The rest of The Performance (June and Jennifer)

Here, (un?)fortunately, is the finale to this wonderful Super Special edition of Lisa and the Angels. It's no surprise I got bored with this and gave up after thrilling old June and Jennifer. At least they aren't as dull as Christine (I don't remember what happened to her in the original version of The Performance or if she even had any chapters).

Incidentally, June Wilcok was played in dolly-land by the same Barbie doll as Carrie's friend Sandra Marcus... but don't worry, June is much nicer than Sandra.

Chapter Six - June

Hi Lisa, sorry my handwriting is so messy. (It's not all that messy in my notebook. It looks like Mary Anne Spier's.) I'm writing this on the shuttle bus.

I'm on my way to Disneyland, of course. The rest of you guys are in the bus, too. The band members are already there, warming up.

What's going on? Well, I'm about ready to sing in my very first concert! I am so excited!

This also happens to be Jennifer and Christine's first concert as members of Lisa and the Angels. But I bet they're not as nervous as I am. They, at least, have performed as background vocalists. (Like all of the "Angels" aren't just glorified background vocalists.)

Oh, I'm frightened. What if I trip and fall? What if I mess up on my dance moves? What if ...

Oh, we're here!
Aaaah!!!

(June sure writes fast considering their motel is only supposed to be a block or two away from Disneyland. Why are they riding a bus, anyway? How lazy.)

Concert time!!!

It was about time to begin Performance #1 of our Disneyland concerts. Butterflies were flapping around in my stomach. Here was my chance to show off my performing skills!

Backstage, I asked my best friend Stacie, "How do I look?"

"Mah-ve-lous!" she cried. I was wearing simple white shorts, a tank top with Donald Duck on it (bought in New York), and white slippers. Practical, but cute! I thought.

I did fourteen push-ups, to get rid of the stress. (Dork.) Then I took twelve deep breaths.

"It's time," Cyndi whispered to me.

We ran onstage. The mega-sized audience clapped and cheered wildly.

Meanwhile, the band was playing the soft intro to our romantic ballad "My Best Friend." The song holds the record of being Lisa and the Angels' biggest hit, a fact obvious to the audience. Their applause was nearly deafening!

Lisa began to sing in her sweet, clear voice. "We've been together for a long time, baby..."

"Oooh, oooh," us Angels cooed along, swaying to the beat. I relaxed. This was easy and fun!

And the audience loved us! I recognized that whole school group, plus the two identical twin boys Carrie and Erin Heart met, and there were lots of other folks!

When the song was done, Lisa cried, "Hello, everybody!"

"Hi!" the audience replied.

"Louder! I can't hear you!"

(Oh, shut up.)

This time, the audience roared. "HI!!!!"

"Better! Thank you for coming to our concert! This next song is one of our number ones -- 'It Should've Been You'!"

This was a fast tune, and Lisa had choreographed a perky dance to it.

Afterwards, we sang four more songs. Finally, Lisa said, "Okay, folks! One more song left! But before we sing it, I want to introduce you to our newest member -- June Marie Wilcok!"

Me? I thought.

The audience applauded and cheered. I grinned and waved.

"June is a great singer," Lisa continued, "with a spectacular range. She dances nicely. She's the perfect addition to our group. So I'm dedicating this last song, 'In the Land of Dreams', to June!"

Oh, cool! I thought. We sang the song.

And when we were through, Lisa cried along with the music still playing, "Thanks! Thank you all for coming! We love you!" She blew a kiss and waved. (Vomit.)

I waved right along with her, a big grin on my face. My first concert was over, and it had been a success!

The ten of us had to sign quite a lot of Disneyland autograph books, sheets of paper, napkins, notepads, plastic bags, etc ... someone even made Lisa sign a piece of bread! (What, no Lisa and the Angels schwag?) Then Miss Jewell said we could walk around Disneyland for another hour.

Now that the concert was behind me, I was relaxed and happy. I asked Stacie if she wanted to walk around with me, go on a few rides, and help me begin my perfect collection of Disney souvenirs.

"One thing," I added hesitantly. "Did you bring the petition?"

Stacie glared at me. I didn't mean to make her mad, but it's a little embarrassing when your best friend walks around demanding of strangers, "Are you tired of seeing the trees of your neighborhood disappear before your very eyes?"

(Note, Stacie didn't have this personality trait in any other Lisa and the Angels book. Actually, she didn't have much of a personality at all after her first book, Me and Snobby Stacie. In that one, she was a huge freak who -- speaking of trees -- among other things, kidnapped Cyndi, tied her to a tree, and left her for dead in Woodland Park.)

"No, I didn't," Stacie finally answered. "But yes, I'll walk around with you."

We strolled around, window-shopping and enjoying all the pleasant sights. In Adventureland, I saw a store and declared, "I just have to go to this post!"

The "post" was filled with exotic souvenirs like long, feather earrings and coral bracelets. I looked around, and decided on the feather earrings -- my first souvenir!

Stacie didn't buy anything, but we agreed practically in unison to go on the Jungle Cruise next. Since it was so late, the line wasn't long at all. Five minutes after we stepped in line, we were climbing into the boat!

