by Betsy Haynes
"Yes, and other illnesses," said Mrs. Brenner. "Remember, addiction is a disease and it takes a very strong, very determined person to stay off drugs or alcohol. When there are serious financial problems or other troubles, it's hard to feel strong and determined."
"Does anyone have a suggestion about how we can do a better job helping our students?" asked Mr. Bell.
No one spoke.
"I think," Jana said slowly, "we all feel as if we are doing the best job we can."
Mr. Bell smiled. "I think you are, too. And no one can ask you to do more than that." He looked around at the students sitting in front of him. "Any more comments? Questions?"
The students shook their heads.
"So, that's it? The meeting's over?" asked Tim, looking astonished.
"I'm afraid there are no easy answers," Mrs. Brenner said.
"If there were easy answers, we'd be the first to give them to you," Mr. Bell assured them.
Jana, Whitney, and the others stood up and began walking up the auditorium aisle. Whitney walked ahead of everyone in deep thought. Then she turned around and waited for Jana.
"I thought Mr. Bell and Mrs. Brenner were going to tell us how to handle these problems. At least give us some ideas."
"Me, too." Jana sighed. "I guess principals and guidance counselors shouldn't be expected to have magic answers to every problem."
Whitney shrugged. "I guess you're right. So . . . we struggle on, right?"
Jana smiled. "Right. But I don't know what more I can do for Liz."
"Me, either," Whitney said. "I guess Pam was right. We do what we can to help them. But then they have to make some effort, too."
Jana swallowed a lump in her throat. "You know, I'm beginning to dread seeing Liz because I know that no matter what I do, she'll make me as miserable as she is."
Whitney nodded.
"Well," Jana said, "I'm going to try to stop worrying. If Liz's nice, we'll be friends. If not, I'll leave her alone."
Whitney waved good-bye, and Jana turned and walked down the hall toward Mr. Naset's class.
Jana had meant it when she told Whitney that she wouldn't let Liz get to her any more. But as she got near her classroom, her stomach rolled over as she thought about sitting down next to Liz.
CHAPTER 11
The history test was in progress when Jana walked into the classroom. She gave her late pass to Mr. Naset, and he handed her a test.
"You have thirty minutes left," said the teacher in a low voice. "You should be able to finish before the end of the period."
Jana nodded and took the test to her seat in the back. Liz was sitting at the desk in front of her. She looked up and rolled her eyes as if to say that the test was hard.
Jana smiled and sat down, thinking that during a test, all the kids were in the same boat. It drew the students together. Even Liz.
Jana pulled a pen out of her schoolbag and scanned the paper in front of her. Sure enough, Mr. Naset had asked several questions about the lists he'd given in class notes. Jana was glad she had warned Liz about studying lists.
Jana answered the first ten questions without much difficulty. They were fill-in-the-blank statements that could be really hard if you hadn't studied, but she had.
She had just begun a set of multiple-choice questions when Liz shifted in the seat ahead of her. Liz stretched her arms out to the sides, then leaned back in her seat. She turned her face to the side and glanced back over her shoulder. Her eyes moved over Jana's test paper.
Jana frowned and shifted her paper down a little on her desk, resting her arm over it so that Liz couldn't see the questions she was answering. After all, she thought, I worked hard studying for this test. I offered to help Liz study and loaned her my notes. But I'm not going to let her copy my test!
Liz made a little noise of frustration and anger, and turned back to her own paper.
Jana answered the multiple-choice questions, then paused and turned her attention to Liz. Liz was not working on the test anymore. She had her head down on her folded arms.
Apparently, Liz had given up. Plain and simple. Jana sighed, glad that she hadn't let Liz cheat by copying her paper. Mrs. Brenner and Mr. Bell had been right at the meeting. She could only go so far to help Liz. The rest was up to her.
Just before the bell rang, Mr. Naset collected all the tests. As the kids headed for the door, Jana grabbed her book bag and hurried out, hoping to avoid Liz. How could Liz possibly expect her to cheat? It was the last straw.
