Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great (13 page)

   
"I'm going home," Sondra bawled. "I don't have to stay here and listen to this."

   
"That's right," Jane told her. "Go running home to
 
Mama. Just like always." She tossed a model boat at Sondra.

   
"I could tell plenty about you if I felt like it," Sondra said, throwing the model back at Jane.

   
"You just try it and I'll get you!" Jane yelled, as she flung another model.

   
This time Sondra picked it up and sent it flying across the room at Jane. And Mouse picked one up and did the same thing. I got so mad I yelled, "You're ruining my party!" And I threw one of Bobby's models at Jane.

   
Pretty soon we were all throwing the models at each other and we were all screaming and half-crying too, because of the terrible things we wrote about each other, even though some of them were true.

   
That's when Libby opened the door and said, "What is going on in here?"

   
I shouted, "Get out and mind you own business!"

   
Jane threw a model at Libby and Libby had to duck so it wouldn't hit her in the head. Instead it hit Maryann, who was standing right behind Libby. She hollered, "You little brats! You little baby brats! You're too young for a slumber party!"

   
"I said get out of my room now!"

   
"I am going to tell Mother and Father about this, Sheila."

   
"Blah blah blah," I said.

   
"Yeah," Mouse told them, "blah blah blah!"

   
Then Mouse looked at me and we started to laugh. And when we did Jane did too. And after a minute even Sondra joined us. We all laughed at Libby and Maryann as we shouted, "Blah blah blah blah blah!"

   
Libby called us "baby brats" one more time before she slammed our door shut. Then I flopped down on my bed and looked around at my room. Bobby's models were all over the place. "He's going to get me."

   
"Don't be silly," Mouse said.

   
"He said he would and he means it. I know he means it!"

   
"So what? Who cares about the old model maniac?" Mouse asked.

   
"That's easy for you to say," I told her. "You're not the one he's going to get. There's only one thing to do."

   
"What's that?" Sondra asked.

   
"We have to fix up every single model."

   
"But how can we?" Sondra said. "One of them broke right in half."

   
"That one we can throw in the garbage. But the rest of them we have to repair." I went to the desk and opened the drawer. I took out two tubes of Testor's glue and a box of model paints. I divided the models into three piles. "It won't take long to fix them up," I said.

   
An hour later we were still sitting on the floor gluing and painting when my mother knocked on my door and called, "Snack time."

   
I whispered, "Quick . . . hide the stuff," as I ran across my room to open the door for Mom. She was carrying a big tray of pizza.

   
"Ummm . . . that smells delicious," Sondra said.

   
"It's nice and hot," Mom told us. She set it down on the desk. Then she wriggled her nose and looked around. "Something smells funny in here, girls."

   
"It does?" I asked.

   
"Yes, like glue or something."

   
"Oh, that's just my toothpaste, Mrs. Tubman," Mouse said.

   
"What kind of toothpaste smells like that?" Mom asked.

   
"This new kind that prevents cavities," Mouse told her.

   
"I hope it tastes better than it smells," Mom said.

   
"Mother . . . Mother . . . is that you?" Libby called.

   
"Yes," Mom said, "we have plenty of pizza."

   
Libby came rushing into my room with Maryann right behind her. "Mother, Sheila and her friends were just awful while you were gone. They were yelling and screaming and throwing around all the models from the top of the dresser."

   
Mom stood in my doorway and said, "Sheila, what's this all about?"

   
"I told you she'd ruin my party," I said. "She just has to butt in on everything!"

   
Mom looked over at my dresser. "Where are all of Bobby's models?" .

   
"Under the bed, Mrs. Tubman," Mouse said. "We wanted to make sure nothing would happen to them, so we put them away for the night."

   
"They are impossible children, Mother," Libby said.

   
Mom looked back at us. We all smiled at her. "This is Sheila's party, Libby. I think you and Maryann should go to your room and let these girls take care of themselves. I know they wouldn't do anything destructive to another person's property."

   
"Oh, Mother!" Libby said. "You don't understand at all!"

   
"Good night, Libby. Good night, Maryann," Mom told them.

   
"Thanks, Mom," I said.

   
"Have a good time, but don't stay up too late."

