Fabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together Again (4 page)

"I'm starting to feel at home in England," said
Katie. "It's really easy to get around here, and there are so many things
to do. I just might stay."

The Fabulous Five were sitting in Montague's on Tuesday
evening. With them were Connie, Charlie, Davey, and the three girls from
London.

"It sounds as if you birds had a right full day,"
remarked Charlie. He winked teasingly at Katie. "What with seeing
Buckingham Palace, and all those other places."

"I'm surprised you could get McAfee to go along,"
said Davey, bumping Nicki playfully with his shoulder. "She's a bit of a
couch potato, you know. Her idea of action is poppin' chocolate Olivers in her
mouth while she's watching the telly."

"Chocolate Olivers?" asked Beth. "What's
that?"

"A biscuit. I guess you'd call it a cookie,"
explained Nicki. She shot Davey a fiery look. "And I wouldn't talk, Mr.
Wonderful. You're not exactly fit enough to compete in the Olympics."

"Hey," Melanie jumped in eagerly. "Did
Christie ever tell you that there's a guy in our school who has won all kinds
of Junior Olympic swim medals?"

Christie glanced at Connie, who was listening intently to
Melanie. He knew Chase Collins was a swimmer and that Christie and Chase had
dated. It was obvious that he had guessed it was Chase Melanie was talking
about.

Jana quickly filled the silence that followed Melanie's
remark.

"We had so much fun today. The parade at the changing
of the guard was exciting. Is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade ever shown on TV
here? Now
that's
a parade. It goes on for hours, and there are tons of
marching bands and entertainers."

"And they've got these gigantic balloons made to look
like Superman, Spiderman, Bullwinkle, Popeye, all kinds of cartoon characters,"
added Beth.

None of the British kids had seen it. Another awkward
silence settled over the table.

"Care to dance?" Davey suddenly asked Melanie. "Someone
just put on a Brain Damage song."

"Great!" Melanie jumped up.

Oh, no, Christie thought. Nicki watched the two of them
walking to the dance floor and didn't look very happy. Christie wished that
Melanie hadn't seemed so eager to dance when Davey asked her. Christie hadn't
had a chance to talk to Melanie and Beth and tell them to be careful about how
they responded to Davey and Charlie. She vowed she'd do it soon.

"We got our tickets for Brain Damage for Friday,"
said Phoebe, indicating herself, Nicki, and Eleanore. "My mum got them
today."

"We haven't gotten ours yet," Connie replied, "but
I'll have Neal call and reserve tickets for the three of us."

"I should have had
our
butler get our tickets,"
said Nicki.

"You've got a butler?" Jana asked her.

"Yeah," answered Nicki. "He doubles as me
dad." The group laughed.

"How about you?" Charlie asked Beth. "Care to
dance?"

"Absolutely, luv," said Beth, imitating an English
accent.

"I guess our coves would rather dance with American
birds," Nicki said to Eleanore.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Christie
reassured her.

But as the evening progressed, and Beth and Melanie
continued to dance with the boys, Christie knew Nicki and Eleanore weren't at
all convinced.

"The guys asked us to dance, and we danced with them,"
said Melanie defensively. "That's all."

It was Beth's and Jana's turn to sleep in Christie's bed.
They were propped up against the pillows with a large bowl of popcorn in
between them. Christie, Katie, and Melanie were sitting in their sleeping bags,
each with a smaller bowl of popcorn in her lap.

"Nicki and Eleanore ought to know we're not a threat,"
added Beth. "It's not as if we've been sneaking off with their guys. And
besides, we'll only be here for a few more days."

"I know," replied Christie. "I've explained
that. But think about how you'd feel if the situation were reversed. Melanie,
if Shane asked Nicki to dance more than he asked you, you wouldn't like it."

"Probably not," agreed Melanie, "but if girls
from another country were visiting for a few days and never coming back, I
could put up with it. I'd want them to have fun."

"Oh!" said Katie, grinning. "So you're
willing to lend your boyfriend to someone for the sake of international
relations."

"I think Nicki, Phoebe, and Eleanore are also feeling a
little left out," Christie replied before Melanie had time to retort. "I
forgot to call them yesterday to invite them to come out with us. And it must
be hard to hang out with a group of girls who have known each other for as long
as we have."

Jana nodded. "You're right. We should definitely be
more sensitive to how they feel."

