Fabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up (5 page)

BOOK: Fabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up
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CHAPTER 8

Jana glanced toward Randy's booth as she left the restroom.
Alexis had been right. Not only were Marcie and Melinda sitting with Tony and
Randy, but Sara was right beside him, looking at him with adoring eyes. What
was worse, Randy was smiling back at her.

Pain stabbed Jana's heart. She couldn't stand to look at
them, so she took a deep breath and hurried back to the table where Parker
waited.

His face lit up as she approached. "I got us a couple
of root beers," he said, waving a hand toward a pair of glasses on the
table.

Jana tried not to frown. Why hadn't he asked her what she
wanted instead of going ahead and getting her something? She hated root beer!
Randy would have brought her a cola,
after
he had asked her what she
wanted.
He
was totally considerate, which was more than she could say
for Parker.

She sighed and sat down, murmuring thank you. Then she
picked up the glass and put the straw in her mouth, taking a tiny sip of the
sickly sweet root beer. At least that way, she could avoid talking. Parker was
really getting on her nerves.

"I'd better be heading home," she said a few
minutes later.

"Hey," protested Parker, "we just got here."

"I know, but I forgot that I have some other homework to
do," she lied, hoping that he wouldn't ask her which subject.

Parker shrugged and loudly slurped the last of his root
beer. Jana cringed in embarrassment. Randy would never do a thing like that.

She darted a quick look toward Randy's booth as she and Parker
left Bumpers. Her heart sank. Sara was still looking at Randy adoringly. Randy
was still smiling at her. And now they were alone in the booth.

Parker talked a mile a minute as they walked back to Jana's
apartment building. He told her about the new songs The Dreadful Alternatives
were working on and about a date they had in two weeks to play for a
ninth-grader's birthday party.

Jana nodded a few times at appropriate places, but otherwise
she was glad that she didn't have to make conversation. She was anxious to get
this evening over with. Parker Donovan was
definitely
not the boy for
her.

When they reached her front door, Jana thanked him for the
root beer at Bumpers and started to say good-night as she dug in her jacket
pocket for her key.

Suddenly Parker bent toward her, slipping one arm around her
and lifting her chin with his other hand. Before she knew what was happening,
he kissed her so hard on the lips that she could feel the outline of his
retainer.

Her eyes opened wide as she pushed away from him, but if he
knew she didn't like the kiss, he didn't show it.

"Gotta go now," said Parker, his impish grin
reappearing. "Catch you later."

Jana sank against the door and watched him disappear down
the hall.

 

"So how did things go with Parker Donovan last night?"
Melanie asked Jana. Melanie and Katie were already standing by the fence when
Jana arrived at school the next morning.

Jana blew out an exasperated breath before she answered. "He's
such a show-off. We went to Bumpers, and he made an idiot of himself lip-synching
to a rap song. You wouldn't believe how embarrassed I was." She couldn't
bring herself to tell them about the kiss.

"You're just not used to guys like him" said
Melanie. "After all, he's always on stage."

"You can say that again," muttered Jana.

"Let's face it, there's nobody like Randy," added
Katie. "I don't think you guys should have broken up."

"Randy was at Bumpers, too, with Sara Sawyer,"
Jana told them, frowning at the memory. "Alexis said that Sara's glad we
broke up because she's had a crush on Randy for ages."

Katie and Melanie exchanged glances. "We heard that,
too," said Katie. "She told Marcie Bee that she's going to ask Randy
to go skating this weekend. According to Marcie, Sara skates on roller blades,
and she is FAN-TAS-TIC!"

Jana sighed. "I tried on a pair of roller blades once,
and I couldn't even stand up on them. What's worse, Randy admires athletic
people, and he'll probably think Sara is terrific."

"Don't be silly," insisted Melanie. "It's you
Randy likes, and you know it."

Jana didn't answer. Instead, she glanced at her watch. Beth
should be here any minute, she thought, but she still hadn't decided what she
was going to say. I guess I'll just have to wing it. Jana looked around to see
if Beth was coming yet, but instead of Beth, she saw Keith heading their way.

When he saw her glance at him, he started to trot, yelling, "Hey,
Jana. Can I talk to you a minute? It's important."

Jana hesitated. She really didn't want to talk to Keith.

"What do you suppose he wants to talk to you about?"
asked Katie.

"Maybe he's changed his mind about breaking up with
Beth," Melanie said breathlessly.

Was that possible? Jana wondered. If it was, it could be the
best news she'd heard in a long time. "I'd better go find out," she
said to her friends, and then hurried toward Keith.

"What is it?" she asked hopefully.

Keith fidgeted nervously. "You know what I was talking
about on the phone?" he asked.

Jana nodded, holding her breath.

"Well . . . well, I just wondered if you'd go to a
movie with me on Friday night."

"What?" Jana shrieked. "Keith Masterson, you
know very well that Beth is my best friend!" She stopped, realizing for
the first time how loud she was talking. Several kids had stopped to look at
her and Keith. Stepping closer to him, she continued in a lower tone. "I
couldn't go out with you even if I wanted to."

He moved toward her. "That doesn't make any difference."

Jana was getting flustered. "Of course it does,"
she insisted. "I can't just . . . just . . ." Suddenly she was aware
that Keith was staring at something over her left shoulder. She frowned and
waited for him to look at her again. When he didn't, she turned slightly to see
what he was so interested in. It was Beth.

Beth was standing with Katie and Melanie. She was watching
Jana and Keith with a hopeful expression on her face. Oh, no, thought Jana.
Beth thinks maybe I'm patching things up between her and Keith. If she only knew.

"I've got to go now," Jana muttered to Keith. She
didn't wait to hear his reply. Instead she headed slowly in Beth's direction.
At that same moment Beth started walking toward her. Jana could see Melanie and
Katie leaning against the fence, watching, too.

"So what did you find out?" Beth asked anxiously when
they met. "Did Keith tell you why he broke up with me? Is it something
stupid that I did? Something I can fix?"

Jana tried to act casual. "Gosh, I'm not sure."

Beth looked puzzled. "What do you mean, you're not
sure? What did he say?"

Jana knew it was useless to stall. The important thing was
to keep Beth from finding out the truth. She took a deep breath.

"He just doesn't want to go steady anymore." The
words almost stuck in her throat. Still, she had started the lie; she had to
finish it. "You know what copycats boys are. Just because Randy isn't going
steady, Keith doesn't want to, either."

"Is that what he said?" Beth asked in amazement.

Jana hedged. "Not exactly," she fumbled. "I
mean, not in those words, but I'm sure that's what he meant."

"But what
did
he say?" Beth insisted.

Jana felt trapped. Why did Beth have to keep pressing? But
deep down she knew that she would do the same thing if it had been Randy who
had broken up with her so mysteriously. Still, what could she say to Beth?
Lying was always so much harder than telling the truth.

"I don't remember his exact words. Honest," she
said.

"Well, maybe you could talk to him again," Beth
offered.

Jana gasped. "Again?"

"Sure," said Beth. "Maybe you could tell him
that we don't have to go steady if he doesn't want to. That way we could still
go out."

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.

BOOK: Fabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up
11.16Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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