by Betsy Haynes
Beth had such a hopeful look on her face that Jana was tongue-tied. She wasn't getting anywhere at all.
"Would you do it?" Beth asked in a small voice.
"I don't think it would be a good idea."
"Why not?" Beth demanded.
"Um, I just think you ought to play hard to get," Jana said quickly, thankful for the sudden inspiration.
Beth looked skeptical. "But he knows I like him. What good would it do to play hard to get?"
"You know how guys hate to be chased," said Jana. "I mean, if you act as if you don't care, he might get worried."
"Do you really think so?" asked Beth. "I mean, you don't think he'd just forget about me and start dating other girls, do you?"
Jana took a deep breath. "I think it's worth a try. I really do."
"Well . . ." Beth hesitated and looked at Jana nervously. "I guess if you say so . . . I could try."
"Terrific." Jana squeezed Beth's hand. She was grateful when the first bell rang an instant later, and they headed toward the school.
CHAPTER 9
Jana was concentrating on working her locker combination when she heard snatches of conversation coming from the direction of the lockers across the hall from hers.
". . . cutest boy in Wacko . . . didn't think they'd ever break up . . . Jana didn't know how lucky she was."
Jana's hand froze on the lock. She didn't have to turn around to know who was talking. It was Sara Sawyer, and she was talking about Randy. Jana closed her eyes and listened harder.
"So did he invite you to go to Bumpers with him last night, or did you just happen to see him there?" asked Lisa Snow.
Both girls giggled, and then Sara said, "It wasn't a date. I overheard him talking to Tony Sanchez in math class yesterday. They were making plans to go to Bumpers, so naturally I had to be there."
It sounded awful to hear someone else talk about Randy. Her Randy. At least he hadn't asked Sara to go to Bumpers with him. She had just shown up.
"Of course I sat with him," Sara added confidently, "and then he walked me home. I wouldn't be surprised if he asks me out for this weekend."
"All right!" Lisa cried.
Then they moved down the hall, and Jana couldn't hear any more of their conversation. Randy had walked Sara home. Then he must like her! Jana leaned her forehead against the locker, trying to ease the panic that was spreading through her. The metal felt cool, but she knew that in a minute she would have to open her locker, get her books, and go to class as if nothing were wrong. How could she do that? How could she pretend, when everything in the world was wrong?
She managed to move through her morning classes in a fog. A couple of times she spotted Parker in the hall, and she ducked behind whoever was walking in front of her to keep from being seen. The rest of the time all she could think about was Randy's having walked Sara Sawyer home. Had he kissed her good-night? The thought made her furious. Randy was her boyfriend! Sara had no right trying to steal him!
She was still angry when she got to the cafeteria and plopped her lunch bag down on the table where the rest of The Fabulous Five were already seated.
Immediately Katie picked up a wide-mouth thermos and a plastic spoon and held them out to Jana. "Here, try some of this. It's taco soup; I made it last night. It has chili beans and taco seasoning in it, and you eat it with corn chips. I brought some of those, too."
Jana glanced at the thermos, but she didn't take it. She wasn't in the mood for another one of Katie's crazy concoctions.
"It's yummy. You ought to try it," said Beth.
Melanie nodded. "It's the best thing she's made."
Still, Jana didn't reply.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Beth, putting her fork down on her hot-lunch tray and looking at Jana in amazement. "I hate to say this, but you look awful."
Tears spurted into Jana's eyes. "It shows, huh?"
"Gosh, yes," answered Katie, and Melanie nodded.
Jana tore open her lunch bag and stared at her cream cheese and jelly sandwich. It was her absolute favorite, but today the sight of it made her want to throw up. "It's Sara Sawyer," she finally said. "She's talking about Randy as if she owned him!"
She repeated the conversation she had heard at her locker. "All I can think about is Randy's walking Sara home, and I keep wondering if he kissed her."
Katie put down her thermos of soup and looked at Jana. "If you want my advice, you'd better tell Randy you've changed your mind about breaking up before it's too late."
