Fabulous Five 006 - The Parent Game Page 6

  Jana held an armload of dresses as her mother rifled through a dress rack trying to find others for Jana to try on. Pink sat in the chair next to Rex and the pink bunny and smiled at everything that was going on around him.

  "That's just about all I can find," said her mother. "Why don't you try these on, Jana, and for goodness' sake, I hope there's one you like. The wedding is in one week."

  The sales clerk gave Jana four dressing-room tags, which Jana knew was one more than was usually allowed. The clerk seemed to be sympathetic to their endless search.

  Jana hung the dresses on the wall hook in the dressing room, putting the lavender one at the back. She tried on the first one and took it off immediately. It was blue with a tight little collar and it made her look as if she were ninety years old. The next one was white and green polka dots with a big bow at the neck. It was strange and didn't warrant a trip to show her mother either.

  The third one was the one Jana had liked. It was navy blue and had a tight skirt with a vent in back that Jana thought looked sophisticated. The sleeves were kind of short beneath shoulder pads and the dress made her look a lot older, like a high school senior.

  When she marched out to the showroom to model for her mother, the look in her mother's eyes told her she didn't feel the same way. Jana stood between the three mirrors and swung around looking at herself from all sides. "I like it," she said with a hint of defiance in her voice.

  Her mother waited a moment before speaking. "Jana, don't you think it's a little too old for you?"

  Jana gritted her teeth and tried to keep a tight little smile on her face. "But I like it." She could feel tears pushing their way into her eyes. There's nothing to cry about, she told herself. It was just a dumb dress.

  "Jana, why don't you try on the lavender one with the puffy sleeves. It's so pretty."

  Jana knew the lavender one had been her mother's favorite. "Why can't I have this one?"

  Her mother took a deep breath. "Jana . . ."

  "I'll take the lavender one. It's your wedding." Jana wished she hadn't said it when she saw her mother's face. She looked as if she were going to cry. Pink sat in his chair next to Rex and the pink rabbit, looking equally miserable. It's the two of them against me, Jana thought. She turned quickly and went back to the dressing room so they wouldn't see the tears running down her cheeks.

  Later, Jana lay on her bed with a pillow scrunched in her arms that was damp from her tears. The lavender dress hung on her closet door. It had been a perfect fit. Across the room Rex sat next to her desk chair where Taffy's bear was sitting. The pink bunny, with no name, was on the bed with her.

  The ride home from the mall had been made in silence. She could see her mother's back was ramrod straight. Jana had gone directly to her room and had only come out when Taffy brought the bear.

  Jana was miserable. On top of that she knew she was making her mother miserable, too. She didn't want to do that, but she didn't seem to be able to stop it, either. Things were piling onto her too fast.

  The clock on her bureau ticked away. It was going on three p.m., and everyone but her was at the football game. Everyone but Taffy and me she corrected herself, remembering that Taffy had said she had a modeling appointment.

  Jana sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. The pink bunny her father had given her fell against her leg, and she picked it up. It was beginning to look old, she thought. She had had it for almost ten years. That was even before the last time she had seen her father. She guessed she would probably never see him after her mother and Pink got married.

  Jana climbed out of bed and went to her desk and opened the top drawer. The letter to her father and the invitation lay on top, and she took them out and returned to the bed. She opened the letter and reread it. It didn't seem like a very good letter now. What would her father think when he read it? Would he think she was a child? Would he think she was begging him to come and see her? Well, she wasn't. He had to want to see her, too. It couldn't be just one way.

  The last of the four letters she had from him had been written two years ago when he wrote about the vacation out west. He had not even bothered to come for her. Some father he was. Pink would definitely make a better father.

  She sighed, remembering how her mother had always been there for her. Whenever she had problems, her mother was always there to help. Jana looked at the lavender dress hanging on the door. She dropped the letter and the invitation next to bunny, then went over to take the dress down.

  When she stepped into the living room, her mother and Pink were sitting together quietly. Pink noticed her first, and his face brightened. He reached over and touched her mother on the knee.

