by Betsy Haynes
"Well, just forget it then," Laura repeated.
"Okay already," Melissa said. "Come on, you guys. Let's go. I think the party's over."
"See you all later," Laura said, wishing desperately that she could get things back to the way they were before she discovered Alexis in her room.
"Yeah, see ya," said Funny.
The girls gathered their things and left. Laura watched the door close behind them and began pacing around the room, her mind filled with anger and worry. What if Alexis blabbed about the note on her mirror? It would be all over school that Laura was a liar.
She sighed. She had always liked Sara, Lisa, Marcie, and Alexis. And she knew they had liked her, too. No, she thought. It was more than that. They thought I was someone special. Really special. But what will happen now, if Alexis tells everybody about the note, and they all turn against me? I won't have anything. No mother to talk to and no friends, just a dad who doesn't understand anything, and tons of housework. She felt tears spilling down her cheeks, but she jerked upright and wiped them away with the back of her hand. This was no time to get weepy, she told herself sternly. What she needed was a plan.
Well, she knew one thing: The Fantastic Foursome would stick by her. At least they'd better, if they wanted to remain her friends!
Laura saw the rest of The Fantastic Foursome leaning against the building when she arrived at school on Monday. She waved. Funny waved back.
Why didn't Melissa or Tammy wave? she wondered. Are they mad because I wouldn't tell them what happened with Alexis? Then she stopped in her tracks. Had Alexis told them about the note already?
As Laura slowly approached her friends, Funny smiled and called, "Hi, Laura."
She forced a smile. "Hi, everybody."
"I hate Mondays," said Melissa. "Five whole days of drudgery before we get any fun."
Tammy sighed. "I know what you mean. I hate Mondays, too."
They didn't even say hi to me, thought Laura.
"Yeah," agreed Funny. "Did you all get your math homework done?"
"Barely," answered Tammy.
"It was a hard assignment," commented Melissa.
"What a week," said Funny. "I've got three tests before Friday! Can you believe it?"
Laura stood silently and listened to the conversation. They're leaving me out, she thought. They aren't even talking to me!
The bell rang, and the girls pushed off the side of the building and trudged toward the school. Walking through the front door, Melissa waved and headed off in the direction of her locker.
Why didn't she say, "See you at lunch?" Laura wondered.
"Oh, there's Samantha," pointed out Tammy. "I have to hear how her date with Josh went on Saturday night. See you guys later," she said, rushing down the hall.
Just then Beth Barry and Jana Morgan walked by. Beth saw Laura, ducked her head, and whispered something to Jana. Jana laughed, and the girls continued on to their lockers.
"Did you see that?" Laura demanded.
"No, what?" asked Funny.
"Beth saw me and smirked and then said something to Jana," Laura replied hotly. "Then Jana laughed."
"Yeah?" said Funny.
"Yeah!"
Funny looked puzzled.
"They were talking about me!" Laura insisted.
"You're imagining things," Funny said, frowning. "They're best friends, remember? Beth says nutty things all the time."
"Yeah, right," Laura answered sarcastically.
Funny grinned. "You're just being paranoid. Hey, see you at lunch."
"Thanks for all your sympathy," Laura grumbled, but Funny didn't hear. She had aleady disappeared into the crowd moving down the hall.
"Well, this day is really getting off to a great start," Laura muttered as she headed for her locker. "I can hardly wait to see what happens next."
The morning moved at a snail's pace. Laura watched the faces of the kids in her classes, but everyone seemed to be ignoring her the way her best friends had. Was Funny right? she wondered. Am I paranoid? Or is everyone snubbing me?
By lunchtime she was convinced that the whole school had heard the details of her blow-up with Alexis. She stopped in the bathroom just before lunch and glimpsed her reflection in the mirror. Her shoulders were stooped, the corners of her mouth were turned down, and her eyes looked tired and angry.
Laura was shocked. Usually she looked terrific. She straightened her shoulders, held up her head, and looked herself squarely in the eyes.
