by Betsy Haynes
THE FABULOUS FIVE #14
THE SEVENTH-GRADE MENACE
BETSY HAYNES
A BANTAM SKYLARK BOOK®
NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND
RL 5, IL age 9 and up
SEVENTH-GRADE MENACE
A Bantam Skylark Book / December 1989
Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1989 by Betsy Haynes and James Haynes.
Cover art copyright © 1989 by Ralph Amatrudi.
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ISBN 0-553-15763-9
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words "Bantam Books" and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10103.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CW 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Susan Korman
CHAPTER 1
Jana Morgan flashed her biggest and brightest smile at Randy Kirwan as she crossed the Wakeman Junior High school grounds and headed toward The Fabulous Five's favorite spot by the fence. He waved and gave her his 1,000-watt smile back.
Even though it was Monday morning, Jana was still daydreaming about their super weekend together. On Friday night, they had gone to the movies and Bumpers, the fast-food restaurant where everyone from Wakeman Junior High hung out. On Saturday, Randy had bicycled to her house, and her stepfather Pink had dropped them off at the West Side Mall, where they'd met the rest of The Fabulous Five: Katie Shannon, Beth Barry, Melanie Edwards, and Christie Winchell, who were there with Tony Calcaterra, Keith Masterson, Shane Arrington, Scott Daly, and Jon Smith. Later, they had all gone to Melanie's to watch a video and eat popcorn. The evening had ended with Randy's holding her hand as he walked her home and kissing her good-night before getting on his bicycle and leaving. Jana knew she had a dopey smile on her face as she thought about the terrific weekend, but she didn't care. Let people stare.
"HEY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
Before Jana could react, someone slammed into her, knocking her backward. She tried to catch her balance, but she tripped instead. Her books flew in all directions as she hit the ground with a thud.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?"
Geena McNatt stood there, glaring down at Jana. She was dressed in a pair of red sweatpants and matching top, which were both several sizes too big for her. She had one hand on her hip and was holding a football with the other.
"I was walking where people are supposed to walk!" Jana retorted angrily. How in the world could Geena accuse her of being at fault? Jana got to her feet and faced the other girl.
Geena had reddish-brown hair that she hardly ever combed and freckles across the bridge of her nose. She was a year older and half a head taller than Jana, even though she was in the seventh grade, too. Jon Smith, who had gone to Copper Beach Elementary with Geena, had told Christie that Geena had been held back in the fifth grade.
Even though Jana and Geena were both in Mr. Broderick's social studies class, Jana hadn't talked to her very much. In fact, Jana tried to stay out of her way. Geena was always picking on kids who couldn't defend themselves and disrupting the classroom.
"Well, you'd better watch where you're walking," Geena said, turning to throw the football in a perfect spiral to Bill Soliday and trotting after it.
"Are you okay?" Randy asked, running up.
Jana brushed off the back of her denim skirt and checked the scrape on her elbow. "I think so. I didn't see her coming."
"I'm not surprised. She was running after a pass, and you were looking the other way."
As Randy started picking up Jana's books, the rest of The Fabulous Five joined them. They had been Jana's best friends for what seemed like forever, and she knew she could always count on them. Now they were all giving her sympathetic looks.
"I think they should outlaw throwing footballs on the school ground," said Beth. "It's dangerous."
"Only when Geena McNatt's playing," said Christie. "The guys are more careful than she is."
"I don't think I broke anything," said Jana. "It was just an accident."
"Are you sure you don't have footprints up your back?" asked Keith Masterson, who had just walked up. "Geena almost stepped on you."
Jana smiled. "I'm fine." And except for a few sore spots, she did feel fine. It had just been an accident, she told herself, and even though Geena was in her social studies class, she might not have to speak to her again.
As Jana made her way to the cafeteria for lunch later that afternoon, she met Funny Hawthorne. "Are you going to run for Miss Seventh Grade?" asked Funny. "If you do, I'll vote for you as long as you promise not to tell Laura."
Funny's question surprised Jana. She hadn't thought of herself as being popular outside of her own group of friends, let alone being well enough known to run for Miss Seventh Grade. The Wigwam yearbook was running its annual contest to determine who were the most popular kids in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades at Wacko Junior High, as most kids called their school. The winners would receive their awards at a school assembly and have their pictures in the yearbook. Students who wanted to be candidates had to get fifty signatures and turn the list in at the office by Friday.
"Why would I run?" Jana asked Funny. "Kids wouldn't vote for me. I'm not that well-known."
"What? Lots of kids know you, and I've never heard anyone say anything bad about you." Funny hesitated and looked embarrassed. "Except for Laura, maybe."
Jana sighed at the mention of Laura McCall. She was the leader of a clique who called themselves The Fantastic Foursome. The Fabulous Five had had a run-in with The Fantastic Foursome on the very first day of school, and they had been rivals ever since. Besides Laura and Funny, Melissa McConnell and Tammy Lucero were members. Jana had heard that Laura made the other girls do things to belong, but she could never find out what, even though Funny and she had become friends. And Laura was always bragging that since she lived with her single father, she could do just about anything she pleased.
