Fabulous Five 023 - Mall Mania (2 page)

Beth carried her cereal bowl into the family room the next
morning and flipped on the TV, tuning in
Good Morning America.
She sat
down on the ottoman directly across from the set and waited impatiently while
co-anchor Charles Gibson interviewed the author of a best-selling spy novel.

It might have been better for me to have a boy for my
co-anchor, she thought miserably. At least with Shane or Tim I wouldn't have to
worry about coordinating my wardrobe.

Just then the camera shifted to Joan Lunden, and Beth
stopped her spoon in midair, letting her breath out slowly as she stared at the
screen. "Wow," she whispered softly, "is she ever classy."

For the next few minutes Beth sat transfixed, watching Ms.
Lunden's every move as she talked to her cohost and interviewed guests on the
program. Beth raked her fingers through her own short, spiky hair and looked
longingly at Joan's long, silky blond hair. Next Beth's attention shifted to
the softly tailored turquoise jacket and paisley blouse the co-anchor wore, and
to her delicately manicured fingernails.

"Oh, I'll never be like that," Beth moaned. "Never,
never."

Sure you can
, said a little voice in her brain.
All
you need is some practice.

Beth put her cereal bowl on the floor and arranged herself
in the same position as Joan Lunden. Then she tilted her head just as Joan
Lunden was tilting hers and reached out a hand, perfectly imitating the gesture
the co-anchor was making on the screen. Miming was easy, she soon discovered.
If she concentrated hard, she could even lip-synch and lag only a fraction of a
second behind.

This is what it's going to feel like to be in front of the
camera, Beth thought with excitement. Smiling, she nodded graciously to her
cohost. Then a loud voice boomed behind her.

"Hey, Beth. Have you flipped, or what?"

Beth whirled around, her face flaming in embarrassment. Her
younger brother stood leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I get it," he said. "Now that you've
landed a big part on TV, you're sizing up the competition." He threw back
his head and laughed. "Lots of luck," he called as he strolled away.

Beth let out a sigh of exasperation and glanced once more at
Joan Lunden before turning off the set. Todd could laugh all he wanted to, she
thought angrily, but she was going to be a star!

Shawnie was waiting just inside the school gate when Beth
arrived that morning.

"Beth," she said, "I had the greatest idea
after I went to bed last night. I was so excited, it took me an hour to get to
sleep! I figured out how you can get the new clothes!"

"You're kidding," said Beth, her heart skipping a
beat as the image of Joan Lunden in her turquoise jacket and paisley blouse
filled her mind. "How?"

"Voila!" Shawnie said. "My credit card!"

Beth frowned, not understanding.

"Don't you get it?" asked Shawnie. "We'll put
your clothes on my credit card at Tanninger's."

"
Your
card?" Beth asked, still not quite
believing. "You have your own credit card?"

Shawnie held it out. "Just look at the name," she
said proudly.

Beth leaned in closer. Sure enough, the name stamped on the
department store's card was SHAWNIE PENDERGAST.

"Wow," Beth said. "And you pay for all your
own clothes?"

Shawnie laughed. "Of course not," she said. "My
parents
do. It's part of the payoff for their not being around me very
much."

Beth understood. Shawnie's parents both had high-paying
jobs, and they worked all day and spent a great deal of time away from her.
They were also very strict about where she could go and what she could do.
Since they weren't around to supervise her comings and goings, they didn't let
her leave the house very often. So they paid her off by spoiling her and showering
her with material things, even her own credit card. Beth knew that some
department stores would issue cards to kids if their parents consented and took
responsibility for paying the bills, but she had never actually seen a kid's
card before.

"I can't let your parents pay for my clothes,"
said Beth.

"They won't," Shawnie insisted. "The credit
card bill comes later. That's when you pay me back. Don't you see? You pay
me
later instead of paying the store
now
."

Beth thought a moment. It sounded great. She really
would
be paying for the clothes. She could have the clothes now, but pay for them
when the bill came.