"Jana?" Liz called out.
Jana kept walking.
"Hey, Morgan, I want to talk to you."
Liz's voice had a menacing sound, which made Jana angrier than ever. She whirled around, stopping so abruptly that Liz almost plowed into her.
"Liz, I've tried to help you all I could, but—"
"But you'll only do certain things," Liz said sarcastically.
Jana could feel the anger well up inside. Stay cool, she reminded herself. Don't let her get you mad.
"Look, Morgan, I've had it with your help," Liz said.
"What do you mean?" Jana demanded.
The two girls were stopped in the middle of the hall while the rush of students veered around them in their hurry to get to their next classes.
"What do you think I mean?" Liz challenged. "You keep wanting to be Little Miss Helpful, Little Miss Fix-It, right? Well, the one time I really need help getting through a ridiculously hard test, you decide you're too good to help me. 'Just let her drown,' you probably thought, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Jana demanded, hearing her own voice rising and knowing she was losing her cool, but not really caring. "I've offered you help since the day you arrived in this school! If I was Little Miss Fix-It, as you call me, I was only trying to help you get involved in things so you could enjoy yourself a little bit. I've introduced you to my friends, offered to help you get involved in school activities, given you my notes to study, invited you over to my house to help you get ready for this test—and what do I get in return? You're sarcastic and rude to my friends, mean to me, and then you want me to cheat for you! Well, I'll tell you something, Liz Flagg. I don't cheat for anybody, you get that? I wouldn't cheat for my very best friend in the whole world, and do you know why? Because I wouldn't be doing her any favors by letting her cheat, that's why. And I'll tell you something else, Liz. I don't like it when people use me! And expecting me to cheat for you is using me!"
"Using you!" Liz cried. "I've never used anybody in my Iife! You keep shoving yourself at me constantly, trying to help this poor, pathetic homeless girl! Well, you know what I think every time I see you coming down the hall? I think, Oh, great, here comes Miss Goody Two-Shoes Morgan, ready to push her stupid little nose into my life again. I wonder how she's going to solve my problems today? Gee, maybe going out for cheerleading will turn my life all around, and I'll live happily ever after! Rah, RAH, RAH!"
"I was hardly pushing my nose into your business!" Jana shouted back. "I haven't asked you any personal questions about your life!"
"You treat me like a charity case!" Liz yelled. "You and all the teachers—"
"A charity case!"
"Look," Liz said, her voice lower but seething with anger, "my mother and I may not have a home right now, but we're hard-working and smart, and we don't need your handouts, okay? I had plenty of friends in my old school before we had to move. I don't need you or anybody else to take me by the hand and do me the favor of being my friend!"
"I wasn't doing you a favor," Jana said angrily, realizing that the hallway was clear now, and she hadn't even heard the bell. Their teachers would want an explanation about their lateness, but this conversation was more important at the moment. At least Liz was talking about what she was angry about! "Okay, I did do you one favor—loaned you my notes. Which reminds me, why didn't you study them?"
Liz snorted. "You're obviously totally stupid about shelters."
"What do you mean?"
"You're used to a quiet a
partment where you have your own room and plenty of privacy," Liz said scornfully. "You couldn't hold up for one night at Phoenix House!"
"What makes you so sure?" asked Jana.
"Ha! I'd like to see you try!"
Jana looked Liz straight in the eye. "Okay, try me," she said, pushing her chin out.
"Yeah, right." Liz chuckled and started to move down the hall. "Tell me another funny story."
Jana grabbed her sleeve. "No, I mean it," she said stubbornly. "Let me come and spend one night there."
An expression of alarm passed over Liz's face, but she immediately put herself in control again.
"No way," Liz said. "You couldn't handle it."
"You know what I think?" Jana said. "I think you couldn't handle having me there!"
"Oh, give me a break!" Liz said, looking around as if she were searching for a way to escape.
"Then let me come," Jana insisted.
"You're crazy," Liz muttered.