Funny giggled, breaking into Jana's thoughts about Laura. "I'm even starting a rumor that you and Randy Kirwan are going to run together as Mr. and Miss Seventh Grade," said Funny. "Everyone knows you're the perfect couple."
Jana's mouth fell open. "Funny! You're not really doing that, are you? Randy would make a super Mr. Seventh Grade, but there are lots of girls who are more popular than I am."
"Name one," demanded Funny.
"Why . . ." Jana thought for a moment. "There's . . . uh, Christie, and Laura, and what about you? You're so friendly. Everyone likes you."
"Christie doesn't like to be the center of attention. Remember how she didn't want to run for class president? And Laura? She's my friend, but I don't think that many other people like her as much as I do. She is kind of bossy.
"And me," continued Funny. "I guess people that know me like me, but I don't have nearly as many friends as you do. Everyone knows The Fabulous Five, and you're their leader."
Jana looked at Funny. She hadn't con
sidered running for Miss Seventh Grade, but if Randy ran for Mr. Seventh Grade, it would be fun for them to run together. Randy was liked by everyone. He was the kindest and most sincere boy in the world, and he always stood by his friends. He had been the quarterback on the seventh-grade football team, and now he was on the basketball team, so everyone knew him. Maybe it was a good idea after all.
"I don't know," Jana said, still hesitating. "Maybe. But I'll have to think about it."
"Great! I'm taking that for a yes," said Funny. "I'll keep spreading my rumors, too. Gotta go," she said as they approached the door to the cafeteria. "If Laura sees us together, I'll have to explain why I was talking to you." She flashed Jana a big smile and waved with her fingers as she skittered away.
Jana didn't mention her conversation with Funny to her friends during lunch. Running for Miss Seventh Grade for the yearbook contest was such a new idea to her that she needed to think about it. If she and Randy both ran and won, being chosen together would be so romantic. Funny had said everyone thought they were a perfect couple. That thrilled Jana, even though she had secretly known it for a long time.
Jana waved to Shane Arrington as she entered her social studies class that afternoon. Shane looked a lot like River Phoenix and might be as popular as Randy, she thought as she settled into her seat. He was fun, played on all the seventh-grade teams, and was really laid-back. If Shane ran for Mr. Seventh Grade, he could have a chance to be elected.
Jana looked around for anyone else who might be competition as Mr. Broderick began calling roll. Curtis Trowbridge, who had gone to Mark Twain Elementary with Jana, was seated to the right of his girlfriend, Whitney Larkin. Whitney was a brain who had skipped sixth grade and gone right into seventh. She was smaller and shyer than the other kids. What about Curtis for Mr. Seventh Grade? Jana asked herself. He's seventh-grade class president so he's pretty popular. She shook her head. Although Curtis had won the election for president, neither Randy nor Shane had been running.
A movement near Whitney caught Jana's attention. Geena McNatt sat on Whitney's left, and Jana thought she had seen Geena pulling a folder from between two of Whitney's books. Jana couldn't be sure if that was what had really happened or if she had imagined it.
As the period passed, Jana couldn't keep her eyes from returning to Geena. Geena partially opened her notebook, and it appeared to Jana that she was looking at something in a folder, but had she really taken the folder from Whitney? Then Geena took out a blank page and wrote something on it. When she was finished, she dug a paper clip out of her purse and clipped it to the top of some papers she took from the folder.
Jana frowned. What was she doing? Just then, Geena glanced up and her eyes locked with Jana's. An arrogant look spread over her face, and she stuck her tongue out at Jana.
Jana could feel a hot flush creep up her neck.
"All right, class," Mr. Broderick said as the period drew to an end. "Please turn in the articles about pollution I asked you to cut out of newspapers and magazines over the weekend."
Jana dug into her notebook and took out her assignment. There had been another oil spill off the coast of Alaska, and it had been easy to find lots of articles in the Sunday papers. The only problem was, everyone else probably had the same ones. She had dug through some old Time magazines that were stacked under the coffee table in the living room and found a few others that were different. As she passed her assignment forward to Joel Murphy, who sat in front of her, she noticed Whitney frantically searching through her books.
Geena passed something forward and then gave Jana a mean look.
As they left the room, Geena walked up beside Jana and bumped her. "You tell, and I'll get you," she said, and then hurried down the hall leaving Jana staring after her with her mouth open.
CHAPTER 2
"Can you believe her nerve?" grumbled Jana, glancing at Geena McNatt, who was standing by herself near the old Wurlitzer jukebox in Bumpers. Jana was sitting in a booth with the rest of The Fabulous Five in the junior high hangout. "She actually took something from Whitney Larkin and threatened me if I told."
"Do you know for sure that it was Whitney's homework she took?" asked Katie.
"No, I can't prove it. I talked to Whitney after class, and she was almost crying. You know Whitney—the kids who went to Copper Beach Elementary with her say she's never made a grade lower than an A in her life. Not being able to turn in homework on time just blew her mind. She had cut out several articles about pollution, and if I know Whitney, she went to a lot of trouble to find some that no one else would have. But Geena could have gotten her own articles. Sunday's papers were full of them."
