Fabulous Five 002 - The Trouble with Flirting Read online

  Melanie felt crimson climbing up her face like mercury rising in a thermometer. Even though she had been watching for him, she hadn't known he was there. How had she looked? Had they really been terrific, as he had said?

  "Thanks," piped up Beth.

  Melanie gave him her best smile. "I'm glad you think so," she said coyly. "We're practicing here so that we'll know how it feels to cheer at a real game. Tryouts are Friday, you know."

  "You'll definitely make it," he said. "You three and Melanie Edwards."

  Melanie froze. He was talking about Taffy Sinclair! What was happening? Things weren't supposed to work out this way. "What's so special about her?" Melanie almost spat out the words, barely hiding her anger.

  "Are you kidding?" Garrett asked in amazement. "Take a good look at her. She'll make it, all right."

  "There is more to cheerleading than looks," offered Jana. Melanie wanted to hug her. She knew about the mixup, and she was playing along anyway. What a terrific friend, she thought.

  "I know that," said Garrett. "I've talked to her lots of times, and she's really nice. But you already know that. She went to Mark Twain with you, didn't she?"

  All Melanie could do was nod. She had to change the subject, but how?

  "Maybe you could tell me more about her," said Garrett. He was looking straight at Melanie. "You know, her favorites and things like that. I'd really like to get to know her better, especially since we're both going to be at Laura's party Saturday night."

  Melanie felt steam rising from under her collar. Now what was she going to do? If she told him the truth about Taffy, he'd think she was jealous. And if she lied, he would like Taffy more than ever. Not only that, she wasn't impressing him in the least the way she had planned, because all he wanted to talk about was Taffy Sinclair.

  "We'll have to talk about that later," she assured him. "My friends and I have to practice our cheers right now."

  Garrett nodded, giving them a friendly smile, and began adjusting his camera. Melanie glanced out to the field where the team had broken into two sections. One was going through passing drills, and the other was working on the tackling dummies on the opposite sidelines. Thank goodness Shane and Scott were too busy to notice her flirting with Garrett, if you could call answering questions about Taffy Sinclair flirting! she thought indignantly.

  "Come on," she said, motioning to her friends. "Let's try that sideline cheer again."

  "We did that one perfectly," protested Beth. "Let's work on something else."

  "Be-uth," Melanie said through clenched teeth. "Garrett's watching. I want to do something where I know I'll look good."

  Beth shrugged, and the three girls lined up again. Melanie could see out of the corner of her eye that Garrett was looking through the viewfinder of his camera, which was pointed straight at them. Her heart leapt for joy. He was going to practice action shots by taking pictures of them just as she had hoped he would do.

  "Go, Warriors, go!" they began. Melanie could feel the rhythm building, and she could hear the sound of their voices rising with the spirit of the words. They were doing the cheer more perfectly than before. Garrett couldn't help but be impressed. He would have to see what a great cheerleader she was and forget all about Taffy Sinclair.

  Then something went wrong. She would never be able to explain what it was, but she knew it the instant she vaulted into the air for the final leap. Her eyes and mouth both shot open, and she crumpled to the ground with a painful wrench in her left ankle just as she heard Garrett's camera click.

  CHAPTER 12

  Melanie lay paralyzed with embarrassment that blotted out everything happening around her. People were talking, but the first words she understood came from Coach Bledsoe.

  "What's going on here?"

  Melanie cringed. His voice sounded angry.

  "Is she okay? Who gave you girls permission to be out here, anyway?"

  "I'm fine! I'm fine!" Melanie insisted, but the moment she tried to get to her feet, she sat down hard again as her ankle refused to support her weight. "Oh, no," she sobbed. "I must have twisted my ankle when I fell."

  Tears squirted into her eyes and threatened to roll down her cheeks. I'll die if anyone sees me crying, she thought.

  Just then she felt strong arms lift her from the ground. "Let me help you onto the bench," said Scott. He was giving her such a sympathetic look that she almost forgot to hold back the tears. Wonderful Scott, she thought. How could I ever have liked anyone else?