You're not going to let them get you down, she told herself silently. You're going to act as if there is absolutely nothing wrong. Then when kids see you, they'll think that Alexis is just making up the story. You'll look so together, no one will believe in a million years that you lied about having a maid!
Laura felt better as she hurried to the cafeteria, went through the hot-lunch line, and slid into her ususal seat next to Tammy.
"Say, Laura," Tammy said, shooting a meaningful glance at Melissa and Funny, "remember when you said that Alexis was going through your things?"
Laura blinked in surprise. "Yeah?" she said, feeling suddenly defensive.
"What really happened?" asked Tammy, a small smile playing on her lips. "We've been talking about it, and we want to know."
"I told you I didn't want to discuss it," Laura said, trying to keep her voice even. That old, familiar panic sensation was returning to her chest.
Tammy looked offended. "We just wondered. After all, we are your best friends."
Laura breathed a sigh of impatience. "And I don't want you saying anything to anybody, either. Do you get me?"
Tammy shrugged. "Okay, okay," she replied.
Laura picked at her lunch and thought about the situation. Now what if Tammy starts a rumor about Alexis going through my things? I don't want that to happen. Alexis has always been my friend.
"Speak of the devil." Melissa nudged Laura. "Guess who just walked into the cafeteria."
Laura turned to look. Sure enough, Alexis was carrying a tray and walking across the room. She saw someone she knew, smiled, and headed toward the left side of the cafeteria.
"Look. She's sitting down at The Fabulous Five's table," said Tammy.
"Yeah," Funny said. "They sit together at Bumpers sometimes, too."
Just great, thought Laura. Of all the times for her to be sitting with my worst enemies.
Laura kept an eye on the table, watching while Alexis, Beth, and Jana talked together. Alexis was doing the talking, and suddenly Beth and Jana broke out laughing. Then Melanie Edwards leaned into the conversation to say something, and the whole group laughed louder than ever.
"Melanie is such a ditz," Laura remarked sourly.
Funny giggled. "I think she's a riot. She's the most boy-crazy girl I've ever known."
Laura continued to watch Alexis out of the corner of her eye. Was she telling them the maid story right now? Once during lunch Alexis glanced over toward Laura, and their eyes met. Laura was about to smile at her, but before she could force the corners of her mouth to turn up, Alexis looked away.
Well, I tried! Laura thought. She sat up straight and tossed her long braid over her shoulder. I tried to show her I wasn't mad anymore, but she wouldn't even look at me. I have to get out of here before I explode. She stood up.
Tammy looked at her in surprise.
"Are you finished?" she asked. "You hardly touched your sloppy joe."
"I'm going to study hall," Laura said. Then she added a little lie. "I've got to study for my math test."
"Well, could I have your sandwich?" asked Tammy. "I'm still hungry."
Laura picked up her sloppy joe, plopped it on Tammy's plate, and started off to the garbage can to dump the rest of her lunch.
"Hey, I just realized something," Tammy called after her. "I'm in your math class. We don't have a test."
CHAPTER 5
When Laura came home from school, she picked up around the apartment. Next she got chicken out of the refrigerator, dip
ped the pieces in milk, rolled them in flour, and lined them up in the bottom of a glass baking pan. Then she popped them into the oven.
All the time she was thinking about Alexis. What a total disaster it would be if she broke her promise and told everybody about their argument. Especially, thought Laura, if gossip-of-the-world Tammy blabbed Laura's story about Alexis going through her things.
It was all her father's fault. If he hadn't put that stupid note on her mirror, none of this would have ever happened. Sure, he had an excuse for being extra crabby lately. He was worried about that promotion. If he got it, he would be the youngest vice president in the company. "Big deal!" grumbled Laura. "It's ruining my entire life."
Laura went into her bedroom and flopped onto the bed. She turned on her radio and stared at the ceiling. The music was soothing to her nerves. Her adrenaline had been pumping like crazy all day, and now she was exhausted. Her eyelids drooped, and she sank deeper into her pillow. Thoughts of Alexis and Tammy and her father melted together into a dreamy darkness.
