Fabulous Five 030 - Sibling Rivalry

by Betsy Haynes

  "So am I!" Todd replied, obviously insulted.

  "Yes, you are," Mr. Barry agreed. "But just be careful."

  Beth smirked at her brother, thinking that he deserved to be reprimanded by their dad. At the same time she secretly wished she were good enough to ski some of the bigger slopes. Marcel had pointed out the warning markers and explained their color coding to alert skiers to the differences in difficulty—green for beginner slopes, black for intermediate slopes, and red for the more dangerous expert slopes. What fun it would be to be really good like the skiers she had watched streaking down the mountain with plumes of snow spraying up behind them.

  She bet Christie would be a good skier. Christie was an expert tennis player, and did everything else just as well. It was sad that Christie's family had moved to England. Beth missed her a lot.

  Beth glanced at her sister. Brittany hadn't made any rude comments about Beth's hanging around with her and her friends for a while. In fact Brittany hadn't even seemed to notice her.

  After dinner Beth's parents went off for a walk in the snow with Alicia, and Julie, Molly, and Sarah came over to the table. Brittany was busy looking for her new crush, Marcel, so Beth had become invisible again.

  "If Marcel isn't here in fifteen minutes," said Julie, "we should go and see if he's in the game room."

  "Are you really going to ask him to dance?" Sarah asked Brittany, her eyes wide with excitement.

  "Sure. Why not?" Brittany answered confidently. "Don't you think he'd dance with me?"

  "Absolutely," said Sarah. "I'd never have the nerve, but you are such a great dancer, Brittany. I bet he'd love to dance with you."

  A smile crept across Brittany's face. "Maybe I'll ask him on a slow song."

  Julie looked awestruck. "I'd give anything for a slow dance with Marcel."

  Just then Brad Jenkins, the boy from Wisconsin, stepped up to their table. "Brittany, would you like to dance?"

  "Not this time, thanks," Brittany replied with a definite lack of interest in her voice. "I'm really tired after all the skiing today."

  Brad looked so disappointed that Beth blurted out without thinking, "I'll dance with you."

  She was immediately sorry she'd opened her mouth, because everyone at the table looked at her. Brittany snickered.

  Brad looked as if he were going to drop dead on the spot. "Sure, okay," he mumbled.

  Stupid, stupid! Beth raged at herself. Why didn't you keep your big mouth shut! She got up stiffly and didn't look at him all the way to the dance floor. It was a slow dance, and Brad put his arm around her waist and took her hand in his.

  "I like this song," he said.

  "Me, too," replied Beth.

  They didn't speak for the rest of the dance. When the music stopped, Brad said, "Thanks for dancing with me."

  "Sure," Beth answered.

  He turned and walked back to his own table. The last thing Beth wanted to do at that moment was face Brittany's sarcasm, so she walked straight out of the dining room and into the great room.

  Brad had seemed like a nice person. Unfortunately it was Brittany he was interested in, and Brittany obviously thought she was too sophisticated for him. Her silly comment about being too tired to dance certainly wasn't true. If Marcel had asked her to dance, she would have danced all night!

  Crossing the great room, Beth headed for the game room. In the doorway she stopped in her tracks. There, playing pool with another guy about his age, was Marcel.

  Beth entered the room and slipped onto a couch along the wall. There were a dozen or so people in the room, playing board games or Ping-Pong, or watching TV.

  She tried watching the movie on the TV, but it didn't hold her attention. Her eyes kept flicking back to Marcel. When she and Keith Masterson had broken up a couple of months ago, she had convinced herself that she'd had it with boys, at least for a while. And of course Marcel was definitely too old for her. But still . . . She couldn't help thinking how much fun it would be to have something interesting to tell her friends when she got back home.

  "Hi, Beth." The voice beside her startled her. It was Molly's.

  "Oh, hi, Molly," said Beth. "Where's Brian?"

  "He went up to his room to get his coat," replied Molly, smiling. "I invited him to take a walk in the moonlight."

  "That sounds nice," said Beth.

  Molly sat down next to her and whispered, "You should go tell your sister that Marcel's in here."

  "Oh, yeah," Beth answered, but she had absolutely no intention of doing it.

