Fabulous Five 021 - Jana to the Rescue (3 page)

"This is it, this is it!" Melanie's eyes grew
large with excitement. "This is the fourth day of the true love test! With
everything that went on at lunch, I nearly forgot!"

Jana and Beth had arrived at Bumpers right after school.
Melanie, Christie, and Katie had come shortly afterward. Since Randy hadn't
gotten there yet, Jana was sitting with The Fabulous Five in a booth,
positioned so that she could see him when he walked in the door.

"So, what happens on the fourth day?" Beth asked. "I've
forgotten already."

"If you'd taken the test when I offered it to you, you'd
remember, but since you didn't, I'll explain it again. On the fourth day, you
drink a glass of water, then say your favorite guy's name," Melanie
explained patiently.

"Uh-huh," said Christie. "Then what?"

"Within four days, he'll ask you out or say he likes
you," Melanie said dreamily. "Isn't that romantic?"

"Okay, Mel, now's the time," Beth said. "I'll
ask for a glass of water."

She scooted out of the booth and hurried up to the soda
fountain. Within half a minute, she returned with a cup of ice water.

Melanie glanced into the cup, and a frown creased her
forehead.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked.

"Well, there's ice in here," Melanie said slowly. "The
test didn't say anything about ice."

"I'm sure it doesn't make any difference," Jana
said, smiling. "A glass of water is a glass of water."

Melanie frowned again."Yeah, and that's another thing.
This container isn't made of glass either. It's a paper cup," she said. "Wow,
I hope I don't mess this up. What if it doesn't work because it's ice water in
a cup, instead of just plain water in a glass?"

"Don't worry about it," Katie said. "If the
crazy thing works
anyway
, it'll be a miracle."

"No," Melanie said worriedly. "I'd better do
it right. Excuse me, Beth, but I think I'll ask if they have a glass and I'll
dump the ice out."

"Oh, brother," Katie said with a sigh.

"Be right back. Don't go away!" said Melanie,
flushed with anticipation.

"She's having fun," said Jana. "Let's play
along."

Melanie returned in a minute, holding up a small water
glass. "And no ice," she said. She clutched the glass with both hands
and stared upward dramatically.

"Now is the time," she whispered, her eyes
sparkling. "Now I drink the water and say the name of the boy who will
become my own true love!"

"Whose name are you going to say?" Beth
interrupted.

"Keep your shirt on, Beth," Melanie said
impatiently. "I'm trying to create a mood here."

"Oh, sorry," Beth said. "Go on."

"First, I drink—" Melanie said. She lifted the
glass slowly to her lips and drank the liquid.

Suddenly Richie Corrierro came out of nowhere. He had a frog
wriggling in his hand, and he held it up in front of Melanie's face. "Hey,
Melanie!" he cried, laughing. "Kiss it! It's a prince!"

Melanie screamed and almost dropped the empty water glass,
and Richie doubled over with laughter. Then he dangled the frog by a back leg
and shouted through his laughter, "Ha, ha. It's only rubber!"

"RICHIE CORRIERRO! You're the most disgusting—"

Suddenly she stopped and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, no! What have I done!" she gasped, her eyes
wide with horror.

"You said, 'Richie Corrierro!'" Jana said. "Does
that mean—"

"That means
he'll
become my one true love!"
Melanie wailed, sinking into the booth as her knees gave way. "Richie
Corrierro! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! This can't be happening. It just
can't!
"
She put her hands over her face.

"Don't worry, Mel," Katie said. "This test is
a fake, anyway. People don't fall in love after taking a test and drinking a
glass of water—"

"And I did everything right, too!" moaned Melanie,
completely ignoring Katie. "The container made of glass and no ice! I did
everything
perfectly!
I'm doomed, doomed!"

"No, you're not," Beth said. "You can get
almost any boy you want by being nice, and—"

"I was going to say Shane Arrington's name!"
Melanie wailed. "If I'd done it right, I'd be waiting for Shane's call
asking me out. He might have said he
liked
me! But no, now that's
impossible.
Now
when I get that phone call, it'll be from dumb, stupid
Richie Corrierro. I'd even rather have said the name of Shane's iguana,
Igor!
Yeckh!
I can't stand it!"

Jana put a hand on Melanie's shoulder. "Mel, don't
worry. If Richie calls, just say no and then be super nice to the guys you
really like. The test won't matter."

"You can't change fate," Melanie said
despondently. "What happened here this afternoon was fate. I know, because
the test worked for my cousin."

"What happened here this afternoon was dumb," said
Beth. "Really, Mel, I can't believe you're taking this so seriously."

Melanie glanced over Beth's shoulder and then her eyes grew
wide. "It's Shane!" she gasped. "Shane just walked into Bumpers!"

"Why don't you go over and say hi?" asked Jana.

"But, I can't—"

"Go ahead," Jana insisted, gently nudging Melanie
toward the edge of the booth. "Put the love test to the
ultimate
test. Go talk to Shane and see what happens."

Melanie bit her lower lip and gave Jana a wary look. Then
she sighed shakily and said, "Okay. Here goes."

