true. I have been feeling down in the dumps since the divorce."

"I bet," I said. "Everything will be okay."

"I would like to be friends with you. I'm afraid what people would think," said Joyce.

"It's okay to be worried, we can wait and see how it goes before mentioning to anyone," I said. "Want to wait for a bit before telling our friends about your problem?"

"Yes, please," said Joyce.

I do know if you think I'd get Cokie Mason to be nice, think again. She's the toughest one to deal with. Marci, who was my enemy, and I became friends recently. I'm also friends with her sidekicks, Patti and Kathi, who are better than Cokie's sidekicks.

At home, I was doing homework when Dawn said, "I saw you talking to Joyce. She's too mean to everyone."

"She was fine with me. We had a long talk. The best thing to deal with some bullies is to be nice to them. That way they'll be nice to you as well," I said skipping that telling her bullies can talk about issues. "What happened was they had a fight in the school library and the librarian broke it up and they both got thrown out."

"What was her issue?" asked Dawn.

"I don't know," I replied. "I only told her if anyone else is giving her a hard time, the best thing to do is to walk away."

I did it that way so I can keep Joyce's trust.

"But I doubt your dad would approve the friendship though. I'm worried Joyce could be mean to you," said Dawn.

"I'm sure Dad won't mind. He hasn't met her yet," I said.

"Actually, he did when he met her mother. He was mad because Joyce was rude and had bad manners. He did not want her in his office and the mother didn't blame him for that," said Dawn. "That's why I don't think you girls should be friends. Would you want to be friends with rude people? Of course not."

"I never knew that," I said. "She wasn't like that at first."

"Don't say anything yet," I said.

"You could be in trouble if your dad find out," said Dawn.

"I'm not worried," I said. "Look at Marci. We became friends and made out just fine. As for Cokie? Forget it."

Even though I know it's hard to adjust a new area, I didn't want to say anything. I don't know if I should mention it to my friends, they're pretty good with keeping secrets, too. I should check with Joyce first before going ahead to do it. We will tell our friends together like we planned. I don't believe in breaking a promise unless a friend is in real danger.

That night, I was doing a book report, so Sharon volunteered to cook tonight to give me a break. Meredith and Carlos already got home a while ago. He had an afternoon volleyball game for away game while Meredith had a home game.

"Time for dinner, everyone," said Sharon.

I was getting ready to come down when my nose was starting to bleed and rushed over to the bathroom to take care of that. In the bathroom, I had tissues on my nose.

That was when Dad came by and saw me and said, "It's time for supper."

"My nose's bleeding at the moment," I said. "I'll meet you down there."

"Okay, take your time," said Dad.

The worst part is that when I sneeze, the blood comes out even more. Sure enough, that's what happened. It took fifteen minutes. I came down after that.

"It takes forever for the nose to stop bleeding," I said as I sat down. "When I get sneeze, it gets worse."

After dinner, I was helping out when I felt a blood on my finger.

"Is your nose bleeding again?" asked Carlos.

I knew that he was right.

"Not again," I mumbled.

"Meredith and I can finish from here," said Carlos.

I rushed upstairs to the bathroom to take care of that. I find my nose gets dry a lot, which is why I get nose bleeds. Luckily for me, it lasted for only nine minutes. I decided to relax in my room.

Dawn was baby-sitting, so I'm glad she didn't tell Dad what was going on. I was scared I could lose his trust. I'd talk to Sharon, but I didn't want her to tell him. I'm sure they would've been glad that I changed a bully into a friend. I rather wait for Joyce first.

The next day, I was walking to school with Kayla and Kaylee. I thought about telling them about Joyce without Dawn knowing it, but I'm going to wait until I check with Joyce first.

"I'm going to tell you something after school," I said.

"Okay," said Kayla.

At school, Joyce and I were sitting together.

"I would like to prove that I changed," said Joyce.

"Of course," I said. "Is it okay if I can the Willis girls? They were worried about you."

"Are they good at keeping secrets?" asked Joyce.

"Yes," I answered.

"It's fine with me then," said Joyce.

"I didn't want to do that behind your back without asking you," I said.

"It's okay to ask me," said Joyce.

"I'll be hanging out with them after school anyway. They watch their six younger siblings and got a break today. Sometimes, they need me for one of the kids," I said.

I had a plan how to tell them. After school, the girls and I went to my house.

"We can drop our things here and go hang out at the mall," I said.

"Okay, homework can wait," said Kayla.

