Fabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine

by Betsy Haynes

  Shane nodded, and Melanie could see that he didn't want to leave any more than she wanted him to. "I'm sorry I made such a rotten impression on your grandmother," he said softly.

  "Me, too," she murmured, thinking that he didn't know the half of it.

  Even though Melanie's grandmother hadn't come out of the kitchen yet, by the time Shane was gone, Bumpers was back to normal. Kids were laughing and talking, and music was blaring from the old Wurlitzer jukebox.

  Keeping a nervous eye on the kitchen door, Melanie followed Christie and Beth to the booth where Jana and Katie were sitting.

  "I just don't understand Grandma Dee anymore. One minute she's totally cool, and the next minute she does something like this! I'm so embarrassed," Melanie confessed to her four best friends.

  Jana nodded, then patted Melanie on the arm. "She's still a neat grandma."

  "Right," said Katie, winking at the others. "She just has a thing about lizards in restaurants, that's all."

  Melanie knew her friends were trying to make her feel better, and a little smile crept across her face. "I know," she said. "It's just that I wanted her to like Shane." She went on to tell them about Scott's coming by her house while she and her mother were at the mall and how Grandma Dee not only thought Scott was her boyfriend but considered him absolutely perfect.

  "Ouch," said Christie. "That could get tricky."

  "Especially after she got so angry at Shane for having Igor in here," added Jana.

  "Exactly," said Melanie. "I just hope I can think of some way to change her impression of Shane."

  Just then the kitchen door swung open, and a red-faced Mr. Matson came out, followed by Melanie's grandmother. They both looked around, presumably for Shane and Igor. Then they exchanged words again, and Mr. Matson went back into the kitchen. Grandma Dee smiled triumphantly and headed for The Fabulous Five's booth.

  "Well," she said cheerfully, "I guess we got that little matter settled. There'll be no more iguanas in Bumpers. And I see that two more of your friends have joined us, Melanie. Would you care to introduce me?"

  Melanie made the introductions and then listened while Grandma Dee told another big story about scuba diving in the Gulf of Mexico and coming nose to nose with a dolphin. Her friends were hanging onto every word, and it was obvious that they were enjoying it. They had forgotten all about Shane and Igor. Well, I haven't, she thought angrily.

  Loud chatter brought her back to reality.

  "It's really nice to meet you, Mrs. Edwards." Dekeisha Adams was extending her hand to shake Grandma Dee's hand. The tall black girl was all smiles, and so was Alexis Duvall, who stood beside her.

  "Now, none of this Mrs. Edwards business," Grandma Dee said, shaking her head and laughing. "I want all of you to call me Dee."

  Here we go again, Melanie thought. Next she'll be running for homecoming queen. Still, Melanie was glad that the other kids seemed to like her grandmother, because it looked as if Grandma Dee was planning to become a part of the Wacko social scene—whether Melanie liked it or not. And now that Melanie was getting used to the idea, it was neat to have a grandmother who was so with it. If it weren't for her reaction to Shane, having Grandma Dee around would be just about perfect.

  "Hey, Mel," shouted Dekeisha. "You guys should have been here after the game last night."

  "Right," said Alexis. "Big news! Mr. Matson said he's going to have a Valentine party right here in Bumpers on the night of February fourteenth."

  "He said we could even decorate the place if we want to," Dekeisha added breathlessly.

  "All right!" cried Melanie. "I hope Shane . . ." She stopped herself, hoping her grandmother hadn't heard.

  She didn't need to worry. Grandma Dee looked enthralled at the idea of the Valentine party. "Goodness, that's only two weeks away," she said. "There's not much time for me to find a date."

  That put everyone, including Melanie, into laughing fits.

  "Does anyone know if Mr. Matson's married?" asked Christie. "If he were your date, you'd probably get free refreshments."

  "Maybe my mom would let you borrow Mr. Dracovitch for the evening, Dee," offered Katie.

  "Not Dracula for a Valentine party," Jana said, laughing. "He's strictly for Halloween."

