Fabulous Five 025 - The Fabulous Five Minus One Read Online Free Page A

fantastic!" said Christie. Watching
his face light up as he talked about California made her excited, too. "But
didn't you have swim practice after school?"
    "Yeah, but I'd tell the coach I had to study for a
humongous test or write a paper, and he'd excuse me. I did it all the time."
    "And he didn't mind?"
    "How could he? I won six gold medals in the
Southern California Junior Olympics. And that was swimming against some kids
who were a year older than me. If it hadn't been for me, the school wouldn't
have won any meets."
    " Six gold medals?" she repeated, in awe.
    "Didn't you say you lived someplace around here?"
Chase asked.
    Startled, Christie looked to see where they were. "Oh,
yes," she said with a sheepish grin. She had been listening so intently to
him, she hadn't recognized her own home. "That's my house we just passed."
    "Nice place," said Chase, looking at the large
house with the well-manicured lawn. "Are you coming to watch practice
again tomorrow?"
    "Yes. Swimming is nearly my favorite sport," she
answered. Then she added quickly, "I mean, I like to swim. I haven't gone
out for the swim team, though. I play tennis a lot."
    "I heard that you're pretty good," said Chase. "Maybe
you can teach me to play tennis, and I'll teach you some tricks about swimming I
bet you don't know."
    "That would be great," Christie said
enthusiastically. She couldn't believe that he wanted to see more of her!
    After he had left, Christie let herself into the house,
dropped her books on the table in the hall, and went to check the bulletin
board in the kitchen. A note in the lower corner said:
    Christie ,
    Please set the oven at 350°. The casserole's in the
fridge. Set the timer for one hour. Thanks.
    Love ,
Mom
    Christie thought about Chase as she followed the instructions.
He obviously liked her. He had walked home with her, hadn't he? And hadn't he
asked if she was going to watch him practice again tomorrow? On top of that, he
wanted to play tennis and swim with her. She couldn't help grinning as she
stuck the casserole in the oven.
    When she finished, she went to her room and flopped across
her bed. Grabbing her white tennis-outfitted bunny, she hugged it tight. Then
she held it at arm's length and looked it in the eyes.
    "Chase Collins likes me," she told the bunny. "I
think he really likes me." Saying it out loud made it seem even
more real. She squeezed the bunny tight to her chest, closed her eyes, and
tried to visualize him the way she had seen him that day. She was still lying
on her bed when she heard her mother come home.

CHAPTER 4
    The next morning Mr. Neal gave Christie a note telling her
to be at a PEAK program meeting in the media center during fourth period. When
she walked into the center that afternoon, Mrs. Brenner, Mr. Bell, and Mr.
Dracovitch were sitting at a table in front of the room. Curtis, Whitney,
Dekeisha, Melissa, and Melinda were sitting in chairs in front of the table.
    "Hello, Christie. Please take a seat, and we'll get
started in a moment," said Mrs. Brenner.
    While the adults talked among themselves, Christie looked
Mr. Dracovitch over. He was a science teacher at Wakeman, but the black toupee
and black clothes he always wore made him look more like a vampire. Everyone
said he did it to get kids interested in taking his class. But why is he here?
Christie wondered.
    "We're ready to begin now," said Mrs. Brenner. "Sorry
about the delay. First, Mr. Bell would like to say a few words to you about the
PEAK program."
    The principal smiled. "I'm happy to see so many of you
seventh-graders were eligible for PEAK. I'm proud to be able to say that
Wakeman has more students in the program than do any of the schools around us.
    "Let me tell you some things about PEAK. The program is
different from any honors class that you might be taking. Instead of focusing
on one aspect of a subject, you'll study the subject in different ways. For
example, when you study something as simple as water, you might study