by Betsy Haynes
"But Mom, Dad," she said in her most controlled voice. "If I have to save half of what I earn, I'll only be able to buy half the number of sodas, I probably won't be able to afford a new pair of earrings, and there's no way I'll be able to go to a movie, no matter how super it is . . . or how educational," she added, hoping to tip the scale.
"Well," said Mr. Barry, and Beth saw a twinkle in his eye as he looked at her mother, "I think that if we require you to save half of what you earn, it's appropriate that we increase your allowance a bit."
Beth brightened. "Really?" she said. She wondered how much "a bit" was, but she knew this was definitely not the time to ask!
"Really," her dad answered. Then he pointed at her. "But we expect you to watch your money and your spending more carefully from now on."
"I will," Beth said sincerely. "I don't ever want to get into this mess again!" She shivered.
"Good," said her mother.
Beth sighed with relief. Her talk with her parents hadn't been fun, but it could have been worse. Much worse. After all, she wasn't grounded until she was twenty-one or anything.
But it was going to take a very long time—months!—to pay off her parents, and during that time, she wouldn't be able to order snacks at Bumpers or go shopping with her friends at the mall, or go to the movies, or—oh, it seemed too awful to think about.
Beth put her face in her hands, and her mother stroked her hair. "You're going to have a tough couple of months, honey," her mother said. Beth looked up at her and smiled a little. "But you'll live."
Beth groaned and put her face back down into her hands.
Maybe, she thought. Just maybe.
CHAPTER 12
Paul finished his part of the ecology segment and smiled into the camera. "And now Beth Barry will share an idea with you for making something out of practically nothing. I think you're going to like this!"
Jon shifted the camera to Beth. She looked into the lens and smiled.
"I have something exciting to show you this morning," she said. "It's distinctive and attractive, and it makes a definite fashion statement. I call it Junque Jewelry. Jon, can we get a close-up of this?"
Beth saw Jon tilt the camera down to focus on the jewelry items with the little sign she'd made saying JUNQUE JEWELRY behind them.
She was proud of how her creations looked. She had spent the rest of the week working on them, and now her jewelry was displayed on top of a board she had covered with blue velvet. The jewelry shone and glistened under the bright TV lights.
Beth centered the board in front of her and pointed to each item. "This pair of earrings was made from fishing line, paint, and colorful buttons." She slid her hand along the display. "This pair was made of thin wire and a couple of bus tokens. I used old luggage keys to make the next pair."
Then she pointed to the other side of the blue velvet tray, where some of her more unusual creations were. "To make this necklace, I tied a lot of knots and loops in a long piece of fishing line and then sprayed it with gold paint," she continued. "For the matching earrings, I used shorter line and fewer tangles."
Out of the corner of her eye Beth could see admiring glances from Funny and Shawnie. They seemed to really like her jewelry.
Beth pointed to the last item on the tray. "I made this necklace by cutting out the individual circles from a plastic six-pack holder and painting each circle a different color. Then I strung them together. You can use the individual circles from the six-pack holder for earrings, too."
Beth looked up into the camera. "The best thing about Junque Jewelry is that it's unique and you can make it from whatever you find around the house. All it takes is a little imagination!" She looked to her left. "Shawnie?"
Jon shifted the video camera back to Shawnie, who was dressed in a stunning ice-blue suit. A large ribbon of the same shade of blue held back her hair. With a tiny stab of jealousy, Beth thought about the gorgeous blue blazer she'd returned to Tanninger's. It was true that she'd like to be wearing the blazer, but she really didn't need it. Actually, her old blue dress and the new scarf from Whitley's looked great together.
Shawnie continued the program by reporting the lunch menus for next week. Beth noticed that she wrinkled her nose ever so slightly when she mentioned the goulash. Beth almost laughed out loud. Everybody hated the school's goulash!
After the taping was finished, everyone agreed that the show was even better than it had been the week before.
"Beth," Funny said, "I think your Junque Jewelry was the hit of the show."