  Melanie half-heard Jana explain to her grandmother about the science teacher Katie's mom was dating. The kids called him Dracula behind his back because he wore a shiny black toupee to school and sometimes acted weird to get kids interested in taking his classes. Melanie's own thoughts were on Shane and the Valentine party.

  I could hug Mr. Matson right now, she thought happily as she imagined being with Shane on the most romantic night of the year.

  Suddenly she sat up straight as if someone had poked her in the ribs. "That's why Scott came by my house today," she murmured to herself. "And why he said he'd call me later. Oh, my gosh. He wants to ask me to the Valentine party!"

  CHAPTER 6

  For the rest of the day Melanie held her breath every time the phone rang, but Scott didn't call. On Sunday she kept the phone tied up herself, calling each member of The Fabulous Five to talk about her predicament.

  "I just don't know what I'm going to do," she wailed, after she had explained to Katie about how she thought Scott was probably going to ask her to the Valentine party. "I really want to go with Shane, but I can't hurt Scott's feelings."

  Katie had listened patiently, but now she sighed and said, "Honestly, Melanie, you know it isn't fair to string Scott along if you really like Shane."

  "I know it isn't," said Melanie, "but Scott's been my boyfriend for a long time. I can't just tell him to get lost."

  Katie snorted. "You don't have to say it that way."

  "But how do I say it?" Melanie pleaded. "I rehearsed everything before I went to sleep last night, and nothing works. 'Scott, I really like you a lot, but I don't want to go out with you. Can't we just be friends?' YUCK! 'You have a terrific personality, Scott, but I'd rather go out with Shane.' No way! See, Katie? Any way I say it is going to hurt his feelings."

  "But you've got to say it, even if it does hurt his feelings," Katie insisted. "Otherwise, the mess you're in is just going to get bigger and bigger."

  "I know," Melanie mumbled. "But I can't do it yet. I have to think about it a little longer until I come up with the right thing to say."

  After they hung up, Melanie called Christie.

  "Maybe your grandmother can help," offered Christie. "I mean, she's really cool, and she's bound to have had experience with this kind of stuff."

  "Grandma Dee!" Melanie exploded, glad in the next instant that her grandmother wasn't nearby to hear her. "She's half the problem. She hates Shane and loves Scott. There's no way she's going to give me advice on breaking up with Scott."

  "Have you tried explaining the situation to her?" asked Christie.

  "That won't help," said Melanie. "You should have seen her face in Bumpers when she saw Igor sitting on Shane's lap eating a french fry. She'll never like Shane, no matter how much explaining I do. I'm just going to have to think of something else."

  "Gosh, Mel. I don't know what to say," Christie replied.

  No one answered the phone at Beth's house, which was really unusual, since there were five kids in the Barry family. Someone was almost always at home. Melanie sighed and dialed Jana's number. If Jana didn't have some good ideas, Melanie didn't know what she would do. She was running out of time. Scott could call the instant she put down the phone. Or he might be on his way over to her house at this very minute.

  "Come on, Jana. Be at home," she begged as the phone rang for the fourth time.

  "Hello."

  "Oh, thank goodness you're there, Jana," said Melanie. "I've got to talk to you. It's a matter of life and death."

  "Wow! What's the matter?"

  Melanie went through her story for the third time. "I'll just die if Shane doesn't ask me to the Valentine party, but if he does, what will I tell Scott? And what if Scott asks me first?" Melanie's eye
s popped open wide. "Oh, my gosh! I just thought of something!" she burst out before Jana could reply. "I didn't know about the Valentine party at Bumpers because Shane and I went straight home after the basketball game Friday night and didn't hear Mr. Matson announce it. I found out yesterday when The Fabulous Five were there together."

  "So?" asked Jana, puzzled.

  "Don't you see?" Melanie insisted, her voice rising to the panic level. "If I didn't know about it, neither did Shane. What if he isn't planning to ask me because he doesn't even know there's going to be a party?"

  "Gosh, I see what you mean," said Jana. "And Scott does know because he was there Friday night."

  "Oh, Jana, what am I going to do?" moaned Melanie.

  "Let me think," said Jana. "There has to be some way to work this out."

  She paused, and Melanie danced from one foot to the other.

