Fabulous Five 007 - The Kissing Disaster

by Betsy Haynes

  "We can't really afford a band," Curtis went on once she was seated.

  "What about a disc jockey from one of the local stations to play records?" asked Laura. She looked at Shane the whole time she was talking, and Melanie knew she was trying to get his attention.

  Jon Smith shook his head. "They're expensive, too. Maybe we could get somebody from our own class to be the disc jockey."

  Melanie's face lit up and her hand shot into the air as she got a brilliant idea. "How about Shane?" she shouted. "He has tons of albums and tapes, and he'd do a great job."

  For an instant she felt embarrassed about her outburst. Everybody was looking at her, including Shane. They probably thought she had flipped out. And what if he didn't want to do it? Or what if the committee thought it was a dumb idea?

  Then Brad Eisenhauer shouted out, "Yeah. Shane would be terrific."

  "Would you do it?" Curtis asked Shane, and Melanie held her breath, praying that he would say yes.

  Shane didn't say anything for a moment. He seemed to be thinking it over. Finally a slow smile spread over his face, and he looked around the table and said, "Only if my assistant can come along."

  "Your assistant?" Curtis said, puzzled.

  "Sure," said Shane. "Igor, who else?"

  The whole committee broke up over that, and it took Curtis forever to get everyone settled down so that he could take a vote.

  When the meeting broke up and they were heading for the door, Melanie saw Laura watching her and Shane out of the corner of her eye as they walked out together. He hadn't paid the slightest attention to Laura all during the meeting, and now he turned to Melanie and said, "Do you realize that you may have just started me on a lifetime career as a disc jockey?"

  Melanie laughed. "You and Igor. Are you serious about bringing him to the dance as your assistant? What can he do?"

  Shane faked looking hurt. "You underestimate him. Igor can do lots of things."

  "Like what?"

  "Well, he can change the records and tapes, for one thing," Shane insisted. "And pick out what to play next."

  "Shuuure he can," Melanie said slyly.

  "Speaking of picking out the music," Shane said when they reached the media center door, "why don't I come over to your house Friday night and bring my albums? We can look through them and pick out what to play for the dance."

  Melanie's heart missed a beat. "Do you mean just the two of us? Without the rest of the committee?"

  "Sure." Then he added with a grin, "Unless you want me to bring Igor."

  "I'm sure he would pick out some great tunes," she joked, "but I think we can get along without him this time."

  Melanie was amazed to see that it was already ten o'clock when she and Shane said good-bye, and she hurried to the school's pay phone to call her father to pick her up from the meeting. She dialed and then rubbed her eyes sleepily as she waited for someone to answer the phone. How had it gotten so late so fast? she wondered. She still had Shane's biology notes to copy and fifteen pages to read for English Lit. She also wanted to wash out her new pink shirt to wear tomorrow. She would be absolutely dead when it came time to get up in the morning.

  She did manage to wash out her shirt and copy Shane's notes, but when she tried to read, the words blurred together. Finally she decided to set her alarm for half an hour earlier than usual so that she could finish her reading assignment in the morning.

  When the alarm went off, it was still dark outside, and Melanie couldn't believe that it was time to get up already. She sat up and checked her clock and then fell back against the pillow in disgust. It was morning, after all, and she was totally exhausted. How could she possibly do her reading assignment when her eyes refused to open? Maybe she could rest for just a few more minutes. . . .

  She woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing. Sun was streaming in her window.

  "Oh, my gosh!" she yelped, jumping straight up in bed.

  The clock on her bedside table said 9:37, and the sound of the telephone pierced the air like a siren.

  She had gone back to sleep! And no one in her family had bothered to wake her! Where was everybody? Why didn't her mother or Jeffy answer the phone?

  She sailed out of bed and ran for the phone, grabbing the receiver just as it rang for the umpteenth time. She was so out of breath she could barely say hello.

  "Good morning," a woman said crisply. "This is the Wakeman Junior High attendance office. Am I speaking to Mrs. Edwards?"