"That's just it," Jana protested. "I'm crazy about Randy. He's the only boy in the world for me. But if we don't go all the way through with this experiment, I may never know if he really cares about me. I mean, it certainly didn't take him very long to find a new girlfriend!"
"I think you're absolutely crazy," muttered Melanie. "I would never, ever take that kind of chance with Shane."
Katie nodded. "For once, when it comes to boys, I agree with Melanie. I'd hate to break up with Tony, either, for any reason."
"But . . . it's just that . . ." Jana sputtered. How could she explain that she had never expected Randy to find a new steady girlfriend? That she had really believed they would each go out with two or three new kids and then get back together, knowing for certain that they were really meant for each other? Now she wasn't so sure about how Randy felt. That made their experiment more important than ever.
"I think you ought to talk to him right now," said Katie.
"And just think, maybe if you guys get back together, Keith and I will, too," offered Beth with a big grin. "After all, he told you that he didn't want to go steady because Randy wasn't doing it."
Jana blinked in surprise. Beth might have a point. Keith had broken up with Beth so that he could ask Jana out, but if she and Randy got back together, Keith would have to give up on dating her. Maybe, just maybe, he might go back to Beth.
But there was no guarantee. And besides, that wasn't what the breakup was about.
Jana shook her head. "I'll have to think about it." Then looking at Beth, she added, "You know I'll help you if I can, but I'm just not sure that's the right thing to do."
A gloomy silence fell over the table until Katie broke it by asking, "Did any of you sign up to be Book Buddies for the read-in and sleepover at the public library this weekend?"
"The what?" echoed the others.
Katie shrugged and grinned. "I guess not, if you don't even know what I'm talking about. There's a notice on the main bulletin board explaining that the elementary schools have been running a contest for reading. Any second-grader who reads twenty books is eligible to go to a read-in and sleepover at the public library this Saturday night. They're going to be reading books, playing games, and having refreshments—naturally. Then the next morning they'll have breakfast and then go home."
"Sounds like lots of fun if you're a second-grader," said Beth. "There might even be some kids there that we know from Mark Twain Elementary."
"Right," agreed Jana. "Why do they need us?"
"Yeah," said Melanie. "What's this Book Buddy stuff you mentioned?"
"The library is looking for kids from Wakeman to go along and read to the kids, help with games and refreshments, and things like that. There'll be regular adult chaperones. They just want us to pair up with kids and help them have fun."
"Are you signing up?" Jana asked Melanie.
Melanie shook her head. "I have a date with Shane."
"I can't, either. Tony's coming over for gourmet pizza," Katie announced proudly. "Otherwise I would."
Jana sighed, remembering the times she and Randy had shared pizza. They always had pepperoni, green pepper, and mushroom—her favorite—which was gourmet enough for them. But that seemed like ages ago, and she certainly didn't have a date with him now. "I guess it might be better than doing nothing."
"Right," Beth added glumly. "I'll sign up if you will."
Jana thought for a minute. For the experiment to work, she actually should be trying to
find someone else to go out with. But not Parker Donovan! she thought emphatically. And not Keith Masterson! And right now she couldn't think of another boy who might be interested in asking her out.
"Okay," she said, sighing deeply. "We'll go sign up right after lunch."
Jana nibbled on her sandwich, feeling more depressed than ever. Entertaining second-graders all night at the public library, she thought. What a rotten way to spend Saturday night.
CHAPTER 10
Jana Morgan and Beth Barry were the first two names on the sign-up sheet for the library sleepover, but by the next day lots of kids were talking about it.
"It's going to seem weird spending the night in the public library," said Lisa as a group of girls stood at the mirror in the girls' room between classes.
"Spooky, you mean," replied Jana. "That place is always so quiet."
Beth cackled devilishly, rubbing her hands together and rolling her eyes at the others. "And at night ghostly shadows will creep out of the rows and rows of silent books and—"
"Stop that, Beth," cried Dekeisha. "You're giving me goose bumps."