"What about the folder?" asked Beth. "Wouldn't that prove she took them?"
"Not if Geena doesn't have it anymore," said Christie. "And I'm sure she wouldn't keep it around for someone else to find."
"Why did she have to pick on Whitnev?" said Melanie. "She's so shy."
Everyone nodded agreement.
"Do you suppose Whitney will tell Curtis what Geena did?" asked Katie. "If I know Curtis, he'll get really mad if he finds out."
"I told her I didn't think she should, and she agreed," said Jana. "Geena would probably run and tell her two brothers, and that would not be good for Curtis." Jana thought about the McNatt boys. Max was in the ninth grade at Wakeman and played noseguard on the varsity football team. He was rough and walked around looking as if he didn't like anyone. Joe was Geena's twin, but he was in the eighth grade instead of the seventh, and he was a slightly smaller version of Max. Jana had noticed Max sitting in a booth across the room with two other ninth-grade boys.
"What exactly did Geena say to you?" asked Katie.
"She said if I told, she'd get me," replied Jana.
Katie frowned. "That's not enough evidence to bring her before Teen Court. It would be your word against hers, and you can't prove it was Whitney's homework."
"I know." Jana poked at the ice in her soda. Since Katie was one of the student judges on Wakeman's Teen Court, she knew what she was talking about. "It's one thing for her to threaten me," Jana went on, "but I really hate to see her get away with what she did to Whitney. Whitney can't defend herself like most kids can."
"It doesn't look as if there's much we can do about it," said Christie.
"Changing the subject, how come your best friends are the last ones to find out the big news?" Beth asked, looking at Jana.
"What are you talking about?"
"Dekeisha Adams said that she heard that you and Randy were going to run for Miss and Mr. Seventh Grade in The Wigwam contest."
The others looked at Jana in surprise.
Christie almost knocked over her soda. "Is that true?"
"No. That's just a rumor that Funny Hawthorne is spreading," responded Jana.
"It sounds like a great idea to me," said Melanie. "Why don't you do it? Everybody would vote for you."
"And it's not like running for class president or Teen Court," said Katie. "It's an honorary position, and you wouldn't have a lot of things to do once you were elected."
"And you and Randy are such a great couple," chimed in Melanie. "Oh, Jana! You just have to. We'll all help. You know we will."
Jana looked at each of her friends. They were really serious.
"Well, say something," said Katie. "Will you do it?"
"I might," Jana said slowly, picturing Randy standing next to her on the stage in the auditorium while they both waved to a crowd of Wacko Junior High students. "But only if Randy agrees to run, too."
"Fantastic!" squealed Beth. "We've got to have another meeting and make plans and posters like we did when Christie was running for class president."
"You mean when I almost ran," Christie said.
"Hey, wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Jana interrupted, holding her hands up to stop them. "I haven't talked to Randy about it yet. I don't even know if he'd be interested."
"Well, ask him," said Christie. "He's right over there."
&nbs
p; "Not in here," said Jana, feeling instantly shy. "I'll talk to him tonight and let you all know in the morning." She looked at Randy, who was in an animated conversation with Keith and Shane. He was so handsome with his dark wavy hair and his wide white smile. He would make a perfect Mr. Seventh Grade.
"OUCH! Darn it!"
The shout startled Jana, and she looked around quickly. Geena and Clarence Marshall were squared off in front of the jukebox, and blood was dripping from Clarence's nose onto his sneakers.
"You hit me!" Clarence said angrily.
"Well, you shouldn't have shoved me!" retorted Geena.
"I didn't shove you. I just wanted to get to the jukebox to play a song."
"You did too shove me," Geena insisted, sticking her face into Clarence's as if she were a baseball player arguing with an umpire.
Jana saw Geena's brother Max bounce out of his seat and head to his sister's side.
"Did you push my sister?" Max snarled, jabbing a stubby finger at Clarence's chest. He was built like a small version of a refrigerator and was two or three inches taller than Clarence.
Clarence held his ground. "No, I didn't push her. I was just trying to get to the jukebox to play some music, and she stepped in front of me. Then she hit me."
"Let me hit him again!" yelled Geena, trying to get at Clarence.
Max pushed her away and puffed out his chest, and the look on his face got angrier.
Just as Jana thought he was going to hit Clarence, Shane Arrington stepped in between them.
"Hey, Max," Shane said in a friendly voice, as if he were oblivious to what was going on. "I was wondering if I could have your autograph."
A look of confusion came over Max's face. "My autograph?" he asked suspiciously, squinting at Shane.
"Sure," said Shane, putting his arm around Max's broad shoulders as if they had been buddies for a long time. "I was talking to Jana Morgan, and she and Funny Hawthorne are going to have a feature in the yearbook about the animals that some of the kids at Wacko collected money for at Christmas. Since you donated, they thought you'd be a good model for a reenactment."