  Melanie was thunderstruck. All she could do for a moment was stare at the phone and listen to her heart pound. The Wakeman Junior High attendance office? They were checking up on her. Calling to ask why she wasn't in school and why her mother hadn't called the attendance office to report the absence before nine o'clock the way she was supposed to. I can't fake it, she thought. She'll know I'm not my mother.

  "No," she answered. "This is Melanie. I think my mother must have gone out early and forgotten to wake me. I'll get there as soon as I can . . . if that's okay."

  There was a pause on the other end of the line and then a sigh, and finally the woman replied, "All right. We'll let it go this time."

  Melanie ducked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk and look for a note from her mother. She found the note in the middle of the kitchen table. It was just as she had thought. Her mother and little brother had left early and would be gone for the day. Of course she didn't wake me, Melanie reasoned, I always set my alarm.

  Oh, brother, she thought as she raced to her room to get ready for school. I hope the rest of the day isn't going to be like this.

  CHAPTER 9

  Even though Melanie rushed, by the time she had showered, washed and blow-dried her hair, and dressed, it was lunch period at school. In her hurry to get out of the house she had forgotten to fix herself a lunch.

  "I'm famished," she mumbled as she entered the cafeteria where the smell of sloppy joes rose from the steam tables. Even though it was anyone's guess what they were made from, it was generally agreed that sloppy joes were the best of what the Wacko cafeteria had to offer.

  "Rats!" she said twice as loud, pulling a handful of change out of her purse. "I don't have enough money for hot lunch." Sighing, she got potato chips out of the snack machine and surveyed the crowded lunchroom for someone to sit with.

  Beth was alone at the table where The Fabulous Five usually sat together. She was munching away on an apple and writing something in her notebook. Should I go over and sit with her and act as if everything is normal between us? Melanie wondered. If she looks over at me and waves, it would be okay, she decided. Otherwise . . . maybe not. It would be too embarrassing if I go over on my own and she doesn't even say hello.

  Melanie glanced around some more. Christie was on the other side of the cafeteria sitting with Jon. They were laughing and talking together as if there were no one else in the room. Jana and Funny sat together in the far corner. There wasn't much doubt what they were talking about: the yearbook. That seemed to be all Jana could think about anymore. Katie was nowhere to be seen, but Melanie supposed she was with some of her fellow judges on Teen Court. They're probably discussing a case, she thought. She stood by the snack machine for a moment feeling depressed and trying to decide what to do. She had to bite her lip to keep it from quivering.

  She stole quick glances toward each of The Fabulous Five. She didn't want them to see her looking and think she was begging to sit with them, but she didn't want to miss it if one of them saw her and motioned for her to come over.

  "Hi, Melanie. Where have you been? Did you hear the big news yet?" Sara Sawyer had approached her and looked as if she were about to burst.

  "Gosh, no," said Melanie. "I overslept and just got to school. What happened?"

  "Sirloin is missing. Everybody's scared to death."

  Melanie squinted at Sara and asked in a puzzled voice, "Sirloin is missing? What are you talking about?"

  "You know. Dracula's pet, Sirloin Snake. He's missing fro
m his cage in the biology room, and wait until you hear all the rumors that are flying around."

  Melanie's scalp prickled at the thought of a snake loose in the school. "What kind of rumors?"

  "You know how kids joke about Mr. Dracovitch's being Dracula?" Sara began, and Melanie nodded. "Well, now they're saving all kinds of crazy things. For instance, Dracula bit Sirloin, turning him into a vampire, and then turned him loose in the school to make vampires out of all the kids."

  "You're kidding," said Melanie. "Nobody would believe a thing like that. Calling Mr. Dracovitch Dracula is just a joke."

  "Sure, it's a joke, but nobody's taking any chances. Half the kids in my morning classes sat with their feet up in their chairs. Mr. Naset ordered everybody in our history class to put their feet on the floor, but nobody budged. Joel Murphy even yelled out, 'I'm not going to be turned into a vampire! No way!' and everybody in the class applauded."

  "Wow!" said Melanie, automatically looking toward the floor for anything that might be slithering around her own feet. She didn't really believe that her biology teacher was a vampire, but she had to admit that she didn't want to take any chances either. "What does Mr. Dracovitch say happened to Sirloin?" she asked.

