by Betsy Haynes
CHAPTER 4
The next morning Mr. Neal gave Christie a note telling her to be at a PEAK program meeting in the media center during fourth period. When she walked into the center that afternoon, Mrs. Brenner, Mr. Bell, and Mr. Dracovitch were sitting at a table in front of the room. Curtis, Whitney, Dekeisha, Melissa, and Melinda were sitting in chairs in front of the table.
"Hello, Christie. Please take a seat, and we'll get started in a moment," said Mrs. Brenner.
While the adults talked among themselves, Christie looked Mr. Dracovitch over. He was a science teacher at Wakeman, but the black toupee and black clothes he always wore made him look more like a vampire. Everyone said he did it to get kids interested in taking his class. But why is he here? Christie wondered.
"We're ready to begin now," said Mrs. Brenner. "Sorry about the delay. First, Mr. Bell would like to say a few words to you about the PEAK program."
The principal smiled. "I'm happy to see so many of you seventh-graders were eligible for PEAK. I'm proud to be able to say that Wakeman has more students in the program than do any of the schools around us.
"Let me tell you some things about PEAK. The program is different from any honors class that you might be taking. Instead of focusing on one aspect of a subject, you'll study the subject in different ways. For example, when you study something as simple as water, you might study sea water, the water in the cells of your body, and how the location of water thousands of years ago determined where and how people live today."
Curtis Trowbridge pushed his black horn-rimmed glasses up on his nose with one finger and raised his hand. "You mean we'll go back in time to find out about today, like they did in the movie Back to the Future?"
"You might say that." Mr. Bell chuckled.
Dekeisha Adams raised her hand. "How many hours a week will we be in this class, and will we still have time to do our other homework?"
"I can answer that," said Mrs. Brenner. "You'll attend the PEAK class three times a week during what would be your normal study period. We'll be monitoring your workloads to make sure that you can keep up with your other classes.
"Mr. Dracovitch here will be your PEAK instructor. It's going to require a lot of preparation on his part. If you need assistance that he can't provide, he'll find a teacher who can help. Now, if there are no other questions, I'll turn the meeting over to him."
The kids started whispering as the dramatic-looking Mr. Dracovitch walked around to the front of the table. Christie couldn't help wondering what he looked like without his toupee. He had been dating Katie's mother recently, and Katie said that his hair was actually blond.
"There's not a lot more I can add to what's been said, except that I'm looking forward to being your teacher. The class will be small, which means that I can give you each as much individual time as you need. If you have any questions, either during or outside of class, don't hesitate to come to me with them. Here," he said, picking up a stack of papers from the table and starting to pass them out, "is an outline of our first subject. We'll be meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The classroom is noted on the paper. Are there any questions?" he asked, looking around the room. No one spoke up. "Well, then, I'll see you Friday at three p.m. for our first class."
Christie glanced down at the sheet of paper Mr. Dracovitch had given them. The subject was going to be water, and surprisingly, it actually sounded kind of interesting. For starters, they would be visiting a weather station. Maybe she would find out that she wanted to be a meteorologist. Being able to track hurricanes and tornadoes sounded like fun.
"Hey, look who has a smile on her face."
Christie was so wrapped up in her thoughts as she left class that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Chase's voice at her side.
"You startled me," she said, putting her hand on her chest to slow her heartbeat.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But you were smiling. I just had to know what was making you so happy. Were you thinking about our walk home after school yesterday, maybe?" he asked, winking.
Christie blushed in spite of herself. She didn't normally get so silly around boys.
"I just got out of a meeting of my PEAK class."
"PEAK?" Chase asked with a blank look on his face. "Oh, that's the thing they announced in the cafeteria. I was talking to Shane and didn't pay that much attention. School announcements are always boring."
Christie began telling Chase about the program. She hoped he would be impressed. After all, he was a champion swimmer. He'd appreciate someone who succeeded in any field.
As she was talking, Chase glanced around the hallway. "Hmm, sounds interesting," he said. "Hey, there's Kirwan. I've got to talk to him about something. See ya later."
Before she could finish what she was saying, he was gone. A deflated feeling swept over Christie as she walked to her next class.
Christie was feeling on top of the world again after school. She, Jana, and Katie had met Chase, Randy, and Tony after swim practice, and then they had run into Melanie, Shane, Beth, and Keith at Bumpers. They were having so much fun, it was hard for anyone to talk without being interrupted by one of the others.
"You think that's funny!" exclaimed Chase. Shane had just finished telling about how he put tiny sunglasses on his pet iguana, Igor, when he put him under the lamp that kept him warm in his sandbox. "Wait till you hear this. We had this cat once who was so laid back that my friends and I would slide him across our dining room table like a shuffleboard puck. We'd spin him in circles in the middle of the table, and whoever his tail pointed at got to start the game." The group broke out in laughter again.
"I know something funny! I know something funny!" cried Melanie, raising her hand.
"The teacher calls on Miss Melanie Edwards," announced Chase, frowning and pretending to look over make-believe eyeglasses. "Miss Edwards, do you have something you wish to tell the class?"