I found myself between Stacie and an elderly couple. "Hello," the woman greeted us, smiling. "How are you girls tonight?"

"Fine, thank you," Stacie answered shyly.

I was more enthusiastic. "Oh, we're great! The weather's beautiful, it's not too crowded anymore, Disneyland's a blast, and no one's mobbing us!"

The couple smiled curiously. "Why would anyone want to mob you?" the man asked. (Good question.)

We explained about Lisa and the Angels. The man and woman were both delighted.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the woman cried. "We don't know much about modern music, but our lovely granddaughter Anna does. Would you mind giving us an autograph? I'm sure she would appreciate it."

So Stacie and I each signed a piece of paper for Anna. By that time, the ride had started, so I settled back and watched the colorful, realistic-looking audio-animatronic animals and other jungle scenes. A "tour guide" explained everything as we floated along. It was a great ride. Every so often, the elderly man and woman would comment quietly to Stacie and me, or vice versa.

When the ride ended, the woman said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, although we missed one small detail!"

I was confused. "What?"

She grinned. "Your names!"

"Oh!" I laughed. "June Wilcok."

"I'm Stacie Barnes," Stacie said.

"Linda Davenport," the woman smiled.

"And I am her husband, Jim. What place are you two staying at?" Mr. Davenport added.

We told him. He looked disappointed. "Oh. We're staying at the Galaxy Inn. I don't believe they're close enough for us to meet again."

"Well," Stacie ventured. "We could always see each other in Disneyland again. How long will you be here?"

"Two more days," Mrs. Davenport answered.

"Oh." I was disappointed. Tuesday and Wednesday were among the amusement park's busiest days, especially in July. "Well, once again, it was nice meeting you."

"Yeah," Stacie agreed. "Maybe we will see each other again!"

The Davenports laughed. "Bye, girls."

"Bye." We went our separate ways.

(Whatever that was. I'm pretty sure they did come back somehow in the original version, but I don't remember why.)

"They were really nice," I said as Stacie and I walked to New Orleans Square. "Too bad they're not staying at our motel."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Well, we have twenty-five minutes left. Want to ride Pirates of the Caribbean?"

I enthusiastically agreed. Pirates of the Caribbean was another water ride, with audio-animatronics. It was different than the Jungle Cruise in the aspect that all of the characters were part of -- what else? -- a pirate theme, and the ride was indoors. But you know what? So far, I think it was my favorite ride at Disneyland! I laughed out loud through most of it, and I even enjoyed the two short trips down flumes. (Unlike the huge drop in Splash Mountain, which I had ridden earlier.)

After the ride, we made another trip to Adventureland, where we bought fresh pineapple spears at a snack bar. By then, it was time to start heading toward the exit, which we did. Along the way, Stacie bought a deck of Mickey Mouse playing cards, and I bought the second piece of my perfect Disney souvenir collection -- a booklet of twelve Disney scenes.

"You know what? I think it's been a perfect day," Stacie commented as we walked into the immense parking lot.

I thought about our peaceful motel, and the beauty and excitement of the Magic Kingdom, and the success of the concert, and the Davenports, and my souvenirs.

I couldn't agree more.

Chapter Seven - Jennifer

Well, day one at Disneyland was a big success for everyone involved in this particular group. So was day two, I suppose. Only instead of a "big" success, I'd call it a busy success...

Things started to get hectic early in the morning. Shari, my friend from the school group, decided it would be okay if she came and got me at eight in the morning. I wasn't as willing to go as she'd hoped, due to the fact that I'd gone to bed at two in the morning...

But I went anyway. That's when the excitement really started!

(Oh, Lisa, you can have this picture Shari took of me during our adventure. I'm not just giving it to you to take up space so I don't have to write in your journal. Really, I'm not!)

(Following this is a drawn picture of Jennifer that I wish I could scan. She has freakishly short arms, a long ponytail, and for some reason her mouth is open in an "O." She's also standing in front of of some palm trees and some buildings that say things like "hotel" and "eatery." Jennifer is shorter than the trees, but taller than all of the buildings.)

"Jennifer! Psst! Jennifer Owens!"

My eyes flew open. Was somebody calling me? Next to me, Christine was sound asleep, and in the bed across from me, Rick Ballis (the saxophonist) and Leonard Hope (the guitarist) were also dead to the world.

(More fourteen-year-old girls with adult male roommates ... so, so inappropriate! At least it wasn't Racquelle, with her crush on Rick Ballis ... that would have been a disaster in the making.)

"Jennifer!" This time, the voice was followed by an impatient tapping.

I sat up groggily. Who would want anything to do with me at this hour?

"JENNIFER!" the voice insisted in a loud whisper. "I'm outside! It's Shari!"

I rolled my eyes, climbed out of bed, tiptoed over to the door, and stepped outside. Shari Ashley stood grinning at me.

"Do you know what time it is?" I hissed.

She shrugged. "Sure. Eight o'clock."