  As soon as she was sitting on the bench, Shane knelt in front of her, gently slipping off her sneaker. Then he took her ankle and pressed lightly all the way around it. "Does that hurt?" he asked.

  He said it with such concern that Melanie was too choked up to speak. She could only shake her head. She was vaguely aware that her two friends and the rest of the football team had gathered around. Even Coach Bledsoe seemed worried.

  "It doesn't look swollen," Shane said. "At least not yet. But maybe we should put an elastic bandage around it anyway."

  "Good idea," said Scott, and Coach Bledsoe nodded.

  Shane dug around in the team's first aid bag and produced an elastic bandage that he carefully wrapped around her ankle and under her foot. "Now let's see if you can stand up," he said.

  Scott and Shane formed a pair of human crutches and gently lifted her to her feet. Melanie knew she was smiling as she put weight on her left foot. She couldn't help it. After her disastrous flirting with Garrett and her klutzy fall doing a cheer, she was now in the arms of two of the handsomest boys in Wacko Junior High!

  A cheer went up as she took a step, but Scott and Shane did not let go.

  "Look this way with that smile," called out Garrett, and her heart soared even higher as she looked straight into his camera and heard it click. He shot several more pictures as Scott and Shane walked her up and down in front of the bench. He can keep those pictures of me forever, she thought happily.

  Finally it was obvious that her ankle wasn't hurt badly, and Coach Bledsoe instructed her on how to use an ice pack to keep the swelling down and then called the team back onto the field. A little later, after the boys were practicing again and Garrett had packed away his camera and left, too, Melanie headed for home with Jana and Beth. The pain was almost gone now, and she had only a slight limp.

  "Wasn't that too wonderful for words?" she asked when they stopped in front of her house to say goodbye.

  "Wonderful?" snorted Beth. Then she crossed her eyes and made a weird face.

  "I understand," said Jana, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "See you tomorrow."

  The phone rang a few minutes later, interrupting her as she was explaining to her mother about her ankle, putting in every romantic detail.

  "It's for you, Melanie," cried out Jeffy, who had beaten her to the phone—as usual.

  Melanie hurried to the phone, feeling that if her happiness made her float any higher, she would surely bump her head on the ceiling, but the instant she heard Garrett's voice, she was sure she drifted a couple more inches into the air.

  "Hi, Mel," he said softly.

  Melanie gulped. The sound of his voice made her feel weak all over. "Hi," she said.

  "I'm calling to ask if I can take you home from Laura's party Saturday night," he said.

  Melanie closed her eyes and saw red warning lights flashing. He thinks I'm Taffy Sinclair, she reminded herself. I can't say yes. If I do, then when he finds out that I'm not Taffy and that he's stuck taking me home from Laura's party, he'll absolutely hate me.

  "Mel? Are you still there?" he asked.

  "Sure," she said, all the time thinking, I can't say no. This is my big chance with Garrett.

  "Please say yes," he insisted. "It would mean a lot to me."

  "Yes. I'd love for you to bring me home after the party," she said in a breathless whisper.

  It wasn't until after they hung up that Melanie's panic set in. What on earth am I doing! she screamed inside her mind. Why did I say ye
s? But I couldn't say no. Not to Garrett.

  She went to her room right after supper to think over the situation. Scott has asked to take her to the party. Shane had asked her to dance with him at the party. And now Garrett wanted to bring her home. It could be the most perfect night of my life, she reasoned.

  Then came the objections from the other side of her brain. Scott had been her boyfriend since sixth grade, and it might hurt him to see her with other boys. Shane didn't know anything about Scott or, for that matter, about Garrett. He was so cool and acted so unconcerned all the time that he would probably just drop her flat and never pay attention to her again. And then there was Garrett. So far, her plans for impressing him so that he would forget all about Taffy Sinclair hadn't worked, and he thought Taffy was the one he was taking home Saturday night.

  Melanie didn't even hear the phone, so she was surprised when her mother knocked on her door and said she had a call.

  "It's another boy," Mrs. Edwards chirped as Melanie took the receiver from her.