Everybody laughed at his act.
"Yes, teacher, I do. This salesman came to our house one time and wanted to sell my mother some encyclopedias. It was after Rainbow had her puppies, and they were still little. Well, my mother couldn't get the guy to leave. He even stuck his foot in the door so she couldn't close it, and I could see my mom getting madder and madder. A couple of the puppies got out and were playing around this guy's feet. That didn't seem to bother him until one of the little boy puppies finally wet the side of his foot. My mother and I couldn't stop laughing. The more we laughed, the redder his face got, until he turned around and stomped off. My mom took the puppy into the kitchen and gave it a special treat for being such a good helper."
"Ha, ha!" laughed Chase, slapping his legs and pretending to fall out of the booth. Randy and Keith grabbed their sides and threw back their heads with laughter at Melanie's story. Christie and Beth were laughing so hard, tears ran down their cheeks.
Mr. Matson, the owner of Bumpers, was working the cash register, and he stared at them.
"Shh!" said Chase, putting a finger to his lips and nodding toward Mr. Matson. "The KGB is watching." That sent the group into more fits of laughter.
Christie wiped away her tears. "I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life."
"Me, either." Beth blew her nose on a tissue she had gotten out of her purse.
"Ooh," said Jana, breathing deeply to catch her breath. "I hate to break up the party, but I've got to get home."
"Me, too," said Christie. "But I don't want to."
The couples were still laughing when they split up at the corner. Christie was glad when Chase asked if he could walk her home again.
"Chase, you're really funny," Christie told him. "I don't know how we ever got along without you."
"Well, you'd better get used to me," answered Chase, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to be hanging around a lot."
"I'd like that," Christie said softly, looking up into his dark brown eyes.
"What's this thing you were telling me about today?" he asked. "You
called it PEAK? Your being in it, that means you're pretty smart, doesn't it?"
Christie was pleased he remembered. She hadn't been sure he had even heard. "There are people a lot smarter than me," she answered. "Curtis Trowbridge is downright brilliant."
"I know who he is, but he's a nerd."
"Well, Whitney Larkin, Dekeisha Adams, Melinda Thaler, and Melissa McConnell are in PEAK, and they're really smart."
"But they're not as nice-looking as you," said Chase. He was quiet for a moment, then he continued. "Your being so brainy, it's embarrassing for me to tell you, but I'm having trouble in math and English. As a matter of fact," he said with a grimace, "I'm making D's in both classes. If I don't get at least C's, I'll get cut from the swim team."
The look on his face made Christie feel instantly sorry for him. "If you'd like, I could try to help. I'm pretty good at math and English."
"You would?" he asked.
"Sure," she answered brightly. "I'm on the homework hot-line team. I help other kids all the time. We could study together."
"But you're so busy already. Would you have time?"
"Oh, yes," she said quickly. "Whenever you want. We could even do it this evening."
Chase hesitated, and looked embarrassed. "I can't. I've got a test in history I have to study for tonight."
"We could study together tomorrow night, then," Christie suggested.
"Uh . . . my problem is I've got math and English assignments I need to turn in tomorrow, or my grades will go down even more." He looked around in despair. "I'll never get out of the hole." He looked so sad, Christie wanted to put her arms around him and tell him that everything would be all right.
"I'll do whatever I can to help," she said.
"What chapters are you on in math and English?" he asked.
"Let's see . . . chapter twelve in math and ten in English."
"You're ahead of us. We're on chapters eleven and eight. I wonder . . ." He hesitated again. "No, you couldn't."
"Couldn't what?" asked Christie.
"We're not going to be graded on the assignments; they just take off points if you don't turn them in. Would it be possible for me to copy your assignments? It sure would help until we can study together, and you can get me straightened out." He looked at her with hope in his eyes.
Christie paused. "Gee . . . I don't know."
"Hey, it wouldn't be cheating." He had a sincere look on his face. "Cheating is when you give someone answers to a test. I would never ask you to do a thing like that."
"Well, okay," Christie said reluctantly. "Hold my backpack, and I'll dig them out of my notebook for you."
"Great!" exclaimed Chase, giving her a squeeze. "You're really super to do this. Just ask me to do something big for you one of these days, like throw myself in front of a car. Anything."
Christie still wasn't sure she was doing the right thing as she gave him the assignments.
When Christie walked into the house, she heard her mother and father talking in the kitchen. The serious tone of their voices made her stop just as she was about to call out that she was home. She walked to the kitchen door to listen.
"Vince, you said it would be a long time before your company decided to fill that job in London," her mother was saying. "And now, two days later, you come home and tell me you're on a list of candidates for the job."
"I know, I know," her father answered. "I told you what I thought would happen. No way did I expect them to decide this soon to fill the job permanently."
"And now we have to decide whether to uproot our family and go to England for some unknown number of years? There can't be a lot of openings for elementary school principals in London."
