The kids in Kristy's new neighborhood aren't very friendly. In fact, they're... well, snobs.

The girl and I eyed each other but didn't say anything.

A few minutes later, three other girls joined the first one. They were all wearing the exact same outfit - a private-school uniform. They were slender, three of them had blonde hair, and they were wearing makeup and stockings. They looked sleek, sophisticated, and self-confident. They stood in a huddle, whispering and giggling. Every now and then one of them would glance over at me.

Where, oh, where was my bus?

I tried not to look at the girls. I pretended the cover of my notebook was absolutely fascinating.

But the girls would not allow me to ignore them. One of the blondes, who wore her hair in a cascade of thick curls, called to me, "You're Mr. Brewer's new kid, aren't you?"

"I'm one of them," I replied warily.

"Are you the one who's been sending those fliers around? For some baby-sitting club?"

"Yeah," I said.

"What does your little club do?" asked another blonde.

"What do you think?" I replied testily. "We baby-sit."

"How cute," said the blonde with the curls.

The others giggled.

"Nice outfit," called the one nonblonde, putting her hands on her hips.

I blushed. I wish I hadn't chosen the jeans with the hole in the knee that day.

But if there's one thing to be said about me, it's that I have a big mouth. I always have. I'm better about controlling it than I used to be, but I'm not afraid to use it. So I put my hands on my hips and said, "Your outfits are nice, too. You look like clones. Snob clones."

Luckily, just at that moment, my bus finally pulled up. I chose a seat on the side of the bus facing the girls. I lowered my window. "Good-bye, snobs," I shouted.

"'Bye, jerk-face," the curly-haired blonde replied.

I stuck my tongue out at her,and then the bus turned a corner,and they were gone from sight.

Kristy and the Snobs
Published by Scholastic Inc. 1996
ISBN: 0590436600