Taffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair

  NOBODY LIKES TAFFY SINCLAIR

  Betsy Haynes

  A BANTAM SKYLARK BOOK®

  NEW YORK · TORONTO · LONDON · SYDNEY · AUCKLAND

  RL 5, 009-012

  NOBODY LIKES TAFFY SINCLAIR

  A Bantam Skylark Book / July 1991

  Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 1991 by Betsy Haynes and James Haynes.

  Cover art copyright © 1991 by Aleta Jenks.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For information address: Bantam Books.

  ISBN 0-553-15877-5

  Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada

  Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words "Bantam Books" and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10103.

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  CWO 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  CHAPTER ONE

  Taffy Sinclair stared out the windshield as her mother turned the car into the long driveway leading to the front of Wakeman Junior High. It had been six long weeks since she had left home and gone to Hollywood to star in an after-school movie. Taffy had auditioned for the leading role in Nobody Likes Tiffany Stafford and won out over one hundred and fifty other girls. It would be shown on national television in a few weeks. Last night she and her mother had taken the long flight back from Los Angeles International Airport to La Guardia Airport in New York City. The plane had not landed until almost midnight, and the rest of the ride home in the car was just a sleepy blur.

  Everything looks the same, she thought. Yellow buses lined one side of the drive, and kids milled about on the broad lawn and congregated near the doors.

  "Look, Mother! There's Mona Vaughn. Oh, there's Shane Arrington, too," she said happily.

  "Of course, dear," said her mother with a touch of impatience in her voice. "Now, don't forget to take all your books and to turn in the lessons that you did with your tutor on the movie set to each of your teachers."

  Taffy sighed. "I won't forget. I'll do it as soon as I get to class."

  How could I forget? she thought, feeling suddenly unsure about going back to being an ordinary seventh-grader after living the glamorous life of an actress. She wondered for the millionth time how everyone at Wakeman would treat her, now that she was a movie star. Would she fit in again, or feel terribly out of place? At least I have Shawnie Pendergast, she thought, remembering how anxious her best friend had been for her to come home. I can't wait to see her and tell her all about Hollywood.

  And then there was Cory Dillon. Cory was an eighth-grader who had moved to town from Louisiana last year. He had a soft southern accent and a gorgeous smile, and practically every girl in school had had a crush on him since he started Wakeman's first rock band, The Dreadful Alternatives. He had asked her out a month before she went to Hollywood, and they had dated every single weekend before she left. She had been sure then that it was just a matter of time before he asked her to go steady, and they had written a few times while she was away. Still, six weeks was a long time, and she couldn't help wondering if he still liked her.

  Taffy took a deep breath to calm her jitters and got out of the car. She loaded the books into her arms and headed for the front door. An instant later she stopped, staring at Dekeisha Adams, who was coming up the front sidewalk in bright pink, fuzzy bedroom slippers. Taffy did a double take as her eyes traveled up the tall black girl from the bedroom slippers to the knee-length pink sleep shirt sticking out below her jacket.

  "Dekeisha?" Taffy whispered in astonishment. "What on earth are you wearing?"

  Dekeisha caught sight of Taffy just then and hurried toward her. "Hey, Taffy! Is that really you? Welcome back from Hollywood! When did you get home?"

  "Last night," said Taffy, feeling relieved that the first person to greet her was so friendly. She squinted at Dekeisha's clothes again and asked, "But why are you dressed that way? Are you in a play or something?"

  Dekeisha twirled around to show off her outfit. "It's Pajama Day," she said, grinning. "But I guess you wouldn't know about Pajama Day, since we just voted on it last week. Every month we're going to have one day where everybody comes to school in costume if they want to. This month it's Pajama Day. Next month it's going to be Clash Day. You know, nothing you wear can match. Then we're going to have School Colors Day, stuff like that. It's just for fun, and it ought to be a blast."

  "Gosh, I wish I'd known," said Taffy, frowning. "I'll probably be the only one at school wearing regular clothes." And not fitting in, she added silently. Just like I thought.