  "Beth," Molly said in a low, confidential voice. "I've been trying to talk to you privately since last night." She laughed a little, sounding nervous. "Tell me about Brian."

  Beth turned to her. "What do you mean?"

  "I want to know all about him."

  "Well . . ." Beth shrugged. "He's seventeen—"

  "Does he have a girlfriend at home?" Molly asked. That was obviously what she really wanted to know.

  "Not really," said Beth. "I mean, he dates, but he doesn't have a steady girlfriend."

  Molly looked relieved. "Oh, that's great. And when is his birthday?"

  "In July," Beth said. "The second."

  "Oh." Molly sounded disappointed. "I guess it's not coming up anytime soon."

  "No, I guess not." Boy, Beth thought, Molly really has it bad for Brian.

  "What kinds of things does he like in a girl?" Molly asked.

  The question caught Beth off guard. "Well, . . . I guess he likes girls who have the same qualities you do. He sure seems to like you."

  Molly's face lit up. "Did he tell you that?" she asked anxiously.

  "Well, no," Beth admitted, "but he doesn't have to. You two are together all the time, so he must like you."

  "Hmmm," Molly said frowning. "Well, I mean, what do you think attracts Brian? Does he like girls who are athletic, or gorgeous, or talented—"

  "All of the above." Beth laughed.

  "Well, um, does he—" Molly stammered.

  "What?"

  "Well, what I mean is—" Molly hesitated a moment, "do you think he prefers girls who have great—uh, bodies or superior minds?"

  Beth smirked. "Don't all guys like great bodies?"

  Molly shrugged and started to ask something else, but just then Brian came into the room.

  "Here you are," he said to Molly.

  She got up quickly. "Well, Beth, it was fun talking to you." She looked at Brian. "Ready for our walk?"

  Brian nodded, and Molly tucked her arm in his and gave a little squeeze.

  Wow, thought Beth as she watched them leave, is Molly ever hooked!

  After they had gone, she suddenly felt lonely again. If only her parents had let her bring a friend.

  "Hello," said a deep voice.

  Beth looked up and caught her breath. Marcel was walking around the pool table, looking at her. And he had spoken to her.

  "Hi," said Beth. She could feel her cheeks getting hot.

  "Was ze ski lesson today your first?" he asked.

  Beth nodded. "Yes."

  "You did very well," he responded. "Did you enjoy it?"

  "Oh, yes. I liked it a lot. Thanks."

  "Good," Marcel said. "You'll be even better tomorrow."

  He went back to shooting pool, and Beth sat there stunned. He talked to me! she thought. He didn't have to, either. He was in the middle of a game of pool!

  She didn't have time to enjoy the moment, though, because just then Brittany, Julie, and Sarah walked in. They put their heads together and started whispering as soon as they saw Marcel.

  Well, that's that, Beth thought with disgust. Marcel won't be talking to me anymore, that's for sure. Brittany and her friends will monopolize him.

  Sure enough, the three teenagers strolled over to Marcel's pool table to watch him play. They stood so close, he had to adjust his position to keep from hitting one of them with his cue.

  "Good shot!" Brittany called out as Marcel sank a ball. Marcel nodded in recognitio
n of the compliment.

  "Gosh, he can ski and play pool!" Julie gushed so loudly, he was sure to hear.

  Brittany beamed in his direction. "He's good at everything he does."

  Beth watched Marcel to see how he would react. At first his face didn't change. Then he smiled at Brittany. "Not everything."

  "Oh, you're too modest," Brittany said, giving him her best smile.

  Marcel continued to play and talk to his friend while the girls flirted with him.

  "After your game," Brittany said, "would you and your friend like to come back and dance with us?"

  Beth saw Julie's eyes widen in surprise at Brittany's nerve.

  Marcel checked his watch. "Oui. We have time for a dance or two, don't we, Jake?"

  "Sure," replied Jake. "The movie doesn't start till nine."

  "A movie?" Brittany gushed. "What're you going to see?"

  "It's an old movie on TV," Marcel said. "Humphrey Bogart."

  "I love Bogart!" Brittany cried, and Beth knew she was hoping for an invitation.

