"Carrie! Carrie!" Ashley shouted, as she came rushing through the front door and into the kitchen. "Whoa this must be important if you out-ran Mary-Kate," Carrie said from the table. "Carrie! This is no time for jokes. This is my biggest announcement this week!" Ashley explained. "Well then you better tell me what it is or I'll have to start guessing," Carrie replied. Mary Kate then strolled into the kitchen; "thanks for slamming the door in my face Ashley," she sarcastically stated, then grabbed a soda from the fridge. "Come on Ashley, What is it?" Carrie asked in anticipation. "The Spice Girls just announced their coming to Chicago for a concert, and Mary Kate and I are going to buy tickets!" She explained. "I have to go call Jennifer!" She said, then hurried up the stairs. "Well, aren't you excited Mary-Kate?" Carrie asked, wondering why she hadn't run through the door like Ashley had. "Well, of course I want to go," she said sitting down next to Carrie; "but I'd rather go to a basketball game than a concert."
Mary Kate then headed upstairs where her sister was chatting on the phone. "See ya Jennifer," she said, hanging up. "Isn't this so exciting!" Ashley asked. "Ashley, I think you forgot something," Mary Kate said as she joined her sister in sitting on her own bed. "Forgot what?" She asked. "About asking Dad," Mary Kate answered. Ashley's excitement dwindled. "Oh. Right," she said. Ashley and Mary Kate's father would never let them buy expensive concert tickets without some kind of repayment. "Mary Kate, maybe if we tell dad we'll pay for the tickets ourselves, he'll let us go," Ashley proposed. "Well, it's worth a shot. Have fun!" Mary Kate said. Ashley shot her an 'I don't think so' glance. "Come on Mary Kate. You know you want to go. I'll teach you all about the Spice Girls after we have tickets." Mary Kate thought about it. "Can't I just watch the Lakers game instead?" Mary Kate joked. "I'm not doing this alone," Ashley replied, grabbing Mary Kate's arm and heading downstairs.
"Hey Dad," Ashley said casually coming down the stairs with her sister. "Hi Ashley. Hi Mary Kate," he answered staring into his computer screen. Kevin, their dad was a teacher for night class students, which included Carrie, and he always had a lot of work to do when he came home. "Dad, Mary Kate and I were wondering if we could go to the Spice Girls concert," she said as if it was no big deal. "A concert?" He said turning away from the screen. "Yeah, and it's right here in Chicago this Friday!" She said excitedly. "I'm sorry girls, but I just can't afford to buy concert tickets," he said returning to work. But Mary Kate had planned on this, and was prepared. She knew it meant a lot to Ashley, and was excited herself to be going to a concert. You know dad, Ashley and I have been saving up a lot of money lately," she began. Kevin turned around again. "And if we just get a few more dollars, we're sure we could afford two tickets." Ashley nodded her head in agreement. "Only two tickets?" He asked. "Yeah dad, and you won't even have to come," Ashley said, then realized there was a problem. "I'm sorry girls, but you're too young to be going to a concert alone. I promise you that when you're old enough, you can go. I'll even buy the tickets for you," he said. Mary Kate was about to say more when her dad gave her a 'don't argue with me' look. She hated that look; they both did.
