by Betsy Haynes
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.
CHAPTER 7
"Could we talk to you a minute, Mrs. Brenner?" Jana asked.
Jana had tried all weekend to keep Liz out of her mind. She had worked on homework, gone out to dinner with her mother and Pink, and talked on the phone with both Randy and Beth. But Liz was never far from her thoughts. As soon as her homework was done or she had put down the receiver, her mind was flooded again with images of Liz and her mother trying to get by without a home. But now the weekend was over, and she and Whitney stood in the counselor's office.
"Of course, girls," Mrs. Brenner said. "Have a seat."
There were two molded plastic chairs opposite Mrs. Brenner's desk, and the girls sat down in them.
"What can I do for you?" Mrs. Brenner asked pleasantly.
Jana and Whitney exchanged glances before Jana spoke. "We're having trouble with the girls we're paired with."
"What kind of trouble?" asked Mrs. Brenner.
"Liz seems so angry all the time," answered Jana. "She acts as if she doesn't want any friends. And she's mean."
Whitney spoke up. "So is Leslie. I mean, she doesn't even talk to me, and she couldn't care less about anything going on at school."
Mrs. Brenner listened and nodded while the girls talked. "This kind of behavior is to be expected."
"Really?" asked Jana. "Why?"
"Well, I'm sure it's important for both of you to feel that you fit in," said Mrs. Brenner. "Right?"
Jana thought about how much she counted on the rest of The Fabulous Five to give her support and make her feel secure. "Sure," she said.
"Right," Whitney admitted. "I had a hard time earlier in the year because I skipped a grade."
"Well, the same is true for the homeless kids," Mrs. Brenner said. "They're having a hard time fitting in."
"We know that," Jana insisted. "That's why we wanted to help them out in the first place."
"And they don't try to be friends with anybody," said Whitney. "They act as if they don't want friends."
"Oh, I assure you they do," Mrs. Brenner said. "But they look at you two girls—and all the other kids—who do have homes, and they feel ashamed about living in a shelter."
"I haven't even brought up the subject of living in a shelter," said Jana.
"But Liz knows you are aware that she lives in Phoenix House," Mrs. Brenner explained. "That's enough."
"So what can we do?" asked Whitney. "Just being nice doesn't seem to help."
"How would you feel about talking with the girls about their situations?"
"Nervous," admitted Whitney.
"Wouldn't that be prying?" asked Jana. "Especially if they're ashamed about living in the shelter."
Mrs. Brenner sighed. "Perhaps not, particularly if you understand the types of problems these kids have been facing. You see, most of them haven't been to school for a long time because their parents are afraid their children will be taken away from them."
"By whom?" asked Jana.
"The police, social workers, hospital personnel," Mrs. Brenner said. "Parents know they aren't providing adequately for their kids if the family is living in an abandoned house or in a car. And they know that welfare workers can take their children away and place them in foster homes. So many parents don't try to get their children into schools. They're afraid, and they want to keep the family together. Many times, their children are all they have."
Jana stared at the floor. "That's so sad."
"Yes, it is," said Mrs. Brenner. "And without an education, th
ese kids won't be any better off when they grow up. We're hoping that this program works so that other homeless parents will know that they can send their children to school without being afraid of losing them. In school, the kids not only get a good education, but they also get a hot lunch every day and breakfast, too, if they want it."
"Mrs. Brenner," said Jana, "I met Liz's mother that first day. What about her father?"
"She never knew her father," Mrs. Brenner said softly. "He left shortly after Liz was born. Mrs. Flagg and Liz lived in a trailer in another city for the past several years. Then Mrs. Flagg lost her job when there were cutbacks at the factory where she worked, and a week later, their trailer was destroyed by fire."
"Wow," whispered Jana. "I had no idea Liz had been through so much."
Mrs. Brenner turned to Whitney. "Leslie's mother lived with her two girls in a car for a month before she got help at Phoenix House. She's looking for another job now. The adults at Phoenix House have to be actively looking for work in order to stay there. So you see what an important job you girls are doing."
