Fabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up (4 page)

Jana was heading for her locker after school when she saw
Shawnie Pendergast beside the drinking fountain talking to Craig Meachem and
Parker Donovan. She probably wouldn't have noticed them if she hadn't
remembered her conversation with Beth at Bumpers Saturday afternoon. Beth had
been excited about calling Shawnie and suggesting that she talk to Craig about
the possibility of Parker's asking Jana out. Jana shook her head, thinking how
ironic it was that just a couple of days ago Beth had been trying to find a way
to fix her up with Parker, and now Beth didn't have a boyfriend, either.

Jana walked past them, but a moment later she heard someone
call her name. When she turned to see who it was, Parker hurried toward her.
Jana watched the tall eighth-grader approach, thinking that he really was
awfully good-looking. But, of course, no one compared with Randy.

"Hey, Jana, could I talk to you a minute?" he
asked, giving her the little mischievous grin that seemed to come so naturally
to him.

Eeek! thought Jana, trying not to panic. Had Beth actually
called Shawnie and suggested a fix-up between Parker and her, after all?

She took a deep breath and tried to appear calm. "Hi,
Parker. Sure. What's up?"

"I just wondered if you got the history assignment."
He grinned again, looking more impish than ever. "I never can keep my mind
on what Mr. Naset is yakking about up there. I mean, history is one
boring
subject."

"Yeah, I got it," Jana replied, hoping the relief
she felt didn't show on her face. "We're supposed to read chapter
seventeen and answer the questions at the end."

Parker made a note on the cover of his notebook with a
stubby pencil, which he stuck behind an ear. "Gotcha," he said, and
fell in step beside her. "Chapter seventeen. Answer the questions. Oughta
be a breeze."

Jana nodded. Why was he walking with her? she wondered. Why
didn't he just go on about his own business?

"Come to think of it, it probably won't be much of a
breeze," said Parker. "No matter how many times I read those history
chapters, I don't have much luck with the questions."

"Maybe you just don't concentrate when you read,"
Jana offered. She certainly had no intention of letting him copy her answers,
if that was what he was getting at.

"That's probably it," agreed Parker. "I need
someone right there with me, reminding me to concentrate."

Jana wondered briefly if she should say, Yeah, maybe your
mom could do it. But Parker wasn't finished talking.

"How about if I come over tonight, and we can study
together. I won't copy your answers," he said quickly, holding up his
hands in mock surrender. "I promise. And then, after we get all this
boring history stuff out of the way, we can go to Bumpers for a little while.
Lots of kids go during the week."

Jana could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. Here it was.
The moment she had been both looking forward to and dreading. The moment
another boy asked her out. She swallowed again. Her ears were ringing now. She
couldn't possibly go out with Parker. How would she act? What would she say?
But if she didn't, she reminded herself, hers and Randy's experiment would
never have a chance to work. Besides, fewer kids went out on school nights than
on weekends, which meant fewer would see her out with someone besides Randy.
Randy.
His name echoed in her mind, and she knew it was really Randy she was worried
about. She didn't want him to see her with another boy.

"I guess that would be okay." The words sounded
thin as she pushed them out of her mouth. She looked up at Parker, who suddenly
seemed taller than ever. He was grinning his mischievous grin. "Come over
about six-thirty," she added.

"Great. I'll be there." Parker ducked away toward
his own locker, leaving her standing in the middle of the hall with weak knees.

She had done it! She had accepted a date with another boy!
For
tonight!
"Oh, my gosh," she murmured as she hurried to her
locker. Her hands were trembling so much that it took three tries to work the
combination.

Jana had just come into her apartment and was still in a
daze from accepting a date with Parker Donovan when the phone rang.

"Have you talked to him?" Beth demanded the
instant she said hello.

"Who, Parker?" Jana asked, then realizing that
wasn't who Beth meant at all, she said quickly, "I meant Keith. No, I
haven't had a chance yet."

Beth's voice fell. "Oh," she said. "Well,
when are you planning to talk to him? Oh, Jana, things were going so much
better between us until just lately. I've got to find out what's wrong so that
I can patch it up."