"Me, too," said Lisa. "Maybe I'll take my name off the list."
"Hey, I was only joking," Beth told them. "I haven't checked the list today. Have a lot of kids signed up?"
"Quite a few," Alexis answered. "Even some boys."
Jana's hairbrush stopped in midair. Was Randy one of them? She didn't want to ask Alexis because she knew that if she mentioned Randy's name, everyone would want to talk about their breakup. She slipped her brush into her backpack and motioned to Beth that she was leaving. "Gotta run," she called, and hurried into the hall. She knew it was silly, but she just had to check the sign-up sheet to see for herself if Randy was one of the boys on the list.
It was almost time for the bell to ring, and she increased her speed to a jog as she neared the main hall, where the bulletin board was. She jerked to a halt when she rounded the corner and saw Keith coming her way.
His face lit up when he saw her. "Hey, Jana, guess what?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "I just signed up to be a Book Buddy at the library. I saw your name on the list, so I decided I'd do it, too."
Jana smiled weakly, and her mind raced. "Gosh, Keith. Are you sure you want to do something like that? It's going to be a lot like baby-sitting, you know."
Keith gave her a surprised look, so Jana decided to lay it on thick.
"Yeah, you know how second-graders are," she went on. "They'll try to get away with murder. We're really going to have our hands full. Probably half of them will eat too many cookies and throw up, and we'll have to clean it up."
Keith looked slightly nauseated himself for an instant. Then he shook his head and said, "Naw, they won't make us do that. There are going to be a bunch of parents and teachers there, too. They'll have to clean it up."
Jana frowned. "You didn't really sign up because I did, did you?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"Lots of reasons," Jana said emphatically. "For one thing, Beth's going to be there. And second, I told you that I'm not going to go out with my best friend's boyfriend, so you might as well give up."
"Ex-boyfriend," Keith corrected her. "And besides, you can't let Beth run your life."
Jana glared at Keith. "She doesn't run my life. She—"
The ringing bell broke into the conversation. Keith gave her a flirty grin as he turned to leave, and said, "See you Saturday night."
Jana let out an exasperated sigh and trudged to her own class, realizing later that she hadn't looked at the list to see if Randy's name was on it.
She was at her locker after school when Beth came running up.
"Jana, guess what? Keith is going to the library overnight! His name's on the sign-up sheet. Isn't that super? Maybe he saw my name, and that's why he signed up. Do you think that's it? Maybe he wants to get back together."
Jana could hardly stand to look into her best friend's eyes. Poor Beth, she thought. How would she feel if she knew the truth? How would she feel about me? Jana wondered, and blinked.
"Well, what do you think?" Beth insisted. "You know how nutty Keith can be sometimes. I'll bet he wants to wait until all the little kids are asleep and then get me in a dark corner of the library and ask me to get back together. Don't you?"
"Gosh," fumbled Jana. Then she shrugged and added, "You know him better than I do."
"Yeah," said Beth. She had a dreamy look on her face. "Wouldn't that be romantic?" Then she jolted to attention and grabbed Jana's arm. "I almost forgot. Randy's name is on the list, too, but—get this—Sara Sawyer's name is right under his."
Jana's heart almost broke in two. They must have signed up together. Pictures raced through her mind of Randy and Sara holding hands while they read stories to the little kids, gazing romantically at each other as they passed out refreshments, disappearing among the dark bookshelves after the second-graders were asleep.
She swallowed hard. "Beth," she said seriously, "I can't go if Randy and Sara are going to be there. I have to take my name off the list."
Beth looked panic-stricken. "Oh, Jana, please don't," she begged. "You have to go. I mean, with Keith there, I'll need you. Who will I talk to?"
"Lots of our friends will be there," Jana offered. "Lisa's going, and Alexis and Dekeisha. You don't need me."
"Yes, I do," Beth insisted. "You're my best friend."
"But, Beth—"
"I really do need you, Jana. You know I can't talk to those girls about Keith. It's private. I'd die if they found out how I feel right now. And besides, what if he acts like a jerk and ignores me all night? I'd need you more than ever then." Beth fidgeted for a moment, then added, "And I'd be there for you, too, if Randy and Sara are together."
