Fabulous Five 029 - Melanie Edwards, Super Kisser Page 6

  "Not tonight," he said. He stole a sideways glance at her. "I'd rather just be with you. Let's walk home instead of taking the bus."

  Melanie shot him a surprised look. Maybe she had been right about Garrett's having a crush on her. But she still liked Shane! Anyway, she thought, if they went to Bumpers, they might run into Shane and Marcie face-to-face. That would be awful.

  As they walked along in silence, the bright lights of the theater marquee grew fainter. Melanie sighed. It was a beautiful night, and a canopy of tree branches stretched out around the street lights and created a dappled light-and-shadow pattern on the pavement at their feet. She felt surprisingly content walking along beside Garrett and talking about things that were going on at school. It wasn't like being with Shane, but Garrett was awfully nice.

  "So, have you made up your mind about the picture?" he asked when they reached her house and climbed the steps to her front porch. "I can make you a print in my darkroom tomorrow."

  "You have a darkroom?" she asked in surprise.

  "Sure. My parents let me make one out of an old closet in the basement. I'll show it to you sometime. How about it? Do you want a copy of the picture?"

  Melanie wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. If you ask me, it was pretty silly. I mean, I'm not really going to give Paula Abdul any competition."

  "I think you could." Garrett leaned toward Melanie as if he were going to kiss her. Instinctively she pulled away.

  "What's the matter?" he asked.

  He was smiling at her, and for an instant Melanie wondered if she had misunderstood. "It's just that—" she started to say.

  "Come on, Melanie," Garrett urged. He leaned toward her again.

  Melanie shoved him away. "Garrett, please." Garrett looked miffed. "What's wrong? You kissed all those other guys."

  An alarm went off in Melanie's head. Putting her fists on her hips, she glared daggers at him.

  "I didn't think you were like those other guys, Garrett Boldt! I thought I could trust you. What kind of girl do you think I am, anyway?"

  He didn't answer. He didn't have to. Melanie knew exactly what he thought of her. The realization hit her as hard as if someone had punched her. She was furious and humiliated. Nearly blinded by tears of rage, she whirled around and ran into the house, slamming the door behind her.

  CHAPTER 10

  "I think there's something we'd better tell you," said Jana.

  Melanie looked up in surprise. She, Jana, Katie, and Beth were sitting in the food court at the mall on Saturday afternoon. While they ate french fries and drank soft drinks, Melanie had told her friends about her date with Garrett Boldt last night.

  "Garrett's just a jerk," said Beth, dragging her french fry through a blob of catsup. "And believe me, after what Keith did to me, I'm an expert on jerks!"

  Melanie looked at Beth sympathetically, remembering her breakup with Keith. It was easy to see why Beth felt the way she did.

  "But that's not what we need to tell you," said Katie.

  The serious tone of Katie's voice startled Melanie. I was right, after all, she thought. The rest of The Fabulous Five have been keeping something from me.

  "What?" she asked softly.

  "If Shawnie and Kimm had kept their mouths shut, we might have been able to stop all this gossip," blurted Katie. "But of course they were having a field day—at your expense!"

  Melanie looked from face to face. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, her voice rising in panic. "What gossip? What did Shawnie and Kimm say?"

  "Calm down, Melanie," said Jana. "We need to tell her the whole story from the beginning."

  "Right," said Beth, looking sadly at Melanie. "I guess now you have to know what's been going on behind your back."

  Katie nodded. "We thought at first we could keep you from finding out what kids were saying about you, and at the same time stop it once and for all." She sighed. "But we couldn't."

  Melanie looked at her friends in exasperation. "Come on, guys. Quit beating around the bush and tell me!"

  Katie opened her mouth to speak, but Jana put up a hand to silence her. "Let me tell it, Katie. You'd get too emotional and explode before you were halfway through."

  Katie nodded and smiled sheepishly. "I guess I have been getting a little carried away lately."

  Jana sighed and looked Melanie in the eye. "Monday morning after the concert, when Shawnie and Kimm yelled at you for kissing their boyfriends, they were so furious at you that they started a gossip campaign to get even."