Jana looked up at the ceiling helplessly. What was she going
to say? So much had happened today that she hadn't had time to plan when she
would talk to Keith.

"How about tonight?" Beth continued. "You
could call him after supper."

"Can't," Jana told her. "Parker Donovan is
coming over to study history. Then we're going to Bumpers."

"Great," said Beth without much enthusiasm. "I
guess Shawnie must have talked to Craig about Parker. I hope you guys have fun."

Jana felt a rush of guilt. Beth had called Shawnie, and now
Jana had a date while her best friend was wallowing in misery. Even if she
confessed to Beth how nervous she was about going out with Parker, it wouldn't
help.

"I'll call Keith right now," she promised. "And
if he isn't home, I'll keep calling until Parker gets here. Okay?"

"Thanks, Jana," said Beth gratefully. "You're
the best friend anyone could ever have."

After she hung up the phone, Jana gazed around the empty
apartment. It would be another hour before her mom and Pink got home from work.
It would be best to call Keith now, the way she had promised, while there was
no one around to hear her conversation. But what am I going to say? she asked
herself as she punched in his number. It was too late now to make plans. She
would just have to play it by ear. Who knows, she thought hopefully, maybe he
won't even be home.

Naturally Keith answered the phone.

"Hi, Keith," said Jana.

"Hey! Jana!" he cried, and she couldn't help
thinking that he seemed surprisingly glad to hear her voice.

"Listen, Keith. There's something I need to talk to you
about," she said. "It's about Beth," she added softly.

"Oh, yeah. I saw you talking to her at noon. She looked
pretty torn up."

Jana was irritated that he sounded so unconcerned, but she
didn't say so. Instead, she went on, "I was wondering about why you broke
up with her. I know you said that you just got tired of going with her . . ."
Jana hesitated, gathering courage, and then plunged on. "But I was wondering
if there was another reason. You know, maybe something she did that you didn't
like. Or something she said."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Now
that you mention it, there was another reason," he replied.

Jana's hopes leapt. "There was?"

"Sure," Keith answered, sounding pleased again. "A
big reason."

"Could you tell me what it was?" Jana asked. "You
see, Beth still really likes you, and if it was a misunderstanding or something
like that, maybe you guys could get back together."

"Naw," Keith assured her. "It's nothing like
that."

"Are you certain?" Jana pressed. "Maybe she
could explain, or even apologize. Are you sure it wouldn't work?"

"Positive," said Keith. "And if you really
want to know why I broke up with Beth, I'll tell you."

"Okay," Jana murmured, waiting tensely.

"So that I can ask you out now that you and Randy have
split."

Jana's mouth dropped open in horror. "What?" she
whispered.

"You heard me. It's you I like, not Beth. I've liked
you for a long time, but I knew I didn't stand a chance while you were going
steady with Kirwan."

Oh, no! thought Jana. This can't be happening.
What am I
going to tell Beth now?

Jana couldn't believe what she was hearing. The last thing
in the world she wanted was to be the cause of Beth and Keith's breaking up.

"I have to go now. My mom's calling me," she lied.

As soon as she hung up the phone, she sprawled across the
sofa and buried her face in one of its soft cushions. What's happening? she
asked herself over and over.

It had started out so innocently, with her deciding that she
and Randy should date others for a while to see if they really cared for each
other as much as they believed they did. And they had made a date for one month
after the breakup to talk things over. That was it. No big deal. But now, Beth
had a broken heart because Keith had broken up with her, and Keith wanted to
take Jana out.

"Beth will hate me if she ever finds out," Jana
whispered. "My very best friend in the world will never trust me again."

Jana was still lying on the sofa when her mother came home a
little while later. "Something wrong, dear?" Mrs. Pinkerton asked.

Jana poured out the whole story for her mother, and was
grateful when she didn't say, I told you so. Instead Mrs. Pinkerton gave Jana a
sympathetic pat and said, "I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure you don't
intend to go out with Keith, do you?"

"Of course not," said Jana. "I wouldn't go
out with him if he were the last boy on earth."

