Fabulous Five 021 - Jana to the Rescue Read Online Free

had known
that Lizzie might not be superfriendly, but this was ridiculous. She was
surprised and hurt at how hostile and angry Lizzie actually was. Jana kept
wondering what more she could do to make this new school experience go smoothly
for Lizzie.
    At lunchtime, Jana led Lizzie to the cafeteria and showed
her where to get in the hot-lunch line. Jana paid for her own lunch, and then
Lizzie leaned far over to the side to block Jana's view. Jana could still see,
though, when Lizzie took out a card and slipped it in front of the woman
selling lunch tickets. The woman glanced at the card and nodded, and then
turned to the boy behind Lizzie to get his lunch money.
    She didn't want me to see that she's on the free lunch
program , Jana thought. That made Jana sad. There were quite a few
low-income kids getting reduced or free lunches, and it wasn't a big deal. She
had always thought it was a great program, that kids could always get a hot
lunch, no matter how much their parents earned.
    "Let's sit over by the window," Jana said when
they had their lunch trays.
    She smiled and waved at The Fabulous Five at their usual
table. She'd told each of them that on the new girl's first day she would sit
alone with her at lunch. Her friends had agreed that it would be a good idea
for Jana to spend some private time with her at first.
    "How did you like your first morning?" Jana asked
Lizzie after they'd sat down.
    Lizzie shrugged and took a stab at the meatball on her spaghetti.
"It was all right," she said, "if you like boredom."
    "Yeah, it can be boring, all right," Jana
said. "But sometimes it's really fun. Mr. Dracovitch, for instance, can be
really interesting. Once he had his classes dissect a cow's eyeball!"
    Lizzie dropped her fork with the meatball back into her
plate.
    "Oops, sorry," Jana said, and giggled nervously. "I
shouldn't have mentioned that at lunch."
    Lizzie made a face. "That's disgusting," she
mumbled.
    "But what I meant was that Wakeman doesn't have to be
boring," Jana insisted. "There are a lot of activities you can get
involved in, too. I'm the seventh-grade coeditor of The Wigwam , our
school yearbook. Some of my friends are cheerleaders and in the school plays
and on the Teen Court."
    "Uh-huh," Lizzie said, looking very bored.
    "Maybe you'd like to get involved in some of those
activities," Jana added hopefully.
    "Yeah, right," Lizzie said sarcastically. "Like,
I'd really like to be in a school play." She made a gagging noise.
    "It was just a suggestion," Jana said in a small
voice. "Maybe you'll like your afternoon classes better, Lizzie."
    Lizzie sat back in her chair and gazed at Jana for a moment.
'"Would you do me a favor, Jana?"
    "Sure," Jana said, eager to help.
    "Would you call me Liz instead of Lizzie?"
    "Oh, sure, okay," Jana said.
    Lizzie nodded and folded her arms across her chest. "Just
my good friends call me Lizzie."

CHAPTER 4
    "She was angry and mean all day!" Jana said. "She
thought school was boring. She didn't like our teachers. She said I talked too
much. And then she asked me to call her Liz instead of Lizzie."
    "Why?" her mother asked, taking the casserole out
of the oven. "What's wrong with Lizzie?"
    Jana raised her eyebrows. "Only her good friends call
her Lizzie," Jana said. " Obviously she has no intention of
ever letting me be a good friend."
    Jana's stepfather, Pink, had just finished setting the
table. He strolled over to Jana and put his arm around her shoulder.
    "The girl sounds as if she's built a wall around
herself," he said. "By telling you that only her friends call her
Lizzie, she's saying that she wants to keep you at a distance."
    "Exactly," Jana said, shrugging to show her
exasperation. "That's the trouble, but why would she want to do that?
Doesn't she want to make new friends?"
    "Maybe she feels insecure," her mother said. "The
name 'Lizzie' sounds a little younger, a little more vulnerable than 'Liz,'
which sounds more like a mature, independent young woman. Maybe she feels