by Betsy Haynes
"Our beloved principal, Mr. Bell," Beth told her.
"Oh, come on," scoffed Jana. "Mr. Bell wouldn't do a thing like that."
"Oh, yeah?" countered Beth. "Marcie Bee's uncle is a policeman, and he's the one who gave Mr. Bell the ticket. Isn't that a riot?"
When Jana shook her head in disbelief, Chris chimed in, "Hey, give the guy a break. He's human."
"So I hear you and Kirwan split up," said Parker. He was turned toward Jana and totally ignoring the rest of the conversation.
Little prickles raced up the back of Jana's neck. She looked to Beth for help, but her friend was too busy with her story about Mr. Bell to notice Jana. "Uh-huh," she said softly.
"His tough luck." Parker gave her a sly grin.
Jana felt her face turn hot. She caught Beth's eye and said quickly, "It's getting late. I'd better be heading home."
Beth made a face at Jana and then sighed in resignation. "Okay. I'll go with you. See you guys later." She jumped up, started to leave, and waved back at the boys in the booth.
Jana gave them a small wave, too, and then made a beeline for the door with Beth right behind her.
"What did you do that for?" Beth demanded as soon as they were outside. "Things were just getting interesting. I could tell that Parker was zeroing in on you. What did he say? Did he ask you out?"
"Whoa!" said Jana. "Not so fast. I don't think I'm ready for this."
Beth put her hands on her hips and gave Jana an impatient look. "But you're the one who started it."
Jana didn't answer. It was impossible to explain to Beth how she felt. She wasn't even sure herself.
"I know!" Beth blinked her eyes open as if a light had just flashed on in her brain. "I'll call Shawnie and ask her to talk to Craig about hinting around to Parker to ask you out."
"But, Beth—"
"You guys would make a great-looking couple," continued Beth, totally ignoring Jana's protest.
Back home a little while later Jana grabbed a soda out of the fridge and took it to her room, dropping down on her bed to sip the cold drink and think.
It had been her idea for Randy and her to date others. There was no question about that. And she still believed it was the right thing to do. But why was she suddenly so nervous? And what would she do if Parker Donovan asked her out?
CHAPTER 3
"Eeeyew! It's green!" shouted Beth, making a face.
"What is it?" asked Jana, peering into the bowl that Katie had stuck under her nose.
The Fabulous Five had decided to get together in Jana's bedroom the next afternoon for a study and gab session, since it was too rainy out to do anything else. Only Melanie hadn't arrived yet.
"It's spinach dip," Katie said proudly. "I made it myself, and I brought it for us to eat during our meeting."
"But it's green," insisted Beth.
Katie put a hand on one hip and looked down her nose at Beth. "It's supposed to be green. It has spinach in it. Now that my mom has started writing a gourmet food column for the local paper, I've decided to start making some of her recipes. Here, take a cracker and try some. It's très gourmet."
Beth backed away. "What is tray gourmet?"
"Très," Katie repeated. "You know, French for very. This dip is very gourmet. Come on, guys, try it."
Jana exchanged dubious glances with Beth and tried to decide what to do. Katie's très gourmet spinach dip looked awful. Fortunately, at that moment, the bedroom door opened, and Melanie came rushing in.
"Hey, I got a letter from Christie!" she sang, waving an envelope in the air.
"Go ahead and read it," Jana said eagerly. "Everybody's here."
There was a catch in Jana's throat at the mention of Christie Winchell, the fifth member of The Fabulous Five, whose move to London had left a blank space in their group that was impossible to fill. Christie wrote often to her friends, addressing her letter to a different member of The Fabulous Five each time but meaning it for everyone. Jana wondered what Christie thought of her breakup with Randy and if she would mention it in this letter.
Melanie carefully turned her wet raincoat inside out and put it on Jana's bed before sitting down on the edge and pulling the letter out of the envelope. "Wait till you hear this," she said excitedly.
Dear Melanie,
Boy, the weather in London is everything you've ever heard it was. It's rained for so long that I swear I'm getting webbed feet just like a duck!
