Fabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine Read online

Page 8


  "Sure," he said, looking pleased as he hurried toward her. "What's up? Did you talk to Shane?"

  She took a deep breath. This was it. She couldn't duck it any longer. "Scott, there's been a big misunderstanding," she began, "and it's all my fault. You see, I still like you a lot, but I really do want to go to the Valentine party with Shane."

  Scott frowned. "But you said—"

  "I know I did," Melanie interjected. "The trouble is, I didn't say it right. I was trying so hard not to hurt you that I never could come out and say what I meant. I'm sorry. Really. I hope you aren't mad."

  Scott shrugged and looked away for a minute. "I'm not mad. I was even beginning to wonder if you liked someone else by the way you were acting sometimes, and . . . well . . . it's okay. I understand."

  He looked so sad that Melanie wanted to cry, but at the same time, she knew she had finally done the right thing.

  "Thanks," she said softly. "And, Scott . . . I know it sounds corny, but I really do hope that we can still be friends. I mean, I really don't want us to be mad or anything."

  "Sure," Scott said. Then he grinned. "Like I said, I'm not mad. Honest. And . . . hey! I'll see you around. Okay?"

  Melanie smiled to herself as she watched him walk away. She didn't have to worry now about not having fun at the Valentine party. Everything had worked out fine.

  When Melanie got home from school that afternoon, she headed straight to the family room. It was time to have an important talk with her grandmother.

  "Grandma Dee," she began as soon as they had exchanged greetings, "since you and I are such good friends, let's talk about boys."

  Grandma Dee looked up in surprise. "Oh, my. You want to talk to me about boys?" Then she added, shaking her head, "It's been a long time since I've had much experience."

  "Hey, it's like riding a bicycle," Melanie said, laughing. "You never forget. Besides, you said you wanted to be involved in the things I'm doing. And the Valentine party is coming up, remember?"

  "Okay," said Grandma Dee, patting a spot on the sofa beside herself. "Sit down and tell me all about boys. I have the feeling that you've decided not to go to the party with Scott after all."

  "Right," said Melanie. "Actually, I'm going with Shane."

  "The boy with the iguana?" asked Grandma Dee.

  Melanie nodded. "Scott is a super person, and I dated him for a long time. But I know you'd really like Shane if you'd give him a chance," she began. "It's true that his parents used to be hippies, and that his pet is, well . . . a little unusual. But Shane's terrific. He just has a goofy sense of humor sometimes."

  "Everyone needs a sense of humor," Grandma Dee said, and smiled warmly. "And I'll admit that I do like Scott, but ever since our little talk last night, I've been thinking about how I reacted to Shane. The truth is, I overreacted and behaved like a grumpy old fogey. I acted like the exact sort of person I didn't want to be. I'm sure that if you like Shane, I will, too. Why don't you invite him over sometime so that we can get acquainted?"

  "Oh, I will!" cried Melanie. "I'll call him right now."

  "And tell him to bring Igor along," Grandma Dee called after her. "I want to get to know him, too."

  By Valentine Day and time for the party, Grandma Dee's ankle was fine.

  "I still can't decide what to wear," she said as she and Melanie cleared the supper dishes.

  "How about your glasses?" Melanie teased.

  Grandma Dee gave her a big grin. "Of course I'm going to wear my glasses," she said. "And probably a sweatshirt, jeans, and my sneakers. Does that sound all right?"

  "Perfect," said Melanie, thinking that her grandmother really hadn't changed that much since the truth about her adventures had come out. She was still a pretty cool grandma. "And by the way," Melanie added, "Shane said to tell you he wants you to ride with us to Bumpers."

  "In that funny little Volkswagen? Is there room?"

  "Sure," said Melanie. "He's leaving Igor at home this time."

  When the three of them walked into Bumpers, Melanie caught her breath at the sight of the decorations. She had been too wrapped up in her own problems to help with them, but she loved what the others had done. There were red hearts and crepe paper streamers everywhere, the traditional look of Valentine Day after all. It was beautiful, even if Shane might think it was too lovey-dovey, she thought, and smiled.

  Immediately a crowd began to gather around Grandma Dee.

  "Is it true that you help endangered animals in Florida?" Dekeisha Adams asked.