  Jana walked into the center of the room and pirouetted in front of them. The skirt of the lavender dress billowed out as if it were a prom dress. Before coming out of her room, she had brushed her hair and put on some lip gloss and now she smiled as brightly as she could. She saw her mother's eyes brimming with tears. "How do I look?"

  "Gorgeous, honey. Just gorgeous," said her mother.

  Pink was smiling as if he had just won a first-place bowling trophy. The three of them sat in the living room and talked about the wedding for a while before Jana went to her room to change back into her jeans.

  She was still lonely, but she felt better. Everything was going to be okay. Her mother deserved to marry Pink, and it wasn't right for Jana to fight their being together. She had known that all along, but she had been so used to having her mother to herself that she couldn't stand sharing her.

  Jana tuned her radio to the local station, hoping she could hear the score of the Wakeman-Trumbull football game, but all she could get was world news and music. She had wondered about how the game was going all afternoon. Now it's halftime, she thought. I wonder if Randy has thrown a touchdown pass or made a big run? Now it's at least the fourth quarter; is Wakeman ahead or behind? She couldn't stand being all alone, so she got two Wacko Junior High pennants and put them in Rex's and Monique's paws as if they were rooting for Wacko, too. She put a pom-pom in the pink bunny's lap.

  When she knew the game was over, Jana thought about calling Bumpers to talk to her friends, but she would only be more lonely and depressed. Darn that Taffy. Why did she have to have an appointment on Saturday afternoon, anyway? Next time Jana would have to tell her to get another sitter. Her feeling of being obligated to Taffy could only go so far.

  "What kind of pizza do you want?" asked Pink. It was his usual question on the nights that he and her mother were going bowling.

  "Deep-dish, pepperoni, green pepper, and mushroom." It was the answer she always gave him.

  "Want me to order a large this time? You're growing up, and it takes more to fill you up," he said, smiling.

  "No, regular is fine." She smiled back, trying to show him she appreciated the offer. Pink was a good guy At least he tried, which is more than she could say for her father. She noticed how natural he and her mother looked together when they walked out the door.

  When the pizza came, Jana turned on the television and got a soda before opening the box and setting it on a trophy box next to the couch. She looked at her watch. She would eat first and then call Beth to see if she was home yet and find out how the game had gone.

  As she was tearing out the second slice of pizza, the phone rang. It was Christie, and Jana could hear Beth, Katie, and Melanie in the background.

  "Jana! You'll never guess what!" cried Christie.

  Jana expected Beth or Melanie to sound so melodramatic, but never Christie. "Calm down, Christie. Did Randy get hurt? Is he all right? Slow down and tell me."

  "It's worse, Jana. Much worse." Christie paused for a breath. "We went to the game and Randy didn't get hurt, but guess who was there."

  "Who?"

  "Taffy. She was there from start to finish, and after the game was over she latched onto Randy at Bumpers, and she talked him into taking her to a movie."

  Jana sat stunned. The pizza slice bent i
n her hand and a mushroom fell on the floor.

  CHAPTER 13

  "But she couldn't have been at the game," Jana insisted. "She had a modeling appointment. She said it was important to her. I've been sitting here all afternoon with her bear and Rex because of it."

  "I know. We were there when she asked you to sit. But she was definitely at the game, cheering like crazy. I think that you've been had," said Christie.

  "But what about her asking me if it was okay to be Randy's partner? And she said she was crazy about Chad Wallace. We saw Chad buy her a soda, didn't we?"

  "I don't think so."

  "You don't think so, what?"

  "I don't think we saw Chad buy her a soda. Melanie was talking to Garrett Boldt about Taffy's liking Chad, and Garrett said Chad told him that Taffy gave him money and asked him to pay for her soda. Also, he said he thought Taffy was hanging around outside school in the morning waiting for him. Then she's been walking onto the school ground with him as if they were together. He thinks she's kind of spacey."