"Okay," Beth said, feeling a shiver of excitement.
"And I promise, I'll pay you back right away!"

"Hey, don't sweat it," Shawnie said. "Let's head
for the mall right after Media Club this afternoon. Maybe we can find our
outfits today."

"Great!" said Beth. "I can't wait!"

Beth said good-bye to Shawnie and hurried to the fence to
find the rest of The Fabulous Five. She had called each of her friends the
night before to tell them her big news about the cable show and ask them for
suggestions about what she should wear on-camera. Nobody had any ideas.
Christie's clothes were the perfect style, but she was too tall. Katie was a
size smaller than Beth. Melanie's wardrobe was too frilly, and Jana's was too
conservative.

But now Beth had found the perfect solution to her problem.
Or, at least, Shawnie had found it for her, and she raced to tell her friends
that she was going to get her new clothes after all!

"That's
incredible!
" said Shawnie, looking
at Beth's reflection in the three-way mirror in the dressing room. "It's
the
perfect
outfit for the show!"

Beth looked at herself appraisingly in the mirror. The dress
really did look great on her. It had a short, straight, black skirt that fit
well on her narrow hips and a wide, red belt that flattered her small
waistline. The collar was red and black, and stood up high around her neck.

Shawnie grinned. "It's classy and flattering and
professional and—"

"And expensive!" Beth burst out, looking for the
first time at the price tag.

"Oh, it's not
that
expensive. Don't worry about
it!" Shawnie said, waving her hand. "The important thing is that we
found the perfect outfit for you!"

Beth did some quick math in her head. Shawnie was right, she
decided. It would take some work, but she could get the dress paid for in maybe
four weekends of baby-sitting.

"And now you need some shoes," said Shawnie.

"Oh, no," said Beth. "I think I'd better stop
here."

"Then at least some earrings," Shawnie said. "Those
will show up when the camera zooms in on your face."

"Well, maybe you're right about that," Beth
conceded. "I'll see if I can find some inexpensive ones."

The girls bought the dress with Shawnie's credit card and
headed for the jewelry department. They wandered along the glass counter and
examined the earring displays.

"Oh, wow," Shawnie said. "These gold ones are
beautiful!" She pulled them off the display rack.

"Yes, they are," agreed Beth. "They'd go
perfectly with my dress. How much?"

Shawnie turned them over in her hand and showed the price to
Beth.

"No," said Beth. "That's way too much. Let's
keep looking."

Shawnie shrugged and put the gold ones back. The girls
continued their walk along the counter.

"Look!" cried Beth. "Here is a red pair that'll
go great with my dress!"

"Perrrfect!" Shawnie cooed. "And not
expensive."

"Great," said Beth. She grabbed Shawnie's charge
card and handed it to the salesclerk. "I'll take these."

"Now we have to find something for me," Shawnie
said excitedly. "It
has
to go with your outfit."

"Right." Beth grinned. "What a great team we'll
be!"

"I should have a red dress," Shawnie said. She looked
at her watch. "But I'd better not get it today. Mom thinks I'm at home
starting on homework. She'll be there in a half hour, and I'd better be there!"

"Okay," Beth said.

Obviously, Shawnie was still sneaking around. Beth felt
sorry that Shawnie had to do that. Once Shawnie had run away and stayed in
Katie's basement because she was angry that her parents wouldn't let her go on
a march for hunger with a lot of Wakeman kids. Beth had thought Shawnie and her
parents had resolved all that, but apparently there were still a few problems.
She also could imagine how frustrated Shawnie was, having parents who seldom
let her do things, but sometimes Shawnie's reactions really went off the deep
end.

"Are you sure your parents won't mind that I used your
charge card?" Beth asked her.

"No, they never care about stuff like that,"
Shawnie assured her. "Just so I'm home on time!" She laughed.

"Well, it was really nice of you to let me use it,"
Beth said.

"No problem," said Shawnie. "See you
tomorrow."