  Sara shrugged. "Just that one of the hinges on the door to his cage broke or fell off or something and that Sirloin got out on his own. He also says that snakes are mostly nocturnal and that Sirloin is probably curled up in a dark corner somewhere sleeping until nighttime. He says that nobody has anything to worry about because Sirloin is a common garden snake and won't bite unless he's threatened, and that even if he did bite, he isn't poisonous. But I don't know. A snake is a snake, if you ask me."

  "And a vampire is a vampire," said Alexis, who had come up while Sara was talking.

  "So, what's going to happen?" asked Melanie. "I mean, is anybody looking for it? Did anybody form a snake patrol, or anything? I can't believe they didn't call off school."

  Alexis shook her head. "Mr. Bell came over the loudspeaker during first period and instructed everybody to stay calm."

  "He also said that if anybody saw the snake they were to leave it alone and tell a teacher immediately," said Sara.

  "Well, I'll tell you one thing," growled Alexis. "I'm not going anywhere alone. Not to the rest room. Not to my locker. Not anywhere! Not until that snake is found."

  Melanie's eyes widened as she thought about opening her locker and finding a snake inside. Still, she reasoned, there was no way for it to get into her locker. The door was locked, and snakes were too big to slip through any of the vents. She shuddered. All the same, she agreed with Alexis. She wouldn't go to her locker alone until the snake was found. Eeek! she thought an instant later. I have biology next period, and I need to go to my locker to get my book.

  "Speaking of lockers, anybody interested in walking with me to my locker?" she asked.

  "Sorry," said Alexis. "I've got to talk to Lisa Snow."

  "Can't," said Sara. "I was supposed to be in the media center five minutes ago to look up some history stuff with Stacy Holgrem."

  Melanie glanced at her watch as the others smiled apologetically and left. "Great. Just great," she muttered. It was less than five minutes until time for the bell. She hadn't even eaten a single potato chip yet, and she was starving. Worst of all, she needed to go to her locker, and there just might be a vampire snake curled up inside waiting to jump out and bite her. So much for my day's getting any better, she thought.

  CHAPTER 10

  Just then Melanie spotted Scott. He was leaving the cafeteria, sauntering nonchalantly out the door, and he wasn't carrying any books. He had to be heading for his locker.

  Melanie put on a burst of speed, rushing through the crowded cafeteria to catch him. She had to skid to a stop, turn sideways, and suck in her breath to avoid a collision with Eric Silverman, who was carrying his dishes to the tray return, but when she stepped into the hall, Scott was still in sight.

  "Scott! Wait up!" she shouted. Arriving beside him out of breath, she smiled quickly and went on. "You're on your way to your locker, right?"

  "You've got it," said Scott. "I suppose you want to go along, and then you want me to protect you if Sirloin Snake is in yours."

  "You've got it," Melanie echoed, and then burst out laughing. "I know he isn't, of course. But just the same . . ."

  They fell into step together and made casual conversation as they walked along. Being with Scott always made her feel happy, and she knew it showed in her voice.

  As they reached her locker, she paused and looked at him thoughtfully. "You know," she began, "I keep thinking about Mr. Dracovitch."

  "You mean that he's a vampire?" Scott asked.

  "Yes. I mean no. That's just it. He isn't a vampire. Not really. And everybody knows that. But the way kids keep joking about it, it's bound to get back to him pretty soon. I wonder how he'll feel?"

  Scott nodded. "I've been thinking about that, too. Especially since everybody wants to make him a chaperon for the monster dance. That plus all this business about a vampire snake on the loose in Wacko Junior High could really shake him up if he ever found out."

  Melanie nodded. As Scott waited, she pulled open her locker and checked inside. No snake, she thought with relief. She grabbed her book, and then headed toward the biology classroom door. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Tammy Lucero staring in Scott's and her direction. She's so nosy, thought Melanie. She's probably dying to know what we were talking about.