  "How do you get involved in stuff like that?" asked Bill Soliday. "It sounds like fun."

  "I guess we can go ahead and enjoy ourselves," Melanie said to Shane. "Grandma Dee's taking care of herself."

  Some of the tables had been pushed back to make a dance floor, and music poured out of the old Wurlitzer jukebox.

  "Shane! Melanie! Want to sit with us?"

  Randy Kirwan was waving them over to a booth where he and Jana and Keith Masterson and Beth were saving them seats.

  "Isn't this a terrific party?" Beth shouted over the noise.

  Melanie nodded, noticing that Beth was dressed for the occasion, as usual. She had on a sweatshirt with a hand-painted Cupid on the front, and her earrings were big red hearts that were pierced with tiny arrows. Written on the heart on her right ear was "BETH" and on her left, "KEITH."

  Suddenly Keith broke out in a big grin and pointed to the dance floor. "Hey, Mel. Get a load of that."

  Melanie whirled around. The music was blaring a fast song, and right in the middle of the floor was Grandma Dee dancing with Scott Daly. She was bouncing up and down to the music, with her sunglasses bobbing on her nose. She looked as if she was having a terrific time, and the kids around the edge of the dance floor were clapping in time with the music.

  "Wow! She's pretty good," said Shane.

  Melanie burst out laughing. "I guess there are still a few things she can do like a kid," she said, and she and Shane rushed to join her grandmother and Scott on the floor.

  Later Shane took Melanie's hand and led her onto the dance floor for a slow song. She rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

  "Are you having a good time?" he asked.

  "Oh, yes," said Melanie.

  "Me, too," he said. Then he lifted her chin and gave her a long, tender kiss. "Happy Valentine Day," he whispered.

  Melanie closed her eyes, barely feeling the dance floor under her feet. What a perfect Valentine Day it had turned out to be!

  CHAPTER 18

  "Hey, you guys, guess what I just heard." Funny Hawthorne pushed her way through the after-school crowd at Bumpers and headed for The Fabulous Five's booth. She was completely out of breath. "It's just a rumor, but if it's true, Beth, you're going to love it."

  "Don't keep us in suspense," said Beth. "What is it?"

  The Fabulous Five kept their eyes on Funny as she dropped down next to Beth. "It's about the new Media Club. I heard from Dekeisha Adams, who heard from Heather Clark, that Pam Wolthoff overheard Mr. Levine telling Miss Dickinson—"

  "Good grief!" Beth burst out in frustration. "Just tell us."

  "Yeah," urged Jana. "What did you hear?"

  "Sorry," said Funny, giggling in embarrassment. "Well, what I heard is that the Media Club is going to do a show on cable TV."

  "Come on." Melanie snickered. "The brand-new Media Club from Wakeman Junior High is going to do a real TV show?"

  "That's the rumor," Funny insisted.

  "We haven't even had our first meeting yet," said Beth. "None of us knows the first thing about television production."

  Funny sighed, and got up to leave. "Okay, you guys. Don't believe me if you don't want to. That's what I heard."

  As the rest of The Fabulous Five went back to making plans for the weekend, Beth's thoughts drifted. A tingle of excitement had started up her spine.

  What if it were really true? What if she, Beth Barry, actually got to be an actress on TV? That would be show b
usiness. Real show business. Not just school plays.

  "Earth to Beth. Earth to Beth," called Katie, nudging her.

  "Yeah, Beth," Jana teased. "Are you still going to talk to your old friends when you become a famous TV star?"

  "It would be so exciting if it was true!" Melanie said. "Just think of the other stars you'd meet. And all the great clothes you'd get to wear."

  Clothes? Beth thought, looking down at her red stretch pants and the oversized red top with the black and white panda on it. She loved the outfit, but it certainly wasn't something she could wear on television. For that matter, neither were any of the other kooky clothes that she loved to wear.

  The rumor probably isn't true, she thought, but if it is, then I'll just have to do a little shopping.

  But how much shopping will Beth actually do? Will she be able to stop buying new clothes once she starts? Find out in The Fabulous Five #23: Mall Mania.