"Okay," said Katie. "We'll be more sensitive.
But I think that Nicki and the others should be more sensitive to us, too. We
haven't been together for a long time. Besides that, when we leave we'll
probably
never
be back. We want to have fun." Katie's voice
dropped. "Once spring break is over, it will be a long time before we see
you again, Christie."

"I've got to tell you," Beth chimed in, "I'm
not used to Nicki's humor yet. When will I finally think she's funny?"

Christie gave her a wry smile. "She grows on you. It
took me a while to like her, too, but she'd do anything for a friend."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it," responded
Beth. "Connie, on the other hand, is such a nice guy. You must really like
him."

Christie sucked in her lower lip and thought for a moment. "I
do, but I still like Chase, too. Sometimes it's pretty confusing."

"Either way, you win," Jana told her. "They're
both great guys."

"So what's the story with Chase, anyway?" asked
Christie. "Is he dating anyone steadily?"

"No," said Katie. "He's dated Tammy Lucero a
couple of times. And Heather Clark and Lisa Snow, but there's no one steady."

"Don't worry. We'll keep a close eye on him,"
Melanie reassured her.

That night Christie lay awake as the other members of The
Fabulous Five gradually dropped off to sleep. Katie's comment about not seeing
Christie for a long time had hit her in the pit of her stomach. After the girls
left, she would be on her own again, without the rest of The Fab Five. And
right now, with Phoebe and the others feeling a bit angry at her, that made
Christie feel terribly alone.

If only I could find a way to make my two sets of friends
like each other, she thought. That wouldn't solve all my problems, but it would
help an awful lot. I know if they'd just get to know each other, we could all
be good friends.

On Wednesday Christie called Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore to
see if they wanted to go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum with The Fabulous Five.
Phoebe said she had something else to do; Eleanore said her feet still hurt;
and Nicki said she had better things to do, like her laundry. It sounded to
Christie as if they all had had enough sightseeing. She was glad that her
American friends hadn't heard Nicki's comment.

The Fab Five spent all morning at the museum, touring room
after room of wax figures of famous people—world leaders, British kings and
queens, American presidents, and rock stars like Elton John and Elvis Presley.
Some of the wax exhibits were chillingly realistic—including prisoners chained
to medieval torture racks in rat-infested dungeons.

On Thursday it rained and they spent the day writing
postcards to friends and family at home, and listening to Christie's CDs. In
the afternoon they had tea and hot apple pie at Mrs. Mansfield's and played
with Jenny Fitzhugh. That evening they went to the Palladium theater and saw a
musical. Beth was so thrilled with the play, she couldn't stop singing the
songs from the show.

On Friday they all piled into the Winchells' car and drove
to the Farrell estate in Hoddesdon.

"Good morning, Miss Winchell," said the Farrells'
butler, Neal, when he opened the door. "Good morning, ladies." He
bowed slightly to Katie, Jana, Melanie, and Beth. "Master Conrad and the
others are gathered in the drawing room." He turned to lead the way.

Jana, Beth, Melanie, and Katie looked slightly stunned as
they followed.

"Wow! Look at that," whispered Beth, pointing at
the crystal chandelier glittering from the ceiling.

"Yeah, and look at all the portraits over the
staircase," Beth whispered back. "The frames alone must be worth a
fortune. Who are all those people, Christie?"

"Connie's ancestors," she replied.

Neal led them into a large room where Connie and the others
were seated on sofas and armchairs. The paneled walls were painted a deep red,
with pale cream trim. The ceiling was the same shade of cream with ornate woodwork
accented in gold.

"Here they are," said Connie, getting up.

"What a fantastic house,"
said Beth,
twirling around to take in the whole room. "I can't imagine what it would
be like to live in a gorgeous place like this."

Connie shrugged. "I'm sure yours is as nice in its own
way."

"Riight,"
said Jana with a wry smile.

Connie led the way out back. The riders walked through a
formal flower garden bordered by green hedges that had been shaped into neat
rectangles. Gravel paths cut through the gardens, and marble statues stood here
and there.

"It's beautiful," said Beth, and the others
readily agreed.

When they reached the stables, two saddle boys were
adjusting the stirrups of a group of horses gathered in the yard.

Jana eyed the two-story brick stable admiringly. "Even
the horses have it pretty good here. Would you mind if I moved in with them,
Connie?"

He laughed. "I don't think you'd like what they eat.
Have you girls ridden before?"

