Chapter 1.

"Oh, Lament, you shouldn't have!" squealed Becca. "These flowers are so gorgeous. But I don't know where I can possibly fit them! My entire house is alreadyfull of the beautiful flowers you've brought me."

"Well, actually," said Charlotte, putting on a deep voice, "these aren't for you. They're for Charlotte, and they're from Derek!"

Charlotte and Becca broke into hysterical giggles. Charlotte stuck the bouquet of flowers (actually a crumpled sheet of newspaper) behind a chair and turned to me. "Isn't it awesome? Derek Masters is coming back to town!"

"It's great," I agreed, hiding a smile. And to tell the truth, itwas kind of exciting. Not every little town has a real live TV star. I could understand why the girls were so wild about the news.

"The girls" were Charlotte Johanssen and Becca Ramsey. I was baby-sitting for Charlotte,

and Becca, who is Charlotte's best friend, was visiting. Who am I? I'm Claudia Kishi. I'm thirteen years old and I'm in eighth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School. Stoneybrook, Connecticut, that is. That's the name of the town I live in. And the town Derek Masters would soon be returning to!

Derek Masters, in case you're wondering, is an actual, genuine TV star. He's on this really popular show called P.S. 262, about a class in an inner-city elementary school. The character he plays is called Waldo, and he (the character, not Derek) is kind of a geek. But he's afunny geek, and the other kids in the class like him. He's not the most popular kid, though. That would be Lament, who's smart, and funny, and really cute. Lament is the one Becca has a giant crush on.

Anyway, Derek Masters lived in Stoneybrook long ago before he evendreamed of becoming a star. He used to do a little modeling and stuff like that, and then he was discovered and hit the big time. So now he lives out in L. A. most of the .time, since that's where his work is. But whenever he has a chunk of time off, he and his family come back to Stoneybrook, where they still have a house.