Jana nodded. She really did understand. And she wanted to do a good job. She just wished she could like Liz and that Liz would try harder to be liked.
"We must be careful not to judge other people," said Mrs. Brenner, as if she had read Jana's mind. "Most of us haven't had to deal with the problems these homeless people have faced."
"So you think we should talk to them about Phoenix House?" Jana asked.
"Well, I wouldn't go charging into your first period class and bombard them with questions about the shelter," Mrs. Brenner replied with a little smile. "But don't avoid the issue, either. For instance, Jana, if Liz has trouble with a particular homework assignment, you might ask her how she gets her studying done at the shelter. Then offer to help or have her over to your house to study. You might even offer to go with her to the library."
"That's a good idea," said Jana.
"I'm glad we talked to Mrs. Brenner," Whitney said as they walked out into the hall after the meeting. "I think maybe I understand just a little better."
"Me, too," Jana said.
Just then, a commotion at the end of the hall drew their attention.
"What's going on down there?" Jana asked, frowning.
Whitney gasped., "It's a fight!"
"Who's fighting?" asked Jana as they moved closer. She peered into the crowd that was gathering, hoping that it was no one she knew.
"I don't know," Whitney said. "Two guys."
The crowd of students surrounding the boys blocked their view. Everyone looked upset at what was going on.
"Oh, grow up, you guys!" somebody yelled.
"Come on, stop it!" someone else called out.
Just then, Mr. Bell and Mr. Dracovitch came running down the hall, and after a brief struggle with the boys, they managed to separate them.
Jana and Whitney stood on their toes, trying to see who had been fighting.
"Can you see?" Whitney asked Jana. "I still don't know who it is."
Before Jana could reply, the boy standing in front of Whitney turned around and sneered. "Who do you think? One of the guys from Phoenix House is picking on one of our guys. I just knew there'd be trouble if we let those kids come into our school!"
CHAPTER 8
Jana felt sick. All morning she heard kids talking about the fight between the boy from Phoenix House and an eighth-grader she didn't know. And most of the talk was that the kids from Phoenix House were nothing but trouble.
It wasn't fair, she thought. Just because a boy from the homeless shelter was involved in a fight, why did everyone lump all the homeless kids together as troublemakers?
Liz was back, but she avoided Jana before the morning bell and during first-period history. Just before class ended Mr. Naset announced that a test on the British colonists in America would be given on Wednesday. Jana decided to try to talk to Liz about the test.
She caught up with Liz at lunchtime just inside the cafeteria. Liz's hair hung in stringy clumps, as usual, and she wore her ratty-looking red down jacket. Jana tried her best to ignore Liz's appearance and concentrate on what she wanted to say.
"Mr. Naset's tests are usually pretty hard. Would you like to study together? I can give you some tips about the kind of questions he asks."
"No," Liz said, not even breaking her stride.
Jana took a deep breath and tried to fight down her rising frustration. She was determined to make this work.
Jana and her friends went through the lunch line with Liz in front of them and picked up their food. Liz walked to a table across the cafeteria from The Fabulous Five's table and sat down. Jana followed and sat down with her.
"The test will be on some of the stuff we covered before you came to Wakeman," Jana said. "Would you like to borrow my notes?"
Liz shook her head and then gazed into space over Jana's left shoulder.
Jana didn't know whether this was the right time to talk about the shelter, but she decided she sure couldn't lose anything. Liz was just as withdrawn and unfriendly as she had been on the first day.
"Is it hard to study at Phoenix House?" Jana asked.
Liz looked at her sharply and, at first, didn't say anything. Finally, she nodded slightly. "Yeah," she said softly. "The place is pretty crazy."
"Crazy, how?" Jana asked, encouraged.
Liz shrugged. "Babies crying, little kids running around, everybody's talking. It's not very quiet, that's all."
"Would you like to come over and study with me for the test? My mom and step-dad are always quiet when I need to study."
Liz gazed at Jana for a moment, but Jana could not read her expression.