"Eight?" I replied disbelievingly. I looked around. Sure enough, the sun was shining in its unique California brightness, and a flow of people crowded the sidewalks. Still, it felt like it was about six o'clock.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Shari ginned again. "Miss Lawrence and I are the only ones awake in our group. I asked her if I could go get you and if just the two of us could walk to Disneyland. She said yes, because you're fourteen. Like fourteen's all that much older than twelve. Oh, well, I'm glad she said yes. What do you say?"

I looked at Shari's eager face. Walking to and around the park without any adults did sound appealing. But I was awfully tired. My friends and I had chatted until almost two o'clock the previous evening.

I said the first thing that came to mind. "Is Disneyland even open yet?"

"Well, not quite yet," Shari replied. "But I thought we could get a quick breakfast -- I brought money -- and then get to the gates early so we'll have first dibs on all the rides!"

The more I thought about it, the better it sounded. So I said, "Well, okay. But I have to tell Miss Jewell."

Shari waved her hand. "There isn't time for that. We might wake someone up, and then they'll want to come with us. Just leave a note."

I shrugged. Then I stepped back inside, changed (I hope it was in a locked bathroom!), and scribbled a quick note. I was ready to go!

My exhaustion vanished as Shari and I headed away from Stovall's Inn, talking and giggling up a storm. I had to admit, it was fun being with a friend who lived three-thousand miles away!

"So where do you want to get breakfast?" Shari asked. "California Bistro? IHOP? Or should we go try one of those restaurants at the Disneyland Hotel?"

I hesitated. I hated to think of all the fat grams and calories loaded into all of those restaurant breakfasts.

It doesn't matter, I scolded myself. You'll be walking all day.

(The previous summer, I had been hospitalized due to anorexia nervosa. Now I was pretty much cured, but "fat" worries almost always crept into my mind.)

(I read even more books back then about anorexia than I did about child abuse.)

"Well?" Shari pressed. "Don't worry about money. Or are you still anorexic ... whoops." Shari slapped her hand across her mouth.

I grinned. "Let's go to California Bistro. And order something loaded with calories."

We headed for the restaurant, a place conveniently located right across the street from Disneyland. Just as I was about to pull open the door, I heard a scream escape from Shari.

Startled, I turned. A dirty-looking man was standing next to me.

"Sorry!" Shari grinned. "You scared me when you tapped me on the shoulder like that."

The man grinned back. "Excuse me, miss, but does either of you have a dollar to spare? My car was stolen last night ... I'm from Kansas ... now my wife and I have no place to stay ... I just need a dollar to buy a doughnut from that coffee shop over there."

I glanced at Shari, and then at the man. He looked nice and honest, but his story seemed far-fetched. Where was his wife? Why wasn't he asking someone at the coffee shop for money?

Before I could say or do anything, Shari pulled a crumpled dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to the man. "Here you go, sir."

"Thank you. Um ... could you make it two dollars? A doughnut and coffee would help us immensely, ma'am..."

Shari paused briefly, then shrugged and handed the man another dollar. "Thank you," he repeated. "God bless you." He walked off.

(The above was based on a "real life anecdote" from my family's first trip to Disneyland, except the guy told my dad he wanted the dollar for a hot dog from AM/PM.)

"Shari!" I cried. "Why did you do that?"

"I felt sorry for him," she answered simply.

I sighed. "Shari, that was probably a con artist."

"Well, it's too late to get the money back now, so let's just get some breakfast," she replied cheerfully. "Come on." She pulled me inside the restaurant.

When we were seated, she asked, "Now, what do you want to get? See, there's pancakes and eggs and bacon. You can even get Peek-a-Boo Piggy from the kids' menu."

I peered at my options. Shari had just given those two dollars to the man, and she was paying for both of our breakfasts. The prices were very reasonable, but I just couldn't take all of Shari's souvenir money.

"I'll have a grapefruit or something," I announced joyfully. "I don't want you to spend..."

"Oh, no, you don't," Shari interrupted sternly. "I'm not going to be responsible for you going back to the hospital."

What? I thought. Then I got the picture.

"Shari, I promise you that I'm not going to go to the hospital. I'll eat a nice big lunch ... that I'll pay for."

**********************************************************************

And that's it! Sorry for the abrupt ending. By the way, I'm pretty sure my family ate at a place called California Bistro but I have no idea what "peek-a-boo piggy" is supposed to be. I do remember that somehow, in the original version, Jennifer and Shari ended up getting "locked" in Disneyland.

I'm not sure what I'll post next. I might take a break from Lisa and the Angels; I only have two of their stories left that I know of for sure!

The Performance, Part 4 (Kathy)

I thought I'd do a quick update, then post the final two chapters of this (really just a chapter-and-a-half) later in the week. I wish I'd written more of it! Better yet, I wish I could find the original version of The Performance (written in 1990 or so) which DID have more to it. Sigh. Maybe someday.

Meanwhile, if you thought Racquelle was bad, wait until you read about her best friend Kathy, who's a little like Racquelle and Christie Wellman combined. (shudder)

However, I secretly kind of love Miss Jewell.

Chapter Five - Kathy

Oh, does Kathy Bell love California! It is terrif-a-jific! Absotively, posolutely wonder-nifi-cent! Fabu-tastic!

(Gigundoly super!)