"Tell me about it," muttered Katie, glancing toward the rain-streaked window.
"Be quiet, Katie," said Melanie. "I'm getting to the good part."
I really wish you guys could meet Connie Farrell. I know that he's an umpteenth cousin to the queen, but he really doesn't act the way I've always imagined royalty would act. In fact, he's super. And he's handsome and fun. And I absolutely LOVE his beautiful horse, Rigel. The only problem is, I still like Chase!
I really wish I could talk to you and the rest of The Fabulous Five about this. You're the best friends in the world, and I miss you guys so much!
That's about all the news from here. Write soon!
Love,
Christie
Melanie let the letter flutter to the floor as she fell back against the bed, pretending to faint. "Can you imagine dating royalty?" she gushed, sitting back up and looking around with wide eyes. "I can just hear it now. 'Would you like to go out with me Saturday night, Christie? If you do, I'll present you to the queen.' Or maybe they'll double with Charles and Di!"
"Wow," said Jana, shaking her head. "I always knew that Christie was special, but dating royalty! That's really something."
"I can't help feeling a little sorry for Chase," commented Katie, poking a cracker into the green dip and eating it.
"Why?" asked Melanie. "Christie wrote him that she still likes him, but that she isn't sure if she's coming back anytime soon, so they should date other people."
"I know," replied Katie, "but he's really got it bad for Christie." She glanced at Jana and frowned. "Just like Randy has it bad for you."
Jana turned to Katie. "I thought you, of all people, would understand, even think it's a great idea. I thought you'd see me as sort of liberated, or something."
"Come on, Jana," said Melanie. "Everybody knows that you and Randy are perfect for each other. You guys will get married and live happily ever after."
Jana smiled weakly. That's what my mom expected for herself and my dad, she thought. There was no use trying to explain. There was nothing she could say without giving away her mother's secret.
Jana glanced across the room at Beth. She had hardly said a word since Katie passed her the green dip. It wasn't like her to be so quiet.
"So how was your date with Keith last night?" asked Jana, hoping to draw Beth into the conversation.
"Don't ask," Beth muttered, and then looked helplessly at her friends. "I don't know what's wrong with him," she went on.
"What do you mean?" asked Melanie. "What happened?"
"Nothing. And I mean that's exactly what happened—nothing! We went to a movie at Cinema Six, and what did he do while we waited to get into the theater? He left me standing by the concession stand while he horsed around with Joel Murphy and Tony Sanchez. Then once we got inside and the movie started, he treated me as if I had bad breath or something. He leaned on the arm of the seat opposite from me and never once held my hand."
Jana frowned, remembering how Keith had left Bumpers yesterday as soon as Beth's name was mentioned. Maybe it wasn't just a coincidence, after all.
"He was probably just in a bad mood," offered Katie. When Beth gave her a puzzled look, she added, "You know. He could have had a fight with his parents, or something."
"I'm sure everything is going to be okay," Melanie said sympathetically. "You know how boys are sometimes—weird!"
Beth shrugged, and lapsed into silence again.
When The Fabulous Five meeting broke up later in the afternoon, Beth lingered, pretending to search her coat pockets as if she we
re looking for something important. As soon as the others had gone, she dropped her coat on Jana's bed and sank down beside it. "Jana, I have to talk to you. It's an emergency."
"Of course, Beth. You know you can always talk to me," Jana said gently. She could guess what was coming, and she took a deep breath and sat down beside her friend. "It's about Keith, isn't it?"
Beth nodded and looked as if she were struggling to hold back tears. "It was just awful, Jana. He didn't say six words to me all night. I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me. He just kept saying 'nothing.' But I knew that wasn't true."
"Is there anything he could be mad about?" asked Jana. "Have you done anything lately that he didn't like?" She was thinking back to the times Keith had been jealous of all the time Beth spent with the Drama Club. In fact, they had almost broken up once because he said she cared more about acting than about him.