  Melanie's hand went numb, and she stared at the phone. It was Garrett, she thought frantically. He had found out the truth and was calling to tell her off for tricking him. She couldn't tell him he had the wrong number. He would recognize her voice. I know, she thought. I'll have Jeffy tell him that I can't come to the phone because my ankle is too swollen. Oh, no, she thought. I can't do that. He might be calling for some other reason, and then he'd know I'm not Taffy Sinclair.

  She took a deep breath to compose herself and pulled the receiver to her ear. "Hello," she said.

  "Hi, Melody. This is Shane . . ." He said something else, but the sound of his voice was lost in rock music punctuated by a hammering sound.

  "What!" she shouted. "I can't hear you."

  "Just a minute," he shouted back. A few seconds later the music got softer and the hammering stopped. "There," he said. "Can you hear me now?"

  "Yes, but what's going on?"

  "Not much," he said. "I always entertain Igor at night since he's been by himself all day. He loves for me to play rock music on my stereo, and I tie a pan lid onto his tail so that he can pretend he's a drummer and beat it on the floor in time to the music."

  "You're kidding!" screeched Melanie. Then, in spite of herself, she burst out laughing. "This I've got to see."

  "Actually, Igor's been practicing for his first public performance, but I doubt if he'll be ready by Saturday night," said Shane. "Anyway, that's not why I called. I was wondering how your ankle feels."

  "It's great. I don't think I hurt it badly."

  "Super," Shane said. There was real concern in his voice. "I would hate it if you had to miss cheerleading tryouts or . . . the party Saturday night."

  They talked for a little while longer, and by the time they hung up, Melanie was feeling so dreamy again that she didn't even remember to remind him that her name was Melanie instead of Melody. Or remember that her boy troubles were only beginning.

  CHAPTER 13

  The glow she had felt from talking to Shane had worn off by the next morning, and Melanie lay in her bed after the alarm went off thinking about the mess she had gotten herself into.

  "Things are totally out of hand," she said out loud. "Totally!"

  She had three dates for one party, and one of those dates was with a boy who thought she was someone else.

  "What am I going to do-o-o-o?" she moaned.

  She asked the same question of the rest of The Fabulous Five when they met in their special corner of the fence before school.

  "You've got to help me," she begged. "At least think up some ideas for how I can get out of this mess. Come on, guys. Think. Please!"

  Jana's eyes were twinkling. "You could always take a vacation to Abu Dhabi."

  "Where's that?" Melanie asked suspiciously.

  "Only Asia," said Jana.

  "I've got an idea," said Beth. "You could stow away on a steamer to Hong Kong."

  "Maybe the next space shuttle flight has an opening," suggested Christie.

  "Get serious, you guys," snapped Melanie. "This is important."

  "Have you ever thought about not being so boy crazy?" asked Katie.

  "I AM NOT BOY CRAZY!" she shouted. Why did Katie always say that? It made her furious. "Thanks a lot for nothing," she said as she turned and stomped away. I'll show them, she thought. I'll work it out myself.

  As she rounded a corner of the school building she almost bumped into Garrett.

  "Oh . . . hi," she said, hoping he couldn't see how flustered she was.

  "Hi, yourself," he said. "How's that ankle?"

  "Oh, it's okay," she said. "It hardly hurts at all this morning."

  "Let me show you the pictures I took at football practice yesterday," he said, digging around in his pack. "I developed them last night, and they came out great, if I do say so myself."

  Garrett was grinning with pride when he handed her the pictures. Melanie glanced through them, trying to appear casual, and felt a rush of pleasure at how super she looked in every single shot. Then she inspected Shane and Scott, and they looked terrific, too.

  "Gosh. Could I have some of these?" she asked.

  "I'll make you a set tonight," Garrett offered. "I'd let you have these and make myself a new set except I want to show them to Mr. Neal, the yearbook adviser." Then he added with an embarrassed smile, "He wasn't very impressed with the ones I took at the soap game."