I mostly can't wait until my 14th birthday party! I'm glad that school group is here, but it's going to be awfully hard to cram everyone around the pool. But I will anyway. I can't leave anyone out!

Oh, a pool party! I've never had anything like it!!!

Anyhow, we had to practice in the middle of the day today because our first concert is tonight! We'll be performing songs from our first album, including "My Best Friend", "It Should've Been You", "In the Land of Dreams", "Eerie Shadows", and my personal favorite, "Forever Mine"!

This is so exciting!!!

(For the record, the original version of The Performance included a chapter about Kathy's pool party, which ... didn't go very well. Poor Kathy.)

We were in Disneyland!!!

I couldn't believe it. After months of planning and waiting, we were finally here.

I looked around Main Street, a big grin on my face. I wanted to take it all in at once. It was so exciting, so...

"Kathy!" snapped my old friend Kristy O'Hara.

Oh, no, I thought. Oh, I was caught daydreaming! How mortifying, how...

I noticed Kristy, Becca, and Jennifer Worness staring at me impatiently, so I smiled and said sweetly, "Sorry."

"I'm glad we don't have a teacher with us," Kristy declared. (Kristy and Jennifer were a grade ahead of the oldest kids in the school group, so they were along as "junior helpers" or something (is that like junior CIT's?), which meant they didn't have to be assigned to a teacher-supervised group. Since Becca and I were their best New York friends, the four of us decided to walk around together.)

"What'll we do first?" Kristy continued. "I want to go on Star Tours!"

"Oh, but Kristy, won't you go on the carousel with me?" I asked. I had been dying to go on King Arthur's Carousel.

"Star Tours first," Kristy said firmly. "We're closer."

"Kristy," I whined.

"Wha-at?" she asked, sounding irritated.

"I WANNA GO ON THE CAROUSEL!" I screeched.

"Personally, I want to shop," spoke up Becca.

"Same here!" agreed Jennifer.

"NO, NO-NO, NO, NO, NO!" I yelled.

(No, Kathy was not supposed to be mentally challenged.)

"Will you shut up?" Kristy muttered. I glared at her.

Just then, Miss Jewell ran past us. "Lunchtime! Anywhere you want!" she yelled, and disappeared.

"Let's eat!" cried Becca.

We walked to the nearest restaurant, Plaza Inn, which was between Main Street and Tomorrowland. (Our map was helping us find everything easily.) Becca and I were using Disney dollars to pay for our food. Miss Jewell had paid for the Disney dollars. She's a wealthy woman, like myself. Still, I didn't want to spend too much of her money. I settled for a tuna salad and a Coke. They were scrumptious!

After lunch, I agreed to go on Star Tours, since it was so close by. I have to admit, it was a very neat ride!

We let Becca and Jennifer look around in the Star Trader, a shop right next to Star Tours. They didn't buy anything. So we rode the skyway (RIP) to Fantasyland ... to experience King Arthur's Carousel!

It was everything I thought it would be and more. I wanted to ride it again and again.

But we didn't have time for that. Becca wanted to ride Pinnochio's Daring Journey and Jennifer wanted to try Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

They were both neat rides. I was all set to request the spinning teacups when Jennifer whined, "Can I please buy something from Tinkerbell Toy Shoppe?"

"I want to buy a camera at Kodak Kiosk," added Becca.

(I had a little Disneyland guide handy when I was writing this, in case you couldn't tell.)

"Fine," grumbled Kristy, who also wanted to go on rides.

But I switched gears quickly. Maybe Becca and Jennifer were buying presents for me!

"Sure!" I cried happily. "Go ahead and shop!"

We went to Tinkerbell Toy Shoppe first, since it was closer. Right away, I noticed an adorable puppet.

"Look at this Pinnochio puppet," I said to Jennifer. "It's so exquisite, such carefully featured..."

"It's thirty-seven dollars," Jennifer said bluntly.

I sighed.

(You barely even know each other, Kathy. She's Becca's one friend, remember?)

A few minutes later, I saw something else -- a huge stuffed dalmation from 101 Dalmations. "Look at this huge stuffed dalmation from 101 Dalmations," I said to Kristy. "He's so cute! I'd like to find him in one of my birthday packages."

"Look how much it is, Kathy!" Kristy practically shouted.

Darn it! I thought.

Jennifer ended up buying a stuffed Cheshire cat. Then we went to Kodak Kiosk, where Becca bought her camera and Kristy bought some film.

By that time, Becca and I realized that we had only ten minutes to get back to the hotel for concert practice. We took the shuttle bus back to Stovall's Inn, but it was still another thirty minutes before we entered Miss Jewell's room. (Of course it makes so much sense for them to warm up there).

"It's about time!" Carrie cried when she saw us.

"I wouldn't talk, Carrie," Cyndi said jokingly. "You just came in about five minutes ago because you were so busy talking to that guy..."

"Fine, fine," Miss Jewell interrupted."Let's get down to business. What's the schedule for tonight?"