Beth shook her head. "I can't think of anything, and, believe me, I've tried. Oh, Jana, I like him so much. I know we've had problems sometimes because he's immature, but he's fun and almost as crazy as I am. I'm really worried." She hesitated and then said just above a whisper, "He didn't even kiss me good-night."
Jana's hopes sank. It wasn't Beth's imagination, after all. Something really was wrong, and she couldn't stand to think of her best friend's getting hurt.
"You've got to do me a favor," Beth said earnestly. "Please, you're the only one I can ask."
Jana knew she had no choice, even though red warning lights were flashing in her brain. "What?"
"Call Keith," Beth implored. "Call him and ask him what's wrong. Just don't tell him I put you up to it."
"Oh, Beth. I don't know," she replied slowly. "I mean, what excuse could I use for calling? He knows we're best friends."
"I don't know. You'll think of something."
Jana bit her lower lip. Beth looked so miserable that she couldn't possibly say no. Finally she took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I'll try, but I can't promise that he'll tell me anything."
Beth wrapped her arms around Jana and gave her a huge hug. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! You don't know how much better I feel already. And I'll call Shawnie about Craig's talking to Parker, too. I promise!" Beth grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "And call me the instant you talk to Keith, okay?"
Jana agreed and closed the door behind Beth. Now what am I going to do? she wondered.
She went back into her bedroom and sat down at her desk. She knew it was almost time to help her mother get supper ready, but first she had to figure out a way to talk to Keith. She opened her notebook and began scribbling down possible things to say.
Hi, Keith. This is Jana. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Beth. She paused and bit the end of her pencil. That wasn't too bad. But what next?
Are you mad at her about something? No, thought Jana, scratching that out.
Did Beth do something to make you mad? Not much better, she thought, and drew a line through the words.
Beth's a little worried that you might be mad about something, and she asked me to talk to you. Hmmm, thought Jana. That might work.
Through her closed bedroom door, she could hear the phone ringing. A moment later Mrs. Pinkerton knocked softly on the door. "It's for you, honey. A boy."
"Thanks, Mom," Jana said, and felt little tingles race across her scalp. Who could that be? she wondered. Parker? Or Randy? Gosh, I hope not. I'm not ready to talk to either of them.
Nervously she rose from the desk and went to the phone.
"Hi, Jana. This is Keith. Can I talk to you a minute?"
"Keith!" Jana exploded in surprise. "I mean, hi. I hope I didn't break your eardrum," she added apologetically. "I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be you."
"That's okay," said Keith.
There was a pause, and Jana wondered if she should ask him about Beth. Somehow the timing seemed wrong, so instead she said, "What's up?"
"Umm," fumbled Keith. "I was wondering if you'd do me a favor. I mean, a huge favor."
"Well . . . sure, Keith . . . if I can," she replied.
"Thanks. I knew you would."
"So what is it you want me to do?" asked Jana, puzzled.
"Tell Beth something for me," he answered.
"What?" Jana asked in surprise.
"That I want to break up with her."
Jana gasped and almost dropped the phone.
CHAPTER 4
"Keith, I can't tell Beth a thing like that!" Jana cried. "Besides, I can't believe you really mean it."
There was a loud sigh on the other end of the line, and then Keith said, "Well, I do. I can't help it. I just don't want to go out with her anymore."
Jana's mind was reeling. Poor Beth! She was going to be totally crushed!
"Well . . . well . . . why do you want me to tell her?" she asked, feeling just as confused as ever. "I'd think you'd want to tell her yourself."
"I tried to. Last night. I mean, she even asked me if something was wrong, and I chickened out."
"Well, just because you're chicken, what makes you think I should do it?" Jana demanded. She was getting angrier by the minute.
"You're her best friend. You can say it better than I can," he offered.
"Humpf," snorted Jana.
"I mean it," insisted Keith. "Beth is a nice kid, and I know she really likes me, and—"
"Of all the egotistical things to say, Keith Masterson!" Jana shouted. "I never knew you were so conceited!"
"Come on, Jana. Let me finish."
Jana let out an angry breath, but she didn't say anything.
