by Judy Delton
Mary Beth looked worried. “I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t hit a ball with a bat.”
“I’ll show you how to play softball,” said Molly.
“I know how,” said Mary Beth. “I just can’t hit the ball.”
“We’ll think of something,” said Molly. “Don’t worry.”
But Mary Beth did worry. She looked worried during the whole meeting.
“Today we are going to do push-ups,” Mrs. Peters was saying. “We’ll work outside. It’s nice and sunny. I put some old blankets out on the grass.”
The Scouts followed Mrs. Peters outside. They stood in a circle. She showed them how to do a push-up.
“One two, one two, one two,” she said, as she lifted her body on her hands. Her feet stuck out behind her. “Remember, keep your knees up. Off the ground.”
Mrs. Peters took a deep breath. “To get the badge,” she went on, “you must do five push-ups.”
“No problem,” said Roger, dropping down to the ground.
The Scouts watched. Roger did perfect push-ups. Knees off the ground.
“One!” the Scouts counted. “Two! Three! Four! Five!”
Roger was not even out of breath. He jumped to his feet.
“It looks like Roger is in pretty good shape,” said Mrs. Peters. “Now let’s see the rest of you try it!”
Sonny tried it. Splat. He fell flat on his stomach.
“Now me,” said Tim. He stretched his neck forward like a turtle.
Patty tried it.
“Not on your elbows!” called Mrs. Peters.
It was Molly’s turn. She couldn’t lift her body off the ground!
Not her knees.
Not her stomach.
Not her chest.
Not her elbows.
Something kept her down. Something tight.
“One two,” said Mrs. Peters. “One two, and up!”
But Molly did not go up. She was still flat on the ground.
It’s my underwear, she said to herself. My underwear is too tight.
She would have to take it off. She thought how good it would feel to just have on her loose shorts. Loose and roomy. She could do perfect push-ups then.
But what would her mother say? Or Mrs. Peters? No one went outside without underwear. What if she had to go to the hospital? What if she broke her leg? Her mother had told Molly that underwear always had to be neat and clean. But Molly’s was too tight!
Rachel did five perfect push-ups in a row. So did Tracy. Even Sonny did two.
Would Molly be the only one without a Fitness badge?
CHAPTER
4
An Accident
If she had a scissors, she could cut her underwear. So she could breathe better. She wondered if Mrs. Peters had a scissors.
If she ran home to change, the Scout meeting would be over. She would miss her chance to do five push-ups. It would be too late.
Lisa was watching her. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“My underwear’s too tight,” whispered Molly. “I can’t bend.”
“Stretch it,” said Lisa. “Pull it real hard. It will get looser. That’s what I do.”
“Really?” said Molly. She waited till no one was looking. Then she gave a big tug on her underwear. Nothing happened. She tugged again. Hard. She pulled it as far as it would go.
All of a sudden the elastic broke. Snap!
“What was that?” said Roger.
Everyone looked around.
Molly looked around.
“Who else can do push-ups?” asked Mrs. Peters. “Last call for today.”
“Me!” Molly got down on the ground. It was easy now. She put her hands down and her elbows up. One two. Nothing happened. She tried again. Push. She lifted her chest up. Push. She got her stomach up.
“Lift those knees!” said Mrs. Peters.
Molly did. She held herself up on her hands and toes.
Mrs. Peters clapped. “You did it!” she said. “Now just practice and you can do it five times!”
Molly tried again. Then a third time. Four! Five!
Everyone cheered, “Yeah!”
“And that’s all for today,” said Mrs. Peters.
Molly was exhausted.
“Everyone stand in a circle, please. Let’s sing our song and say our pledge and call it a day,” said Mrs. Peters.
“How do you call it a day?” asked Tim.
“It is a day,” said Sonny.
“It’s just an expression, dummy,” said Rachel.
The Scouts joined hands and sang their Pee Wee Scout song. Then they said the Pee Wee Scout pledge.
During the song Roger was laughing. So was Sonny. Before long everyone was laughing.
Molly didn’t know why everyone was laughing, but she began to laugh too.