Jana looked into Beth's pleading face, knowing that Beth would be crushed if she made good on her threat to remove her name from the list. But still, how could she possibly go if Randy and Sara were going to be there together? "I'll think about it, okay?" she said softly.
Beth nodded, but Jana knew that no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't let her best friend down. She was trapped.
CHAPTER 11
Jana lugged her sleeping bag up the steps of the public library on Saturday evening at six-thirty sharp and dumped it onto the floor inside the double glass doors. Then she went back to the car for her backpack with her overnight things in it and a plate of brownies covered with aluminum foil, which was her contribution to the evening's refreshments. Waving good-bye to Pink as he pulled away from the curb, she turned and went back into the library with a sigh. She tried to concentrate on how happy Beth had been when Jana told her she would come tonight and not let thoughts of Randy and Sara's being here together send her into a panic.
A sudden banging on the door startled her. Looking around, she saw Beth standing outside with her arms too full to open the door.
"Gosh, Beth," said Jana, laughing as she pushed open the door for her friend, "we're only going to be here overnight. You brought enough stuff to stay a week."
Beth dropped her sleeping bag at her feet and shifted the lavender makeup case she was carrying to the other hand, which also held a bulging paper bag. In addition, she had her backpack hanging on one shoulder and her purse dangling from the other.
"Keith's going to be here," she said, as if that explained it all.
"So?" asked Jana.
"Jana, what's wrong with you? He's going to see what I look like when I first wake up in the morning. You know, greasy hair, puffy eyes. In fact, I was thinking about staying awake all night to make sure I don't get too messed up. What do you think?"
"I think you're crazy," replied Jana, but instinctively her hand went to her hair. She hadn't thought about how she would look in the morning, especially after flopping around in a sleeping bag all night. Her hair would be dripping with grease, and before she left home she had felt the beginning of a pimple on the left side of her nose. It would be as red as a stoplight by morning.
; How would Sara Sawyer look? she wondered. Perfect, probably.
"So I had to bring shampoo and conditioner and my blow-dryer and curling iron," Beth went on, nodding toward her makeup case. "I know they don't have showers here, but I can wash my hair in the bathroom sink. Oh, and I brought my acne medicine and one of Brittany's cover-up sticks, just in case of emergency. You can borrow it if you want to. I see you've got a zit coming on your nose."
"Oh, Beth, you're too much!" Jana said, snorting in exasperation. "Come on. Let's find a place to put all this stuff before everybody else gets here."
Beth picked up her sleeping bag again and lumbered along behind Jana as they crossed the main room of the library and headed for the children's wing, where the overnight party was going to be held. Even though she wasn't exactly a child anymore, Jana still loved the children's wing. It had been added to the old building only a few years before and had a modern look, with lots of windows full of hanging plants, and a cathedral ceiling that rose to a high point in the center of the room. Along one wall was a huge hammock and several big overstuffed chairs, where kids could curl up with their books, and in winter there was always a fire in the fireplace. On the opposite wall was the most amazing thing in the whole library, a tree house. A huge old elm tree that had to be removed from the library grounds when the children's wing was added had been brought inside and set into the concrete under the floor; local parents had constructed a real tree house among its branches. It was the coziest place in the world to read a book.
"Come on in, girls," called Mrs. Hawley, the children's librarian. She gestured toward an empty corner of the room. "You can put your things over there for now and help me get set up. The children should begin arriving pretty soon."
For the next few minutes the girls were too busy for Jana to give much thought to Randy and Sara or greasy hair and sprouting pimples. They helped Mrs. Hawley set up the refreshment table and distribute craft materials and games to each of the small reading tables around the room. The children and their parents were pouring in by now, and most of the junior-high Book Buddies had arrived also. Jana tried to keep her eyes down so that she wouldn't look at the door at the wrong moment and see Randy and Sara coming in together.