   
When Mom went downstairs we started on the pizza. Sondra ate two pieces and reached for a third, but we all shook our heads at her and she took her hand away and said, "The truth really hurts!" We all agreed.

   
After our snack we went back to work on Bobby's models. We fixed them up pretty good. From far away you'd never know there was anything wrong with them. And besides, didn't he say he was bringing home a whole bunch of new ones? So he'll probably never notice that these have been in battle. At least I hope he won't!

   
We spread the models out to dry and put away the glue and paints. "I'm getting tired," Sondra said.

   
"We can't go to bed yet," Mouse told her. "We still have some unfinished business to take care of."

   
"What?" Sondra said.

   
I looked at Mouse because I knew what she was thinking. "We have to get even with Libby and Maryann for telling on us."

   
"Goody!" Jane said. "They deserve the worst!"

   
"But what's the worst?" Sondra asked.

   
"We should put frogs in their beds," Mouse said.

   
"Where are we supposed to get frogs?" Jane asked.

   
"Behind my house," Mouse said. "There's a brook full of them."

   
"Forget it," I said. "My mother's not going to let us go running around at this hour."

   
"Then we'll have to think up something else," Mouse said. "But it's got to be really great!"

   
"I know," I said. "We'll decorate the toilet seat with toothpaste and the first one of them to sit down will get full of it. . . you know where!"

   
"Hey, that's a neat idea, Sheila," Mouse said. "How'd you think that up?"

   
"When your brain
knows it all
it's easy!" I told her. I could tell from Mouse's expression that she was the one who wrote that about me. But I didn't care, because she also wrote that I am an interesting person and I like that idea a lot. Even Sondra and Jane wrote that in general I am okay. And that's what counts. So what if they think I'm bossy sometimes? It's only because I know more than they do. So what if I have weird eyebrows and funny toes? Not that I agree, because I don't see anything weird about my eyebrows and my toes are just like everybody else's toes. But to be an interesting person! Well, not everyone can be that. That is something special!

   
We all went into the hall bathroom and brushed our teeth and used the toilet. Then I personally covered the toilet seat with toothpaste. When I was finished the others wanted to add a little to it, so by the toothpaste.

   
We went back to my room and waited. When my bedroom door is open you can hear the water running in the bathroom.

   
Pretty soon we heard Libby and Maryann walking down the hail.

   
"They're going to the bathroom now," Jane said.

   
"
Shush
," I told her. I think they brushed their teeth first and then it sounded like one of them was gargling. It was hard to keep from laughing because we knew in another minute Libby or Maryann would be sitting down on all that toothpaste.

   
But then we heard the toilet flush without a sound from either one.

  
 
"I don't get it," Mouse whispered.

   
"They probably didn't go yet," I whispered back. "Maybe they just flushed a tissue or something."

   
We waited some more and the toilet flushed again. But still no sound from either one of them.

   
"Maybe they go standing up," Mouse said.

   
"Why should they?" I asked. "Our toilets are clean."

   
"Maybe they used your mother's bathroom instead," Sondra said.

   
"No . . . Libby never uses my mother's bathroom."

   
"Well, I don't know," Mouse said, peeking out into the hall, "but they're on their way back to Libby's room."

   
"It doesn't make sense," I said.

   
"It doesn't make sense at all," Mouse, Sondra, and Jane agreed.

   
I got into bed and the others snuggled into their sleeping bags. "We'll get them tomorrow," I said. "They'll be sorry they told on us!"

   
We giggled for a long time before we fell asleep.

   
The next morning I got up early and looked down at my friends. They were sound asleep. I had to go to the bathroom so I got out of bed and tiptoed down the hall. I forgot about the toothpaste until I sat down on the toilet. It was still sticky. It got all over my backside. I couldn't even get it off with paper. And it itched too. So I decided to take a shower. But when I turned on the water it came out icy cold and I screamed so loud I woke everyone up.

   
Daddy and Mom, Libby and Maryann, Sondra, Jane, and Mouse all came running down the hall.

   
I covered myself up with a big towel and told them, "The water was very cold."

   
Mom said, "Sheila, why on earth were you going to take a shower this early in the morning?"

   
"To get the toothpaste off me," I told her.

   
As soon as I said that Libby and Maryann started laughing. I stuck my tongue out at them.