Fabulous Five 023 - Mall Mania

by Betsy Haynes

  "Oh, I'll never be like that," Beth moaned. "Never, never."

  Sure you can, said a little voice in her brain. All you need is some practice.

  Beth put her cereal bowl on the floor and arranged herself in the same position as Joan Lunden. Then she tilted her head just as Joan Lunden was tilting hers and reached out a hand, perfectly imitating the gesture the co-anchor was making on the screen. Miming was easy, she soon discovered. If she concentrated hard, she could even lip-synch and lag only a fraction of a second behind.

  This is what it's going to feel like to be in front of the camera, Beth thought with excitement. Smiling, she nodded graciously to her cohost. Then a loud voice boomed behind her.

  "Hey, Beth. Have you flipped, or what?"

  Beth whirled around, her face flaming in embarrassment. Her younger brother stood leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face.

  "Oh, I get it," he said. "Now that you've landed a big part on TV, you're sizing up the competition." He threw back his head and laughed. "Lots of luck," he called as he strolled away.

  Beth let out a sigh of exasperation and glanced once more at Joan Lunden before turning off the set. Todd could laugh all he wanted to, she thought angrily, but she was going to be a star!

  Shawnie was waiting just inside the school gate when Beth arrived that morning.

  "Beth," she said, "I had the greatest idea after I went to bed last night. I was so excited, it took me an hour to get to sleep! I figured out how you can get the new clothes!"

  "You're kidding," said Beth, her heart skipping a beat as the image of Joan Lunden in her turquoise jacket and paisley blouse filled her mind. "How?"

  "Voila!" Shawnie said. "My credit card!"

  Beth frowned, not understanding.

  "Don't you get it?" asked Shawnie. "We'll put your clothes on my credit card at Tanninger's."

  "Your card?" Beth asked, still not quite believing. "You have your own credit card?"

  Shawnie held it out. "Just look at the name," she said proudly.

  Beth leaned in closer. Sure enough, the name stamped on the department store's card was SHAWNIE PENDERGAST.

  "Wow," Beth said. "And you pay for all your own clothes?"

  Shawnie laughed. "Of course not," she said. "My parents do. It's part of the payoff for their not being around me very much."

  Beth understood. Shawnie's parents both had high-paying jobs, and they worked all day and spent a great deal of time away from her. They were also very strict about where she could go and what she could do. Since they weren't around to supervise her comings and goings, they didn't let her leave the house very often. So they paid her off by spoiling her and showering her with material things, even her own credit card. Beth knew that some department stores would issue cards to kids if their parents consented and took responsibility for paying the bills, but she had never actually seen a kid's card before.

  "I can't let your parents pay for my clothes," said Beth.

  "They won't," Shawnie insisted. "The credit card bill comes later. That's when you pay me back. Don't you see? You pay me later instead of paying the store now."

  Beth thought a moment. It sounded great. She really would be paying for the clothes. She could have the clothes now, but pay for them when the bill came.

  "Okay," Beth said, feeling a shiver of excitement. "And I promise, I'll pay you back right away!"

  "Hey, don't sweat it," Shawnie said. "Let's head for the mall right after Media Club this afternoon. Maybe we can find our outfits today."

  "Great!" said Beth. "I can't wait!"

  Beth said good-bye to Shawnie and hurried to the fence to find the rest of The Fabulous Five. She had called each of her friends the night before to tell them her big news about the cable show and ask them for suggestions about what she should wear on-camera. Nobody had any ideas. Christie's clothes were the perfect style, but she was too tall. Katie was a size smaller than Beth. Melanie's wardrobe was too frilly, and Jana's was too conservative.

  But now Beth had found the perfect solution to her problem. Or, at least, Shawnie had found it for her, and she raced to tell her friends that she was going to get her new clothes after all!

  "That's incredible!" said Shawnie, looking at Beth's reflection in the three-way mirror in the dressing room. "It's the perfect outfit for the show!"

  Beth looked at herself appraisingly in the mirror. The dress really did look great on her. It had a short, straight, black skirt that fit well on her narrow hips and a wide, red belt that flattered her small waistline. The collar was red and black, and stood up high around her neck.

