The Baby-Sitting Boss (Full House Michelle)
Chapter One"Look at that!" nine-year-old Michelle Tanner cried as she dashed toward a clothing store across the mall.Three matching blue T-shirts dangled from hangers in the display window. Each one had a drawing of three girls holding hands on the front."Cool!" said Cassie Wilkins, Michelle's best friend."Awesome!" said Mandy Metz, her other best friend.Michelle blew her strawberry-blond bangs out of her eyes. "Come on," she told her friends. "Let's try them on!"Michelle, Mandy, and Cassie ran inside the store. A teenage salesgirl was behind a cash register. She had long blond hair and wore a white shirt and jeans."Can we try on the T-shirts in the window?" Michelle asked excitedly.The salesgirl popped her gum. "Sure." She removed the shirts from the window and handed them to Michelle.Michelle and her friends raced to the dressing room."I love it!" Mandy squealed as she pulled a T-shirt over her head."Me, too!" Cassie cried.Michelle gazed into a big mirror. Then Mandy and Cassie stood next to her. The three friends smiled and held hands, just like the girls on the T-shirts."These are perfect!" Michelle declared. "We could all wear them on the same day. Theneverybodywould know we're best friends." She glanced at the price tag. "Uh-oh.""What?" Mandy and Cassie asked at the same time."These shirts cost twenty dollars each!" Michelle exclaimed. "How much money do you guys have?" Michelle knew thatshedidn't have enough money to buy a T-shirt.Mandy pulled out three dollar bills from her backpack. "Not enough," she said with a sigh.Cassie dug out her wallet and showed her friends. "Me either.""Maybe we could save up for them," Mandy suggested.Michelle shook her head. "If we don't get these now, somebody's sure to buy one. Then we won't match."Cassie ran her hand over the shirt. "But what can we do?"Michelle gazed at the T-shirt in the mirror once more. Suddenly she had an idea. "Sometimes Stephanie and D.J. buy things on layaway," she announced."What's that?" Mandy asked."If you don't have enough money to buy something, you can pay for only part of it," Michelle explained. "Then the store holds it for you untill you pay off the rest. That way nobody else can buy it.""That's a great idea!" Cassie said. "Let's do it!"The girls quickly changed back into their regular clothes. Then they raced to the cash register and laid the T-shirts on the counter. When they put all their money together, they had just enough to put them on layaway.The salesgirl popped her gum again. "I can hold them for two weeks.""Two weeks?" Michelle exclaimed. "That's not a long time!"The salesgirl shrugged. "That's the rule. If you don't come back and pay by then, we have to put the shirts back on the rack.""How are we each going to get twenty dollars in two weeks?" Cassie moaned. "It's impossible!"Mandy sighed. "I wish I could get a job or something.""Hey. That's a great idea, Mandy!" Michelle cried."Yeah," Cassie agreed. "I bet my dad would pay me to wash his car.""My mommightgive me money to do laundry," Mandy said.Michelle wrinkled her nose. "That's a lot of work. I want to do something that's easy."But what? she wondered."I know," Michelle announced. "I'm  going to baby-sit. I've been helping Aunt Becky look after Nicky and Alex ever since they were born. It'ssupereasy!"Michelle turned to the salesgirl. "We'll be back in two weeks," she told her.Then Michelle grabbed Cassie's and Mandy's hands. "Come on," she said, pulling them out of the store. "We've got to make some money -- fast!"Copyright © 1999 by Warner Books