  "Gosh, me, too," chimed in Julie. "Don't you, Sarah?"

  "Definitely," agreed Sarah.

  Marcel grinned at the girls. His gaze shifted to Beth, and he said, "And you, mademoiselle, do you also love Bogart?" He winked.

  "Sure," Beth said, "he's all right."

  Marcel smiled at her, then turned back to Brittany. "A dance would be very nice."

  "Great," said Brittany. "We'll be in the dining room waiting for you."

  She and her friends headed toward the door, but just before she made her exit, she took two steps out of the way toward Beth and hissed, "Isn't it past your bedtime, little sister?"

  Then she flounced out the door after her girlfriends.

  CHAPTER 6

  Beth had no intention of going to bed. Not with Brittany and the others headed back to the dining room and Marcel still here in the game room. She wasn't going to do anything silly or theatrical to attract his attention, of course. She would just sit here, acting incredibly mature, and see what happened.

  "Geez! What are you doing in here? I've been looking all over for you."

  Todd came rushing into the game room followed by two of his skiing companions. Both were about Todd's height, but one had curly red hair and a sunburned face, and the other one was a sandy blond and as slim as a toothpick. Todd was smiling so sweetly that Beth was immediately suspicious.

  "What do you want?" she grumbled.

  Todd raised his arms in mock surrender. "Not much, and I'll pay you back. I promise."

  "That's right," said the red-haired boy. "We'll get the money from our parents before we go home and give it to Todd to give to you."

  "What!" shrieked Beth. "You guys actually want to borrow money from me? You've got to be kidding."

  "No, we aren't," Todd said earnestly. Nodding toward the other two, he continued, "This is Jason, and he's Mike. They're great guys. Honest. We only need a few bucks, and we said we'd pay you back."

  Beth narrowed her eyes. All three boys were looking at her with angelic expressions on their faces. Did they honestly expect her to say yes?

  "Sorry," she answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I didn't bring much spending money, and I certainly don't have any extra money to loan you."

  "Oh, yes you do," Todd said excitedly. "It's in your ski jacket. The stuff you're saving for England. Jason and Mike and I will definitely pay you back. I promise. Come on, Beth. We need it for the video games."

  Beth exploded off the sofa and stood nose to nose with Todd. "If you think I'm going to loan that money to you, you little twerp, you've got another thing coming! I wouldn't trust you and your hot-dog ski friends with my money for five seconds flat!"

  Suddenly she was aware of a deep-throated chuckle coming from across the room. It was Marcel, and he was shaking his head and laughing softly. Beth froze. She had forgotten he was there.

  "Siblings," he said, smiling at Beth. "They are ze same ze world over. But believe me, when you two grow up, you'll feel much different about each other."

  Beth stared at Marcel, his words ringing in her ears. When you two grow up. Did he see her as a child, too? What was the matter with him? Couldn't he see that it was Todd who was behaving like a little kid?

  Marcel turned back to his game of pool. Beth stood there for a moment, wondering what to do. Then she squared her shoulders and pulled herself up to her full height. Mustering her courage, she smiled at Todd and his friends and said in her most dignified voice, "Well, I think I'll turn in now. See you all in the morning."

  Then she disappeared out the door.

  "Today we will try a slightly steeper hill," Marcel said when the class assembled again the next morning. "You all learned ze snowplow very well yesterday, and I think you're ready."

  An excited murmur ran through the class. Beth was excited, too, but she was also nervous. Skiing had been fun and almost easy on the bunny slope. A steeper hill sounded scary.

  Beth followed Marcel along with the rest of the skiers. Of course, Brittany, Julie, and Sarah were right at the front of the group, making cute remarks to him. Occasionally he would turn and smile or say something clever back to them. No matter what he said, though, the girls giggled wildly and flirted with him all the more.

  Marcel led the group to a slope, which Beth could see was definitely steeper than the one they had skied yesterday. A small building sat about a hundred feet away. It had the same rustic look as the lodge, only it was smaller and built above the snow on heavy stone legs at each corner.

  "Oh, Marcel, what an adorable little house," Brittany gushed. "Is that where you live?"