"Okay! So I'm crazy!" Jana said. "Let me come—if you can take it."
"Okay!" Liz said between clenched teeth. "We'll just see how you do. Come at seven tonight. And bring that all-important homework with you!"
"Oh, Jana, wait up!" Melanie called out, running down the sidewalk after school. "I've got to talk to you!"
"What's up, Mel?" Jana asked, turning to greet her friend.
"I saw Richie in the hall today at school!" Melanie said. "I've managed to avoid him most of the week, but he loomed up out of nowhere this afternoon while I was on my way to math class."
"Yeah? What happened?" Jana asked.
Melanie looked worried. "Well, he asked me whether I was going to Bumpers today after school!"
"Are you?"
Melanie's eyes got big. "Are you kidding! I wouldn't go near that place if Richie Corrierro's going to be there! I know he's hoping I'll be there so he can ask me out."
"Now, Melanie," Jana said patiently, "maybe he was just making conversation."
Melanie shook her head seriously. "Not with that expression on his face."
"What expression?" Jana asked.
"Oh, you know what I mean," Melanie said, leaning close to Jana and speaking confidentially. "He looks straight into my eyes and just hangs there looking like a lovesick cocker spaniel. You know the look. It's really pathetic. Especially on Richie Corrierro."
Jana chuckled. "I can't believe Richie could have an expression like that. He has the permanent look of someone who's about to play a practical joke. And he usually is about to play a joke on someone."
"Well, today he looked lovestruck," Melanie insisted. "On Shane or Garrett, that expression would have been wonderful, but on Richie, it looked awful. I thought I was going to throw up, right there in the middle of the hall."
"So what did you tell him?" Jana asked.
"I told him I had too much homework. Can you believe that? Me, not going to Bumpers because I have to study?"
"Well, come on then," Jana said. "We'll walk together."
"But you don't get it!" Melanie said, taking a step backward.
"What do you mean?" asked Jana.
"What if this happens every day?" Melanie wailed. "What if he asks me every day if I'm going to Bumpers, and every day I don't go just so I won't have to see him?"
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Jana asked.
"Of course I would. Don't you get it? I don't want to go out with him!" Melanie whined. "But then I'll miss seeing all my friends at Bumpers."
"You don't have to go out with him," Jana insisted. "If he asks you out, just tell him you're busy. If it happens a couple of times, he'll get the message."
"Jana, you still don't get it, do you? Even if I turn Richie down, no one, especially Shane, will ask me out. That stupid love test will see to that. My cousin proved it. She said the name of the guy she liked, and they've been going steady ever since."
"Look," said Jana. "How can I convince you that the love test is nothing but a hoax? What would have to happen to prove to you the test has no power?"
Melanie thought a moment. "If Shane asked me out, or Garrett, or somebody else really cute, I guess I'd be convinced."
"Terrific," said Jana. "Just plan to be at Bumpers tomorrow after school, okay? Maybe your luck will change."
Melanie looked wary for an instant. "Only if The Fabulous Five all sit together so that you guys can protect me from Richie."
Jana grinned. "Isn't that what friends are for?"
CHAPTER 12
Jana's mother dropped Jana off in front of Phoenix House a little after seven that evening. A frown crossed her mother's face as she looked at the old building that had once been a residence.
"I hope things go okay for you," her mother said, sounding worried. "And have a good night, honey."
"I will," Jana assured her even though her stomach was feeling nervous.
Mrs. Morgan waved as she pulled away from the curb, leaving Jana standing on the sidewalk.
Jana knew her mother wasn't too happy about her daughter's staying overnight in a shelter for the homeless. At first her mother had said, "You're doing what?"
"I'm going to stay at Phoenix House with Liz," Jana repeated.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea," her mother had said. "What about your homework? How will you get your studying done?" It sounded as if she were searching for reasons why Jana shouldn't go.
"The same way Liz does hers," answered Jana. She hoped her mother wouldn't ask how that was.