  "Hey, maybe we'll have Movie Star Day, and everybody can come as a famous movie star. Then I'll put on a blond wig and come as Taffy Sinclair." Dekeisha laughed good-naturedly over her shoulder and headed into the building.

  Taffy went in too, noticing immediately that lots of girls were wearing bedroom slippers. Some of the slippers were the floppy kind with open backs, but the most popular were the huge fuzzy ones that looked like animal heads. Almost all of the girls were wearing pajama-type outfits, but she noticed that most of the boys seemed to be wearing their regular clothes. Still, she felt terribly out of place as she made her way through the halls to her locker.

  "Look! There she is. The movie star!"

  Taffy felt a rush of excitement. She dropped the combination lock she had been working on and spun around to face the three eighth-grade girls who had stopped nearby. All three of them were dressed for bed. Taffy remembered seeing them around school before. She wasn't sure of their names, but she was glad that they had recognized her.

  "Did you really go to Hollywood?" asked one of the girls, who Taffy thought was named Josie something-or-other. She had brown hair that hung straight to her shoulders and wore a flannel granny gown and matching nightcap.

  "Oh, yes," Taffy assured her. "I had the starring role in an after-school movie called Nobody Likes Tiffany Stafford. And I got to meet lots of famous movie stars, and I had my own chauffeur and limousine, and . . ."

  The tall blonde standing next to Josie nudged her and whispered something.

  Taffy blinked. Had she said something wrong? "But I still had to go to school. I had my own private tutor." She paused again, feeling suddenly panicky. "Is there something special you'd like to know about?" she asked.

  The girls exchanged glances. "No," said Josie. "Not really." The three of them stared at her for a moment, then moved on down the hall, leaving Taffy looking after them in puzzlement.

  "Why were they so rude?" she mumbled to herself. "I mean, they asked me if I went to Hollywood, didn't they?"

  She turned back to her locker and began working the combination again. "Fumble fingers," she whispered in frustration as the lock failed to open. She spun it and began the combination again. It was left seven—right fifteen—left nine, wasn't it? she thought. Surely she hadn't forgotten it in just six weeks.

  "Left seven," she murmured, "right fif . . ."

  "Oh, Taffy! There you are!"

  Taffy recognized the voice this time. It was Shawnie Pendergast, her best friend. Shawnie was walking up the hall
toward her with Kimm Taylor, who was the singer for The Dreadful Alternatives.

  Taffy couldn't help chuckling. Shawnie had on a pajama sweatsuit with a teddy bear on the front and carried a matching bear under one arm.

  "I'm so glad you're back!" Shawnie cried, racing up to Taffy and giving her a big hug. "It seems like six months since you left instead of six weeks."

  "Oh, hi, Shawnie. Believe me, I'm glad to see you, too," Taffy assured her, and she meant it. After years of rivalry with Jana Morgan and her friends in The Fabulous Five with no one but homely Mona Vaughn to take her side, Taffy had discovered Shawnie Pendergast, and they had hit it off immediately. They both loved clothes and had long blond hair, although Shawnie also had a sprinkling of cinnamon freckles on her nose.

  Smiling at Shawnie, Taffy said, "I've got so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin." Then, rolling her eyes, she added, "There are some things that can't be put into letters, if you know what I mean."

  "You bet I do," said Shawnie, laughing, "and I can't wait to hear everything. Kimm and I have been talking about how exciting it must have been out there. You know Kimm, don't you, Taffy?"

  Taffy blinked at Kimm. She was wearing a beautiful red silk kimono, which looked especially nice with her long, straight black hair and almond eyes. Of course she knew Kimm, but there was something in the way Shawnie said it that gave her a funny feeling.

  "Hi, Kimm," she said.

  "Listen, I've got to run," said Kimm. "I need to get a book from the media center before the bell rings."

  "See you later," Shawnie called out as Kimm raced down the hall. Then, turning to Taffy, she said, "Kimm's awfully nice. Did you know that her grandmother was born in China?"