  "Why, that rat!" exclaimed Jana. "I'll bet she told Randy she wanted to be friends with me just so he'd tell me she said it. She's been faking being friends and acting as if she were interested in Chad just so I'd say it was okay for her to ask Randy to be partners on the Family Living project."

  "That's what we think, too."

  "And she must have asked me to sit Monique so she could go to the football game. She knew I wouldn't be able to go because I couldn't carry her darn bear, my pink bunny, and Rex, too."

  The more Jana talked, the madder she got. By the time she hung up the phone she was ready to kill Taffy Sinclair. She was stomping back and forth in the living room, shouting at an imaginary Taffy. By the time the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Jana was ready to blast her.

  "TAFFY SINCLAIR, I'M GOING TO . . ." Jana's voice faltered as she saw Mr. Sinclair standing on the porch by himself.

  "Taffy's not with me," he-said in his soft voice. "She called and asked me if I'd come by and pick up her bear. She said to tell you you're a true friend."

  Jana looked at him in disbelief. Taffy had the nerve to continue the farce. She expected Jana to go on believing her lies.

  Thinking quickly, she said, "It's not legal for students' parents to sit with our make-believe babies, Mr. Sinclair. I wouldn't want Taffy to get a bad grade if someone found out. Why don't I keep Monique? I'll return it tomorrow if my mother's fiancé will give me a ride."

  "Oh, uh . . . I guess that's okay. I'll tell her. I'm sure she'll be grateful."

  "Good-bye, Mr. Sinclair," Jana said with a smile. When he had left, Jana picked up the phone and dialed Funny's number. She just might be home by now.

  "Hello," Funny answered the phone.

  "Hi. It's Jana."

  "Oh, hi. I missed you at the game. It was great. We won and Randy scored two touchdowns. Where were you, anyway?"

  "It's a long, terrible story, and I'll tell you about it. But first I need to know something. Who told Laura that I asked Taffy to be partners with Randy so Laura couldn't be?"

  "Taffy did. That's why Laura was so mad. Taffy said you didn't want Laura even to think about being Randy's partner on the Family Living project. You're not going to try and get back at Laura are you, Jana? She just thought you were being mean."

  "No, I'm not. For once it's not Laura's fault. Taffy told me that Laura was trying to get Randy to be her partner and that if I wanted, she would ask him so that Laura couldn't. She did all kinds of things to make me believe her."

  "Oh, that's terrible. I heard you and Taffy had clubs against each other in Mark Twain Elementary, but you seemed to be getting along okay now."

  "I might just start up my club again. Thanks for the terrific idea, Funny. Oh, Funny . . . tell Laura that I did not ask Shane to be partners. He did truly ask me. I'm not trying to steal Riverfield boys."

  "Thanks, Jana." There was a smile in Funny's voice again. "I'm glad to hear that. I'll tell her."

  Jana hung up the phone and went to her room to make plans. Boy, was she going to make Taffy pay for her nasty tricks.

  CHAPTER 14

  The next morning Jana slept late. When she woke, she was surrounded by the happy faces of all the animals stacked around her room. She was getting used to the silly look on Rex's face, and even Monique seemed to be smiling.

  Her mother had the papers spread out and was drinking coffee in the living room. Jana dug out the funnies, sat on the opposite end of the couch, and pulled her robe up around her. Sunday mornings were always the best. Jana loved the quiet time when her mother sipped her coffee and seemed much more relaxed than she was during the week, when she was working.

  Jana had worked her way to the middle of the cartoon section and had started to read Peanuts when her mother broke the silence. "Jana, you do like the lavender dress, don't you?"

  "Yes, Mom. I really do." She paused a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry I was such a pain about the dress. I did have things to do, but they weren't as important as the wedding."

  Her mother smiled and moved down the couch to put her arms around Jana. "I know, honey. Sometimes it's tough when things are changing so fast. But I want you to know that you'll always be my girl. Pink's and my getting married isn't going to change any of that. You know, I should have been listening to you a little better, too. I realized that you were maybe the more mature of the two of us when you came out wearing the dress yesterday. You kind of told me that I was pretty important to you. I love you for it."