Beth walked home and through the front door. She heard
noises in the kitchen and decided her mother was working on dinner preparation.
She scooted up the stairs, not wanting to answer questions about the Tanninger's
bag.

Her mother surprised her when she walked out of her bedroom
just as Beth reached the top of the stairs.

"Hi, honey," her mother said. "I expected you
nearly an hour ago. Did your Media Club meeting run long today?"

"Um, yes, it did," Beth said, crossing her fingers
behind her back.
It had run a couple of minutes longer than usual
, she
thought.

"What's in the bag?" her mother asked.

Slowly, Beth opened the bag and held it up for her mother to
peek inside. She hoped none of the tags showed.

"Uh, I was with Shawnie Pendergast this afternoon,"
Beth said. "Doesn't she have great taste?"

"Oh, is she letting you wear that dress for the TV
show?" Mrs. Barry asked.

Beth nodded, hoping her mother wouldn't notice the red flush
creeping across her face.

"How nice of her!" said Mrs. Barry. "See, it
all worked out after all, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did," murmured Beth.

Her mother started down the stairs. "I've got Brittany
working on supper," she called back over her shoulder. "Should be
ready in half an hour."

"Great," said Beth.

She walked into her room and sat on the bed. She took out
the dress and held it up. It was as beautiful as she had thought it was in the
store.

"And it looks even better
on,
" she
whispered.

Beth stood in front of the mirror and held the dress up to
her. It really was perfect!

Then she thought of the conversation with her mother. She
hadn't exactly told any lies.

She gazed into her own eyes, and a wave of guilt washed over
her. She may not have told an out-and-out lie, but she had led her mother to
believe something that wasn't true. Wasn't that the same thing as a lie?

She closed her eyes a moment, and when she opened them, she
looked away from the mirror. She shouldn't have done it, but it had been
necessary, she told herself.

She
needed
this dress!

"Last night I was watching Connie Chung on television,
and I decided that I like her style better than Joan Lunden's," Beth said
to Jana and Katie as they made their way through the crowded halls after
school.

"I thought Joan Lunden was your idol," Jana said.

Beth shrugged. "You ought to watch Connie Chung
sometime. I mean, she is so professional and businesslike. Joan Lunden is
awfully casual. Watching her is almost like having your aunt come for a visit
or something."

"Personally, I like Barbara Walters," Katie chimed
in. "Now there's someone who's professional and businesslike."

Beth made a face and started to reply to Katie when she
caught sight of Shawnie in the crowd ahead. "I've got to run," she
said instead. "I have to talk to Shawnie before the Media Club meeting
starts."

"See you later," said Jana.

"Shawnie?" Beth called, hurrying up behind her.

Shawnie turned and, seeing Beth, broke into a grin. "Hi."

"Hi," said Beth. "You know, I was thinking
last night and decided that maybe you were right about those shoes. I really
don't have a pair that would be quite right."

"Okay," replied Shawnie. "Come with me to the
mall again after the meeting, and we'll pick up a pair of shoes before we get a
new outfit for me."

Beth grinned. "I really appreciate what you're doing
for me, Shawnie. And I promise you'll get paid back right away."

"Hey," Shawnie said, smiling. "Do I look
worried?"

Beth giggled. "Nope. Not at all."

"Come on," Shawnie said. "Let's get to the
meeting."

The girls hurried into the media room and slipped into their
seats just as Mr. Levine was starting the meeting.

"Okay," said the teacher, "we'd better get
going. I'll turn this meeting over to our director. Funny?"

Funny Hawthorne cleared her throat. "Okay, everybody,
this is Wednesday, and we shoot on Friday, so let's see how everyone is doing.
I need progress reports from each one of you. First, Shane and Tim, have you
collected the information that our co-anchors can report on?"

"We've got last week's basketball scores,"
answered Tim, "next week's menu, and a couple of upcoming school
events—like the band concert, the next basketball game, and the school dance—to
tell about."

