Fabulous Five 001 - Seventh-Grade Rumors Read Online Free Page A

there. And fortunately, I was heading in the right direction."
    "You think you had troubles," said Katie. "I
needed to use the restroom between classes."
    "Yipes!" said Jana.
    "I was lucky, though," said Katie. "I found one
right outside the cafeteria."
    Jana and Katie laughed together, but when Jana looked down
the table at Beth, her best friend was gazing off into the distance as if her
thoughts were a million miles away.
    Jana tried to think of something to say to Beth, something
that would get her to open up and tell them what was wrong or at the very least
to join in the conversation. Before she could think of anything, Melanie came
running up to the table.
    "Guess who's in my biology class?" she gushed. "Shane
Arrington, and is he cute! In fact, he's gorgeous. He looks just like River
Phoenix."
    " The Shane Arrington of pet iguana fame?"
Katie asked sarcastically.
    "Oh, yes," said Melanie, melting down into her
seat. "And he's darling. I mean, killer darling."
    "I thought you were madly in love with Scott Daly,"
Jana reminded her.
    "Oh, I am," Melanie insisted. "But you should
see Shane. I don't care if his parents are hippies and he has a pet iguana. He
is un- real! "
    "I know," said Jana. "Christie and I are in
his homeroom."
    "You rats!" cried Melanie. Then she tried to fake
sobbing but started giggling instead.
    By this time Christie had joined the group. She sat down
beside Beth and pulled a sandwich out of her lunch bag with little more than a
shy hello in her friends' direction.
    Christie was always quiet, but with Beth so unusually
silent, Jana had the distinct feeling that the table was weighted like a
teeter-totter. All of the talkative ones were holding down one end and the
quiet ones were floating somewhere in space at the other.
    "Has anyone decided which activities they're going to
join?" asked Jana. "Christie and I are thinking about yearbook,
school newspaper, and cheerleading."
    "And girls' basketball," added Christie.
    "You'd never catch me being a cheerleader," said
Katie. "Cheerleading is degrading to women."
    "Oh, come on, Katie," said Melanie. "You've
said that about beauty contests and modeling. Besides, lots of boys are
cheerleaders nowadays."
    Katie looked huffy. "Well, you won't catch me being
one, anyway. I want to do something worthwhile. I'm thinking of running for
student council."
    Jana groaned and turned to Beth. "Are you going out for
the drama club?" she asked.
    Beth looked at Jana for a moment. Jana had the feeling from
her blank expression that this was the first time she had even considered it.
Then she shrugged and picked up her milk carton, draining it as if to say that
the subject was closed.
    "Well, I heard some more rumors about Laura McCall and
her obnoxious friends," said Katie. "The girl sitting next to me in
history is from their school. She said that Laura McCall is definitely the
leader, just as you heard, Melanie. She also told me something about the other
three."
    Katie paused, then seeing that she had everyone's attention,
she went on. "The little one with the short dark hair is Tammy Lucero.
Tammy is cute and bubbly, according to my informant, but she's a terrible
gossip. Not only that, but she broadcasts everything she knows to the entire
world. Most kids at her other school would have liked her a lot better if she
had ever just shut up once in a while."
    "Uh-oh," said Jana. "I thought she looked
like trouble."
    Katie nodded. "The other blonde is Melissa McConnell.
Supposedly she's a perfectionist with a capital P. You know, straight A's
and all that. It seems she looks down her nose at anyone who isn't a
perfectionist, too."
    "Big deal!" said Melanie, making a face.
    "The fourth one is Funny Hawthorne," said Katie.
    "FUNNY Hawthorne?" shrieked Jana. "What kind
of name is that?"
    "It's one of those nicknames that stuck," said
Katie. "Her real name is Karen, but everybody calls her Funny, including
teachers. Anyway, apparently she's a real bubblehead. She laughs at