  After Scott went off to his class, Melanie sank down into her seat and thought about Mr. Dracovitch. Even though she was nervous about a snake on the loose in the school, she felt sorry for her teacher. He's really nice, she thought, and kids aren't being fair to him. She wished she could talk to her friends about it, but they probably wouldn't listen, even if she brought it up. They hadn't heard anything she had said for days.

  As soon as class began, it was obvious to Melanie that Mr. Dracovitch was worried. His face was whiter than usual, and his toupee seemed to be slightly at an angle, as if he had been mopping his forehead and accidentally knocked it askew.

  "I want to emphasize that Sirloin is harmless," he began in a low, monotone voice. "He's used to people, and you students all know that he sleeps during the day. So just try not to be alarmed. We will find the snake and get him back into his cage, arid nobody will get hurt."

  Melanie felt sorrier for him than ever. What would happen if they didn't find the snake? Would he lose his job? She noticed that in spite of Mr. Dracovitch's reassurances most kids sat with their feet tucked under them, safely off the floor.

  Instead of sending the class to the dissecting tables to work on the specimens, Mr. Dracovitch assigned two chapters in the text to be read during class. Then, as they opened their books and began reading, he paced up and down in front of the blackboard deep in thought.

  Melanie rested her chin in her hand and tried to read, but her eyes wanted to close. Even after oversleeping this morning, she was still exhausted. The publicity committee for the dance would meet tonight, too. There was cheerleading practice after school, and then there would be homework. And she still hadn't eaten anything all day! As if on cue, her stomach growled, and she looked around quickly to be sure no one had heard. She didn't even know what had happened to the potato chips she had bought in the cafeteria. I must have dropped them somewhere when I ran to catch Scott, she thought.

  The harder she tried to read the assignment, the more the words swam together. Her eyes simply refused to stay open, and every so often her head drooped, startling her and making her bolt straight up. Slowly the words on the page were replaced by dreamy pictures. Mr. Dracovitch dropping something into the pans on the dissecting tables. Were they eyeballs or were they snakes? She couldn't see them clearly enough to tell.

  She was dreaming. She knew it, and she fought to wake up. Instead, the pictures changed. She was in Bumpers now, surrounded by girls. Katie. Beth. Christie. And Jana. They were all frowning at h
er and shaking their heads.

  "We don't like you anymore," said Katie. "You never talk about anything we want to talk about."

  "We don't want to be friends anymore," said Beth. "We've all made new friends."

  "Better friends," said Christie.

  "The Fabulous Five is through," said Jana.

  Melanie tried to talk to them, but no words would come out. She tried to shout, but she couldn't make a sound. Finally, she reached out toward them and POOF! All four of them vanished into thin air.

  Just then a high-pitched sound echoed in her mind. She opened her eyes and recognized the bell ringing to end the class. All around her, kids were scrambling for the door, but Melanie sat still for a while, unable to shake off the effects of the dream.

  "What if it wasn't a dream?" she whispered, and then shuddered. "What if it was a premonition?"

  CHAPTER 11

  Melanie was so tired that she had to drag herself to the publicity committee meeting after supper. She didn't dare miss it, though, because Dekeisha and Jana would both be there, and she wanted Jana to see how friendly Dekeisha was becoming toward her. There was another reason, too. Scott would be there. The only trouble was that she liked other boys, too, such as Shane and Garrett Boldt and now, maybe even Derek Travelstead.

  Although she wasn't actually late this time, Melanie was the last committee member to reach the media center. Everyone sat around a large library table at the front of the room talking, and they looked up when she came in. She stopped cold when she realized that there was an empty chair beside both Jana and Dekeisha, who sat across the table from each other, and that each of them was looking at her expectantly. Now what? she wondered, scanning the room for a way out of her dilemma.

  It was Dekeisha who made the decision for her. "Come on, Melanie. Sit by me," she called.

  As Melanie sank gratefully into the chair beside Dekeisha, she couldn't help casting a sidelong glance at Jana. Jana had looked away, her face hidden now so that Melanie could not see her expression. Was she angry at Melanie for not sitting beside her? Was she glad? Or what? Melanie wondered. Maybe if she could just catch Jana's eye and smile or something, it would smooth things over. Rut Jana seemed determined not to look her way.