"Good," said Funny. "Get that information to
me before you leave, will you? I'll need to write the script tonight."

"Sure," said Shane. "It's all here on this
list." He took a sheet of paper out of his backpack and handed it to
Funny. He grinned. "And if you ever want a fascinating interview subject,
I can always get Igor in here. He's very articulate and impressive—"

"Uh-huh," Funny said, smiling at the mention of
Shane's pet iguana.

"The publicity might entice some female iguana to call—"
Shane continued.

"Yeah, right, okay," Funny said, laughing and
waving at him to be quiet. "You guys did a good job. What about you, Jon?"

"I talked to Wayne Paulsen at my parents' station,"
Jon responded. "He told me he'd be glad to show up here after school on
Friday and advise us on the lights."

"Excellent!" Funny announced, then turned to Paul
Smoke. "What are you going to do in your ecology segment?"

Paul smiled. "I'm going to talk about bats."

"Bats?"
said Funny. "What do bats have
to do with ecology?"

Paul's eyebrows shot up. "Everything! More people
should know that."

"Are you going to bring one of your bats?" Funny
asked.

"Of course," Paul said. He grinned and seemed to
loosen up a little. "Robin. He's the ham of the family."

Funny laughed. "Was he the one that made the surprise
entrance during the Halloween show?"

"The very one," Paul replied. "He loves the
spotlight."

"Whatever you say," said Funny. "We'll save
five minutes for your segment."

"Let me interrupt here to say something about timing,"
said Mr. Levine, "Timing is crucial in both TV and radio. Spectrum Cable
is giving us exactly fifteen minutes. We should wrap up and end the program
about a half second before that time is up. They will cut us off at exactly
fifteen minutes, so it's better to be a half second short than a half second
over."

Beth was fascinated. She had no idea timing was so critical.

"We'll need to put together some music at the top and
bottom," Mr. Levine continued. "And we'll have a sign to open the
show, since we don't have the technology to flash Chyrons over the screen."

"What are Chyrons?" asked Beth.

Jon sat up. "You know when someone is being interviewed
on TV, and at the bottom of the screen you see the name of that person?"

"Right," Beth said.

"Those letters are called Chyrons," he finished. "You
see them a lot in commercials, too, when, say, the date of a sale is thrown up
on the screen. Or the name of the store having the sale."

"Oh, yeah, now I know what you mean," Beth said,
nodding. It made her feel so professional. Of course Connie Chung and Joan
Lunden knew about Chyrons.

"Anyway," said Mr. Levine, "since we've had
just a few days to prepare for this first show, Jon and I already got together
and chose some theme music. I brought a tape of it, and I'll give you a chance
to hear it."

He flipped a switch on the tape recorder in front of him,
and the music began. It was light and upbeat. The club members looked at one
another and grinned.

"That's perfect!" said Beth.

"Yeah, I like it." Shane snapped his fingers to
the beat.

And suddenly it was over.

"That's the shortest music I've ever heard!"
remarked Shawnie.

Mr. Levine chuckled. "It's supposed to be short. It's
production music. Stations buy tapes filled with short bits of production music
for commercials and for introducing this type of program. Production music
comes in ten-, fifteen-, thirty-, and sixty-second segments."

"And you can get longer music for films," Jon
added.

"Awesome!" said Funny.

"Right," said Jon. "That way, you don't have
to have someone compose and perform music for you for local TV or radio. That
would be too expensive, anyway."

"This show is going to be so great!" exclaimed
Beth.

"Yes, it is," agreed Funny. "I'll get you
co-anchors your scripts by tomorrow so that you can become familiar with them.
I don't think you'll need to memorize them, but you should have them very well
in mind."

"Sure," Beth said, but she had every intention of
memorizing her script!

"Shane and Tim," Mr. Levine said, "I'm going
to put you two in charge of making posters to put up around school advertising
our show on Saturday."

"Good idea," said Funny. "We want everybody
in the school to be watching."

