Fabulous Five 023 - Mall Mania (3 page)

"What's that?" asked Jana.

It was Friday morning before school. Students were milling
around the locker area, talking and getting ready to go to their first classes.
Jana and Beth stood in front of Beth's open locker.

"What's what?" asked Beth.

Jana pointed to the Tanninger's packages sitting at the
bottom of Beth's locker. "What's in the packages?"

"It's my new outfit for the show," said Beth. "We're
taping today after school. Want to see?"

"Are you kidding?" said Jana, grinning. "Of
course!"

Beth smiled and rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's incredible,
wonderful,
gorgeous!
What more can I say?" She reached into the
bag, pulled out the dress, and held it up next to her.

"Wow!" said Jana. "You're right. It
is
incredible!"

"And wonderful and gorgeous, right?" Beth prodded,
grinning.

"And more," Jana replied.

Beth took her new shoes out of the box and held them up next
to the dress. "Are they perfect, or what?"

"They're awesome!" exclaimed Jana. "Beth, you're
going to look wonderful on TV!"

Beth sighed and smiled. "I sure hope so." She
couldn't help noticing that several of the girls walking down the hall slowed
down to stare at her and her new dress.

They're so envious!
Beth thought. I really am lucky
to have the chance to be on TV, and to have a great new dress to wear.

Jana saw the tag dangling from the dress and scooped it up
in her hand. She turned it over and read the price.

"Wow!" She looked up at Beth, astonished. "Are
your parents buying this for you?"

"Nope," said Beth. "I'm buying it for me.
Shawnie bought it with her credit card, and I'm paying her back."

Jana looked astonished. "She has her own credit card?"

Beth nodded. "Isn't she lucky?"

Jana looked at Beth with concern. "How are you going to
get the money to pay her back?"

Beth shrugged. "I'll just get some extra baby-sitting
jobs and add what I make to my allowance. I'll get the dress paid for by the
end of the month. Well, maybe a little after."

"Those are going to have to be some super-long
baby-sitting jobs," said Jana, shaking her head.

"I know," Beth admitted. "But I just
had
to get a new outfit. Nothing I had was right."

"Whoa!"
a chorus of voices sounded behind
them. Beth turned to find Melanie, Christie, and Katie standing wide-eyed,
staring at her dress.

"Where did you get that
beautiful
dress!"
Melanie cried.

Beth smiled and explained her deal with Shawnie.

"Of
course
Shawnie has her own charge card!"
Melanie said, throwing up her hands. "I should have known that!"

"Oh, Beth," Christie said. "It's really
terrific. You'll look gorgeous in it."

"Thanks, guys," Beth said.

"So what do your parents think about your using Shawnie's
credit card?" Katie asked.

Beth lowered her eyes. "Well, to tell you the truth, my
parents don't exactly know about my deal with Shawnie. They think I'm borrowing
the dress from her."

Jana frowned. "Won't they be angry when they find out?"

Beth sighed. "If I can get the outfit paid for pretty
soon, I'll just explain to them that I
earned
it."

"I hope you'll be able to pay for it as easily as you
think you will," Jana said.

"It'll be okay," Beth reassured her. "So I'll
have to work for a while to pay for it. It's worth it!"

Melanie glanced down at Beth's locker again. "What else
is in there?" she asked.

"Wait till you see this!" Beth declared. She took
the teapot out of its box and held it up for the girls to admire. "We're
going to have this on the coffee table in front of us! Isn't it wonderful?"

"It's just the right touch," Christie said,
nodding.

"Shawnie got some teacups that match," Beth added.

"Are you going to pay Shawnie for the teapot, too?"
Katie asked her.

"Sure," answered Beth. "Then I'm going to
save it and give it to my mom for Christmas."

"Great idea," said Melanie.

"Well, we can't wait to see the show," offered
Jana.

"I know," Beth said excitedly. "Why don't you
guys come over tomorrow and watch it with me? Come at nine o'clock, and I'll
make pancakes before the show."

"Sounds great to me," said Katie, and the others
said they would be there, too.