  Melanie drifted toward her locker a few minutes later in a total trance. Garrett was starting to like her. She was sure of it. Hadn't he said he would make her a set of pictures so that he could keep those for himself? Sure, he was going to show them to Mr. Neal, but he could have offered to give those to her as soon as Mr. Neal saw them if he didn't want her picture to keep.

  But will he still like you if he finds out you re pretending to be Taffy Sinclair? a little voice asked.

  I am NOT pretending to be Taffy Sinclair, argued another voice in her mind. On the phone he calls me Melanie, not Taffy, so how am I supposed to know he has us mixed up?

  You know how, reminded the first voice, he talked about your blond hair.

  Melanie stared into her locker until the first bell rang, pulling her back to reality. Closing the door and spinning the lock, she turned to head for class and then stopped cold. Taffy Sinclair was at her locker, too, only she wasn't getting her books. She looked especially great in a bright red sweater and she was gazing up into the smiling face of Garrett Boldt!

  Melanie cringed and slumped back against her locker. What were they talking about? The party? She peered around Gloria Drexler, who had the locker next to hers, and looked at them again. There was no doubt about it. They were staring into each other's eyes and smiling. Were Garrett's lips moving? Was he telling her how much he liked her blond hair and blue eyes? Her red sweater? Was Taffy nodding? Was she saying she was glad he was taking her home from Laura's party?

  Melanie ducked back behind Gloria again as Garrett glanced down the hall in her direction. Her heart was pounding, her pulse racing. Had he seen her? Would he think she was a snoop and a spy?

  She waited until Gloria moved away to look at them again, but they were gone. Both of them. It was as if they had disappeared into thin air. In fact, the halls were clearing as kids got their books and headed for class.

  Melanie marched to her homeroom like a zombie, trying not to wonder if Garrett had walked Taffy to class. Maybe I'll really hurt my ankle so that I can't go the party, she thought. Or if that doesn't work, maybe I'll fake being sick. Maybe Saturday morning I'll call all three of them and tell them I've been throwing up. No, she thought, I don't want them picturing me barfing up my socks. Surely I'll think of something better between now and then.

  Scott was standing outside her homeroom door nervously checking his watch. When he saw her, his face lit up. "Hey, you aren't even limping. That's great," he said. "I tried to call you last night to see how you were, but your line was busy."

  "My ankle doesn't hurt any
more," said Melanie. "I guess you took pretty good care of me."

  Scott shrugged and turned a bright shade of red. "Well," he said, and Melanie could tell he was fumbling for words. "It's time for the bell. I guess I'd better go." Then he shot off down the hall like a bullet.

  For the rest of the morning Melanie couldn't concentrate. Scott really cared about her. He had tried to call last night, but the line had been busy. She cringed. She had probably been talking to Shane. And speaking of Shane, she thought, did she really like him as a boyfriend? Or was she mostly trying to keep him away from Laura McCall? The same went for Garrett. He was gorgeous and older than she was, but was that what really mattered? Or did it have more to do with Taffy Sinclair?

  "No," she whispered to herself. "I like all of them."

  Sighing, she thought again about the times when no boys ever looked at her. She had been chubby and unattractive then. But things had changed. Changed so much that now there were three boys in her life. It was fun being popular, and with so many cute boys from all over town coming to Wakeman Junior High, how could she help getting carried away?

  Carried away. The words echoed in her mind. Was that what Katie meant all those times when she said I was boy crazy? she wondered. Was she trying to warn me about what might happen if I didn't come to my senses?

  Laura's party Saturday night could turn into a disaster, thought Melanie, and if that happens, it will be all my fault. Then, in a flash, she knew just what to do.

  CHAPTER 14

  In the cafeteria at noon all the girls were talking about cheerleading tryouts. It was the last thing in the world that Melanie wanted to think about, even when Alexis and Sara stopped by The Fabulous Five's table.

  "I'm not sure I'm going to be ready by tomorrow," said Beth.

  "Me either," confessed Alexis. "The cheers seem so easy when I'm practicing them in my head, but when I actually try to do them, I have trouble keeping my hands and feet working in time with the words."