Fabulous Five 018 - Teen Taxi Read Online Free

a blast. The way Mom's signing up riders, we'll
be packed in like sardines. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up sitting on
each other's lap, but that's okay. She's signed up mostly boys."
    Melanie felt a twinge of guilt as the color drained out of
Michelle's face. "Boys?" Michelle whispered.
    "Right," said Melanie. "Hunks from the
football team and a bunch of other cute guys. I can't wait, can you?"
    "Um . . . I'll see you later," Michelle stammered
as she got to her feet and gathered her books in her arms. "I have to go
to my locker."
    Melanie's friends were already at their usual meeting spot
by the fence, so after she left Michelle she hurried to them, telling herself
that even though the things she had told Shawnie, Kevin, and Michelle were big
fat lies, she had had to do it.
    "How's baby Jana and the rest of the puppies?"
Jana asked the minute she walked up.
    "Okay, but Mom said the ad to give them away will be in
the paper tonight." Melanie moaned. "I just can't stand the
idea. Poor little Christie and Beth and Jana and Katie and Scott and Shane and
Garrett and Jason!" she said, all in one breath. Gulping in more air, she
went on, "How will we know if the people who take them will be good to
them? I've read awful stories about people getting pets and then mistreating
them."
    "Maybe you won't be able to give them away,"
offered Beth. "Remember how much trouble we had finding homes for the dogs
and cats from the animal shelter?"
    "And all of those animals were paper trained and had
their shots," added Jana.
    "Maybe you're right," Melanie mumbled. "But
Mom's going ahead full steam with her taxi business just as if she already had
homes for the puppies. She got the sign put on both sides of the van yesterday
and spent all evening making calls to parents who might want to use her
service."
    "How many riders did she get?" asked Katie.
    Melanie shrugged. "I didn't ask. Believe me, it's the
last thing in the world I want to talk about. But I did overhear her telling
Dad that she wants to start up her taxi service next Monday morning."
    "Wow," said Christie. "This is Thursday. That
doesn't give you much time. Does it?"
    Melanie smiled slyly. "Maybe, and maybe not. I've been
doing some work on my own."
    Her friends looked at her quizzically.
    "You know how my mom drives," she said.
    "Yeah," said Beth, nodding her head and laughing. "She
certainly doesn't poke around."
    "Exactly," said Melanie. "She's always above
the speed limit. And you also know how often she's running late. Well,"
she said slowly, ". . . I've just been spreading the word to kids who
might sign up for the taxi service, among other things."
    "Melanie! You haven't," shrieked Katie.
    Melanie nodded and grinned at her friend. "What's wrong
with that? I didn't lie. At least, not very much. And besides, they ought to
know what they're getting into."
    "I don't know," said Christie. "I'm not sure
you should have done that."
    "Me, either," said Jana. "You know your
mother takes her responsibility seriously. She's never driven dangerously. I'm
sure she'll stay under the speed limit and always be on time with her new taxi
service."
    Melanie sighed and shook her head woefully. "But I
already told you about having to ride along after school," she wailed. "I
can just see all of you going to Bumpers every day without me. I keep seeing
pictures in my mind of other girls flirting with Scott, Shane, and Garrett."
Her eyes narrowed in anger. "I've got to do something."
    "We'll call you every night and tell you what happened
at Bumpers," Christie offered sympathetically.
    "And if we see anybody flirting with those guys, we'll
do our best to break it up," promised Beth.
    Melanie was glad when the bell rang. She didn't want to talk
to her friends anymore about her predicament. They didn't understand how it
felt. Their mothers weren't wrecking everything by embarrassing them at school,
messing up their social lives, and giving away eight of the sweetest puppies
ever born. She would