  "What!" gasped Melanie. "What kind of gossip campaign?"

  "They went around talking to people about you, trying to get juicy information. You know, stuff you've done that would prove that you'd kiss anybody," replied Jana.

  Melanie tried to say something, but she couldn't make a sound. It was just too incredible to be true.

  Jana looked just as miserable as Melanie felt. "I'm really sorry," she told her. "We thought it would all blow over in a few days, but instead it just keeps growing. And now that Garrett has pushed himself on you, we thought you ought to know."

  "But there isn't any juicy information on me!" Melanie insisted. "You guys know me!"

  "Of course we do," Beth assured her. "But you know how kids love to crank up the rumor mill, even when the stories they're spreading aren't true."

  "And that's not all," continued Katie. "Some of the stupid girls in this school were treating the guys you kissed like some kinds of heroes or rock stars and really blowing up their egos. Naturally the guys loved every minute of it, so they weren't about to deny anything anybody wanted to say."

  Melanie moaned and covered her face. "Just what I need!"

  "And you know how it goes," added Beth. "After rumors have been around for a while, people actually start to believe them."

  "Even people who are usually pretty nice—like Garrett," said Katie.

  Melanie didn't say anything for a minute. Her mind was whirling. "But I just don't get it," she said helplessly. "Shawnie and Kimm used to be my friends. I know they were mad and jealous, but . . ."

  "Yeah, that's what I thought, too," said Katie. "And I really told them off—a couple of times. But once everybody in school got carried away talking about you, they couldn't stop it. Now they're really sorry. Shawnie told me yesterday that she wished it had never gotten started in the first place, and I believe she means it."

  Melanie poked at the ice in her paper cup with her straw. "But where does that leave me?"

  "Come on, let's think about something else for a while," suggested Beth. "It will blow over, you'll see. And besides, you need a lift. What do you say we hit the stores?"

  Jana laughed. "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping."

  "Sounds good to me!" Melanie said, and smiled. "Oh, you guys! What would I do without you?"

  "Be miserable," Katie replied, giving Melanie a hug. Then the four of them dumped their garbage in a nearby can and headed into the mall.

  "Melanie, there was a call for you a few minutes ago," Mrs. Edwards said when Melanie walked in the front door a little while later. "It was a boy named Drew. He said he'd call back."

  Melanie wrinkled her nose. Drew? The only Drew she knew was Drew Pearson, and she didn't really know him. He was a ninth-grader and one of the most popular and gorgeous guys in the whole school. But he was also going with Kaci Davis, the most popular and gorgeous cheerleader in his class. The phone call must have been a mistake.

  Just then the phone rang. Mrs. Edwards turned to answer it. Melanie lingered at the bottom of the stairs, wondering if it could possibly be the mysterious Drew calling again.

  "Melanie," her mother said. "Telephone."

  "Okay," she called out. "I'll take it upstairs."

  She picked up the receiver in her parents' room. "Hello?"

  "Hi, Melanie." The boy's voice didn't sound familiar.

  "Hi. Who's this?"

  "It's Drew Pearson."

  It was Drew Pearson! Melanie gulped. What on
earth could he want?

  "Hi," said Melanie when she could finally get the word out.

  "Say, Melanie. I was wondering. I just got my license, and—"

  "A driver's license?" Melanie sputtered.

  "Yeah, and—"

  "You're sixteen?" she asked.

  "Right." Drew laughed softly. "I always have to explain why I'm sixteen and in ninth grade. Everybody always thinks I flunked a grade. Actually, I did have to take fifth grade over, but it was because I was in a bad car wreck and got too far behind in my work."

  "Oh," Melanie murmured.

  "Anyway," he continued, "I was wondering if you'd like to drive around with me for a while?"

  Melanie frowned. "Drive around with you?" she repeated as it slowly dawned on her what he was up to. There wasn't much doubt now that what her friends had told her about the rumor mill was true.

  "But I'll have to ask you a favor," he added. "I've been dating Kaci, so don't tell anyone we were together, okay? I wouldn't want to hurt Kaci."

  Melanie's blood began to boil. "You wouldn't want to hurt Kaci," she echoed. "But you'd go out with another girl behind her back."

  "Well—"

  "You don't want to go out with me." Melanie's voice quivered with anger. "You want to go out with the super kisser!"

  "Hey, now, don't get so upset," begged Drew.

  "Well," Melanie raced on, "there isn't any super kisser living here, so you'd better look somewhere else to cheat on Kaci!"

  "Melanie, you won't tell—"

  "I won't tell a soul!" Melanie shouted into the phone. "I'd be too ashamed that a boy like you asked me out!"

  With that she slammed the phone down hard. "Now what am I going to do?" she cried.

  CHAPTER 11

  Melanie went to her room and closed the door, slipping her copy of the Sig from under her pillow, where she had hidden it from her parents. She sat down cross-legged in the center of her bed and stared at the picture of herself dancing, laughing, and blowing kisses. And underneath it were those awful words, "Melanie Edwards: Wakeman's Own Super Kisser." It embarrassed her to look at it and remember that one crazy moment that had been the start of all her problems.

  She breathed a big sigh and looked at the picture again. There was no doubt that she'd been having fun, innocent fun. She certainly hadn't meant to do anything so terrible that she would ruin her reputation and lose Shane forever. She had just been enjoying the music and acting out the words to the song. What on earth could be wrong with that? she wondered.

  Down deep she knew. She had kissed four boys. Not only were none of them her boyfriend, but two of them had girlfriends of their own, and those two girlfriends had been so furious at her that they had started a campaign to ruin her reputation.

  "Well, it worked," Melanie whispered, biting her lip as her vision got blurry. "And now I've got to do something to prove to everyone—especially Shane—that I'm the same old Melanie they thought I was before. But how?"

  She threw the Sig down on the bed and began pacing the floor. She knew she had to come up with an idea, something that would show everyone the truth once and for all.

  "But what?" she moaned.

  A while later, after she had nearly worn holes in her carpet from pacing, a plan began to form in her mind. Melanie stopped in her tracks. "It's totally off the wall," she said out loud. "Something Beth would think of."

  She turned the pieces of her plan over and over in her mind. Would it work? she wondered. Was it too crazy? There's only one way to find out, she thought, and raced out of her room to the phone.

  When Mrs. Shannon answered, Melanie tried not to sound impatient as she asked for Katie.

  "Sorry, Melanie," said Mrs. Shannon. "Katie really can't come to the phone right now. She's giving Libber a flea bath. Can I have her call you back?"

  Melanie wrinkled her nose. "A flea bath?" she asked in astonishment."I never heard of giving a cat . . ."

  Libber's long, miserable howl punctuated her sentence.

  "Okay, Mrs. Shannon. I guess you'd better have her call me back. Thanks."

  Melanie hung up the phone and started pacing again. She could call one of the other members of The Fabulous Five, since she needed their help, too, but Katie really had the information she needed most. She would call the others, she decided, but not until after she had talked to Katie.

  The next fifteen minutes seemed like an hour, but finally the phone rang. It was Katie.

  "What's up?" she asked.

  "There's something I really need—" Melanie stopped, frowning. "Did you really give Libber a flea bath? You know, in water?" she asked.

  "Of course," said Katie.

  "Well, are you a bloody mess? Did she scratch the living daylights out of you? Cats hate water."

  "No, I'm not a bloody mess, and no, she didn't scratch the living daylights out of me. Libber understands it's for her own good."

  "Oh, riiiight," said Melanie. "I suppose you sat her down and told her."

  "Of course," replied Katie, and Melanie knew by the sound of her voice that she was teasing.

  "Well, anyway," Melanie went on, "I need to talk to you. You're the only one who can tell me what I have to know."

  "Wow," said Katie. "What do I know that could be that important?"

  "Plenty, believe me," Melanie assured her. "First, are lots of girls at Wakeman really making a big deal over the boys in The Dreadful Alternatives since I kissed them?"

  "Are you kidding?" said Katie. "You should see for yourself. I hear that Lindsay Colquit has been calling Parker Donovan every night, asking him dumb things like how did he learn to play the drums, and would he give her lessons some time. Heather Clark snatched one of Chris Burke's notebooks when he wasn't looking and then told him she had found it and he could have it back if he came to her house. Believe me, these girls are going crazy, and the guys are eating it up."