  Table of Contents

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

 

 

 


    A Newfangled Christmas Read onlineA Newfangled ChristmasTaffy Sinclair 005 - Blackmailed by Taffy Sinclair Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 005 - Blackmailed by Taffy SinclairFabulous Five 007 - The Kissing Disaster Read onlineFabulous Five 007 - The Kissing DisasterTaffy Sinclair 001 - The Against Taffy Sinclair Club Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 001 - The Against Taffy Sinclair ClubFabulous Five 013 - The Christmas Countdown Read onlineFabulous Five 013 - The Christmas CountdownFabulous Five 001 - Seventh-Grade Rumors Read onlineFabulous Five 001 - Seventh-Grade RumorsFabulous Five 021 - Jana to the Rescue Read onlineFabulous Five 021 - Jana to the RescueFabulous Five 026 - Laura's Secret Read onlineFabulous Five 026 - Laura's SecretFabulous Five 018 - Teen Taxi Read onlineFabulous Five 018 - Teen TaxiFabulous Five 008 - The Runaway Crisis Read onlineFabulous Five 008 - The Runaway CrisisFabulous Five 027 - The Scapegoat Read onlineFabulous Five 027 - The ScapegoatFabulous Five 019 - The Boys-Only Club Read onlineFabulous Five 019 - The Boys-Only ClubTaffy Sinclair 009 - The Truth About Taffy Sinclair Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 009 - The Truth About Taffy SinclairFabulous Five 017 - Celebrity Auction Read onlineFabulous Five 017 - Celebrity AuctionFabulous Five 016 - The Hot-Line Emergency Read onlineFabulous Five 016 - The Hot-Line EmergencyFabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine Read onlineFabulous Five 022 - Melanie's ValentineFabulous Five 009 - The Boyfriend Dilemma Read onlineFabulous Five 009 - The Boyfriend DilemmaFabulous Five 025 - The Fabulous Five Minus One Read onlineFabulous Five 025 - The Fabulous Five Minus OneTaffy Sinclair 006 - Taffy Sinclair, Baby Ashley, and Me Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 006 - Taffy Sinclair, Baby Ashley, and MeTaffy Sinclair 010 - Taffy Sinclair Goes to Hollywood Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 010 - Taffy Sinclair Goes to HollywoodFabulous Five 014 - The Seventh-Grade Menace Read onlineFabulous Five 014 - The Seventh-Grade MenaceTaffy Sinclair 003 - Taffy Sinclair, Queen of the Soaps Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 003 - Taffy Sinclair, Queen of the SoapsFabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up Read onlineFabulous Five 028 - Breaking UpFabulous Five 023 - Mall Mania Read onlineFabulous Five 023 - Mall ManiaFabulous Five 029 - Melanie Edwards, Super Kisser Read onlineFabulous Five 029 - Melanie Edwards, Super KisserFabulous Five 030 - Sibling Rivalry Read onlineFabulous Five 030 - Sibling RivalryFabulous Five 003 - The Popularity Trap Read onlineFabulous Five 003 - The Popularity TrapFabulous Five 010 - Playing the Part Read onlineFabulous Five 010 - Playing the PartFabulous Five 024 - The Great TV Turnoff Read onlineFabulous Five 024 - The Great TV TurnoffFabulous Five 006 - The Parent Game Read onlineFabulous Five 006 - The Parent GameFabulous Five 004 - Her Honor, Katie Shannon Read onlineFabulous Five 004 - Her Honor, Katie ShannonFabulous Five 015 - Melanie's Identity Crisis Read onlineFabulous Five 015 - Melanie's Identity CrisisFabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together Again Read onlineFabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together AgainTaffy Sinclair 007 - Taffy Sinclair and the Secret Admirer Epidemic Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 007 - Taffy Sinclair and the Secret Admirer EpidemicTaffy Sinclair 008 - Taffy Sinclair and the Melanie Make-Over Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 008 - Taffy Sinclair and the Melanie Make-OverFabulous Five 005 - The Bragging War Read onlineFabulous Five 005 - The Bragging WarFabulous Five 020 - The Witches of Wakeman Read onlineFabulous Five 020 - The Witches of WakemanFabulous Five 002 - The Trouble with Flirting Read onlineFabulous Five 002 - The Trouble with FlirtingTaffy Sinclair 002 - Taffy Sinclair Strikes Again Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 002 - Taffy Sinclair Strikes AgainTaffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair Read onlineTaffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair