California Diaries #3: Maggie
There’s lots of topsy-turvy going on at Vista in Palo Alto. Dawn goes to a party where people are - gasp - drinking, Sunny almost runs away with a dude who loves On the Road, and now Maggie wants to start getting Bs instead of As so she can join a rock band as their backup singer. Maggie obsessively journals and writes melodramatic poetry in Stacey-like handwriting.
Maggie’s dad, the film producer, is a major stress case because his new movie Fatal Judgment isn’t testing well (side note: I hope it stars Shannon Tweed) and her mother is a major stress case because their housekeeper quit (oh, to have such problems). Meanwhile, Sunny is drifting away and Maggie has a big crush on Justin Randall, who ogled her at the aforementioned party. Maggie’s also becoming closer to Amalia.
Side note: I have to say, I know that California Diaries is supposed to be the ~grittier~ older sister of the BSC, so… why didn’t they make the characters older? It’s been a while since I’ve been 13 but I’m a little surprised at some of this stuff (and why 16-year-olds are hanging out with 13-year-olds…). *shrugging emoji*
Anyway, Amalia and some other friends are encouraging Maggie to take over backup singer duties in the band (which is called Vanish) and Maggie is reluctant at first but then realizes she really wants to do it. So she does, and she’s stoked. There’s a big Battle of the Bands coming up but unfortunately it’s — of course — on the same night as the premiere of Fatal Judgment, which Maggie’s dad expects her to attend. (Will Maggie choose performing with her band or meeting Shannon Tweed?!?!?) She tries to discuss it maturely with her father and come to a compromise (Maggie will sing at Battle of the Bands and miss the screening; Ducky will drive her to the after-party when BOB is done). Mr. Blume loses it and basically tells her music isn’t worthwhile unless it’s the Beatles or the Philharmonic.
Maggie proves herself to the band enough that they let her rewrite their lyrics and make her the lead singer. (Damn, these are the least egotistical rock musicians of all time, yeah?) So now she can’t quit. But she’s super stressed and she’s beating herself up about everything. She keeps thinking she’s flunked exams but she keeps getting scores of, like, 95 or 101 (also, SO many exams for eighth grade!), and she also thinks she fat so she needs to diet, and she doesn’t think she’s cool enough to be in the band, etc. etc. etc. It all gets to Maggie and she gives herself a drastic, short, asymmetrical haircut. She freaks out but Sunny is able to clean it up and make it look cool; however, Maggie’s hungover mom and work-stressed dad are not impressed.
Maggie manages to sneak away from the Fatal Judgment premiere; Ducky drives her, Dawn, and Sunny to the Battle of the Bands (which is called Backstreet… and it’s back, all right!). She joins the rest of Vanish (side note: two of the band members are named Bruce and Patti… I see you, Ann M. Martin and/or ghostwriter Peter Lerangis). Vanish comes in second place and Justin Randall seems amped on Maggie, but her high can’t last because she’s late getting back to the premiere and her family is pissed at her. Still, though, she’s a rocker… and she needs to ROCK. So WHATEVER, DAD:
Want more Maggie?
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