"Here," said Lisa, handing her a typed sheet. I peeked over Miss Jewell's shoulder. This was our official seven-day schedule:

(Snipped because I don't feel like typing the titles of all of Lisa and the Angels' songs. However, the schedule shows they have a "covers night" on Day Five, which includes such classics as "Forever Your Girl" by Paula Abdul, "Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson, "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago, "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles, "Soul Provider" by Michael Bolton, and -- oh, good lord -- "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega.)

Miss Jewell caught me looking over her shoulder. "KMB!" she cried. "Get crackin'!"

(KMB are my initials. Miss Jewell does that sometimes. I don't know why.)

"Lisa, put on the tape!" Miss Jewell ordered.

"But where's the band?" I whined. (I prefer live music to canned music.)

"Do you think we can fit a band in here, KMB? They're at Disneyland, warming up."

"Okay, MLJ," I snapped. (I was embarrassed by her rudeness to me. And "L" stands for Lynne, Miss Jewell's middle name.)

(Marianne Lynne Jewell? What kind of name is that?)

Carrie snickered after I said that. Miss Jewell glared at her and clapped her hands.

"We haven't got all day! The concert is tonight, remember! Spit-spot!"

"Okay, Mary Poppins. I thought the concert was next month," Becca whispered sarcastically to me. I giggled.

"Spit-spot! LRM! RAA!!!"

"WHAT?!!" Racquelle screeched, nearly deafening me.

"GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!!!" Miss Jewell roared in an even louder voice.

"Jeez, Racquelle and Miss Jewell, the whole hotel's going to hear you," Jennifer commented. "Then they'll come down and bombard us and ask us for our autographs."

I giggled again. This time, Miss Jewell's glare was focused on me!

"KMB! IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL CRACK DOWN!"

"Okay," I muttered.

We began the scales (snicker), and I stifled a sigh. Disneyland was looking better every minute!

**********************************************************************
Up next -- Lisa and the Angels perform! (For real this time.)

Also, in case you feel like commenting but don't have a Blogger/Gmail/AOL account, I changed the settings so that everyone can post, even if you're anonymous. Thanks again for the comments.:-)

The Performance, Part 3 (Racquelle and Carrie)

I'm not the only person in my family who once authored a series. My sister wrote some books, too, at the same time that I was writing about Lisa and the Angels. I don't remember if her series had a theme (I think it was just about some random group of girls from L.A.) but I know the stories were classic! Someone fell down a hole in one of them. I remember that.

Anyway, I'm sad to say that NONE of my sister's stories seem to have survived the test of time. However, a few of her characters live on through Lisa and the Angels! That's right; there are at least three books between us that we wrote, which included some "special appearances" from each other's characters.

In The Singers (the long-lost book where Lisa and the Angels first performed in L.A.) they met my sister's characters for the first time. Then, her characters made a reappearance in this story that you're reading right now; PLUS my sister started writing what was more-or-less her own version of The Performance. It had the same "plot", only narrated from her characters' point-of-view.

Sorry, I don't know if any of that made sense! But if you're wondering who all the newbies in these next couple of chapters are, just know they appear courtesy of "mntill."

(Also, I think these two chapters must hold some kind of record for including the most adjectives of the word "said.")

Chapter Three - Racquelle

Lisa says we have to write in her journal. Lisa's not my boss, so I'm only doing it because I think it's a good idea.

Today we finally got to our hotel. I was so glad to get out into the fresh, afternoon California air...

It was five-ten in New York when we stepped out into Anaheim, but only two-ten in California!

We're staying at a place called Stovall's Inn, which is a Best Western. It has lots of great free stuff...

I just love to travel!

(The only annoying thing is this school group that's staying in our motel. They keep shouting and stomping. I wish they would shut up. Maybe I will make them.)


"Attention, please. Our next station stop will be Anaheim. If you plan to detrain in Anaheim, please check the seats around you so you don't leave any personal belongings behind. Thank you for traveling on the Amtrak San Diegan."

Everybody in our group began to screech. We were on the seventh and final train, almost in ... Anaheim!

Quickly, I pulled out my little red pocket mirror and checked my appearance. My skin needed a tan like a man in the desert needs water, but the rest of my outer self looked pretty good for California. My short hair was smooth, straight, and -- lucky for me -- pale blonde. (As we all know, blonde hair is Prerequisite #1 for being a real California Girl...good thing Racquelle was based on a Barbie doll.) My blue eyes were twinkling, and my makeup was applied perfectly. I winked at my reflection.

"Put that mirror away, Racquelle," scolded Jennifer. "We've gotta gather up our luggage!"

"I'm so excited!" squealed Kathy, who was sitting beside me.

"Yes, me, too," I answered coolly. I folded my mirror and placed it back in my pocket.

Ten minutes later, we were stepping out into the hot, California sun. "Aahh," breathed Kathy. "The moment I've been waiting for."

I had to agree.

The train station wasn't nearly as crowded as the one we left behind in Albany. Across the street, some supposedly famous baseball stadium stood tall. My friends tried to persuade me to run to the window and admire it with them, but I declined. California girls didn't care about sports, at least not the kind of California girl I hoped to become.

Miss Jewell had to call five taxis to take us all to Stovall's Inn. I ended up in a taxi with Leonard Hope (our guitar player), Stacie, and June. (I wish we could have rented a limousine, since we're celebrities and all.)