  "You could call Shane and ask him to the party," suggested Jana. "Girls ask boys out all the time."

  "No, no," Melanie insisted. "It's too early. He just kissed me and told me he liked me Friday night. I can't make him think that I'm chasing him. Think of something else," she urged. "Please!"

  "I've got it!" shouted Jana. "I'll talk to Randy and have him make sure that Shane knows about the Valentine party."

  "Terrific!" Melanie said, almost collapsing with relief at Jana's idea to talk with Randy Kirwan, her boyfriend. "Call him as soon as we hang up. I could be running out of time."

  "Right," said Jana. "And I'll also hint around that it's important for Shane to ask you fast, before you-know-who does."

  "It's not just important," Melanie assured her. "It's critical."

  CHAPTER 7

  When Melanie wasn't worrying about getting a call from Scott, she was worrying that her grandmother would say something about the incident at Bumpers in front of her parents. They liked Shane, but they also knew that his parents were former hippies and that even Shane was a little more laid-back than most of the boys at Wacko. She couldn't be sure how they would feel about his bringing an iguana to Bumpers and feeding him french fries. Fortunately, Grandma Dee hadn't said a word to them about Shane or Igor—as far as she knew.

  On the other hand, Melanie thought with a frown, neither Scott nor Shane had called to ask her to the Valentine party. As she hurried to school and the spot by the fence where she always met the rest of The Fabulous Five, she was worrying more than ever about how she would handle her problem.

  "I talked to Randy last night, and he said he'd make sure Shane got the word about the party," Jana said.

  "Did you tell him it was an emergency?" asked Melanie.

  "Well, not exactly," said Jana. "But I think Randy got the message."

  "I hope so," moaned Melanie. Then she jumped up to attention. "Oh, my gosh! There's Scott, over by the bike rack. Quick, hide me!"

  She ducked behind Christie as her friends quickly formed a tight little knot in front of her.

  When Scott had turned his back to talk to some other boys, Katie shook her head. "Melanie, you're so paranoid about telling Scott you don't want to date him anymore and hurting his feelings, but how do you think he would feel if he saw what you just did?"

  "Well, I couldn't let him see me," Melanie protested. "I haven't figured out what to say to him yet."

  The bell rang a few minutes later, and Melanie hurried to her locker and then to homeroom, keeping her eyes down so that she wouldn't see Scott. At the same time, she shot glances around the halls out of the corners of her eyes in case Shane was somewhere near.

  After homeroom Melanie dashed to Family Living class.

  Scott and Shane were in the class so it would be hard to avoid both of them. She quickly slid into her seat and pretended to be looking for something in her book bag. As badly as she wanted Shane to ask her to the party, she didn't even want to talk to him in front of Scott. Not until she had figured out what to do.

  She managed to get out of Family Living class without having to talk to either of them, and for the rest of the morning, she could relax. Shane was in her biology class, but that was after lunch. And Scott was in her last-period English class, but he sat on the other side of the room, by the windows. She could come in at the last minute and leave quickly when the bell rang. That way she wouldn't have to talk to him.

  She was feeling a lot more relaxed when the lunch bell rang, and she almost skipped through the hall on her way to the cafeteria. She hardly ever talked to either of the boys during lunch period, because they spent the time with their own friends. But as she hurried past the windows looking into the school office, a blur of blondish-white hair caught her eye, and she stopped short, causing kids behind her to veer around to keep from plowing into her.

  "Grandma Dee!" she burst out, and then did a double take to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

  They weren't. It truly was her grandmother, dressed in jeans and a down jacket again, and with her sunglasses stuck in her hair. She was waving her hands and talking in a very animated fashion to Miss Simone, the office secretary, and to the principal, Mr. Bell, both of whom were smiling back at her.

  "Oh, no," Melanie groaned. "What's she doing here?"

  Melanie opened the office door and timidly stepped inside.

  As she entered, Mr. Bell looked in her direction and said, "Here's Melanie now. We've just been chatting with your grandmother. She's interested in looking over Wakeman and meeting your teachers."