"What kind of sleeping arrangements do they have there? Will you have any privacy?" her mother had asked.
"Mom," Jana had responded, "the whole reason I'm going to stay overnight with Liz is to see how she has to live. She says I have no idea what it's like to live in a shelter, and she's right. I think this will be good for me. You know . . . a learning experience."
A smile had crept across Jana's mother's face. "It seems as if I've heard that argument before. I've used it on you a few times, haven't I?"
Jana had giggled. "Yes, you have. It's a pretty good one too, isn't it?"
Her mother had shaken her head. "Okay. But let me talk to whoever is in charge over there first. Then we'll make a decision."
Mrs. Pinkerton had called the supervisor of Phoenix House, whose name turned out to be Nathan, asking him every conceivable question. When she hung up she had a satisfied look on her face.
Jana walked slowly up the sidewalk leading to the front steps of the gray two-story building. Across the front of the house was a big screened-in porch. The building was old but the wood siding looked as if it had been recently painted. All in all, Phoenix House looked better than the neighboring houses, some of which were pretty run-down and had overgrown yards.
Jana walked up the front steps and hesitated at the screened door. Should she knock, or go on in and knock at the inner door? She decided that no one would hear if she knocked where she was, so she opened the door and went in.
Standing next to the heavy glass paned door that led into the house, Jana could hear voices. Curtains kept her from seeing inside. She felt suddenly shy. Phoenix House was really home for the people who lived there. Would they think of her as an intruder? Would they resent her being there? Suddenly she felt like turning around and leaving. Maybe there was a phone booth at the corner, and she could call her mother to come and get her.
No. If she did that, she wouldn't be able to face Liz in the morning. She could just see the look on Liz's face if Jana didn't show up after the big argument they had had.
Jana resolutely pushed the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. She heard the sound of running and the door was jerked open by a little boy who looked about six years old.
"Hi," Jana said. "Is Liz Flagg here?"
"Yeah," the boy said. He obviously had a bad cold. His nose was running and he was sniffling. Jana was tempted to get a tissue out of her purse and wipe the mess on his face for him, but she didn't.
The boy just stood staring at her.
"D
o you think I could come in?" Jana asked.
"Guess so," the boy said, stepping back.
"Josh!" came a voice from inside the house. "You remember the rules."
A pleasant-looking man with blue eyes and brown hair that was thin on the top but grew down over his ears appeared at the door.
"Josh, you know no one answers the door but me," said the man firmly.
"Hi," the man said to Jana. "I keep telling Josh about the answering-the-door rule, but he never seems to remember." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Nathan, the director of Phoenix House. Can I help you?"
"Hello. I'm Jana Morgan," she said.
"Oh, yes. Your mother called. You're Liz's friend. Come on in."
Jana followed him into the big entry way. Directly in front of her was a wide staircase that went upstairs. To one side of it was a hallway leading back into the house, and there were doors both to the left and right that led into other rooms.
"I'm really sorry," said Nathan. "I checked after I talked to your mother, and Liz and her family aren't here at the moment. I believe they went to the church down the block for supper. We provide breakfast every day and lunch on weekends, but the residents have to get their own suppers. Most of them go to the church. You can wait for Liz in the TV room, if you'd like. It's down the hallway on the right."
Jana thanked him and found the TV room. Inside, two women sat together on a worn couch and stared at the television while Josh, and two other children who looked like preschoolers, played noisily on the floor at their feet. Everyone looked up when Jana walked in.
"Hi," Jana said shyly.
"Hi," the women responded, and immediately went back to watching TV.
The show was a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show, and, not knowing what else to do, Jana took a seat in an oversized chair with springs that had seen much better days.
On the screen, deputy Barney was confronting bank robbers and trembling all over with excitement as he searched frantically for the one bullet the sheriff had given him so he could load his gun. Jana giggled as he looked in one pocket after the other for the bullet, but the faces of the women on the couch never changed. No laughs . . . not even a smile. They just stared at the set, their eyes blank.