"I agree," said Mr. Levine. "Viewers should be very interested in that segment. Good work."
"Thanks," replied Beth. She thought it had gone well and was pleased that the others agreed.
As the members of the Media Club began packing up their belongings and taking down the lights, Shawnie approached Beth and guided her out into the hall.
"Sorry about this, Beth," she said. "But my parents reminded me this morning that I have to collect that thirty percent from you today."
Beth nodded. She unzipped her book bag and pulled out a check. "Here it is," she said, "minus the price of the blue blazer, which I took back and had credited to your account." She handed the check to Shawnie.
Shawnie glanced down at the check. "It's from your parents," she murmured. "You really told them? I didn't think you'd actually do it."
"Yup," Beth replied. "I finally told them what was going on. They wanted to pay your parents back right away, and so I'll pay them back."
"Wow. Were they furious?" Shawnie asked.
Beth shrugged. "They weren't thrilled, but in the end they were pretty nice about it."
"How long will it take you to pay them back?" asked Shawnie.
Beth sighed. "I don't know. But it will probably be a while before I make any trips to the mall."
Shawnie nodded and was silent for a minute. Then she said, "We really knocked 'em dead again today. And you know what?"
"What?" asked Beth.
"Your blue dress looks even better with just the scarf than it would have if you'd been wearing that blazer," Shawnie said. "But that's not all. You've got poise and imagination." She paused a moment. "That's even more important than looking stupendous."
"Thanks, Shawnie." Beth grinned. "It was an expensive lesson, but I guess I just learned that."
CHAPTER 13
"This pair with the buttons is for you." Beth handed the earrings to Jana.
"Oh, Beth," Jana exclaimed. "I love them."
"And these with the bus tokens are for you, Christie," Beth said.
Christie laughed. "They're great! What a conversation piece."
It was Saturday morning, and the girls were lounging on Beth's front porch, waiting to watch The Wakeman Bulletin Board.
"The earrings with the multicolored paper clips are yours, Katie," Beth said.
"When I'm not wearing them, I can clip together my notes for Teen Court," Katie joked. "Thanks."
"And these little key earrings go to Melanie." Beth grinned. "I'll bet you can guess the significance of these."
"The key to my heart!" Melanie said. "Thanks."
"But there are two of them," Jana pointed out.
"Of course," Beth insisted. "Have you ever known Melanie to stick to only one boy at a time?"
Melanie giggled. "Maybe you should add a couple more keys—just in case."
"How about a whole key ring on each ear?" Katie joked.
Laughter filled the porch.
"Thanks, Beth," Jana said. "These earrings are so great. I just love them."
The others chimed in their thanks again, too.
"You're welcome," Beth replied as she sat back in the porch swing, tucking one leg up underneath her.
"So you can't go to Bumpers until you pay off the loan from your parents?" Jana asked.
"Well, I can go," said Beth. "But I won't have any money to buy anything. I'll just watch you guys eat."
"It probably won't be so bad," remarked Jana.<
br />
Beth sighed. "Yeah, I know. It'll just be hard to get used to it. No movies, no shopping, no treats, no—anything!"
Melanie shrugged. "You still have us."
Beth smiled. "You're right about that, Mel. I still have you guys!"
The front door opened, and a little face peered out.
"Bethy," Alicia said, "Mommy says it's almost time for your show to be on."
"Okay. Thanks," Beth said.
The girls trooped inside and plopped down on the floor in front of the TV. The rest of the Barry family was there.
"Yeah, well, let's see if you can top last week's show," challenged Todd.
"Of course I can!" Beth said, accepting his challenge. "We're even better this week."
"I'll be the judge of that," Todd muttered, turning to face the television.
Beth stuck her tongue out at Todd's back, and the rest of The Fabulous Five laughed.
Just then the sign for The Wakeman Bulletin Board appeared on the screen, and Beth scooted forward and turned up the volume.
"Shh," she said. "Here it is."