Jana crossed her fingers behind her back and watched Melanie
walk slowly toward Shane.

"Uh-oh! Look who's coming toward Shane from the other
direction," said Katie.

All four girls grabbed one another's hands and held their
breath as Laura McCall sauntered over to Shane. She was far enough ahead of
Melanie to reach him while Melanie was still several steps away. Then Laura put
a hand on Shane's arm and whispered something to him.

Jana watched in horror as the two of them talked and giggled
together while Melanie stood, staring at them, from the middle of the floor.
Suddenly she whirled around and stomped back to The Fabulous Five's booth,
tears spurting into her eyes.

"See? I told you the test works," she said between
sobs. "I just proved it!"

"But, Mel—" Jana started to protest.

"You saw it," Melanie cried. "Stupid, crummy
Laura McCall came up and started flirting her head off with Shane, and he just
flirted right back and
ignored me completely
!
"

"How could he ignore you?" asked Christie,
frowning. "You weren't over there more than five seconds."

"Yeah," added Katie. "He probably didn't even
know you were there."

"He didn't know I was there because of the love test!
Don't you understand? I'm fated to have a crummy love life for the next four years!"
Melanie jumped to her feet. "I'm going home. This is the worst day of my
entire life!"

"Mel!" cried Jana, grabbing Melanie's sleeve. "Stay
here. You know you'll feel better if you're with your friends."

"Right," said Beth. "Give him a second
chance."

"Are you kidding?" huffed Melanie. "And
humiliate myself two times in one afternoon? No way!"

"But don't you see what you're doing?" asked
Christie. "You're
making
that stupid test work! You didn't give
Shane a chance when Laura walked over. She isn't with him now, but now you won't
even talk to
him.
"

"He's looking this way," Jana said, trying to talk
without moving her lips so that he wouldn't be able to tell what she was
saying. "Melanie! Turn around and smile at him."

Melanie shot up straight as a poker. "Where is he?"

"Over there," Jana said, nodding slightly in Shane's
direction.

Melanie took a deep breath and pasted a big smile on her
face before swinging around to look toward Shane. But just then, he looked away
and started talking with friends.

"You didn't look fast enough," Jana insisted when
she saw the crushed expression on Melanie's face.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I give up! I'm going home!" She
swept her books into her arms and stormed out of Bumpers.

Melanie had scarcely gotten out the door when Randy walked
into Bumpers. Jana waved him over.

"Hi," he said to everyone in the booth. "Where's
Melanie?"

There was total silence for a moment, and then Jana said, "She
was here, but she had to get home. Big test Monday or something."

She didn't look at any of the other members of The Fabulous
Five when she said that. She hated to lie, but Melanie would absolutely die if
any boy ever found out about her love test. Even Randy, Jana thought with a
sigh, who is the kindest and most sensitive boy who ever lived.

"Earth to Jana. Earth to Jana," said Randy,
bringing her back to reality. He was grinning, and Jana grinned back, knowing
how he loved to tease her. "Want to walk home?" he asked.

"Sure," Jana said, glad to get some time alone
with him. "I'm ready now. Let's go."

Jana and Randy said good-bye to the girls and headed for the
door. Just then, Lee Brophy, a blond eighth-grade girl, walked in. She held up
her hand in a greeting.

"Hi, Jana," she said. "I've seen you with
that homeless girl at school." Lee wrinkled her nose when she said "homeless"
as if the word itself had a bad odor. "How's that working out, anyway?"

Jana winced at Lee's haughty expression. "Well,"
she said, trying to phrase her answer carefully, "she's trying to get used
to Wacko. It's quite an adjustment for her."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Hmph. I certainly hope she's
grateful that you're spending so much time with her."

"Oh, I don't know—" Jana began, but Lee
interrupted her.

"I suppose she can't help how her parents live their
lives, but—well, I just don't have much sympathy for those people."

Little explosions went off in Jana's brain. "What do
you mean?" she demanded.

"What I mean is, why don't her parents get jobs?"
said Lee, narrowing her eyes. "Then they could live in an apartment
instead of a homeless shelter where the taxpayers have to feed them. I just don't
understand people like that—people who want handouts instead of standing on
their own two feet. Talk about lazy."

Jana bristled. She couldn't stand to hear Lee talk this way,
but she didn't exactly know how to answer, either.

"Well, I don't know that much about Liz," Jana
began. "But there are a lot of people who've had some bad luck through no
fault of their own. They're not lazy at all, but they need help, and they can
get it at the shelter. And in the meantime, they can look for work. I'm sure
everything is going to work out just fine for Liz in time."

"Oh, come on, Jana, get real," said Lee. "Those
people aren't like us."

"What do you mean?" Jana asked warily. She didn't
like the smirk on Lee's face.

"Well, for one thing," Lee said with an air of
superiority, "her hair is always a greasy mess. I mean, doesn't she have
any pride? How tough is it to wash your hair, even at a shelter?"

Jana stared at Lee for a moment, unable to say anything. Lee
gave Jana a small, tight smile of triumph and walked away.