Beth watched the clock all day. She tried to concentrate on
classwork, but all she could think of was the taping of
The Wakeman Bulletin
Board
after school. Every time she looked at the clock on the classroom
wall, expecting twenty minutes to have gone by, she discovered that only a
couple of minutes had passed. The day dragged on endlessly.

At last the dismissal bell rang. Her heart racing, Beth ran
to her locker and picked up her new outfit and the teapot. She rushed into the
girls' room to get ready for the taping of the show.

The bathroom was empty. Beth took her makeup case out of her
book bag with trembling hands. She didn't usually use a lot of makeup, but she
knew that the bright lights would make her face look washed out if she didn't
apply some color and highlights.

First Beth applied the foundation, smoothing it over her
face and blending the edges into her hairline. Then she put some eyeshadow on
her lids and darkened her lashes with mascara. After that came blush and lip
gloss. Finally a dusting of powder took the shine from her nose and chin.

She pulled the dress out of the bag and slipped it on over
her head. With a pounding heart, she zipped up the back and straightened the
fabric so that it hung smoothly. Next, she put on the shoes and the earrings
that matched the dress so perfectly.

Beth stood in front of the mirror and looked at her
reflection. It was perfect. The absolutely right outfit for her television
debut. Her heart was really racing now.
This is ridiculous
, Beth
thought.
I've acted in lots of plays. This is a taped show. Why does it feel
like such a big deal?

Then she remembered the thousands of people who might tune
in to see her on TV.
The show was a big deal!

She took a deep breath, and gazed at herself in the mirror. "You
look terrific. You know your lines. And you're going to be just as good as they
are," she whispered to her reflection as she thought about the women she
had been watching on TV and whose techniques she had been studying. "Not
only that,
someday
you might be one of
them.
" Beth smiled at
herself and started to leave the rest room. Then she stopped, turned around,
and gave herself a big grin. "Break a leg!" she shouted, and then
raced out the door.

When Beth arrived at the media center, Shawnie looked up,
obviously relieved. "Oh, good. You're all ready. I changed in the bathroom
across the hall." Shawnie looked terrific in her new red dress and
matching shoes. She wore a gold chain with a crystal pendant around her neck.
She grinned and stepped up next to Beth, putting an arm around Beth's shoulder.
"Do we look
great
together, or what?"

"Sensational!" Beth said. "Now if I can just
stop shaking . . ."

"Why be nervous?" Shawnie asked, sounding full of
confidence. "We look so good that if we do mess up, no one will even
notice—they'll be too busy gawking at these gorgeous women on the screen in
front of them!"

Beth nodded. They did look great together, and she'd spent
all last night going over the script, but she still didn't feel as calm as
Shawnie sounded.

The media center had closed five minutes earlier to anyone
not involved in the cable program. Mr. Levine, Jon, and a tall, lanky man with
dark hair were setting up the lights.

"That must be the guy from the TV station," Beth
whispered to Shawnie.

"Right," Shawnie whispered back.

Funny hurried over. "Wow, you guys look great!"

"You mean, sensational!" Shawnie said, nudging
Beth and grinning.

Funny laughed. "Yeah, and that, too. But the important
question is, Are you ready for the show?"

Beth nodded. She felt pretty sure she could read her lines
without looking at the paper. She had practiced saying the lines over and over
again. The hard part would be looking directly into the camera when she was
reading, and not looking away.

"I'm nervous," Beth admitted to Funny. "But I'm
ready."

"Terrific," said Funny. "I know you'll be
great."

Just then Paul walked into the media center wearing a blue
pin-striped suit. He was carrying a small metal cage.

"He has Robin with him," observed Beth. "His
mother must have dropped the bat off."

"Oh, good," Funny said, and hurried off to talk
with Paul about his segment.

"Okay," Mr. Levine called out. "It's time.
Everybody ready?"

"Ready!" Beth called back.

"Ready!" said Funny.

"Ready!" echoed Shane, who had just walked in with
Tim.

"You don't
have
to be ready," Funny told
him, giggling. "Your jobs are over for this week."

"We're here for moral support," explained Tim.