  "How could anybody see anything in those creeps?" said Melanie, shaking her head. "If you ask me, it's pretty unreal!"

  "Yeah, and guess what I heard yesterday," offered Katie. "I forgot to tell you this one. I heard—get this—that a bunch of eighth-grade girls are taking a survey at school to pick the most gorgeous member of The Dreadful Alternatives. Can you believe that?"

  "Hey, maybe they'll crown him Mr. Super Kisser!" Melanie exclaimed, laughing, and thought, things couldn't be working out better.

  "So, why did you want to know that?" asked Katie.

  "I'll explain in a minute," said Melanie. "There's something else I need to know first. You said that Shawnie and Kimm are sorry they got the rumors about me started. Are they really sorry?"

  "Yeah," answered Katie. "Shawnie said she's embarrassed to face you now. I think Kimm feels the same way. They were mad at you, but I don't think they really meant for things to go as far as they did."

  "Do you think they feel bad enough that they'd be willing to help me set everybody straight with a little scheme I dreamed up?" asked Melanie. "And besides their help, I need yours and Jana's and Beth's, too."

  "Scheme?" Katie echoed slowly. "What kind of scheme?"

  Melanie explained as quickly as she could. When she was finished, Katie let out a burst of laughter.

  "Terrific!" she shouted. "I love it. But now that's not the kind of plan I'd expect you to come up with in a million years!"

  "All right, Katie," Melanie sniffed. "You're supposed to be my friend, and you're sounding like everyone else."

  "Whoops! Sorry," Katie managed to get out between giggles.

  "Well, do you think Shawnie and Kimm will help?" repeated Melanie.

  "You bet I do," Katie assured her. "When do you want to do this? I'd say, the sooner, the better."

  Melanie felt goose bumps rising on her arms. "Me, too," she said just above a whisper. She hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding, and then asked, "What do you think about tonight?"

  "Wow, that's quick," said Katie. "But you're right. Tonight is the perfect time. Everyone goes to Bumpers, on
Saturday night. It just means that we'll have to work fast."

  "Right," agreed Melanie. "You call the rest of The Fabulous Five, and I'll call Shawnie and Kimm. And Katie," Melanie added in a shaky voice, "wish me luck."

  "Of course I'll wish you luck," Katie told her, "but I know it's going to work. And don't forget one more thing. The Fabulous Five sticks together, and we're in this with you all the way."

  "Thanks, Katie," Melanie murmured as she hung up the phone. She grabbed the phone book, then brought it back over to the phone. She stared at the receiver for a moment, getting up her courage. This is it, she thought as she looked up Shawnie's number, then punched it in with trembling fingers. I can't turn back now. And it has to work, because I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't.

  CHAPTER 12

  Since most Wakeman kids usually started gathering at Bumpers around seven-thirty on Saturday evenings, Melanie got there at six. The place was deserted, and Mr. Matson, the owner, was behind the counter unloading a tray of clean glasses.

  Melanie took a deep breath and crossed her fingers behind her back for luck. Then she stepped up to the counter. "Mr. Matson?" she asked in a quivery voice. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"

  Mr. Matson looked up and smiled. "There's no charge for asking."

  Melanie cleared her throat and asked her favor, explaining as well as she could why she needed it. She couldn't tell him the whole story, of course, just enough to get his cooperation.

  Mr. Matson smiled and shook his head in amazement. "You kids. I never know what you're going to be up to next. I guess that's why I like owning this place."

  "But is it okay?" Melanie asked anxiously.

  "I don't see any harm in it."

  "Oh, Mr. Matson, thank you so much!" said Melanie. She wanted to hug him or shake his hand or do something to show her appreciation. But nothing seemed appropriate, so she just flashed him a big smile and went to work getting things set up.

  At a quarter after six, Shawnie, Kimm, and the rest of The Fabulous Five arrived together.

  "Mel, your plan is brilliant," said Beth.

  "It sure is," agreed Shawnie, "and I know it will work."