#99: Stacey's Broken Heart
Stacey McGill, the Carrie Bradshaw of Stoneybrook, is having some ups and downs. The up? She’s taking a week-long sitting job in New York City for the Walkers, whose children Grace and Henry Stacey really likes. She’ll stay with her dad, sit for the kids, and soak in NYC. The down? Her relationship with Robert. Not only is Stacey a little bit jealous of what she perceives as Robert’s flirtation with Andi Gentile, she’s also concerned because he lies to her about playing basketball with the boys — but then Emily Bernstein sees him at the mall with a mysterious brunette. Stacey comes up with a plan: spy on Robert and see what the hell’s up before she heads off to NYC.
“What good is a best friend if she won’t spy with you?” - Claudia, page 50
Stacey and Claud don’t discover much except Robert and Pete Black seeing a rom-com together at the mall. But Robert still seems like he’s avoiding Stacey and hiding something. Then again, he does show up with a bouquet of flowers to see her off at the train station. So what the hell’s going on?
As soon as Stacey arrives at Grand Central, she transforms back into City Stacey. I can picture her being a Real Housewife someday — “I may have started as a baby-sitter… but now I need a lady-sitter” — or at least being one of Sonja Morgan’s interns while in college. She has a great time sitting for the Walkers and even meets a cute fifteen-year-old guy named Ethan… but she can’t put her Robert problems behind her. And she gets a call from Claudia confirming that Robert and Andi have been spotted all over town, and that Claudia even saw them kiss. WHO. DOES. ROBERT. THINK. HE. IS. Stacey is devastated.
And then she’s not. She’s a little bit relieved. Maybe her dad was right and she and Robert are too young to be so committed. Plus, now she’s free to flirt up a storm with cute Ethan. When she gets back to Stoneybrook, she and Robert talk and they break up.
“That was me — sadder but wiser Stacey McGill.” - Stacey, page 150
Meanwhile, there is a power struggle brewing between Kristy and Abby. Abby takes over as president while Kristy’s in Hawaii, and makes some arguments for relaxed rules and less strict procedures. Hmm, sounds like this may come to a head in book #100…