"Randy and I have gone a couple of times," replied
Jana. Katie and Beth had also, but Melanie told him it was her first time.

"That must be Rigel," said Beth, pointing to a
small, powerfully built black Arabian. Its tail and mane were long and creamy
white.

"It sure is," replied Christie, taking the horse's
head in her hands and laying her cheek against its face. "Isn't he the
most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

"He sure is," agreed Beth quickly. "And I
like that horse, with the black spots, too. Can I ride it?"

"I'll help you mount," Charlie said, taking the
horse's reins.

"But . . ." Eleanore started to say something,
then closed her mouth.

"Here. Put your foot in the stirrup," Charlie
instructed Beth. He put his hands on her waist and helped her up.

"Come here, Snowfall," he ordered a stocky white
horse. Gathering its reins, he mounted, too.

"No one had better touch Sunshine," warned Nicki,
stepping between Melanie and a bay-color horse. "She's mine."

Davey mounted a tall, gangly horse.

"Thanks a lot for the assist, Davey boy," said
Nicki, pulling herself up on Sunshine.

"The dappled horse is gentle," said Connie. "Why
don't you take her, Jana? And Melanie, you take Cleopatra."

Melanie eyed the horse nervously. "She's got such a big
head. And look at her nostrils. They're huge, too."

The London girls laughed.

"That's the way they come equipped," replied
Eleanore. "You can't get a horse any other way."

"Here. Let me help you," offered Connie, holding
the stirrup for Melanie. "Wrong foot," he told her when she tried to
put her right foot in the left stirrup.

"Ooops. Sorry," said Melanie. Eleanore giggled,
and Phoebe put her hand over her mouth to hide a smile.

"Let her do it her way," said Nicki. "Maybe
she prefers to see where she's been instead of where she's going."

Melanie frowned at her and changed feet.

"When you want Cleopatra to go, just dig your heels
into her flanks," instructed Connie. "To turn, pull the rein in the
direction you want to go, and when you want to stop, pull back on both reins.
Got it?"

"I think so," answered Melanie, looking as if she
wasn't at all sure.

"I'll stay with you, Melanie," volunteered Davey.

Connie looked around to see who still needed a horse.

"Katie can ride Sapphire," suggested Phoebe. "I'll
ride Blackie this time."

"Eleanore, that leaves you," said Connie. "You
take Buttercup." He handed her the reins of a beautiful gold-color horse.

"But he's
your
horse," protested Eleanore.

"No problem," responded Connie. "I want to
ride Duke. He has been a bit testy lately. I need to remind him to mind his
manners."

Connie mounted Duke and led the way out of the stable yard
and across a lush green field spotted with grazing sheep.

"This is terrific!" Jana called to Christie as
they rode along next to each other.

"Fun, isn't it?" Christie called back. It was good
to see Jana's face flushed with excitement. It meant that she had, at least
momentarily, forgotten about her problem with her father.

Connie led the group up a small hill, masterfully handling
Duke, who balked at most of Connie's commands. As they turned onto a trail that
cut through the woods, Christie noticed that Charlie was riding next to Beth
and talking up a storm. Nicki and Phoebe were behind them, and Eleanore was
next. She and Jana were following her.

Melanie was having trouble keeping up. Cleopatra was an easy
ride, but the horse seemed to love wildflowers and was making frequent stops to
sniff at them. Davey was holding back to keep Melanie company, except for a few
times, when he couldn't resist letting out a war whoop and galloping his horse
past everyone to take the lead. Then he raced at full speed back to Melanie,
showing off by making his horse prance around her. Each time he did this, and
passed Nicki, she gave him a look of disdain.

Christie caught up with Eleanore. "Ellie, I want you to
know that I talked with Beth last night. She's not after Charlie."

Eleanore flushed. "It may be the other way around,"
she said. "Charlie seems to be taken with Beth."

"It won't do him any good," Christie assured her. "The
Fab Five are going home the day after tomorrow."

"I've still got to deal with him after that,"
Eleanore replied.

Christie looked ahead just then and noticed a large oak
tree. The riders had to duck their heads to avoid low-hanging branches.
Christie pushed one away and let it loose carefully, so it wouldn't snap back
and hit Eleanore.

She hadn't gone much farther when she heard Davey give one
of his yells, and expected to see him come racing by. Instead someone screamed.

Christie spun Rigel around to see what had happened. Melanie
lay sprawled on the ground under the tree, and the horse was galloping away.