"Laura!" her father called from the living room.
Laura's eyes flew open. "What?" she mumbled.
An instant later Walker McCall was standing in the doorway to her bedroom. "Fall asleep?"
Laura sat up slowly and stretched. "Guess so," she said.
"When's supper, hon?" he asked. "I'm meeting some of the guys from the office at the bowling alley in an hour."
Laura looked at the clock. "Chicken should be ready in a few minutes. I'll fix a salad and some instant rice. It'll be ready in a jiffy."
"Good," her father said. "I'm starved."
Laura got up and scooted into the kitchen. She stopped in front of the stove and gasped. "Oh, no!"
"What?"
Laura opened the oven door and stared at the pan of raw chicken sitting inside. It was stone cold. She had been feeling so frustrated over Alexis that she had left the kitchen without turning the oven on.
"What's the matter?" he asked from over her shoulder.
Laura turned red. "The chicken . . . it's not cooked. I must have forgotten to turn on the oven."
"What!" Her father gave her a look of utter astonishment. "Do you mean to say that you just left it sitting in a cold oven while you fell asleep in your room?"
Laura stared at the floor. "Um-hm."
"Great," he muttered. "Just great."
"I'm sorry, Dad. I could make you a sandwich."
He sighed heavily. "What kind of sandwich?"
She threw open the refrigerator door and frantically looked over each shelf and in each drawer. Eeek! she thought. No cheese. No luncheon meat. No veggies. No fruit. No anything.
Laura turned slowly to her father. "Peanut butter and jelly?" she asked hopefully.
"Are you kidding?" he asked in exasperation.
"It'll only take an hour for the chicken to cook. In fact, if I turn the oven a little higher than the recipe calls for, it'll probably cook faster," she offered. "Why don't you sit down and watch TV? Before you know it, dinner will be ready."
"I told you I'm going bowling in an hour," said her father, his voice rising in anger. "Not only that, my biggest competition for that promotion is on the other team, and he's a terrific bowler. I need to be on top of my game."
Laura bit her lip and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered. There it was again, she thought. That promotion. Pressure or not, did he have to blame her for everything? She hadn't meant to goof up his dinner.
Her father looked at the ceiling, trying to regain his calm.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," he said finally. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't mess up dinner on purpose."
"That's okay," Laura said. "I mean, I'm sorry. I just forgot."
"Yeah, and sometimes I forget that you're still a kid. Still my little girl," apologized her father, looking at her tenderly. "Listen," he added, suddenly brightening. "Come here, will you? There's something I want to talk to you about." He took her hand and led her into the living room. "Sit down."
Laura sat on the edge of the couch, while her dad sank into the big, upholstered chair next to her. What's this all about? she wondered.
"Listen, I'm going to ask you to do me a special favor."
Laura eyed her father suspiciously. "What?" she asked.
"I'm going to bring home a . . . lady I want you to meet," he said.
Laura blinked in surprise. "A girlfriend?"
He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Well, yes, I guess you could call Trudy a girlfriend."
"Trudy?" she asked, grinning slyly.
"Yes," her father said. "That's her name. Trudy Dwyer."
"What does this Trudy Dwyer look like?" Laura wanted to know. The argument about the chicken seemed far away now.
Her father stared off into the distance and said, "She's a terrific woman. Beautiful. You're going to like her." Then he looked back at Laura. "And I want the place looking very nice, and I want you on your best behavior. Get it?"
Laura nodded.
"Trudy is going to come here tomorrow evening," he continued. "We're going out for dinner and a movie. But I wanted her to meet you first—I've told her what a great kid you are. You don't have to dress up or anything, but be sure to wear something nice." He thought for a moment. "How about that yellow dress?"
"Yellow dress?" she echoed.
"You know, the one you wore to your cousin Annie's wedding last spring."
Laura wrinkled her nose. "That's old. It's not flattering anymore, either." To herself, she said, This will have to be a really great outfit. I can't have my father's date outshine me!
"Of course it's a flattering dress," her father argued. "You look like my little girl in that dress. The white lace collar is great with your hair."