"Way to go Ashley!" Mary Kate sarcastically said entering their room. "Me? We were both going to this concert. Besides its not either one of our faults. It's dad's," she said. "Yeah, but if it weren't for you, I wouldn't know each one of the Spice a Girls' favorite restaurant!" Mary Kate said referencing one of the details Ashley had told her about the spice girls. Ashley knew everything about them, and was more than happy to tell her sister all about them too; the only problem was now, Mary Kate liked them too. "Oh come on Mary Kate, it's not that bad. Now we have more to talk about together," Ashley said sitting next to her on her bed. "Well maybe, but now there's no concert, so I'm just bummed, okay?" Mary Kate said getting up. Then Ashley had an idea. "Mary Kate, what if we buy the tickets ourselves, and that will show dad how mature we are," Ashley continued to think aloud. "Buy the tickets after he said no?" Ashley, don't you enjoy life?" Mary Kate said. "Because we'll be grounded for the rest of it if we do something like that," she said. "Yes, but I'd enjoy it much more if we were going to The Spice Girls concert," she explained. "Besides, dad said we were too young to go alone. He didn't say we couldn't go," Ashley said. "Yeah, but who would take us," asked Mary Kate. "Carrie! And all we have to do is buy three tickets!" Ashley exclaimed, and headed over to the computer in her room. She pulled up the spice girls website. "Tickets go on sale tomorrow for thirty eight dollars a piece," she read. "That's 114 dollars. Ashley, do you think we can do it?" Mary Kate asked. "Yeah, but we're going to have to do a lot more chores before Thursday."
The next day when Ashley and Mary Kate returned from school, they got right to work washing dishes, mopping the floor, cleaning the attic, and a ton of other stuff in between. "Ashley, how much longer until dinner's ready?" Mary Kate asked from the windows- she was washing them. "Right now; dad's home," she said frantically finishing setting the table, while Mary Kate finished the Windows. "Hello girls," Kevin said surprised to see dinner made. "Hi dad," Ashley replied. "You guys must've worked really hard. The floors are swept, the Windows are washed, he said walking world the room. "And you even made dinner. Well you girls did an awful lot around here," he said. "Dad, since we did all this work, do you think maybe we could have a raise in our allowance this week?" Mary Kate asked. Ashley elbowed her, signaling she might've asked less abruptly. "You know what girls, I think you deserve something else," he said reaching into his brief case. "Ashley, you think he bought us tickets?" She whispered to her sister hopefully. Their emotions changed when he didn't pull out two slips of paper. Instead he was holding a disk. "It's a copy of the new spice girls CD," he said. "Isn't that great?" He said excitedly. "Yeah, wonderful," Ashley said accepting the CD. Kevin smiled and strutted out of the kitchen.
"Great," Ashley began upstairs with Mary Kate. "Now we have no afternoon and no money!" Mary Kate looked at the CD Ashley tossed onto her bed, then at the computer. "You know Ashley, we might not have any more money than we started with," Mary Kate began. "And one less afternoon," Ashley reminded her still aggravated. "Go on." "But we have a new CD. We could sell it, make more money, and buy ourselves the tickets! Then dad will see we don't even need to depend on allowance to make our own money. There's no way we'll miss out on the concert!" Mary Kate explained. "Hey actually, that's not a bad idea," Ashley replied, her mood lightening. "Well come on, we only have until Thursday," Mary Kate said, and they headed downstairs.
"Bye Dad, we'll see you later," Ashley said as she and Mary Kate headed for the door. "Where are you two going? You never told me you were going anywhere," Kevin questioned. Ashley nor Mary Kate had thought about where they were 'going'. "Uh.. To Jennifer's! We're going to watch her mom was her eyebrows," she said, Mary Kate then giving her a look saying she would never do that. "Oh, okay then," Kevin said, and watched them leave.
"Hey Mary Kate, Ashley. Come on in," Jennifer said as Ashley and Mary Kate arrived at their friends house. "So why did you need to talk to me?" She asked, having remembered what Ashley told her on the phone. "Oh, we have something we're willing to sell you," Mary Kate said, revealing the spice girls newest CD. "Oh my gosh! The spice girls CD! That's sold out everywhere!" Jennifer cried. "Where did you get it?" She asked. "calm down," Mary Kate joked. "Our dad got it for us." Ashley explained. "The why would you sell it, those are literally sold out everywhere?" Jennifer said. "Why would we sell it," Ashley turned asking Mary Kate. "One second," Mary Kate said pulling Ashley aside. "Mary Kate we haven't even listened to it yet. Is one concert really worth giving up their new cd?" Ashley asked. "Yes. We did all those chores and didn't make a cent. Besides, we weren't even expecting this. We were expecting cash payment, which is what we're about to get," Mary Kate explained, then rejoined Jennifer. "Look, we want to go to the spice girls concert but we can't buy the tickets on our own," Ashley explained. "I'm going," Jennifer had to add. "Well, how much for the CD?" She asked. "Thirty eight dollars," Ashley proposed. "For a CD? No way!" Jennifer said. "It's their latest hits and it's sold out everywhere," Mary Kate replied. "Everywhere," Ashley added. "Fine. But if you want to listen to it, you have to let me five bucks every time you use it. Each," Jennifer replied, handing them the thirty eight dollars from her purse. Ashley handed over the CD.