"It's lovely out here," I said to the cab driver as we cruised along. It really was. There were more hotels and restaurants than I'd anticipated, but the weather was warm, the palm trees were swaying, and the people all looked happy.

(Do palm trees really "sway" in Anaheim?)

"Have you lived here a long time?" Leonard asked.

"Leonard Hope, you know very well that I live in New York..." I began.

"Not you, Racquelle," June hissed.

"Oh," I muttered.

The taxi driver answered Leonard's question as he pulled into the parking lot of Stovall's Inn. He stopped, and I stepped out of the cab. The taxi driver handed me my bags.

"Thank you," I told him warmly.

The rest of the taxis drove up, and everybody gathered their luggage. Then we crowded into the lobby while Miss Jewell registered us.

I discovered that I had been assigned to Room 303, with Cyndi, Christie, and Miss Jewell herself. The room was one half of a suite. (The other half held Carrie, Lisa, George Howard the drummist, and Bobby Lawrence the keyboardist.)

(Okay, WHAT? Did I just write that two grown men were sharing a room with two 14-year-old girls?!?! How utterly wrong can you get?! I was a little ... er, sheltered at 14.)

"Look at this room," I commented when we entered it. "It's nice!" The room was decorated mainly in pink and gray. It held a table, three chairs, a desk, a dresser, two huge beds, a night table, and a big sink. On top of the sink sat a small freezer. On top of the dresser sat a television set, and on top of the table perched a phone. Off to the side was a bathroom with a shower.

"Homey," I said aloud. "And comfort-"

"Look!" cried Christie, interrupting me. "Free stuff!"

(Like five-year-old Christie would know or care if something was free.)

I gasped. Even though I come from a wealthy family, I just adore anything free. And sure enough, next to the sink was a little basket full of soap, cups, two plastic coffee mugs, some shower caps, shampoo, some plastic bags, and some sugar, cream, and coffee beans. All complimentary! Next to the basket, there was even a small coffee machine.

"I call the coffee machine!" I cried.

"Uh ... I'm sorry to disappoint you, Racquelle, but I don't believe it is free," Miss Jewell said gently.

"What?" I gasped.

"Why don't you check the drawers for more free things?" she suggested hurriedly.

"Good idea!" I exclaimed.

I opened the night table drawer, and found a Bible that was not free. But in the desk drawer, there was a free bag full of free hotel stationery, two postcards, and two envelopes. And on the table I found a free TV guide, some coupons, and a guest directory. I even found a coupon for Venice Pizza on the floor.

The only other items I found that weren't free besides the Bible and coffee machine (and the furniture, of course) were three local phone books in the top dresser drawer. But that was okay. My roommates let me have two bars of soap, a shower cap, a bottle of shampoo, all the plastic bags (ooh, score, Racquelle!), two pieces of stationery, one of the postcards, one of the envelopes, and the guest directory!

I had not taken a shower since we left Albany (ew!), and I felt disgustingly grimy. But Cyndi hogged the shower first!

That made me mad. I decided not to fight, though. At least not until I had to.

I finally made it to the shower, and washed and washed. Afterwards, I realized I was exhausted. My poor, confused body had experienced all of the time zones in the continental states in just three days, and we kept on changing trains during sleeping hours. I put on one of my bright L.A.-type outfits and flopped onto the soft, comfortable bed I shared with Cyndi, where I immediately fell asleep.

***

I woke up to the sound of loud stomping above me. At first I thought it was my youngest (adopted!) siblings, Hobart and Lin. Then I remembered I was in California!

"What's going on?" I murmured.

"There's a school group here at the motel," Cyndi's voice answered. "They've been making noise all afternoon."

I sat up. "That's crazy! A school group? It's summertime!"

Cyndi, who was watching a movie on HBO, shrugged. "It's a school group. The desk manager told Miss Jewell."

Well, this did not make me very happy at all. I tried to ignore the constant stomping and shouting above me as I ate the delicious pizza Miss Jewell ordered from Venice Pizza with our coupon, and as we talked about our plans for the next day, and as we watched a movie, and even as I fell asleep. But it was nearly impossible.

The next morning, the noise had actually stopped. My friends, Miss Jewell, Christie, and I ate a quick breakfast at the nearby International House of Pancakes. (The band members and dancers were free to eat where and when they pleased.)

(Isn't that nice of Miss Jewell to let them.)

When we returned to the motel, the noise had started up again. I was really losing my temper.

And before I knew it, I instinctively dashed outside and up the flight of stairs that led to the room above ours. I turned the knob of the door. It opened!

I had already gone this far, so I stuck my head in the doorway and yelled, "Stop making noise!"

A familiar voice answered, "Leave us alone, Racquelle ... wait a minute." I couldn't believe my eyes when a puzzled-looking ... Erin Heart appeared. "Racquelle!" she cried. "It is you! What are you doing here?"

Erin Heart is one of the good friends we made in L.A. last summer. (Here come my sister's characters!) Her friend Amy Asberg won a radio contest to meet us, and we met Erin and ten other girls through Amy. Just like Amy became my best California friend, Erin became Carrie's. They have a lot in common.

