#76: Stacey’s Lie
I’m so excited for this one. Just look at this cover! Sophistication, romance, deceit, crop tops… I’m here for ALL. OF. IT. Plus, as a youngster who always wanted to be older and more ~sophisticated~, this book (and cover) really struck my fancy.
“Although I wanted to be independent, I also liked being cared for. It made me feel warm inside.” - #relatable Stacey, pages 14-15
Anyway, Stacey is torn up because Robert is spending all summer on Fire Island (working and vacationing with his family) and she won’t get to spend any time with him. But then Stacey’s dad announces that he wants to take her on a two-week vacation anywhere she wants. Her dad suggests Disney World or even Europe, but Stacey has a brainstorm and tells him she wants to go to Davis Park… which happens to be where Robert’s staying on Fire Island. (Really, Stacey? I know Robert’s cute but you could have gone to EUROPE!) Mr. McGill lets Stacey invite Claudia along, too, so she does, but she doesn’t tell Claud that Robert will also be on Fire Island. (I don’t know why… I feel like Claudia would help Stacey see Robert while also being glad to be on a pretty beach with time to draw and paint and eat junk food???) Anyway, this is all I can think of when I hear Fire Island:
It’s not long before Stacey and Claudia run into Robert while exploring the island, and Stacey has come clean. Claudia is annoyed but forgiving. (Claudia is best friend goals.) She ends up being super chill about everything, even though at times she’s a little bored. She provides cover for Stacey to spend time with Robert. It helps that Mr. McGill is spending a lot of time at his friend Mr. Majors’s house (which kind of sounds sketchy, but whatev.) Stacey and Robert share moonlit walks on the beach and “wonderful” kisses. IT’S WHAT STACEY DESERVES! But maybe she should be a little more considerate of Claudia…
“It feels as if you’re just killing time with me until you can see Robert again. And that’s not a great feeling.” - Claudia, page 75
Like, she really should. She promises Claudia they’ll spend the evening together and go get a nice dinner, but when Robert tempts her with a sunset cruise, she rushes Claudia through everything and then finally is exposed. Claudia is hurt and furious and stops speaking to Stacey. Stacey goes on a beach walk with Robert to clear her head, and finds her dad on a beach walk, too - holding hands with and kissing a woman Stacey has never seen before. Turns out, Mr. McGill secretly brought his girlfriend on the trip just like Stacey used the trip to secretly spend time with Robert. These coupla’ pieces of work! Stacey is now furious at her dad, and stops speaking to him. So now the only people in the vacation house on speaking terms are Claudia and Mr. McGill, who I’m sure have SO much in common.
Kristy, Mary Anne, and Shannon arrive to spend the weekend of the Fourth with Claudia and Stacey, but it’s obviously awkward AF because of all the tension. Plus, the weather turns to shit, and everything is depressing and boring. Womp womp. In the end, Kristy, Mary Anne, and Shannon decide to leave a day early, and Claudia leaves with them - several days early. Even Robert seems to be off to Stacey.
And off he is. When she confronts him, he says that maybe they are spending too much time together and that they should see other people. He says the way she treated everyone made him uncomfortable. Knowing how much she lied to everyone else made it hard for him to trust that she wouldn’t lie to him. He later realizes he made a mistake (you don’t just let Queen Stacey go) and they reconcile, after Stacey apologizes. Robert admits he was too hard on her, because it was the first time he’d seen a side of her that wasn’t perfect. Stacey and her dad also have a heart-to-heart about how they both avoid confrontation and unpleasantness so much that it leads to lying and then that leads to major problems. Finally, Stacey calls Claudia to apologize. When she gets back to Stoneybrook she goes to Claud’s and they make up. (THANK GOD; I NEED THEM TO BE BEST FRIENDS.)
This book had a lot of ~drama~ and I truly hope this storyline becomes part of the Netflix series… partly because I want to see Claudia’s sandcastle creations come to life!