"Then how could Beth get mad at you? You can't help it
if Keith has a crush on you. Beth may not be happy about it, but she can't
blame you," Mrs. Pinkerton assured her.

Jana felt a little better, and by the time six-thirty came,
she was actually looking forward to getting to know Parker better. It was
exciting that he was part of a rock band, and he definitely was handsome.
Still, she was awfully nervous.

Maybe I can talk him out of going to Bumpers after we finish
our homework, she thought, since being seen in public with him is the scariest
thing of all. We could watch TV or something instead.

She almost jumped out of her skin when the doorbell rang.

"Do you want to get that, Jana?" called Pink from
the living room. "It's probably your friend."

Jana raced to the door and opened it. Parker was standing
there with his books in hand, grinning as usual. She ushered him into the
apartment's tiny foyer. "This is my mom and my stepdad. Mom and Pink, this
is Parker Donovan."

"Hi, Parker. Welcome," Pink said, shaking Parker's
hand while Jana's mother said hello.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. . . . umm . . ."

He looked helplessly at Jana, and she realized that he didn't
know their last name.

"Pinkerton," she said quickly. Of course he wouldn't
know, she thought. This is the first time he's ever met them. But still it
seemed strange. She had never had to clue in Randy about anything like that. He
had been around long before her mom and Pink had gotten married.

"So do you like to bowl?" Pink asked Parker, his
voice full of enthusiasm. Parker was glancing at the shelf full of bowling
trophies in the living room.

"Never tried it," answered Parker.

"Well, one of these days . . ." Pink began, but
Jana's mother cut him off.

"I'm sure Parker has lots of things to keep him busy,"
she said gently to her husband, and then winked at Jana. "Make yourself at
home, Parker." Then she steered Pink back to the living room, where the
television was on.

Jana led Parker into the kitchen and stood there awkwardly
for a moment. "I guess we can study in here," she said, gesturing
toward the table.

"Sure." He dropped his books on the side of the
table nearest the refrigerator and sat down.

Jana frowned. Randy always sat on the other side when they
studied together. Not that it mattered. Except that the kitchen was tiny, and
if Parker sat next to the fridge, she would have to ask him to move when she
got out sodas and ice. Sighing, she got her own books from the counter and
placed them across the table from Parker.

"Want something to drink before we get started?"
she asked brightly.

"Sure," he said. "Got any root beer?"

Jana shook her head. Randy always drank cola. "All we
have is cola," she told him apologetically.

"Naw," he replied. "I'll just skip it."

Jana swallowed hard. Why hadn't she thought to get something
besides cola on her way home from school? She should have known Parker might
want something else. Not every boy was like Randy.

The thought made her sit up straight. Then she slumped
again. Of course every boy isn't like Randy, she scolded herself.

"I'll go ahead and start the popcorn, then," she
said. She and Randy always ate popcorn while they studied, and everybody in the
world liked popcorn.

"Hey, don't make any for me." Parker grinned. "I
love the stuff, but it gets under my retainer."

"Oh," Jana said, feeling totally deflated. "Is
there anything you would like?"

Parker thought a minute. "I forgot my pencil."

Jana grabbed an extra pencil out of the cup beside the phone
and handed it to him. "I guess we'd better get started," she said
with the best smile she could muster.

Parker nodded. "Yeah, the sooner we get started, the
sooner we get it over with." Then he grinned and added, "And we can
cut out for Bumpers."

Jana sat down and opened her history book, flipping to
chapter seventeen. She looked nervously across at Parker, who was slowly
turning the pages of his book. He looked so relaxed, and her heart was thumping
away like a runaway bumper car. He didn't like cola. He couldn't eat popcorn.
And he was in a big hurry to get to Bumpers, where tons of Wacko kids might see
them. Things weren't going well at all, and she didn't know what to do about
it.

She jumped a foot when the phone rang. She heard her mother
answer. A few seconds later she appeared in the kitchen doorway. "It's
Beth."