  "No," answered Taffy, feeling a stab of jealousy. Shawnie was supposed to be her best friend. So why was she talking so much about Kimm?

  "Cory and I just got your postcards yesterday saying you'd be back today," said Shawnie. "Have you seen him yet?"

  "No," replied Taffy, adding quickly. "I hope he still likes me. Six weeks is a long time to be gone."

  "Don't worry. He still likes you—a lot! Now, come on," Shawnie urged her. "Hang up your jacket, and let's see if we can find him."

  Taffy nodded and tried her combination again. This time the lock popped open. She hung her jacket on a hook and carefully stacked her books on the top shelf, keeping out only the ones she would need for her morning classes.

  "Have you noticed how everyone's staring at me? I know it's not because I don't have on my pajamas," she said a few minutes later as she and Shawnie strolled down the hallway. "I mean, it's true that I went to a lot of Hollywood parties and met tons of famous stars, but . . ."

  "Yeah, like Raven Blaine," chimed in Shawnie, raising her eyebrows. "That had to be a totally awesome experience."

  Taffy felt her face color slightly at the mention of the handsome boy whom she had met while she was in Hollywood. Raven Blaine was one of the biggest teen idols in the world, and she fondly touched the small gold star on the delicate chain that hung around her neck. Her name was engraved on one side, and it had been a gift from Raven to celebrate her movie debut.

  Taffy sighed at the memory. In her wildest dreams she had never imagined that someone like Raven Blaine could possibly be interested in her, much less send her presents. She had wanted to pinch herself each time they were together to make sure it was true. But Raven was in Hollywood, and she was here. She wasn't sure how long it would take to get over her crush on him. But Cory Dillon was her boyfriend here at home, and she cared about him, too.

  "You didn't tell Cory about Raven, did you?" she asked quickly.

  "Of course not," said Shawnie, giving Taffy a reassuring smile. "And what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

  Taffy returned Shawnie's smile, but her friend's words had given her a sinking feeling. "I sure hope not," she murmured.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As she walked along the hallway with Shawnie, Taffy could see heads turning her way and kids whispering as she went past. Obviously they were talking about her. The idea made her tingle all over. Probably everybody was dying to hear what it was like to be a movie star, and lots of kids were bound to be jealous.

  It's definitely good to be back, she thought.

  When they reached the stairway, Shawnie wiggled her fingers good-bye and headed upstairs to her homeroom. "I'll see you in the cafeteria at noon, okay?" she called back over her shoulder.

  "Right," Taffy responded. She rushed toward her own homeroom, giggling to herself at seeing so many kids in their pajamas.

  At the same time, she was still on the lookout for Cory. She could hardly wait to see him again. Taffy was checking for Cory among the faces in the crowd coming toward her when she heard voices behind her.

  "Dekeisha Adams just told me that she saw Taffy Sinclair in front of school a few minutes ago," exclaimed Beth Barry. Beth was one of The Fabulous Five, the group of girls who had been Taffy's worst enemies at Mark Twain Elementary and had even had a club against her in fifth grade.

  "Wow. I wonder if she has on a black satin negligee for Pajama Day," Katie Shannon remarked sarcastically.

  "Probably," said Beth. "It would be just like her. Taffy must have just gotten home from Hollywood. Can you imagine how much more stuck-up she'll be, now that she's a movie star?"

  Taffy stiffened and listened as the girls went on talking about her, obviously unaware that she was so near.

  "You can say that again," said Jana Morgan. "It's a shame, too. She was starting to seem pretty nice just before she left."

  "Big deal," sniffed Melanie Edwards. "Now she'll probably make up all kinds of stories about how she's been going out with guys like Ralph Macchio or Fred Savage or Raven Blaine. Some kids might actually believe her."

  "Oh, come on," said Katie. "Nobody would believe that."

  An instant later the four friends had turned down a corridor and disappeared out of earshot. Taffy ducked out of the crowd and leaned against the wall, her eyes wide with horror at what she had just heard.