  Melanie tried not to let the panic show in her face. Grandma Dee had come HERE to look over the school and meet her teachers? In front of her friends? What would the other kids think?

  Grandma Dee looked embarrassed for an instant. "Well, actually, dear, I stopped by to bring this to you." She held out a small notebook, which Melanie recognized at once as her assignment notebook.

  "I found it under the kitchen table and thought you might need it," she went on. "And I thought that since I was here anyway, it would be nice to see your school."

  "Uhm . . . well . . . thanks for bringing my notebook, Grandma, but it's lunchtime now," Melanie fumbled. "Maybe you'd better come back some other time, when I have a free period and can show you around and stuff. . . ." Her voice trailed off as Mr. Bell began shaking his head.

  "Why, Melanie. This is a perfect time for Mrs. Edwards to visit," he said firmly. "Why don't you take her to the cafeteria and let her see how we handle our lunch program. That will be a great chance for her to meet some of your friends, too."

  "And have lunch with the kids!" cried Grandma Dee before Melanie could object. "That's a wonderful idea. Besides, I'm starved."

  Mr. Bell was nodding now and smiling as if he knew he had just come up with the best idea in the world. "And after lunch you can let her sit in on your classes. It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Edwards," said Mr. Bell, turning to Melanie's grandmother again. "And welcome to Wakeman Junior High."

  Melanie sighed inwardly and opened the door for her grandmother, ushering her into the hall. "Are you sure you want to do this, Grandma Dee? I mean, the food in the cafeteria is really gross, and sometimes the kids have food fights. You could end up with spaghetti and meatballs in your hair."

  "Come now, Melanie," Mr. Bell called after her. "Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

  Melanie shrugged. "Well, a little bit, maybe."

  Grandma Dee stopped once to look at the bulletin board where club announcements and coming events were posted, and a second time at the drinking fountain. She got a drink and grinned impishly at Melanie as she put her thumb over the spray of water and squirted it across the hall.

  "Grandma Dee!" Melanie cried in astonishment. At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief that everyone had gone to the cafeteria by now and the hall was empty. Fortunately, no one had seen what her grandmother had just done except her.

  "I haven't done that in years!" said her grandmother, obviously satisfied with herself. "Come on. What else can we do?"

  "I think we'd better just go to the cafeteria," sai
d Melanie.

  "I know," said Grandma Dee. Then she cupped her hand over her mouth and pulled Melanie toward her, whispering conspiratorially, "Let's go into the girls' room and write 'Melanie plus Scott' on the walls."

  Melanie looked at her grandmother in horror.

  "Oh, sweetheart, can't you tell when I'm joking?" Grandma Dee asked with a laugh. She went bouncing on down the hall, and Melanie let out a big sigh and caught up with her, wondering what on earth her grandmother was going to do next.

  There were only four people left in the hot-lunch line by the time Melanie and her grandmother reached the cafeteria. Grandma Dee got a tray and slid it along in front of the steam tables.

  "Go for the sandwiches if you want to survive," Melanie warned when she saw her grandmother eyeing the meat loaf. "The tuna salad and the hamburgers are the best. And whatever you do, stay away from the mashed potatoes. They taste like library paste."

  "Sounds as if things haven't changed much from my day after all," Grandma Dee said with a wink.

  As soon as they had gotten their food, Melanie led the way to The Fabulous Five's table. She could hear a ripple of surprised reactions as the kids she passed looked up and saw her grandmother behind her, prancing along as if she were one of them. Melanie thought she would die of embarrassment.

  "Hi, Mrs. Ed . . . uhm, I mean Dee," said Beth, and the others joined the greeting.

  "Hi, girls. Mind if I join you?" asked Grandma Dee.

  "Of course not," said Jana. "We'd love to have you eat with us."

  "What are you doing at school?" asked Katie.

  Grandma Dee seemed delighted at the question. "Well," she said with a bright smile, "I dropped off something Melanie forgot when she left this morning. And I thought that since I'm going to be staying here for a while, I ought to see Melanie's school and get to know her teachers as long as I'm in the building. I want to be involved and help out in any way I can."

  "That's terrific," Christie said. "Not that many grandmothers are so concerned."