For the next few minutes everyone in the room quietly watched the cable show. When Beth's Junque Jewelry segment came on, the girls sat forward.
"Hey, there are my earrings!" Jana exclaimed, watching Beth's hand on the screen point to the pair with the buttons.
"And mine!" said Christie, eyeing the pair with the bus tokens.
"And there are the keys to my heart!" Melanie cried, clapping her hands.
"The keys to your heart?" Todd said. He and Brian looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
When the camera went back to Shawnie, Beth turned to Katie. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't get yours made until last night."
"No problem," Katie answered, waving her hand.
As Beth watched the show, she felt as proud this week as she had the week before. The show really was good, and her Junque Jewelry looked fabulous on TV! It was definitely a super addition to the ecology portion of the show.
She also couldn't help thinking that she looked just fine in her old blue dress. It was great to wear new, expensive clothes, of course, but what really made the show special was the professionalism of the whole team. The information presented was interesting, the camera work was smooth, and the whole production was organized and well rehearsed. Why hadn't she seen how much that mattered before she'd spent all that money to look good? Why hadn't she realized that it wasn't her wardrobe that would make her become another Joan Lunden or Connie Chung someday?
When the show ended, Katie turned to Todd. "Okay. You have to agree that Beth's Junque Jewelry was the hit of the show, and this show was better than the first one."
Brittany socked Todd in the arm. "Admit it, Todd. It was better."
"It was terrific," said Brian. "Even with you in it, Beth."
"Especially with Bethy in it!" Alicia cried.
"You tell 'em, Alicia." Mrs. Barry laughed.
Beth turned to Todd. "Better than last week, right?"
Todd tried not to smile. "Yeah. I guess so."
Beth and the rest of The Fabulous Five cheered. When the phone started ringing, Brittany dashed toward it. "It's probably for me," she called out.
But she was back a moment later. "Hey, Beth, it's for you." She sounded disappointed.
Beth hurried to the phone. "Hello?"
"Beth?" the voice said. "This is Whitney Larkin."
"Oh, hi, Whitney!" Beth said. "How are you?"
"Fine. I just saw your Junque Jewelry on TV, and I love it," said Whitney. "Do you think you could make a pair of earrings for me? I mean, I'd pay you to make them."
"Really?" Beth could hardly believe her ears. "Well, sure, I'd be glad to. I'll let you know the price after I decide what to use to make them."
"Terrific!" Whitney replied. "Thanks, Beth. I can't wait to see them."
"Guess what!" Beth cried excitedly as she ran back to the living room. The rest of her family had scattered to various parts of the house, so The Fabulous Five were alone. "Whitney Larkin just called and asked me to make her a pair of earrings. And she's going to pay me!"
"You've been commissioned," Christie said.
"What?" Beth asked.
"Great artists are commissioned to do work for people," Christie explained. "And now you're being commissioned to make Junque Jewelry."
Katie let out a low whistle. "That's fantastic."
The telephone rang again, and in a moment Mrs. Barry called out, "Beth! It's for you!"
Beth ran to the phone.
"Beth? You don't know me, but I'm a ninth-grader at Wakeman. My name is Jennifer Perkins, and I just saw you on TV and wondered if you'd consider selling some of your earrings."
"Oh!" Beth said, startled. Another commission! "Sure. I'd be glad to sell you some."
"Great," said Jennifer. "Could you bring some to school so I can choose?"
"You bet," Beth said. Her head was spinning. She was actually going to earn money selling her earrings! Breathlessly, she told her friends the news. She was going to sell earrings to someone she didn't even know.
"It's incredible!" Beth added. "I can't believe these people want to buy Junque Jewelry."
"Why not?" asked Katie. "They know a good thing when they see it. Besides, it's a bargain."
"I think it's great," said Jana. "You'll be able to pay back your parents even faster."
"You're right," Beth said. "Talk about miracles."
The telephone rang again, and this time it was Kaci Davis, who wanted a gold necklace and earrings made out of tangled fishing line.