"Well, maybe," she said slowly.
Jana couldn't believe what she had just heard, but she was careful not to let her excitement show. "Great. How about tomorrow night after supper?" She decided not to push it by asking Liz to eat over.
Liz shrugged. "Okay," she said without enthusiasm.
"How about seven o'clock?" Jana asked. "We could pick you up—"
"No," said Liz. "Where do you live?"
Jana gave Liz the address.
"I'll walk," Liz said.
"Well, okay," Jana said. "But you probably shouldn't walk back after we're finished. It'll be dark. Mom or Pink could drop you off."
Liz thought that over for a moment. "Okay," she said slowly, sounding almost pleased. "I guess that would be okay."
Jana handed Liz her notebook. "Go ahead and copy the stuff we covered before you came. Then tomorrow night we'll study all of the material."
To Jana's relief, Liz took the notebook. Maybe, just maybe, this was going to work.
Jana smiled. "Great. We'll make popcorn. It'll be fun."
Liz shrugged, and Jana saw that the wall surrounding Liz that had briefly been opened in one little spot now stood as high and strong as ever.
"Oh, no! Don't look now," said Melanie, wrinkling her nose and ducking her head. "Here comes Richie Corrierro. Beth, I said, DON'T LOOK!"
Jana, Melanie, and Beth stood in front of Jana's locker after school.
"Quick, open your locker, Jana!" Melanie whispered.
Jana spun her combination lock around several times and flung open the door. Melanie whipped out her brush and pretended to fix her hair while she looked in the mirror hanging on the inside of the door.
"Talk. Act natural. We're having a conversation," Melanie whispered. "I don't want Richie to stop here and ask me out!"
"So—" Beth said. "Uh, Jana, how is the project for homeless kids going?"
"Uh, uh, pretty well," Jana said. "In fact, Liz and I are studying together tomorrow night."
"That's nice," Melanie said in a loud voice as Richie walked nearer. "Don't you think that's nice, Beth?"
"Uh, sure, Mel," Beth said.
"Well, I've just been so ve-ry busy," Melanie said in an even louder voice. "I haven't had time for going out or anything fun! You see, my aunt is here from out of town—"
Beth looked at Jana and rolled her eyes.
"—and we've spent day and night showing her around. Oh, and then there's my homework—"
Beth tapped Melanie on the shoulder.
"—there's that history test coming up this week and my parents have really been cracking down on me to study—"
"Mel," Beth said.
"—and I have my chores at home to do—"
"Mel, he's gone," Beth said.
"—emptying the wastebaskets and taking out the garbage—"
"Mel," Beth insisted. "Richie walked right by you and didn't say a word. You can stop now."
"—and I always have to wash the dish—" She stopped. "He's gone?"
"Yeah," said Beth. "He walked right by."
"He may have walked by," Melanie said, "but I saw the look on his face when he was coming down the hall. He looked at me, and it's obvious."
"What's obvious?" asked Jana.
"He wants me! Couldn't you tell? He wants us to go out!" Melanie wailed. "That love test has ruined my life!"
"But, Melanie," Jana said gently, "I was watching Richie, and he didn't even look over here when he went by."
"That's because I was talking about how busy I was!" Melanie huffed. "He knew I'd turn him down and he didn't want to be humiliated, so he kept on walking!"
"Oh, brother," Beth muttered.
"What am I going to do?" asked Melanie. "I can't always pretend to be very, very busy, or the word will get out that I'm too busy to date. Then even if some guy was brave enough and willing to fight fate to ask me out, he wouldn't because he'd think I wouldn't be available anyway!"
"Did you get all that?" Beth asked Jana.
"I think so," said Jana, trying not to smile. "Look, Melanie, you trust me, don't you?"
"Well, sure, Jana," Melanie said. "You're one of my best friends."
"Well then, hear me out," Jana said. "I know you think the love test is doing all these things to you, making Richie love you and turning all other boys against you, but it doesn't make sense. Love doesn't work that way."