I tossed my hair over my shoulder and answered Erin. "I'm staying here in California for two weeks. With the group. We're performing at Disneyland."

"Wow!" she cried. "This is unbelievable! I'm staying in this motel for two weeks, too."

(What a contrivance coincidence!)

"Well ... well, great!" I exclaimed. This was pretty exciting news. "Want to see Carrie and everyone else?" I asked.

"Of course!" Erin cried. She got permission from her mother to come to our rooms. As we headed down there, I explained more about Lisa and the Angels' plans, and she told me about the trip that a small group at her school had earned for writing prize-winning essays or something. The school group was only staying for a week officially, but Erin, her mother and sisters, six of the friends we had made last summer, and three other girls would continue to stay in the motel to see other California attractions ... just like us!

I knocked regally on our door. Miss Jewell answered, a panicked expression on our face. "Racquelle," she scolded. "Don't you ever run off like th... oh, my! Erin Heart!"

"Miss Jewell," Erin replied, grinning.

"Come in, come in." Miss Jewell ushered us inside.

"Erin!" Cyndi cried from the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Erin explained about the school group. "Wow!" Cyndi exclaimed. "That's amazing! Lynn wrote and said a group from her school was going on a trip, but I never thought it would be to Disneyland ... much less, to our own motel!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Erin agreed. "We couldn't afford to go to another state, or even to the Disneyland Hotel. But next week, Mom says we're gonna experience California from the eyes of a tourist. We're not even going home to see the other sights. It sounds really fun, all of the trip."

(Whatever, Erin. Mntill and I needed to think of a better way to incorporate her characters. This is so contrived it hurts.)

What was more exciting, we discovered, was that Erin's five-year-old sister Kristine was with her. Kristine had exchanged a few "letters" with Christie Wellman, and now they could meet!

(Oh, goody, another brat.)

"Do you want me to go get her, Amy, and the rest of them?" Erin asked.

"Yes!" Cyndi and I agreed enthusiastically.

"But, Erin," I added.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"One more thing. Can you tell your school group to keep it down just a little?"

__

(There's Racquelle's chapter. It's late and I'm still wide awake, so I might as well post the next one, too.)
__

Chapter Four - Carrie

Hi, Lisa!

I can't believe it, not only Erin is here, but Amy, Debbie, Jennifer, Kristy, Liza, and Shari, too! It's too bad Katy, Lynn, Tara, Cheryl, and Marie couldn't come. Then it would have been just like last summer!

Still, there's some great other people, including Shari's sister Michelle. She's terrific! I'm just surprised any of them are here!

Meeting up with our old friends delayed us a little, what with Racquelle, Kathy, Lisa, Jennifer, and I joining our best friends from last summer, and Cyndi meeting Michelle. Becca even reunited with Jennifer Worness, who was actually her childhood best friend!

But soon we were off to...

The greatest amusement park ever ...

The happiest place on earth ...

DISNEYLAND!!!


When Cyndi told me about all our old friends, I was just shocked. But I recovered quickly.

With the exception of June and Stacie, the members of Lisa and the Angels raced upstairs for some reunions. (June hadn't even known us last summer, and Stacie's best L.A. friend, Marie Yamstazankie, wasn't with the school group.)

Racquelle met up with Amy Asberg. Kathy and Lisa found their friends, Kristy O'Hara and Liza Martineez, in a room together. Christine decided to visit Debbie Rogers. (Christine's friend Katy Olsen wasn't with the school group, either, but Christine and Debbie had met in L.A. and liked each other.) Cyndi's friend Lynn Garcia was also missing from the group, but Cyndi decided to meet Shari Ashley's sister Michelle, who we hadn't met last year. (So she just bursts in Michelle's room all, "Hi, I'm Cyndi, let's hang out!"?) Jennifer found Shari, who had been her good friend. And Becca happily discovered her very old friend, Jennifer Worness. Even Christie met up with Erin's sister Kristine!

(Wow, a Christine Hart and a Kristine Heart, plus a Kristy and another Jennifer. Mntill and I weren't the most original when it came to names. Why do these girls only have one friend each?)

Erin, Christie, Kristine, and I crowded into the hotel room that Erin and Kristine shared with their mom and their three-year-old sister, Emily. We started a wonderful conversation about Disneyland.

"Are you gonna go on Space Mountain?" Erin asked me.

I nodded emphatically, being Lisa and the Angels' resident roller-coaster freak. Erin grinned. "Me, too!"

"But that's not the best part," I said slyly. Erin's grin widened. She knew what I was thinking.

"Disneyland probably holds thousands of boys," she began.

"Girls!" Mrs. Heart called from the adjoining bathroom.

"What, Mommy?" asked Kristine.

"We're leaving now. Would you like Carrie and Christie to walk around with us?"

"Yeah!" Erin cried. She looked at me. "I mean, if that's okay..."

"I'd love it," I replied. (At least for today, I thought. I didn't really want to spend all my trip with three little kids.)

Mrs. Heart smiled warmly. "I'll go ask Marianne Jewell if you two can come with us."