  But I DID go out with Raven Blaine! she wanted to shout. And not only that, he wants to date me if I ever go back to Hollywood!

  But you don't dare tell them, warned a little voice in her mind. If you do, Cory might find out and not want to go out with you anymore. Then you'd really be out of luck, since Raven is so far away.

  That doesn't leave me much choice, Taffy thought dejectedly. She pushed herself away from the wall and rejoined the crowd of students hurrying to class. I'll just have to keep quiet about Raven.

  When she reached room 107, Taffy slid into her seat and glanced around to see if anyone was looking at her. Nobody was. Most of them were whispering together or watching the parade of pajama-clad girls enter the room. Most of the girls, including Jana Morgan, Laura McCall, and two of Laura's best friends, Tammy Lucero and Melissa McConnell, wore sweatsuit-type outfits or oversize T's with pictures on the front.

  When Clarence Marshall walked in, Randy Kirwan and Shane Arrington winked at each other, and Shane called out, "Hey, Clarence. Where are your Bart Simpson jammies?" The whole room burst out laughing.

  Mona Vaughn and Matt Zeboski came in next, holding hands. Neither of them was wearing pajamas.

  Taffy sighed and watched a dozen or so others enter the room, none of them the least concerned with her presence.

  Finally the bell rang, and Mr. Neal came in, wearing a long maroon bathrobe over his street clothes. A few giggles broke out as he went straight to his desk. "Good morning, class," he said as if there were nothing the least bit unusual going on. Then he looked toward Taffy and smiled. "Welcome back, Taffy. I got a note from Mr. Bell that you would be back with us today. How was Hollywood?"

  Little ripples of excitement raced through Taffy. Now everyone was looking at her. "It was terrific. Really terrific," she assured him.

  Suddenly Mona Vaughn jumped to her feet.

  "Oh, Mr. Neal. Let Taffy tell us all about it," she begged. "It s
ounds so exciting."

  Mr. Neal seemed to be considering the idea, and Taffy glanced sideways at Mona. Mona had followed her around like a little lost puppy when they were at Mark Twain Elementary. In fact, she had practically worshiped Taffy. Taffy had long ago decided that Mona was her biggest fan.

  "All right, Mona," said Mr. Neal. "I think that's a good idea. Taffy, would you like to tell us a little bit about your experiences? I imagine that making a movie was very special."

  Slowly Taffy rose to her feet. It was almost like being on the set again, seeing all those eyes trained on her, everyone waiting for her to speak. She cleared her throat and began talking. "Oh, yes. It was very special. It all began when I arrived at the Los Angeles airport, and Dollins, my very own chauffeur, was waiting to take me to my hotel in a long, black limousine." Taffy paused as murmurs spread through the room. She tossed her long, blond hair over her shoulder and went on, "Everyone on the set was wonderful to me . . . the producer . . . the director . . . the other actors. Especially my costar, Raven Blaine."

  The moment Raven's name was out of her mouth, Taffy regretted it. She hadn't meant to mention him to anyone but Shawnie.

  Around the room several girls gasped at the mention of the handsome star.

  "Oh, wow!" said Mona, melting down into her seat with a huge sigh. "Have my ears gone crazy, or did I just hear you say 'Raven Blaine'?"

  "There's nothing wrong with your ears," Taffy said proudly, thinking that maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk about Raven as long as she was careful. "Not only was Raven my costar, but we also became very good friends."

  Out of the corner of her eye Taffy saw Laura McCall stick a finger down her throat and pretend to gag. Her two friends put hands over their mouths to smother giggles.

  Furious, Taffy looked straight at Laura and snapped, "It's the truth!"

  "Oh, reeeeally?" asked Laura, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "Really!" said Taffy, her eyes blazing with anger.

  "Okay, ladies," Mr. Neal interjected. "That's enough. Besides, that's just about all the time we have today. Thanks, Taffy. Maybe you can tell us more tomorrow."