"Who knows? London's a big city, and they've got private schools as well as the public school system. You're always talking about how great the English school system is."
"I can't deny that," said her mother. "How big a promotion would this be for you?"
"I'd be running a company. If I did okay, who knows what it could mean. I'm not going to kid you, Val. It's intriguing to me."
There was a momentary silence before her mother spoke again. "England has always interested me. There's so much to see and do over there. And the school system would be good for Christie."
"And she certainly wouldn't have to give up tennis," Christie's father said. "There's nothing bigger than the Wimbledon tennis tournament."
Their conversation sent chills through Christie. She had started to convince herself that her father wouldn't be transferred to England. After all, he had said there was only a remote chance. And now. . . . Christie's mind whirled around like a carnival ride. She had just met Chase, and it looked as if there could really be something special between them. If she stayed here.
On top of that, her parents were the ones who had wanted her to be in the gifted and talented program. Now they'd want her to be in a program like it in England, and she would have to start all over again. She had heard how smart the kids in England were. They made higher grades on tests than kids in any other country. She would probably be just average over there, and her parents wouldn't understand.
And what about her friends, The Fabulous Five? She would never, ever have friends like them again. Nothing she had here would count, and she'd have to start her life all over again. Christie spun on her heel and ran to her room.
CHAPTER 5
Both Christie's parents were quiet during dinner that evening. Her father seemed fascinated with his food and moved it all over the plate with his fork. Christie wondered if he thought he might discover something underneath. Her mother, who was usually chatty, asked Christie about the PEAK program and then only half listened to her answer. After that, except for an occasional "Would you please pass the salt" or "May I have the potatoes," the three of them were silent.
Later that evening Christie stopped at the spare room her mother used as an office. "Mom, can I talk to you?"
Her mother looked up from the papers she was reading. "Yes, sweetheart. What's on your mind?"
Christie shuffled from one foot to the other and tried to keep the tears from coming. "I . . . I was just wondering. If daddy gets the job in London, would he have to be there all the time, or could he be boss from his office here? I mean, he could tell the people who worked for him what he wanted them to do over the telephone, couldn't he?"
A look of concern came over her mother's face, and she put down her work.
"Sit down, honey," she said, patting the chair next to her desk. "I think we do need to talk. First, it isn't definite that your father will get the job in London. The people who make those decisions have just decided to put someone there permanently."
There was that word, permanently, again. It had an ominous ring to it, and hearing it was starting to make her feel sick to her stomach.
"Right now his company is putting together a list of candidates for the job, Christie. Your father's name isn't the only one on it."
"Since he's doing all the work right now, isn't he the best person for the job?"
"One would think so, but we don't know for sure. There can be different considerations when you're looking for someone to fill a job on a permanent basis versus short-term. We'll just have to sit and wait."
"How long would he have to be in the job?"
Her mother shrugged. "Your father says at least two years, most likely three or four. I know you're concerned, sweetheart. Your father and I are, too. You've got great friends, and you're doing wonderfully in school. I hate to think about having to move you, but it wouldn't necessarily be all bad. London has so much to offer. There are castles and a queen, the London Bridge, the Tower of London, Big Ben, lots of great theater, the Wimbledon tennis tournament. . . . The list just goes on and on." She reached out and took Christie's hands.
"You have to know that your father understands that the change would be hard for us, but we could all get a lot out of it, too. We also have to think about him. This could be a great promotion for your fat
her.
"There's also another advantage. If we were to move to England, maybe you could go to college at Oxford or Cambridge. Now, wouldn't that be nice?"
"I don't have to go to a fancy private college," Christie responded, squeezing her hands into tight fists behind her back. "I can go to a state school, and it wouldn't cost nearly as much." She could see in her mother's eyes that that wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"Christie, honey, you're a brilliant young lady. It would be a shame to let those brains of yours go to waste. With the right education, you can do some super things. I'd hate to think that your father and I hadn't done our part to help you fulfill your potential."
Later Christie lay in bed, her arms wrapped around her tennis bunny, thinking over what her mother had said. She had made moving to London sound so great, but the fact still remained that Christie would have to leave her friends and everything that was familiar to her. Her pillow felt wet where her tears had fallen.
The next morning Christie scuffed her way to the place by the fence where The Fabulous Five met every day. The others were waiting for her.
"Oh, Christie! I just heard that Chase walked you home again last night," Melanie said, hopping up and down. "Tell us everything that happened. What did he say? Did he ask you for a date? Did he kiss you? Tell us! Tell us!"
"Melanie, give Christie a chance," Katie scolded. "How's she going to tell us anything if you keep talking?"
"Oops! I'm sorry," said Melanie, covering her mouth with her hand.
Jana looked at Christie closely. "What's wrong, Chris? You look sad. Is there something wrong between you and Chase?"
Christie shook her head. "Oh, no. I like him a lot, and I think he likes me, too. He's fun to be with, and we talked about lots of things when he walked me home."
"Did he kiss you?" Melanie asked eagerly.
"Melanie!" said Katie sharply.