  She turned around to acknowledge the laughter of some of the class. Beth wanted to burrow into a snow bank and hide with embarrassment.

  "No," Marcel answered patiently. "That is where ze ski lift equipment is stored during ze summer. Now, it you will grab ze towrope, we'll meet at ze top of ze slope." Then he gestured for Brittany to start up the hill first. "After you, mademoiselle."

  Brittany giggled. "Why, thank you, kind sir!" Then she grabbed the towrope and rode up the hill with the rest of the class following.

  "I want you to try ze snowplow on this slope first," Marcel said when the class had gathered around him. "It will be more of a challenge for you." He turned to Beth. "Mademoiselle, would you like to go first today?"

  "Oh, uh, sure," replied Beth, her face getting hot. "I'll try."

  "You'll do splendidly," said Marcel. "If you fall, don't be embarrassed."

  Beth grinned at Marcel, even though Brittany was shooting daggers at her. "I'll probably fall."

  From the top of the hill the slope looked even steeper than it had from below. Beth's heart was pounding, partly because she was first and everybody was watching, and partly because Marcel seemed to expect good things from her.

  She pushed off with her poles and started snowplowing down. It was fun, and she felt a thrill run up her back as she let herself pick up speed. Then she tried making slow turns to the right and then to the left.

  Suddenly the run was over. Beth snow-plowed to a stop and looked back up the slope, beaming. She had made it all the way to the bottom without falling. She felt like cheering and jumping up and down, but she didn't. After all, she didn't want to look foolish or childish in front of Marcel.

  "Excellent!" Marcel called from the top. "That is exactly ze way to do it!"

  He turned to the other skiers, and Beth could tell by his gestures that he was telling them to follow Beth's example. Beth let out a deep breath. Skiing was fun. For what seemed like the first time since she had gotten to Stony Lookout, she was actually enjoying herself.

  When Brittany skied down a few minutes later, Beth thought her older sister might really be trying to do her best on this hill. Beth decided, with a certain amount of satisfaction, that maybe Brittany didn't want her little sister to upstage her in front of Marcel.

  Next it was an older man's turn. Beth had learned his name was Charl
es, and even though he joked about his lack of skill as a skier, Beth had noticed that he plunged in with more energy than most of the skiers half his age.

  "Here goes nothing!" Charles shouted as he started down the slope with a big grin on his face.

  But about halfway down, he began to wobble. Beth gasped as his arms and legs flung out wildly, and he fell and tumbled in the snow.

  "Charles!" Beth called out. "Are you okay?"

  Charles didn't answer.

  Marcel sprang into action, shooting straight down the slope like an arrow; spraying snow as he made a whirling stop beside Charles. Marcel quickly took off his skis and planted them upright in an X on the slope above Charles.

  Beth and the others watched breathlessly as Marcel bent over Charles. The two men talked, and Marcel touched Charles's leg. Then to everyone's relief, Marcel helped Charles to his feet. A few minutes later Charles skied the rest of the way to the bottom on his own.

  When a cheer went up, Charles grinned from ear to ear. "Gee, if I'd known that falling would get me so much attention, I would have done a lot more of it."

  Everyone laughed.

  When the rest of the skiers had taken their turn, Marcel said that they would spend most of the lesson here, practicing on the new slope. After a few more successful runs, Beth relaxed even more and experimented with making turns and stopping. She found she loved skiing and feeling the cold air in her face. She also loved looking around at the snow and the majestic mountains that towered above her.

  I'm glad I'm here, she thought. Even if there isn't anyone my age to share it with.

  As she grabbed the towrope for her sixth ride up the slope, Brittany jumped into line right behind her.

  Beth was feeling so good that she turned around and gave her sister a silly smile.

  "Beth, you're such a show-off," Brittany complained.

  Beth's smile faded. "Who, me? I'm not showing off!"

  "Just because you're catching on to some of the stuff Marcel's teaching us, don't think he's interested in you!"

  "Get real, Brittany," Beth called back over her shoulder. "It never crossed my mind that—"

  Suddenly Beth lost her grip on the rope. She felt herself slide backward—into Brittany, who screamed and fell down—and then into Julie, who crumpled in the snow—and into Sarah, who was behind her.