Laura rolled her eyes. "I think I'll wear my new black skirt with the pink silk blouse."
"I don't remember that outfit." Her father paused. "But if it looks nice, wear it."
Laura grinned. She was eager to meet her father's new girlfriend. Usually she didn't get to meet his dates. Best of all, he seemed to have forgotten all about the raw chicken in the oven. She was off the hook.
"I'm going to change clothes," her father said. "Then I'm going out for a hamburger on my way to the bowling alley. See you around ten-thirty. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
Laura smiled. "No thanks, Daddy."
The next morning Laura spotted her friends at their usual place at the corner of the school building. But someone was standing with them. Alexis! She was wearing her blue denim jacket with the hand-painted Western scene on the back. It had to be Alexis. No one else at Wakeman had a jacket like that. Laura narrowed her eyes. Alexis was talking to the girls.
And she looked mad!
Tammy looked up and saw Laura coming. She must have warned Alexis, because Alexis whirled around as if she were confronting an enemy. Laura slowed. She knew that the moment she had dreaded had finally arrived.
Her mind ticked off the possibilities, and in the next instant she knew what she would do. She would take the offensive.
"What's the matter with you, Duvall?" Laura asked nastily. Maybe she could intimidate Alexis into backing down.
"You know very well, Laura McCall," Alexis countered. She didn't look as if she would back down at all. Her face was bright red with anger.
"I have no idea," said Laura airily, trying to make it sound as if she couldn't care less, either.
"I've heard all the rumors you've been spreading about me," Alexis said.
"What rumors? I haven't said anything about you."
"Oh, yes, you have. You've been telling everyone that I went through your things last week at your apartment!" Alexis replied.
"And where did you hear that?" challenged Laura. She threw Tammy an angry glare. Tammy's face fell, and she shrank back.
"I heard it from Sara Sawyer, who got it from your friend Tammy," Alexis told her. "But since then, I've heard it from lots of kids."
"Rea
lly?" Laura asked sarcastically.
Laura noticed the color drain from Tammy's face. Good. She's terrified! Laura thought.
"You know that story is a lie," Alexis said, her face hardened with fury. "I would never do a thing like that! You owe me a big apology!"
There was no turning back. Laura had created this horrible situation; now she had no choice but to see it through. Backing down was unthinkable! She would lose face in front of the whole school. A large group of kids had already formed around them. The Fabulous Five—minus Christie Winchell, who had moved with her family to England—were standing behind Alexis and off to the side. Even worse, Laura could see out of the corner of one eye that a group of seventh-grade boys had appeared and were watching from a few yards away. Randy Kirwan, Keith Masterson, and even Shane Arrington were there. What would they think of her if she admitted she had lied?
All of these thoughts flashed through Laura's mind in a millisecond. Stand up for yourself, or you're dead! a frantic voice cried out in her head.
"I owe you an apology! That's a laugh!" Laura shrieked. "You went through my things!"
"I didn't!" cried Alexis. "That's the last thing I'd do to a friend—or—or someone I thought was my friend!"
Laura flinched for an instant. Alexis had just called her a friend. At that moment Laura hated herself. Hated herself and what she'd just done to Alexis. How had she gotten into this horrible, ugly mess? she wondered.
She glanced at the faces around her. They were all riveted on her, waiting to see what she would say next.
Laura was trapped.
She glanced down and in a split second formed her strategy. Pointing to Alexis's Wakeman charm bracelet, she said in a deadly serious voice, "You stole that from me. That's my bracelet, Alexis Duvall, and you stole it."
CHAPTER 6
"What!" Alexis cried, her voice rising an octave above its normal pitch. "This is my bracelet, Laura McCall! I can't believe it! Now you're calling me a thief!"
The kids surrounding the two girls gasped at Laura's accusation. Laura heard murmurs of disbelief run through the crowd. But suddenly another sound caught her attention. Giggling! She spun around angrily just as Funny clamped a hand over her mouth and looked at Laura in wide-eyed panic.