It was Thursday night, almost 5:00 when ticket went on sale. Mary Kate and Ashley waited in front of the desktop in their room. "Go Ashley go!" Mary Kate said as the clock turned to five o'clock. "I'm going I'm going," she said typing in all sorts of information. "Alright. I'm going to purchase three tickets," Ashley's said checking to be sure Mary Kate wanted to go through with it. "We're in we're going," Ashley said as the screen thanked them for their purchase. High fives went all around followed by cheering. Ashley then popped their oldest CD into the player. They sang along to the song Wannabe.
Downstairs Carrie entered the kitchen. "Hey professor," she said meeting him at the sink where he was washing dishes. "The girls seem really excited about the concert," Carrie said, having heard them cheer and talking about what they will wear to meet them. "The concert? Carrie you told them?" Kevin asked. "Wait told them what?" Carrie asked, confused. "I bought them tickets. That's why I wouldn't let them buy their own," Kevin explained. " I haven't told them anything," Carrie said. Kevin stopped to think. "Either the secrets out, or the girls went behind our backs," He said glancing at Carrie. He then headed upstairs.
"Oh hi dad," Ashley said as Kevin entered their room. "Hello Ashley," he said. They stopped dancing Ashe turned off the song Wannabe which was playing. "How cold you aren't listening to your new CD?" He asked, knowing for sure wannabe was an older song. "Good question," Mary Kate said. "We already listened to it. Six times!" She explained. Kevin had no idea what they had done with the CD, but he didn't believe what they were saying. "Well girls, I've got a surprise for you," he continued. Ashley and Mary Kate looked nervously at each other. Were they caught? "I bought you tickets to the spice girls concert!" He said revealing two tickets. Ashley and Mary Kate laughed and cheered nervously in Unison. "These why you wouldn't let us go to the concert?" Ashley asked through a fake smile. She grabbed her ticket, Mary Kate doing the same. "Well, aren't you excited?" Asked Kevin. Ashley felt anything but excited. She and Mary Kate were certainly surprised, but not in a good way. "Thanks dad," Mary Kate said, trying to get him to leave so she and Ashley could talk. Would they get away with it? Did he know what they did? "One more thing girls," he said. Ashley panicked. This was it. They were in big trouble. "Can you hand me your tickets. I better hold onto them," he said as they handed them over. "Why dad," Ashley said. "Yeah we're responsible," Mary Kate added. "Because you're grounded from this Friday to next," he explained. Mary Kate and Ashley exchanged glances among a bunch of talking over each other. "But dad you just bought us tickets," Mary Kate said. "Actually I bought them a long time ago. but Carrie and I found out you went behind our backs and got your own so now you're not going. I'm going to give these tickets to Carrie so she and her friends can have a girls night out," he explained. "Now You already did all of your chores plus a few other things the other day, so for now you aren't allowed to hang out with any of your friends this week and you'll be making dinner every night this week," Kevin said. "Okay," came from each of the girls, and he left the room. "Sorry Mary Kate. I shouldn't have gotten you into this," Ashley said. "I'm sorry too Ash; you wanted to see the spice girls and I ruined it," Mary Kate replied. Ashley then grabbed her wallet. "What are you doing?" Mary Kate asked. "Calling Jennifer. I'm giving her my 5 dollars for my CD rental," she joked, and got on the phone.