  Jana snuggled deep into her mother's arms. "Mom?"

  "Yes, sweetheart."

  "Pink can keep some of his trophies in my room if he wants."

  Her mother pulled back so that she could see Jana better. She smiled sweetly and tears filled her eyes. "Thank you, Jana. Do you know what Pink suggested last night at the bowling alley?"

  "No, I am not learning how to bowl," said Jana, laughing. "Christie's dad wants her to play tennis with him all the time, and she doesn't want to. It's okay if you two go bowling without me."

  "That's not what he suggested at all. What he said, young lady, was that we ought to raise your allowance."

  "Raise my allowance?"

  "Yes. With two of us working we can do that now. I wasn't able to do it before."

  "I know. Your job didn't pay enough."

  "One other thing. Now that Pink is going to be around, I won't be such a worrywart about you. It's hard when you're the only parent, you have to think of everything, and you get overly protective because you're afraid something might happen that you can't handle. So you're probably going to see a little relaxing of the rules around here. But don't try to get away with anything. There will also be two of us to mete out the punishment," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

  Later, in her room, Jana took the letter and the invitation from the desk drawer. She went to the closet and pulled out the boot box and put them in with her father's letters and the support-payment envelopes. Maybe I'll see him again someday, she thought as she put the box back. The wedding was her mother's and Pink's, and her father didn't really belong there.

  She picked up the pink bunny and stroked it. Things were changing a lot, as her mother had said. They were even changing between the members of The Fabulous Five. Everyone was getting so many things to do, but she knew when she called them later, after she had talked to Taffy, they would all jump in to help her with her plan. She straightened the rabbit's ears. Maybe it was time to give him a name. Since he was pink, she would call him Little Pink, and Pink would probably be thrilled.

  "Oh, hi, Jana." Taffy's voice sounded cheerful over the phone.

  "Hi, Taffy. I guess your dad told you what I said."

  "Yes, and thanks. You were right. If anyone found out that my parents sat with Monique, I'd get my grade knocked down. You are a good friend."

  "How was your appointment?"

  Taffy sounded cautious when she answered, "Oh . . . it was okay. A typical modeling job, hot lights and
all."

  "Since we're friends now, I'd like to see you model sometime."

  "I think that would be all right."

  "Taffy, I called to tell you I won't be able to bring the bear by today. Pink's not here. But instead of you and your dad picking it up, why don't I just bring it to school in the morning?"

  "That would be super, but won't that be a lot of trouble?"

  To Jana's delight, Taffy sounded relieved, as if she thought the two of them were still friends.

  "Oh, don't worry, Taffy, it's not too much trouble," Jana assured her.

  After hanging up with Taffy, Jana quickly dialed Christie, Melanie, Beth, and Katie. Later, when each of them had arrived, she grabbed sodas and settled everyone in her room. And then she said in her most solemn voice, "I hereby call this meeting of The Against Taffy Sinclair Club to order."

  CHAPTER 15

  "There she is." Katie pointed at Taffy, who was walking onto the school ground with Chad Wallace on Monday morning. Taffy was chattering away as if Chad and she were old friends. He was looking around and not paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

  "When you know the truth, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" muttered Jana.

  "It sure is," answered Christie. "He's totally ignoring her."

  Christie had her bunny. Melanie was holding her walrus. Beth had her panda, and Katie, her Sheena doll. Jana had Rex and Little Pink. Taffy saw them and headed for them with a smile on her face.

  When she reached them, she looked puzzled. "Where's Monique?" she asked.

  "I've got some bad news, Taffy." Jana tried to look serious, but it was all she could do to stifle a giggle. "Monique's been bear-napped."

  "She's been what?" Taffy looked horrified.

  "Bear-napped. I brought her to school this morning and set her and Rex down outside the girls' room while I went in, and when I came out, she was gone."