"Beth, we'll see you later," Jana said. "We don't want to get in the way of a budding career."
"Just think," Christie commented. "Wakeman's own entrepreneur!"
By lunchtime Beth had taken orders for over ten pairs of earrings and several necklaces. Deciding she'd better get started on the work, she hurried down to the basement. She met her mother coming up the stairs carrying a laundry basket piled high with clothes fresh from the dryer.
"You'll never guess what, Mom! All those phone calls? They were from people who saw the show and wanted to order Junque Jewelry from me!"
Her mother's mouth fell open. "Wonderful!"
"I'm going to be able to pay you back in a much shorter time than I had thought," Beth said, beaming.
Her mother laughed. "Well, Junque Jewelry to the rescue!"
"You said it," Beth said.
Mrs. Barry started up the stairs.
"Mom?" Beth called, just as her mother reached the top.
Mrs. Barry turned. "Hmmmm?"
"Thanks," said Beth.
"For what?"
Beth smiled sheepishly. "For bailing me out with my debts. I didn't say thank you before because I was too caught up in how miserable I was going to be."
Mrs. Barry smiled warmly at her daughter. "You're welcome, honey."
Just then the phone rang.
"Don't you think you'd better get it?" her mother asked, grinning. "It's probably for you."
"Right!" shouted Beth. She maneuvered past her mother on the stairs and hurried on up to answer the phone, calling over her shoulder, "Make way for Beth Barry, ENTREPRENEUR!"
Mr. Levine lifted his paper cup filled with root beer. "Congratulations, folks, on our first month of productions. I think our first four shows were excellent, and you all deserve this little celebration."
The students in the Media Club cheered. They had met at Pizza Perfect after the final shoot of the month. Friends were welcome, so Beth had invited The Fabulous Five to join the group.
"I can't believe a whole month has gone by!" said Beth. "It went so fast!"
Shawnie nodded. "It seems as if we shot the first show just last week."
"But on Monday," Mr. Levine went on, "it will be time to get to work again on our next month of The Wakeman Bulletin Board. All of you will have the opportunity to see Funny and Shane on TV—"
"I'm going to be a star," Shane said with just a t
race of a smile.
"I can't wait," Melanie whispered to Beth.
Beth squeezed Melanie's arm affectionately.
"And," Mr. Levine continued, "I think they will do a super job. Beth will be directing, Tim will operate the camera, Jon will have the ecology segment, and Paul and Shawnie will be reporters."
"Sounds like another great lineup," Jana said to Beth.
Mr. Levine heard her remark. "I agree," he said, and looked around the room. "On that note, I'd like to adjourn. It's been a great first month, gang. Let's keep it up!"
The whole group burst into applause. Then the sounds of chairs scraping the floor and talk and laughter filled the small room while the kids got up to go home.
Beth, Jana, Christie, Katie, and Melanie strolled out of Pizza Perfect's front door together and into the evening air. The sun was sitting on the horizon like a huge yellow balloon.
Beth sighed. "That was quite a month. Fun, exciting, terrifying, and educational!"
Jana laughed. "Well, it had a happy ending. That's what counts."
"I guess you're right," said Beth.
"We're so proud of you, Beth," Christie said.
Beth turned to Christie. "Thanks," she replied, her cheeks tinting pink with pleasure.
"That's right," added Katie. "You were polished, and poised, and a real pro."
Beth stopped walking and looked around at her friends. "Thanks, guys," she said. ''But I'm the proud one. You're always there for me. Whether it's to support me when I perform, or to lend me money, or to just be there when I need a friend. I'm so proud to be one of The Fabulous Five!"
The girls grinned back at her. Then they locked arms and headed toward home.
CHAPTER 14
Katie Shannon ran a brush through her red hair and glanced at her watch.
"Eeek," she said half aloud. "I didn't realize that it was so late. Tony should have been here already."
She raced down the stairs and grabbed a jacket from the hall closet.
"How do I look?" Katie asked her mother who was watching her from the kitchen.