Then Roger pointed at her. He kept laughing.
Patty whispered in Molly’s ear, “Your underwear is hanging out.”
Molly looked down. Oh, no. Underwear trouble! She still had it. She ran into the house and into the bathroom.
She took her saggy underwear off. She crumpled it up and put it into Mrs. Peters’s wastebasket. She buried it deep. On the very bottom.
When she came out, Mrs. Peters was saying, “Anyone can have an accident, boys and girls. It is not polite to laugh at accidents.”
Molly didn’t join the circle of Scouts. She slipped out of the yard and ran all the way home.
When Molly got home, she went into her room and closed the door. She cried a little bit about her saggy underwear.
Then she went into the kitchen. The phone rang. It was Mary Beth.
“You left so fast, you didn’t hear what Mrs. Peters said. On Saturday we have to meet at the health spa. Mrs. Betz is going to show us how to do aerobic dancing.”
Molly didn’t know what aerobic meant.
“You can ride with me,” Mary Beth said. “My dad is driving me. At nine o’clock.”
“Thanks,” said Molly. She hung up.
“We have aerobic dancing next Saturday,” Molly told her mother. She didn’t tell her mother about the underwear trouble.
“I’ll be out of town visiting Grandma this weekend,” said Mrs. Duff. “But Dad will be here. You better eat foods with lots of vitamins and get in shape. That is hard work.”
Molly wondered how dancing could be hard work. But, anyway, she was used to hard work.
Push-ups were hard work.
School was hard work.
Biking was hard work.
On Saturday, Molly wondered what to wear for aerobic dance. If it was hard work, she should wear overalls. But if it was dancing, she should wear a good dress. She decided on the dress. Dancers on TV wore little skirts. Rachel would probably wear a fancy dance outfit.
When Molly got into Mary Beth’s car, she wished she had worn pants. Mary Beth had on jeans.
CHAPTER
5
Shake Your Shape
When Molly and Mary Beth walked into the spa, all the other Scouts were there. In swimsuits! And sneakers. Mary Beth took off her jeans. She had a swimsuit on too!
“Why didn’t you tell me we were supposed to wear swimsuits?” whispered Molly crossly.
“I forgot,” said Mary Beth.
Mary Beth was making Molly mad. She forgot to tell her important things. And she was always whining about softball. Some best friend.
Mrs. Betz had on a leotard. It was long and black and shiny. It was skintight. She had a sweatband around her forehead. Some of the Scouts had sweatbands on too.
Sonny had on a leotard just like his mother’s. Only it was red. The Scouts laughed at him.
“He looks like a sausage,” said Roger.
“Or a red banana,” Kevin snickered.
“That’s what all dancers wear,” said Rachel. She looked at Molly. “How come you’ve got a dress on?”
“I didn’t know about wearing swimsuits,” said Molly.
“That’s because you left the meeting early,” said Rache
l.
Everyone stood around on the mats, getting ready.
Molly tried to stretch in her blue dotted-swiss dress. She was the only one with shoes on. She wore patent-leather shoes with black bows.
“You better take your shoes off, Molly,” called Mrs. Betz. “It isn’t good for the gym floor. Besides, you can’t stretch your toes with those shoes on.”
“On your way to a wedding?” said Roger. “Let’s see your underwear!” He bent over in laughter. “Ho, ho!”
Molly’s face was red. She wished she had never heard of a Fitness Festival.
“Where is Mrs. Peters?” asked Molly.
Mrs. Betz said, “Mrs. Peters is out of town. She’ll be back for the next meeting.”
“My mom is out of town too,” Molly whispered to Lisa.
“I’m your leader today,” Mrs. Betz went on. “This is Miss Tucker. She is the aerobics teacher here at the spa.”
Miss Tucker smiled. She had a leotard on too. And a blond ponytail. She looked healthy.
“Sonny and I work out with Miss Tucker every weekend,” Mrs. Betz said.
The Scouts giggled. Sonny worked out.
Mrs. Betz had a little rip in the seam of her leotard.