Beth's stomach did a flip-flop.
The whole school will be
watching!
She thought of the kids in her classes and her teachers all
sitting in front of their TV sets. And then she thought of her boyfriend, Keith
Masterson, and her heartbeat quickened.

Keith would be watching for sure!

Beth took a deep breath. She was going to practice and
practice and practice! She'd be the
best
co-anchor on cable TV!

"Oh, those shoes are so
cool!
" said Beth,
looking at the reflection of her feet in the small mirror that stood on the
floor at Tanninger's. She had never seen Joan Lunden's or Connie Chung's shoes
since she had begun watching their programs, but she was sure their shoes
matched their outfits just as perfectly as these matched hers.

"They're just what you need," Shawnie agreed. "I
love them!"

The low-heeled shoes were red with a thin line of black
trim. Beth took off the left one and held it up, looking at it critically. "I
can't think of one other thing I could wear these with, though," she said.

"So what?" Shawnie asked. "You couldn't have
found a better pair of shoes for the show."

Beth hesitated for another moment. She really should put
them back, she thought. But they
were
right for the show. She had to
have them.

"Okay," she said. "I'll take them."

Shawnie handed her the credit card.

Beth squared her shoulders and marched to the sales counter,
handing the card to the clerk.

"Oh, I just love my new outfit!" Beth hugged
herself with joy.

"Isn't this fun?" said Shawnie. "Whenever I'm
feeling down, I just go shopping!" She thought for a moment, then added, "In
fact, whenever I'm feeling up, I go shopping, too. Shopping just gives me a
high,
you know what I mean?"

"I do now!" said Beth.

After Shawnie signed for Beth's shoes, the girls hurried to
the juniors department to find a new outfit for Shawnie.

"Red," Shawnie declared. "It's got to be red."

"Okay!" Beth shouted. "One red outfit, coming
up!" Dancing through the racks of clothes, she pulled out a red satin prom
dress trimmed in shimmering sequins. Laughing, she held it up to Shawnie. "How
about this one?"

Shawnie blinked in surprise and then laughed back. "No,
no. That's too casual. Put it back." Then Shawnie raced ahead of Beth to
the sportswear department and held up a tomato-red ski parka with matching
bibs. "What do you think of this?"

Both girls were laughing like crazy, pulling one red outfit
after another off the racks and holding them up in front of Shawnie.

"Uh-oh," said Beth, looking around the department.
"I think the clerks are looking at us funny."

Shawnie nodded. "Right. I guess I'd better get serious
about finding a dress."

In five minutes, Shawnie had collected five dresses to try
on. And in another ten, she had chosen her favorite to wear with Beth on the
show.

"All right, Beth!" Shawnie exclaimed. "Now we
will be color-coordinated!"

Shawnie signed for her dress, and the girls headed out of
the juniors department giggling. The only department between Juniors and the
mall entrance was the china and fine gifts department.

"Oooh, Beth," cried Shawnie, "wouldn't this
look terrific sitting on the table in front of us?"

Beth gasped. Sitting on a little display table on top of a
lacy tablecloth was a beautiful ceramic teapot, surrounded by six fragile cups
and saucers.

"These would give us the perfect touch of elegance!"
Shawnie said, her eyes still glued to the display.

"They sure would," agreed Beth. "But we can't
afford them, too."

Shawnie thought a minute. "There's just
got
to
be a way we could buy these. Wait, I know! What if you bought the teapot and I
bought the cups and saucers?"

"I don't know," Beth said doubtfully.

"After the show is over," said Shawnie, "we
could put them away and give them to our moms for Christmas! Moms love this
kind of stuff."

Beth considered that. "Well, I guess they
would
be good Christmas gifts," she admitted.

"They sure would," Shawnie said.

Beth began to smile. "Boy, this would look so great
sitting in front of us on the table."

"You've got it." Shawnie looked at Beth. "What
do you say?"

"I say," Beth said with a grin, "CHARGE IT!"