Fabulous Five 003 - The Popularity Trap Read Online Free Page A

that she hadn't
volunteered for either job. After all, hadn't her mother just gotten through
saving how proud she was of Christie? There was no use bursting her bubble.
    Later, at the dinner table, her father asked, "What do
you say to some tennis on Saturday, Christie? George Ellis and I were talking
at the office. He was captain of the Dartmouth tennis team, and when I asked
him if he'd help you with your backhand, he said he'd be delighted. Maybe we
can get in a few sets afterwards. You know, to tune up your game a little."
    "Vince, Christie may have to study on Saturday,"
said Mrs. Winchell. "She has volunteered to tutor another student, and I
might add, our daughter is running for class president."
    "Great!" Her father looked at Christie with
pleasure. "I was president of one of my classes. Hmmm. I can't remember
which one it was now, though."
    "Well," her mother continued, "we just have
to make sure she has time to keep up her grades. She's doing better than either
Michael or Edward when they were her age, and we don't want to overburden her
so she can't keep it up."
    Christie cringed. Her mother was always comparing her with
her two older brothers, one of whom was in medical school and the other was a
lawyer. She was glad that her parents had faith in her abilities, but keeping
up with Mike and Ed was a real burden sometimes.
     
    Christie finally finished her homework and closed her books
at ten o'clock. She had done all of her assignments, and since Jon Smith might
be as much as two chapters behind in math, she reviewed chapters five and six
so she would be ready to help him.
    She climbed into bed, thinking about all that was happening
to her. She loved most of the things she was doing. School was fun. She had the
best friends in the world in Jana, Melanie, Katie, and Beth. The Fabulous Five
had been together since they were in the lower grades at Mark Twain. They had
all been so excited about going into junior high. They just knew that if they
stuck together, it would be more fun than Mark Twain Elementary.
    But then they ran into Laura McCall and The Fantastic
Foursome on the very first day of school. The two cliques had been enemies ever
since. When The Fantastic Foursome put Melissa McConnell up for class
president, The Fabulous Five just had to put someone up, too. Otherwise they
would be run over. But why did Christie have to be the one? She had as much to
do as the others. Maybe more with her mom and dad's pushing her. Junior high
was a lot more complicated than elementary school.
    Playing tennis was fun, too, or it could be. She loved
playing it with her father. It was just that he kept bringing in other people
to teach her things and talking about how young some of the great tennis pros
were, as if he expected her to start competing any day now. That ruined it for
her. She hated to tell him she just wanted to play and have fun. She knew it
would hurt his feelings.
    She just hoped that her mother wouldn't spread the word
among her friends that Christie was tutoring someone and running for class president.
Jon was unhappy with her already. If he thought she was spreading the word that
he was dumb, he'd hate her. If everyone would just leave her alone.
    She pulled the covers up under her chin and concentrated on
going to sleep.
     
    Beth and Katie came running up to Christie as soon as she
stepped onto the school ground the next morning.
    "Christie! Guess what Laura McCall and her friends have
done! You won't believe it!" cried Beth. "They've put stickers that
say Melissa McConnell for president on all the seventh-grade lockers!"
    "Jana and Melanie joined them just as Katie was saying,
"Yeah, and that includes our lockers, too. It was probably that witch
Laura McCall's idea."
    "What includes our lockers, too?" asked Jana. Beth
retold her story with all the drama she could muster.
    "What are we going to do?" asked Melanie.
    "Not get overly excited, for one thing," said
Jana, looking at Beth. "The first thing