“Her suit might pop!” whispered Mary Beth to Molly. “It’s so tight. Look.”
“I hope it doesn’t,” said Molly.
But when Mrs. Betz bent over, the hole got bigger. When she stood up, it got smaller.
Molly wondered if she should tell her. But she didn’t want to disturb the class.
Miss Tucker told the Scouts about healthy aerobic dancing. “Aerobic means air,” she said. “It’s a dance that helps you breathe well.”
She told them how to stretch and breathe in. Stretch and breathe out.
“Feel your lungs expand!” shouted Mrs. Betz.
She breathed in and out.
In and out.
So did the Scouts.
Miss Tucker put some music on. She showed the Scouts how to stretch and bend to the music. She showed them how to jog in place.
She walked up and down the row of Scouts. Clapping. Watching to make sure they did it right.
“Knees high!” she called, lifting up Tracy’s leg. “Lift those knees! Swing those arms!
“Now,” Miss Tucker shouted, “step and skip! Step and skip!”
“It’s hard to do it so fast!” cried Molly. She tried to keep up. Step and skip.
Tim and Tracy were still jogging in place.
Step and skip.
“Reach high,” called Miss Tucker. “Reach up high and touch the sky!” she called. The music got louder and faster.
The Pee Wees reached high. Except Tim. He was still jogging in place.
“Stretch and bend!” sang Miss Tucker. “Stretch and bend.”
The Scouts were tired.
Patty’s face was red.
Kenny was panting and puffing.
Mrs. Betz slapped him on the back. “Shake your shape!” she shouted. “Tune up that body!”
Soon the Scouts were worn out. When Miss Tucker said, “Rest time,” they all collapsed on the mats.
No one talked.
No one moved.
The Scouts lay on the mats, exhausted.
Mrs. Betz and Miss Tucker kept dancing.
Sonny went out and came back with carrot juice. Little cans for everyone. He had to make three trips.
“I want some soda pop,” moaned Roger.
“Soda makes you thirsty,” said Mrs. Betz. “It’s full of sugar and chemicals. This will build those bodies.”
Molly didn’t want to build her body. Neither did Mary Beth. They just wanted to get their badges.
As soon as the Scouts finished their carrot juice, Miss Tucker said, “Here we go!” and turned the music on again. The Scouts groaned.
Sonny stood up as straight as a stick. He kicked his legs like a wooden soldier.
“One, two, three, kick!” called Miss Tucker. “Shoulders back! Stomach in!”
Sonny’s back was straight.
His stomach was in.
“He’s good,” said Lisa.
“No wonder,” said Mary Beth. “He’s had lots of practice.”
Miss Tucker showed the Scouts how to roll their heads.
“Tune up those muscles!” called Mrs. Betz. “You can do it!”
“My head is going to roll off!” cried Molly.
“When is this going to be over?” groaned Lisa.
In the big mirror Molly could see the long row of Pee Wee Scouts. Tired, tired Scouts. It was a lot of work for a badge. More work than the Pee Wees had ever done.
“I’m pooped,” said Molly.
“This whole troop is pooped!” shouted Rachel.
At last Miss Tucker said, “We’ll stop for today.” She blew her whistle. “Now we’ll head for the showers.”
Molly didn’t want a shower. She wanted to go home. She just wanted to take off her itchy dress.
“Next week is softball,” whined Mary Beth as they walked to the showers. “How am I going to hit that ball?”
Molly was tired of Mary Beth whining. Maybe she was tired of Mary Beth!
Molly was hot.
She was tired.
She itched and ached.
Maybe, she thought, I need a new best friend.
CHAPTER
6
Molly’s Ex-Best Friend
The next morning Molly’s phone rang.
It was Lisa.
“Let’s go to the park and play ball,” Lisa said. “I’ll pitch and you can hit the ball. Then we can switch and you can pitch to me.”
“Okay,” said Molly. She needed practice if she was going to get a badge. Mary Beth wasn’t the only one who had trouble hitting a ball.
What about Mary Beth? thought Molly as she pulled on her shorts. I should call her and ask her to come along.