"Thanks, guys," said Beth. "We need it."

"Okay, let's get going," Mr. Levine said. "Beth
and Shawnie, take your places."

Beth scurried over to their chairs and took out the teapot,
setting it on the table. Shawnie had already set up the teacups and saucers.

"You guys aren't planning to drink anything during this
show, are you?" Funny asked, eyeing the teacups doubtfully.

"No," Beth assured her. "They're just there
for looks."

"For class," Shawnie added.

"Okay, good," Funny said, smiling. "The way
you've dressed up the coffee table looks nice."

Mr. Levine turned to Funny. "Is the easel set up?"

"Yes." She dragged the easel that she'd borrowed
from the art department over next to the set. On it, she placed a large
posterboard sign with professionally printed letters that said, THE WAKEMAN
BULLETIN BOARD.

"Good." Mr. Levine looked at it approvingly. "That's
great."

"Okay, Jon," Funny said, "we'll come in on
this sign first thing. We'll hear a couple of seconds of theme music, and then
we'll shift the camera over to our co-anchors. Beth and Shawnie, when I begin
to fade out the music, that's when you start the show. Okay?"

Beth and Shawnie nodded.

This is it, thought Beth. My big moment.
I'm really on TV!

The red light on Jon's camera winked on, and Funny started
the music. After a few seconds, she lowered the volume on the music, and Jon
shifted the camera to the set, where Beth and Shawnie were sitting. Funny
turned the volume down on the tape player again, and the music faded out
completely.

"Good morning," Beth said, smiling into the
camera. "Welcome to our first edition of
The Wakeman Bulletin Board.
"

"We'll be giving you important information on Wakeman
activities," Shawnie said, "as well as reporting scores of your
favorite sports teams and updating you on plans for school dances and
performances."

"So get out your calendar," Beth said, "and
be ready to write down some important dates."

A thrill ran up Beth's back. The show was going well. No. It
was going better than well. It was going terrifically, and she wasn't nervous
anymore. And not only that, it was fun!

Beth thought about her new outfit and how perfect it made
her look. Move over, Connie Chung, she thought. Beth glanced at Shawnie while
Shawnie read the sports scores for the week. Shawnie had made a lot of this
success possible.

Shawnie and her wonderful charge card!

"It went so well!" Beth burst out the instant she
got home from the taping. "We didn't blow any lines, and Jon did a good
job with the camera, and Paul Smoke had a great ecology segment."

"Fantastic!" Mrs. Barry said. "I'm so glad,
honey. I know you worked hard on it and worried about it a lot."

"You bet. It's
The Wakeman Bulletin Board
today
and the
Today
show tomorrow." Beth grinned broadly. Then she added
silently,
By then I should have my own credit card!

Her mother chuckled. "If you can come down off cloud
nine for a moment, you had a phone call from Mrs. Martin. She wants to know if
you can baby-sit tomorrow. She has to pick up her sister at the airport."

"Great," said Beth. It was the answer to a prayer.
She needed baby-sitting jobs to pay Shawnie back. "I'll call her right
away."

Beth flipped through the phone book and quickly found the
Martins' number.

"Mrs. Martin?" said Beth. "This is Beth
Barry. Mom said you called about a baby-sitting job."

"That's right," Mrs. Martin answered. "Could you
come tomorrow morning and stay with Jennifer and Davy from nine until eleven or
so? Even though it's Saturday, my husband has to work and can't watch them."

Oh, no, Beth thought. I can't baby-sit then. The Fabulous
Five are coming over for pancakes and to watch
The Wakeman Bulletin Board
on TV!

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Martin," Beth said. "I
can't come tomorrow. I've already made other plans."

"Okay." Mrs. Martin sounded disappointed. "I
guess I'll have to try someone else."

Beth said good-bye and hung up. She stared out the window
feeling guilty. She needed to take every babysitting job that came along if she
was going to get Shawnie paid back any time soon. But she couldn't miss
watching her own television debut! She crossed her fingers, hoping she would
get another job offer before long.

"Mmm," said Jana. "Beth, these are the most
delicious pancakes I've ever had."