  Shawnie grinned. "It's classy and flattering and professional and—"

  "And expensive!" Beth burst out, looking for the first time at the price tag.

  "Oh, it's not that expensive. Don't worry about it!" Shawnie said, waving her hand. "The important thing is that we found the perfect outfit for you!"

  Beth did some quick math in her head. Shawnie was right, she decided. It would take some work, but she could get the dress paid for in maybe four weekends of baby-sitting.

  "And now you need some shoes," said Shawnie.

  "Oh, no," said Beth. "I think I'd better stop here."

  "Then at least some earrings," Shawnie said. "Those will show up when the camera zooms in on your face."

  "Well, maybe you're right about that," Beth conceded. "I'll see if I can find some inexpensive ones."

  The girls bought the dress with Shawnie's credit card and headed for the jewelry department. They wandered along the glass counter and examined the earring displays.

  "Oh, wow," Shawnie said. "These gold ones are beautiful!" She pulled them off the display rack.

  "Yes, they are," agreed Beth. "They'd go perfectly with my dress. How much?"

  Shawnie turned them over in her hand and showed the price to Beth.

  "No," said Beth. "That's way too much. Let's keep looking."

  Shawnie shrugged and put the gold ones back. The girls continued their walk along the counter.

  "Look!" cried Beth. "Here is a red pair that'll go great with my dress!"

  "Perrrfect!" Shawnie cooed. "And not expensive."

  "Great," said Beth. She grabbed Shawnie's charge card and handed it to the salesclerk. "I'll take these."

  "Now we have to find something for me," Shawnie said excitedly. "It has to go with your outfit."

  "Right." Beth grinned. "What a great team we'll be!"

  "I should have a red dress," Shawnie said. She looked at her watch. "But I'd better not get it today. Mom thinks I'm at home starting on homework. She'll be there in a half hour, and I'd better be there!"

  "Okay," Beth said.

  Obviously, Shawnie was still sneaking around. Beth felt sorry that Shawnie had to do that. Once Shawnie had run away and stayed in Katie's basement because she was angry that her parents wouldn't let her go on a march for hunger with a lot of Wakeman kids. Beth had thought Shawnie and her parents had resolved all that, but apparently there were still a few problems. She also could imagine how frustrated Shawnie was, having parents who seldom let her do things, but sometimes Shawnie's reactions really went off the deep end.

  "Are you sure your parents won't mind that I used your charge card?" Beth asked her.

  "No, they never care about stuff like that," Shawnie assured her. "Just so I'm home on time!" She laughed.

  "Well, it was really nice of you to let me use it," Beth said.

  "No problem," said Shawnie. "See you tomorrow."

  Beth walked home and through the front door. She heard noises in the kitchen and decided her mother was working on dinner preparation. She scooted up the stairs, not wanting to answer questions about the Tanninger's bag.

  Her mother surprised her when she walked out of her bedroom just as Beth reached the top of the stairs.

  "Hi, honey," her mother said. "I expected you nearly an hour ago. Did your Media Club meeting run long today?"

  "Um, yes, it did," Beth said, crossing her
fingers behind her back. It had run a couple of minutes longer than usual, she thought.

  "What's in the bag?" her mother asked.

  Slowly, Beth opened the bag and held it up for her mother to peek inside. She hoped none of the tags showed.

  "Uh, I was with Shawnie Pendergast this afternoon," Beth said. "Doesn't she have great taste?"

  "Oh, is she letting you wear that dress for the TV show?" Mrs. Barry asked.

  Beth nodded, hoping her mother wouldn't notice the red flush creeping across her face.

  "How nice of her!" said Mrs. Barry. "See, it all worked out after all, didn't it?"

  "Yeah, it did," murmured Beth.

  Her mother started down the stairs. "I've got Brittany working on supper," she called back over her shoulder. "Should be ready in half an hour."

  "Great," said Beth.

  She walked into her room and sat on the bed. She took out the dress and held it up. It was as beautiful as she had thought it was in the store.