But she didn’t. Molly ran out the door instead.
She grabbed a ball and bat from the garage. She tried to forget about Mary Beth’s problem.
Lisa was waiting on a bench. She looked like a good best friend. A better best friend than Mary Beth. Lisa wasn’t whining. She was smiling.
“Hi,” Lisa called. She was swinging her bat. “I’ll pitch to you first.”
Molly stood like the baseball players she had seen on TV. Lisa threw the ball. Right to Molly.
Molly swung her bat. Swish! The ball sailed past Molly’s shoulder.
“I missed it!” cried Molly.
“Hold the bat lower,” said Lisa. She ran over and showed Molly how to hold it. “Now I’ll pitch again.”
Lisa swung her arm around and around. Then she let go of the ball.
Swish! Molly’s bat went right through the empty air. The ball flew past her.
After another try Lisa yelled, “You’re out! It’s my turn to bat.”
“I’m as bad as Mary Beth,” cried Molly.
“You’ll catch on,” said Lisa. “You just need practice.”
They switched places. Molly pitched the ball to Lisa. CRACK! Lisa hit the ball. It sailed through the park.
“Wow!” shouted Molly. She turned and chased the ball. When she finally got it, she jogged back to her spot.
“That would be a home run,” said Lisa, “if we were playing a real game.”
“I know it,” said Molly.
Roger and Kevin rode up on their bikes. Roger’s dad had fixed his bike.
Kevin had a ball and bat with him. “I’m up first!” he shouted. He jumped off his bike and leaned it against a tree. “Watch this,” he called to the girls.
The girls sat on a bench to rest. And to watch.
Roger pitched a ball to Kevin.
SMACK! Kevin hit the ball. Just like Lisa.
“Look at that thing go!” yelled Roger.
“My dad says I’ll be a pro when I grow up!” said Kevin. He jumped around.
“Show-off,” muttered Molly.
“It’s my turn,” said Roger.
> Kevin pitched the ball fast. Very fast.
Roger hit it high into the air. But not as far as Kevin.
“Let’s try again,” said Lisa. “I’ll pitch you some easy ones.”
Molly held her bat up. She kept her eye on the ball.
Lisa threw the ball. It hit the bat and Molly hadn’t even swung it! It bounced on the ground in front of her.
“It’s easy!” said Molly. “Let’s do it again.”
This time Molly swung the bat. She hit the ball.
“All right!” said Lisa.
Just then the Scouts heard a loud yell.
“Hey! How come you went to play ball without me?”
It was Mary Beth.
Oh, no, thought Molly.
“Come on,” called Lisa. “We can all take turns.”
Mary Beth pouted, but she took the bat. Lisa pitched.
But Mary Beth didn’t even try to hit the ball. She just stood and cried.
Molly stamped her foot. “Rat’s knees!” she said. “You have to try!”
“My mom says I’m not athletic,” Mary Beth whimpered. “No one in our family is athletic.”
“You pitch,” said Lisa. “Maybe that’s easier.”
“But I won’t get a badge if I don’t hit the ball,” sobbed Mary Beth.
Molly knew how she felt. It would be awful to be the only one without the Fitness badge.
The girls sat down to rest. Roger hit ball after ball. So did Kevin. Smack, swish, crack!
“Girls can’t play baseball,” shrieked Roger. He swung the bat around and around.
“We can too!” shouted Molly.
“Let’s go practice in my backyard,” said Lisa.
The girls gathered their things and left the boys behind.
When they got to Lisa’s, her mother brought out ice-cream cones. And lemonade. The girls sat on the back steps.
“Let’s call it a day,” said Molly. “I’m tired.”
Lisa giggled. “You sound like Mrs. Peters,” she said.
Mary Beth was not giggling. She wasn’t even smiling. Soon it would be Tuesday. The day they had to hit the ball for Mrs. Peters.
CHAPTER
7
Batter Up!
On Tuesday the Pee Wee Scouts met in the park. They carried balls and bats.
Sonny had a catcher’s mitt. He was wearing a face mask too.