Then, we went off to the mall. At the mall, I told the girls about Joyce.

"She didn't want to mention it to anyone else. She gave me an okay to tell you girls though," I said.

"I had a feeling something was bothering her," said Kaylee.

"At least she came to tell you," added Kayla.

"I do got a problem. Dawn told me something that I never knew about," I said.

"Like what?" asked Kaylee.

I told them what she told me. "I didn't notice that. She wasn't like with me."

"It's not her fault that she had an issue," said Kaylee. "She probably didn't realize her parents will always love her."

"I know," I said. "She decided to be friends with me."

"Wow. That's a good thing," said Kayla.

"She was worried about what kids would think about us," I said. "We choose not to tell anyone. We decided to see how it goes."

"It's always good that you can turn bullies into friends," said Kaylee.

"I wish Cokie can do the same thing," I said.

"Yeah, right. That won't happen," said Kaylee.

"I agree," I said. "I wouldn't trust her."

"Us, either. She's a big troublemaker," said Kayla.

"So, she wants us to keep all that conversation between us," I said.

"No problem," said Kaylee.

"Your secret is safe with us," added Kayla.

"I figured I'd tell you without Dawn knowing, which is why this is the best time to talk about it," I said.

"Good move," said Kaylee.

"I know she wants me to be careful. She thinks Joyce could change me for who I am, but I don't buy it," I said.

"I don't think so, either. If she did, you'd have second thoughts on the friendship," said Kaylee.

"I agree," I said.

The next day, at school, I was at lunch when Joyce came to sit with me and the others. Dawn saw that and couldn't believe it.

"Why are you all sitting with Joyce?" asked Dawn.

"Because we can," said Kristy.

"But she's a bully," said Dawn.

"No, she's not anymore," said Kaylee.

"It's you," I said.

"That's right," said Claudia. "We're all getting used to Joyce."

"And, your father won't let you let hang out with Joyce," said Dawn.

"Laine would be different since she's never going to change," I said. "Joyce is another story. She's a good person now."

"It's good when you talk to anyone especially when they tell you about their problems," said Kaylee.

"How could you do that?" asked Dawn.

"I don't see why that's an issue," I replied. "I wouldn't stop you from doing that unless they're troublemakers."

"Exactly," said Kristy.

Logan noticed how I changed Joyce. He just laughed and he knew that I would never bully anyone.

"Dawn's the one who is being mean to Joyce," said Logan.

"I know. My other friends didn't like that," I said. "They're starting to like her having around."

"She is a nice person now," said Logan.

After school, Joyce told me she wants to tell the other girls about her issues on her own and I told her that was fine by me.

"If you need me, let me know," I said.

"Okay," said Joyce.

"How about this? You'll talk to the other girls and I'll talk to Dawn & Logan," I said.

"Deal," said Joyce.

"You can tell them when you're ready," I said.

"Okay and you can wait to talk to Dawn and Logan until I'm ready," said Joyce.

"That's fine," I said.

After school, at home, I was in my room doing my homework. I looked at my watch and knew that Dad's coming to get me shortly because I have a doctor's appointment. It's just a follow-up about my diabetes. I went downstairs just as I saw Dad's car coming in as I went out and went in the car.

"Hi, hon," said Dad.

"Hi," I said.

At the doctor's office, Dr. Wellington asked me how was I doing on my blood sugar.

"It can be a pain going up and down, but I know what to do to keep it under control though," I said.

"That's good," said the doctor.

"I know," I agreed.

My blood pressure was normal. Good. He keeps an eye on that since diabetes can lead to that. Everything was good, too. I was glad about that. I was all set after that. We decided to spend the rest of the day together. I didn't say a word about Joyce since I wasn't sure how would Dad approve. I didn't want to do so without waiting for Joyce.

Dawn was already gone when we got home. She had to help Mallory watch her seven younger siblings.

The next day, at school, Joyce was talking to me about committing suicide. That doesn't sound too good. I knew she was depressed. Dawn doesn't help the cost.

"I just hate my life. I'm having a hard time talking to my mother about it," said Joyce.

"Is she an easy person to talk to?" I asked.

"A little," replied Joyce. "We're not exactly close. I always had a close one with my father."

I listened quietly while she spoke to me about what she planned to do.

"I'm going to shoot myself," said Joyce.

"You should get help," I suggested.

"I wish Dawn could understand like you do," said Joyce.

She made me promise not to say anything, but I realized that is not a safe promise to keep, so I went to my guidance teacher and told her Joyce was going to kill herself.