"I know if I try to tell her, I'll just goof it up and say it all wrong. But maybe she'll take it better if she hears it from you. Do you see what I mean?"
As badly as she hated to admit it even to herself, Jana could see his point. Keith wasn't known for being tactful. And he had been a jerk more than once since he had been dating Beth. There was no telling what he might say to her. She could be hurt twice if she heard it from him. Once by breaking up, and then by the way he said it. That would be awful, realized Jana. Maybe she should be the one to break the news to Beth, after all.
"Okay," she said slowly. "I guess maybe I could talk to her. But it's only for her sake," Jana warned. "I'm not trying to do you any favors."
"Okay, I get it," said Keith, and she could hear relief in his voice. "Thanks a lot. And, Jana . . ." he added, "the sooner, the better, okay?"
"Keith Masterson, you—" But he had already hung up.
Jana put the receiver down and stomped back to her room, slamming the door behind herself. "Now what have I gotten myself into?" she moaned. "Poor Beth! How can I possibly tell her that Keith wants to break up with her? She'll absolutely die!"
A moment later her mother was outside the door. "Is everything okay, honey?" she called.
Jana sighed deeply and opened the door, motioning for her mother to come in. "First Beth wanted me to call Keith and ask him what's wrong, but before I could do that, Keith called and asked me to tell her they're breaking up."
"Wow," said Mrs. Pinkerton, shaking her head sympathetically. "How did you get in the middle of all that?"
Jana explained the whole story to her mother. "What am I going to do?"
"Well, if you want my advice, Keith really should do his own dirty work."
"But what about Beth?" Jana insisted.
Her mother thought for a moment. "I can see your point about not wanting Beth to be hurt any more than necessary, but there's no guarantee that your telling her will help much. She's still going to be hurt, and she may get mad at you for breaking the news. I'd stay out of it if I could, sweetheart. Your friendship with Beth is too precious."
After Mrs. Pinkerton left her room, Jana thought about what her mother had said. In some ways, she knew, it was good advice. Maybe it wouldn't help Beth for her to get involved. And maybe Beth would get mad at her. But at the same time, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing! Beth was her very best
friend in the world.
She considered calling Melanie and Katie and asking them what they thought she should do. After all, The Fabulous Five always stuck together. But the more she thought about it, the more she knew that wouldn't work.
"Melanie would start lining up dates for Beth, and Katie would want Keith shot at sunrise," she muttered. She would just have to figure it out for herself.
Mercifully her mother didn't mention Beth while they got supper on the table or during dinner, and Pink was busy talking about the bowling tournament he was taking part in on Saturday and didn't seem to notice her quiet mood. Even while they did the dishes, her mother kept the conversation on other topics. She knows I have to make my own decision, Jana realized gratefully.
Finally, shortly after the kitchen light was turned out and her mother and Pink had settled in front of the television for the evening, Jana knew she couldn't wait any longer. She had to call Beth.
She punched in the number and listened to the ring. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
That's funny, Jana thought as the phone continued to ring, with seven people in the family, there's almost always someone home at the Barrys'.
Jana frowned as she replaced the receiver. That meant she would have to talk to Beth at school tomorrow. They wouldn't have much privacy there. What if Beth started crying? She might have to go to class with a red nose and puffy eyes. That would be awful. Kids would ask questions, and they might guess what had happened. Even worse, Keith might see her. It would probably make his ego even bigger to see a girl cry over him.
Jana tried Beth's number three more times before she went to bed, but no one answered. There were a million places Beth and her family could have gone, of course, but knowing that didn't help. If anything, it made Jana worry about tomorrow, and she had a hard time falling asleep.
The next morning the first person she saw as she hurried to The Fabulous Five's meeting place at school was Beth. She was leaning against the chain-link fence with a mournful look on her face.
Jana's heart leapt into her throat, and she stopped in the shadows of a copper beech tree and thought the situation over. This might be a good time to break the news, since Beth was alone. But Melanie and Katie would be along any minute. Besides them, some mornings Alexis Duvall and Dekeisha Adams stood with them before school. It was just too public to tell her now.