"They sure are," agreed Melanie. "Can someone
pass the syrup?"

"Mel, how can you eat all that syrup!" Christie
said, making a face. "Your pancakes are already
swimming
!
"

Melanie looked down at her plate. "They're not
swimming. They're just treading water." She giggled. "I mean,
treading syrup."

"What time is it?" asked Jana. "We can't miss
your show."

"Are you kidding?" said Beth. "I've had one
eye on the clock since I woke up this morning. It's exactly ten minutes to ten!"

"In ten minutes, Beth Barry
—our
Beth Barry—will
become a TV star," declared Melanie. "I can't wait!"

Beth's mother poked her head in from the living room. "Beth,
the time for your show is getting close. Dad is setting up the VCR to tape it."

Beth's five-year-old sister, Alicia, tore into the room and
threw herself into Beth's arms, shrieking, "So we can watch it again and
again and again and again and again and again—"

"All right, already!" Beth interrupted, laughing.
She tickled Alicia until the little girl's words dissolved into a fit of
giggles.

"Come on, you guys," Jana urged. "Let's get
these dishes cleared so we're ready to sit down and watch the show."

The girls carried their dishes to the kitchen and hurried to
the living room, where the rest of the Barry family was already sitting in
front of the TV. Beth's mom and dad sat on the couch with Alicia perched on her
mother's lap. Brittany sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Todd, who was
sprawled out on a soft chair, and Brian, Beth's older brother, leaned against
the door frame, nibbling a piece of toast. The volume was turned down so low,
there was no sound coming from the TV.

"It's time," Beth said, flicking her eyes toward
the mantel clock. "Turn up the sound, Jana."

Jana leaned forward and turned the volume switch. An instant
later, the program began with a close-up of
The Wakeman Bulletin Board
sign. The theme music played in the background. Beth held her breath.

When the camera panned to Beth, there was a little gasp from
everyone in the room. While Beth spoke on TV, no one made a sound. But when the
camera moved to Shawnie, Brittany turned and said, "Beth, you look really
great
on TV!"

"Yeah," Todd said, scratching his head, "what
happened?"

Beth didn't even hear Todd because her head was spinning.
She
did
look great! In fact, she looked almost better on TV than in
person! The outfit she'd bought was
perfect
, and she looked like a pro
in it. Her practicing the script had definitely paid off, too. She looked
prepared and poised—just like Connie Chung.

The second the show was over, the room was filled with
shouts of congratulations for Beth. Her friends and family had loved seeing her
on TV.

The telephone rang, and Todd raced off to answer it.

"Hey, Beth," he said, returning a moment later. "Telephone.
I think it's some guy named Keith." He grinned. "He probably wants to
tell you how good you were."

"Hey, Beth, you were incredible!" Keith said when
Beth picked up the receiver. "You really made Wakeman look good."

Beth's face turned red, and she was glad Keith couldn't see
her.

"Thanks," she replied. "Everybody worked hard
this week. Did we look . . . well, you know, professional?"

"Totally!" Keith answered. "You guys were
great."

A few minutes later Beth hung up with Keith. She felt so
dizzy with happiness, she nearly floated back into the living room. Jana,
Katie, Christie, and Melanie gathered around Beth while her family disappeared
into other parts of the house.

"Everyone will be talking about this show at school on
Monday!" Jana said.

"I can't wait to hear all the comments," Christie
said.

"Your outfit looked terrific," added Melanie. "So
what are you going to wear
next
Saturday?"

Beth stared at her friend a second. "Oh, my gosh,"
she mumbled. "I don't know. I didn't think past
this
show."

"Let's go shopping," suggested Melanie. "Right
now. We'll help you find another great outfit."

Beth gulped. "I really do need something else to wear."

Jana looked doubtful. "I don't know, Beth. Even if we
found something, how would you pay for it?"

Disappointment washed over Beth. "You're right, Jana,"
she said slowly. "I was so distracted I wasn't thinking. I can't possibly
afford another outfit." Suddenly a glint appeared in her eye and she
looked around the room at her friends. "There's no harm in looking though,
is there?"