"You did the smart thing to bring to my attention," said Mrs. Amer.

"I know. Joyce's going through a tough time since her parents got divorced," I said.

Needless to say, she didn't get mad about it. She thanked me for getting help and felt much better. At lunch, Joyce spoke to Logan about her problems.

"It's good to open up to people that you trust," said Logan.

"I know," I said.

After school, Joyce and I went to my house. We were able to tell Dawn about what was going on. She blanked hard.

"I didn't know why she had that issue," said Dawn.

"She didn't want anyone to know about it right away," I said.

"I was just trying to adjust my new life here," said Joyce.

"Sorry I was being mean to you," said Dawn.

"That's okay," I said.

"I plan to tell her if I have any problems," said Joyce. "I'm glad to know that she's a great listener."

I was able to show her around including the barn house. She enjoyed it. She stayed around until 6:00 pm when her mom came for her.

"You can come back for dinner sometime this week," I said.

"Okay, I just couldn't tonight. Mom and I were going out," said Joyce.

At dinner, Sharon said, "Jeff's coming tomorrow and I want you one of you to watch him while I'm at work."

"That's out for us," said Dawn.

"We have to watch the Barretts," I said.

"Plus, the Pikes would like to see Jeff," said Dawn.

"Well, okay. I can do it that way," said Sharon.

The following day, Joyce said, "Mom and I are doing much better now."

"Good," I said.

"I just told her that I would like for us to be closer," said Joyce. "She said I can make up for dinner at your house."

"Okay. I can't today because Dawn and I are baby-sitting after school," I said.

"No problem. How about tomorrow?" asked Joyce.

"That would be a better idea," I said.

After school, Dawn and I walked to the Barretts. Surprisingly, we made out fine while baby-sitting.

That night, Joyce called me and said, "You can tell your dad and Sharon now."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes, you can tell them before I come over," said Joyce.

After we talked, I got a bit nervous to tell Dad. Dawn and I talked about how to do so. I came to him.

"Hey, peanut," said Dad.

"Can we talk about something?" I asked.

"Sure, what's up?" asked Dad.

"I made friends with Joyce," I said.

"I remember her and her mother. She was rude, so I had to ban her from the office," said Dad.

"Well, she changed since she and I met," I said. "She came to talk to me about her issue. She was having a hard time adjusting here. Her parents are divorced. I know it's hard. My friends got used to her now. She wanted to be my friend now since I helped her."

"Oh, really?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I replied. "I couldn't bring it this up because I made a promise not to do so until she was ready. She's going to be here for dinner tomorrow and said I can mention it before she comes over."

"Okay. I trust you," said Dad.

The next day, I went to Joyce. "Dad said you can come over."

"Okay, great," said Joyce. "Mom says I can go home with you after school."

Later, at home, we were doing homework. That night, Dad did notice a big change in Joyce to be a nice person. He noticed she has better manners for starters.

"Dinner was very good," said Joyce.

"It's our pleasure," said Sharon.

After dinner, Joyce thanked again when her mom came for her for 8:00 pm.

"I'm glad that she has changed," said Dad.

"What did you mean?" asked Sharon.

"I met her and her mom before and she was very rude. That's why I banned her from the office," said Dad.

"How did she change?" asked Sharon.

"Mary Anne became friendly with her, which is a good thing. I noticed she was right that she has changed," said Dad. "Joyce had trouble getting used to be a divorced kid."

"Oh, I get it now," said Sharon.

"I trust Mary Anne anyway," said Dad.

Joyce and I had a fun time for the next five days. I went to her house after school. I liked it. It's like a cottage. It was a two-bedroom house.

"But my room is big enough for a sleepover if you want to do so one weekend," said Joyce.

"Sure," I said.

"I plan to visit my father during school vacations," said Joyce.

"That's good," I said.

"I miss him," said Joyce.

"That's how Dawn feels. She came from California," I said. "Jeff's down. He had a hard time missing his home and father, too. You'll make out fine with your new friends."

"True," said Joyce.

The following week, I went to Joyce's after I had a baby-sitting job. We had a great time. We stayed up late watching a movie. Her mom was out and Joyce didn't want to be alone.

"We can do this more often," said Joyce.

"And, you can come to sleepover, too," I said.

"Okay," said Joyce.

Her mom came home by midnight. We were allowed to stay up until then, but we were tired and went to bed 30 minutes before she came home. I'm glad we had fun and I'm glad this friendship is worth it.

The end.