Randy put his arm around Jana and steered her out the door. "Hey,
don't let her get to you," he said gently. "You knew when you started
this that not everyone would understand."

Jana nodded. He was right, of course, but something else was
bothering her. "Randy, can I tell you a secret?"

Randy stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at
her with astonishment. "Of course," he said. "I thought you knew
that."

"I do," Jana said with an embarrassed little
laugh. "It's just that . . . well . . . I don't know exactly how to say
it."

"Try," Randy said softly.

Jana swallowed hard. "Lee isn't the only one who doesn't
totally understand," she began. "Sometimes I don't either."

She shifted from one foot to the other while Randy stood
waiting patiently beside her. "What Lee said about Liz's hair always being
a greasy mess is true," she went on. "I try not to let it bother me,
and it makes me feel awfully guilty to say it out loud, but I've wondered the
same thing Lee did. Doesn't Liz have any pride? I mean, she always looks so
grubby. And she refuses to take off that ratty-looking red down jacket. She
wears it all the time, instead of putting it in her locker like everyone else.
If she washed her hair and tried to look a little neater, kids might be more
interested in getting to know her."

Randy sighed. "I've noticed that, too. But that's not
the only problem she's giving you, is it?"

Jana sighed. "Well, I don't think she's giving me
problems on purpose. It's just that she acts as if she doesn't want anyone to
get close to her. She's really unhappy, and she doesn't even try to be nice to
other people. Sometimes I wonder if she lets her hair stay greasy on purpose,
just to gross people out and keep them away."

"Wow, that sounds tough," Randy said. "I wish
I could think of something that would help." Then he squeezed her hand. "But
she's crazy if she doesn't want to be
your
friend. She doesn't know how
lucky she is."

Jana felt a warm glow in her chest. Randy always knew just
the right thing to say. She snuggled close as they walked along.

"Thanks, Randy," she said. "I really needed
that."

They walked on a few minutes silently.

"So what's your next move with Liz?" asked Randy.

"I think I'll call Whitney Larkin tonight," she
said. "Maybe her new partner is acting the same way that Liz is. Maybe she'll
have some suggestions. You know, things that she tried that worked."

"Good idea," said Randy. "Couldn't hurt,
anyway. And Jana," he added thoughtfully, "just be yourself.
Nobody—not even Liz—could ask for more than that."

Jana grinned and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

Randy stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk and with a
finger under her chin, tilted her face up to his.

"We can do better than that," he said.

He kissed her softly, and for that moment, Jana forgot all
about her troubles with Liz, Melanie's love test, and everything else in her
life. For that moment, it was just her and Randy. And she felt wonderful.

"Hello?" Whitney answered the phone. There was
classical music playing in the background.

"Whitney? This is Jana Morgan."

"Oh, hi, Jana," Whitney said. "Just a minute.
Let me turn down the CD player."

Jana heard Whitney set the receiver down and walk away from
the phone. In a moment, the music was shut off, and the footsteps returned.

"Now I can hear you," Whitney said. "What's
up?"

"Whitney, how are things going with your new student?"
Jana asked.

Whitney's voice dropped. "Oh." Her first word told
Jana what she wanted to know. She was having problems, too.

"Well," Whitney continued, "it hasn't been
the way I thought it would be. Leslie is really . . . well, she's really
different."

"In what way?" asked Jana.

"She hardly talks to me at all," Whitney said. "In
fact, she hasn't said more than five words to me since she started school this
week. And I'm with her everyday."

"Well," Jana said, "I sometimes wish Liz
wouldn't
talk to me. When she does, she's really mean."

"Right," said Whitney. "What's with them,
anyway?"

"Maybe they feel threatened," Jana said,
remembering what her mother had told her.

"About what?" Whitney asked.

Jana sighed. "I'm not sure. I guess they've been hurt a
lot by their experiences, and they're embarrassed that they're living in the
shelter. Maybe they're so sure that nobody will understand that they won't even
let us try. I think Liz is that way. The more I
try
to help her, the
nastier she gets."

"You're probably right," said Whitney. "Have
you been getting . . . comments from other kids?"

"You mean like, why don't their parents get jobs?"
asked Jana.

"Right," said Whitney. "Even my own father
said something like that. And two of my best friends don't even want to meet
Leslie. They say that if she won't talk to
me
, why bother trying to make
friends with her."

"Can I ask you something else? Something private?"
Jana asked softly.

"Sure."

"Sometimes do you feel . . . funny . . . about her,
too? I mean, I really want to help Liz and everything, but I can't help
thinking that if she really wanted to fit in at Wacko, she'd try harder. She'd
let
me help her instead of always pushing me away."

Jana heard Whitney breathe a sigh of relief. "Exactly,"
she whispered. "They act as if they don't want us to help them. That's
weird, if you ask me."

"Maybe we should talk to Mrs. Brenner," said Jana.
"She said we could come to her if we needed help."

"And we do," agreed Whitney. "Let's go see
her before school on Monday. Maybe she'll know what to do. Nothing else has
worked."

"Great," said Jana. "I'll see you Monday
morning then, right after the first bell. Let's hope this helps," she
added before hanging up.