  "And it looks even better on," she whispered.

  Beth stood in front of the mirror and held the dress up to her. It really was perfect!

  Then she thought of the conversation with her mother. She hadn't exactly told any lies.

  She gazed into her own eyes, and a wave of guilt washed over her. She may not have told an out-and-out lie, but she had led her mother to believe something that wasn't true. Wasn't that the same thing as a lie?

  She closed her eyes a moment, and when she opened them, she looked away from the mirror. She shouldn't have done it, but it had been necessary, she told herself.

  She needed this dress!

  CHAPTER 4

  "Last night I was watching Connie Chung on television, and I decided that I like her style better than Joan Lunden's," Beth said to Jana and Katie as they made their way through the crowded halls after school.

  "I thought Joan Lunden was your idol," Jana said.

  Beth shrugged. "You ought to watch Connie Chung sometime. I mean, she is so professional and businesslike. Joan Lunden is awfully casual. Watching her is almost like having your aunt come for a visit or something."

  "Personally, I like Barbara Walters," Katie chimed in. "Now there's someone who's professional and businesslike."

  Beth made a face and started to reply to Katie when she caught sight of Shawnie in the crowd ahead. "I've got to run," she said instead. "I have to talk to Shawnie before the Media Club meeting starts."

  "See you later," said Jana.

  "Shawnie?" Beth called, hurrying up behind her.

  Shawnie turned and, seeing Beth, broke into a grin. "Hi."

  "Hi," said Beth. "You know, I was thinking last night and decided that maybe you were right about those shoes. I really don't have a pair that would be quite right."

  "Okay," replied Shawnie. "Come with me to the mall again after the meeting, and we'll pick up a pair of shoes before we get a new outfit for me."

  Beth grinned. "I really appreciate what you're doing for me, Shawnie. And I promise you'll get paid back right away."

  "Hey," Shawnie said, smiling. "Do I look worried?"

  Beth giggled. "Nope. Not at all."

  "Come on," Shawnie said. "Let's get to the meeting."

  The girls hurried into the media room and slipped into their seats just as Mr. Levine was starting the meeting.

  "Okay," said the teacher, "we'd better get going. I'll turn this meeting over to our director. Funny?"

  Funny Hawthorne cleared her throat. "Okay, everybody, this is Wednesday, and we shoot on Friday, so let's see how everyone is doing. I need progress reports from each one of you. First, Shane and Tim, have you collected the information that our co-anchors can report on?"

  "We've got last week's basketball scores," answered Tim, "next week's menu, and a couple of upcoming school events—like the band concert, the next basketball game, and the school dance—to tell about."

  "Good," said Funny. "Get that information to me before you leave, will you? I'll need to write the script tonight."

  "Sure," said Shane. "It's all here on this list." He took a sheet of paper out of his backpack and handed it to Funny. He grinned. "And if you ever want a fascinating interview subject, I can always get Igor in here. He's very articulate and impressive—"

  "Uh-huh," Funny said, smiling at the mention of Shane's pet iguana.

  "The publicity might entice some female iguana to call—" Shane continued.

  "Yeah, right, okay," Funny said, laughing and waving at him to be quiet. "You guys did a good job. What about you, Jon?"

  "I talked to Wayne Paulsen at my parents' station," Jon responded. "He told me he'd be glad to show up here after school on Friday and advise us on the lights."

  "Excellent!" Funny announced, then turned to Paul Smoke. "What are you going to do in your ecology segment?"

  Paul smiled. "I'm going to talk about bats."

  "Bats?" said Funny. "What do bats have to do with ecology?"

  Paul's eyebrows shot up. "Everything! More people should know that."

  "Are you going to bring one of your bats?" Funny asked.

  "Of course," Paul said. He grinned and seemed to loosen up a little. "Robin. He's the ham of the family."

  Funny laughed. "Was he the one that made the surprise entrance during the Halloween show?"

  "The very one," Paul replied. "He loves the spotlight."

  "Whatever you say," said Funny. "We'll save five minutes for your segment."

  "Let me interrupt here to say something about timing," said Mr. Levine, "Timing is crucial in both TV and radio. Spectrum Cable is giving us exactly fifteen minutes. We should wrap up and end the program about a half second before that time is up. They will cut us off at exactly fifteen minutes, so it's better to be a half second short than a half second over."

  Beth was fascinated. She had no idea timing was so critical.

  "We'll need to put together some music at the top and bottom," Mr. Levine continued. "And we'll have a sign to open the show, since we don't have the technology to flash Chyrons over the screen."

  "What are Chyrons?" asked Beth.

  Jon sat up. "You know when someone is being interviewed on TV, and at the bottom of the screen you see the name of that person?"

  "Right," Beth said.

  "Those letters are called Chyrons," he finished. "You see them a lot in commercials, too, when, say, the date of a sale is thrown up on the screen. Or the name of the store having the sale."

  "Oh, yeah, now I know what you mean," Beth said, nodding. It made her feel so professional. Of course Connie Chung and Joan Lunden knew about Chyrons.

  "Anyway," said Mr. Levine, "since we've had just a few days to prepare for this first show, Jon and I already got together and chose some theme music. I brought a tape of it, and I'll give you a chance to hear it."

  He flipped a switch on the tape recorder in front of him, and the music began. It was light and upbeat. The club members looked at one another and grinned.

  "That's perfect!" said Beth.

  "Yeah, I like it." Shane snapped his fingers to the beat.

  And suddenly it was over.

  "That's the shortest music I've ever heard!" remarked Shawnie.

  Mr. Levine chuckled. "It's supposed to be short. It's production music. Stations buy tapes filled with short bits of production music for commercials and for introducing this type of program. Production music comes in ten-, fifteen-, thirty-, and sixty-second segments."

  "And you can get longer music for films," Jon added.

  "Awesome!" said Funny.

  "Right," said Jon. "That way, you don't have to have someone compose and perform music for you for local TV or radio. That would be too expensive, anyway."

  "This show is going to be so great!" exclaimed Beth.

  "Yes, it is," agreed Funny. "I'll get you co-anchors your scripts by tomorrow so that you can become familiar with them. I don't think you'll need to memorize them, but you should have them very well in mind."

&nbs
p; "Sure," Beth said, but she had every intention of memorizing her script!

  "Shane and Tim," Mr. Levine said, "I'm going to put you two in charge of making posters to put up around school advertising our show on Saturday."

  "Good idea," said Funny. "We want everybody in the school to be watching."

  Beth's stomach did a flip-flop. The whole school will be watching! She thought of the kids in her classes and her teachers all sitting in front of their TV sets. And then she thought of her boyfriend, Keith Masterson, and her heartbeat quickened.

  Keith would be watching for sure!

  Beth took a deep breath. She was going to practice and practice and practice! She'd be the best co-anchor on cable TV!

  "Oh, those shoes are so cool!" said Beth, looking at the reflection of her feet in the small mirror that stood on the floor at Tanninger's. She had never seen Joan Lunden's or Connie Chung's shoes since she had begun watching their programs, but she was sure their shoes matched their outfits just as perfectly as these matched hers.

  "They're just what you need," Shawnie agreed. "I love them!"

  The low-heeled shoes were red with a thin line of black trim. Beth took off the left one and held it up, looking at it critically. "I can't think of one other thing I could wear these with, though," she said.

  "So what?" Shawnie asked. "You couldn't have found a better pair of shoes for the show."

  Beth hesitated for another moment. She really should put them back, she thought. But they were right for the show. She had to have them.

  "Okay," she said. "I'll take them."

  Shawnie handed her the credit card.

  Beth squared her shoulders and marched to the sales counter, handing the card to the clerk.

  "Oh, I just love my new outfit!" Beth hugged herself with joy.

  "Isn't this fun?" said Shawnie. "Whenever I'm feeling down, I just go shopping!" She thought for a moment, then added, "In fact, whenever I'm feeling up, I go shopping, too. Shopping just gives me a high, you know what I mean?"