Jana felt goose bumps rise on her arms. Beth must be feeling
pretty desperate to be calling now. Jana
had
promised Beth she would
call her as soon as she talked to Keith, but Beth knew that Parker was coming
over to study.

"Would you explain that I can't talk to her now?" Jana
asked, nodding toward Parker, who was bent over his book, tapping a beat on the
table with his pencil while he read.

Her mother nodded and left the room. Jana felt bad about not
talking to Beth. But what could she do? Even if she knew what to say to Beth,
which she didn't, she certainly couldn't say it in front of Parker.

She went back to her reading, but she wasn't making much
progress. In fact, she realized, she had just read the same paragraph three
times.

Suddenly Parker looked up at her. His eyes were twinkling,
and he gave her a lopsided grin. "Hey, that's enough reading. I can't hack
any more of this stuff! Let's start on the questions."

Jana was dumbfounded. "But how can we answer the
questions if we haven't read the chapter?"

Parker shook his head in amusement. "We'll look up the
answers. That's all we need for the test, anyway."

"But—" sputtered Jana.

"I know what I'm talking about," said Parker. He
leaned back in his chair and gave her a cocky grin. "Old Naset always uses
the questions at the end of the chapters for his tests. He'd never go to the
trouble of making up his own. Reading the chapter is just a waste of time."

Jana wasn't sure how he talked her into it, but half an hour
later they had looked up the answers to all the history questions and were walking
into Bumpers. Loud music came from the old Wurlitzer jukebox, and the place was
filled with an astounding number of kids that Jana knew.

"Now this is what I call homework!" Parker
exclaimed happily as he steered her toward a table near the front door. But
instead of sitting down with her, he began gyrating to the rap beat of the song
and lip-synching the words.

Jana wished she could crawl away somewhere and hide. So what
if he was one of The Dreadful Alternatives? Did he have to put on a solo
performance when she was there with him!

Kids in nearby booths clapped their hands in time with the
music and urged him on. Others moved closer from booths farther away. It was
obvious to Jana that Parker was loving every minute of it.
"All RIGHT
!"
he yelled as the music ended and everybody applauded wildly.

Parker made a little bow to the crowd and sat down, spinning
around to give Jana a dopey grin.

She tried to smile back, but her face felt like cement. She
was glad when she heard someone call her name.

"Hi, Jana!" Dekeisha Adams sped across the floor,
carrying a plate of french fries. "See you're with Mr. Cool!" she
added behind a hand, and then giggled.

Before Jana could answer, Alexis Duvall yelled from a booth,
"Hey, Morgan. What are you doing here on a school night?"

Jana waved to both Dekeisha and Alexis. Mr. Cool, Dekeisha
had called Parker. Jana frowned. I'd like it better if he were a little less
cool, she thought.

"Isn't this place great?" Parker asked, drumming
his fingers on the table. "It's always like this on school nights. You don't
know what you've been missing by staying home and reading your history book,"
he added, raising an eyebrow.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked around to see
Alexis standing there.

"Want to go to the girls' room with me?" asked
Alexis. "I need to talk to you."

Jana excused herself and followed Alexis, grateful to get
away from Parker for a moment. When they reached the restroom, Alexis looked
around and didn't speak until she was sure they were alone.

"I just wanted you to know that Randy's here," she
said.

Jana gulped. "He is?" she asked weakly. "Is
he with anyone?"

Alexis nodded. "He came in with Tony Sanchez, but half
the girls in the place are sitting in their booth and flirting their heads off
with Randy. And he's loving every minute of it."

"Who's flirting with him?" Jana demanded.

"Laura McCall and Tammy Lucero were there for a while.
Now Marcie Bee and Melinda Thaler are sitting there, and naturally Sara Sawyer.
She told Lisa Snow that she's had a crush on Randy for ages and that she's
thrilled you guys broke up."

"You're kidding!" Jana exploded. "Sara Sawyer's
supposed to be my friend!"

"Ha!" scoffed Alexis. "You know as well as I
do that friendship goes down the tubes when it comes to boys. If you ask me,
you should never have let Randy out of your clutches."

At that moment Jana couldn't have agreed more.