About five minutes later, she returned. "I hope you have your foot spray on, girls, and walking shoes," she announced. "We're taking off."

The five of us cheered, quickly sprayed on some foot spray, and let the younger girls use the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, we were staring into the gates of Disneyland!

***

"Look! It's Mickey Mouse!"

"A movie 'feater!"

"Donald Duck, Mommy, Donald Duck!"

We were strolling down Main Street, the first area of Disneyland. The little kids were going crazy, and I couldn't blame them. It was truly an enchanting place!

"Can we buy a magic trick, Mommy?" Kristine asked.

"We want to go on Space Mountain!" Erin whined.

"Okay," said Mrs. Heart. "Space Mountain it is! We'll go shopping later, Kris."

I looked down at our map. "Space Mountain is in .. Tomorrowland!" I announced.

Tomorrowland was nearby, and easy to find. Space Mountain was located right next to Star Tours. Since it was still fairly early, the line wasn't too long. We rode up an escalator-like thing to the top of the "mountain", which was really a little building. Then we entered the building, and walked down a ramp. It took about twenty more minutes, but finally we were boarding our cars.

"Aughh!" Emily suddenly screamed. "No ride, Mommy! No ride!"

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Heart looked embarrassed. "Well, I don't think Emily fits the height requirement, anyway. I'd better take Christie and Kristine, too."

(Like they would have let them on in the first place. By the way, I'm sure Mrs. Wellman would just love to know that Christie is walking around Disneyland with some strange woman... unless Carrie counts as her "sitter.")

She and the little kids left just in the nick of time. The ride began the second they disappeared! It was, surprisingly, pretty slow at first.

"Whoa," I said to Erin. "This isn't like I thought it would be! It ..."

All of a sudden, we sped up to lightning pace! It was so cool ... it really felt like we were zooming through outer space.

Erin's mom and the girls were waiting outside the building. "Like it?" Mrs. Heart asked.

We answered with enthusiastic reviews. She smiled. "Good. Well, it's already time for lunch. Where do you want to go?"

We ended up getting sandwiches at a place called The Carnation Ice Cream Shop. They were delicious!

I was walking along, thinking about how pleasant this trip was, when I noticed something that made my heart flutter. "Look, Erin!" I hissed, pointing to the Star Tours line.

She stared, open-mouthed. "Whoa, baby!" she finally managed.

(Gag. Is she Kimmy Gibler?)

"Babe" was a good word to describe both of the ... identical twin boys we were gawking at. Blonde, with piercing green eyes, they looked about my age, and just a little older than Erin!

Erin turned to her mother. "Uh ... Mom? Would you mind if we went off on our own for awhile?"

Mrs. Heart smiled knowingly. "Tired of the kids, huh? That's fine, girls. Just meet me back in one hour, at Sleeping Beauty Castle."

"Ok!" we agreed. We hurried to the end of the Star Tours line, before anyone could block us from the babes.

"Oh, Carrie!" Erin squealed. "I just love this ride! Don't you?"

I gave her a strange look. "I've never even been on ..." She nudged me. I got the point. "Oh, yes. This is my very favorite!"

"Just think," said Erin. "If Lisa and the Angels hadn't planned their trip at the same time as Lawson School's, then I never would've met up with you, Carrie Packer, again!" (Spare me...)

I knew Erin was using my fame, but in this case, I didn't mind. Anyway, it worked! The boys turned around.

"Hi," one of them said. "I'm Bruce Reese. This is my brother, Brian." Brian grinned. Bruce continued. "Are you, by any chance, Carrie of Lisa and the Angels?"

"Sure am," I replied. "This is my friend, Erin Heart."

Bruce smiled at Erin. Brian smiled at me. I smiled back. I was melting.

"Wanna go on Star Tours with us?" Brian asked.

"You'll let us?" Erin teased.

"Of course!"

Suddenly, a snotty voice said, "Move forward, you boy-crazy girls and girl-crazy boys!"

I turned, and was surprised to see that it was Racquelle. She was standing with Amy Asberg, two other girls, two boys, and a woman -- the members of the school group Amy had been assigned to walk around with.

"MOVE!" Racquelle screeched.

I rolled my eyes, and obeyed. "Is that Racquelle?" Brian whispered in my ear.

I grinned, and whispered back, "How did you know?"

***

Star Tours was a pretty cool ride. Afterwards, the four of us exited the building, talking and laughing.

Brian and Bruce asked if they could treat us to a snack. We had just eaten, but we agreed, anyway.

As I sat across the table, gazing into Brian's eyes, I felt something happening inside me. (We don't want to know, Carrie.) He was a little quiet, but he was the nicest guy I had met in ages.

When we finished the food, Bruce said, "Carrie and Brian, do you mind if Erin and I go off on our own?"

"We have to meet my mom in ten minutes," Erin added. "But I know she won't care."

Brian looked at me. "I certainly don't mind, Carrie. Do you?"

That was a silly question. Of course I didn't mind! I was in love again!
(I'm surprised I didn't spell it "l-u-v.")

**************************************************************

Only a few chapters left of this one before it comes to an abrupt end. Up next -- Miss Jewell gets all dictatorish, and Lisa and the Angels perform!