by Betsy Haynes
"Hi, Shane," she said, barely above a whisper.
When he didn't answer, she gulped hard and tried to think of something to say.
Slowly he pushed away from the locker and approached her. "The rumors are true, aren't they?"
Melanie smiled limply. "That super kisser stuff?"
Shane nodded. "I heard about what happened after the concert. Wow, Mel. At first I didn't believe it, but now—" He glanced toward the locker covered with paper lips.
"It didn't mean anything. Honest! It was just the music and the excitement and . . ." Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the words to explain. "See, The New Generation jumped into the audience the way they always do and kissed lots of girls." She took a quick breath and hurried on. "Then, after the concert, The Dreadful Alternatives started imitating them and singing 'Super Kisser.' They sounded so good, I almost believed they were The New Generation. Then they ran into the audience, and everybody knew they were going to kiss girls, too. I guess I got a little carried away, because I just . . . I just . . ."
Shane's expression hadn't changed. He was still looking at her as if it were all too much to believe. Shaking his head, he walked slowly away.
Melanie watched him go. She wanted to call him back and explain some more. But what else could she say? It hadn't meant anything. It was all meant just in fun. What was the matter with everybody? Why was everyone making such a big deal over nothing?
She whirled around and yanked every single pair of lips off her locker door, wadded them into a tight little ball, and then pitched them into the corner of her locker as hard as she could.
When Melanie was in the hall changing classes between first and second periods, she heard a high-pitched, squeaky voice behind her call out, "Hi, super kisser!"
But when she looked around, no one in the crowd of mostly eighth-graders was looking at her. In fact, it was obvious that some of them were making a big effort not to look at her and to keep their faces straight.
It's someone's idea of a joke, she reminded herself. She lifted her chin a little higher and hurried on.
A moment later she heard soft humming. It was not one voice, but several, and they were humming "Super Kisser." This time she didn't look around. What good would it do?
Then, in the cafeteria at noon, she and Beth stepped up to the hot-lunch line and instantly heard loud smooching noises coming from farther up the line.
"Ignore it," whispered Beth. "They're just trying to get under your skin."
Melanie sighed. "Well, they're succeeding," she mumbled. She spotted Tony Sanchez and Bill Soliday several people ahead of her and Beth.
"Those jerks," Melanie said half aloud. "Well, I'll show them." She waited until she caught Bill's eye. "Hi, Bill! Hi, Tony!" she called out, and blew a kiss at each of them.
"What did you do that for!" hissed Beth as hoots of laughter went up from the two boys. "Aren't you in enough trouble without making things worse? Even I wouldn't do anything that crazy!"
"I'm not just going to stand still while everybody makes fun of me," huffed Melanie. "I've got to fight back."
"Melanie!" Beth whispered sharply. "Don't do that! Don't you want this whole thing to blow over?"
Melanie didn't answer. Of course she wanted it to blow over. But she also was tired of being misunderstood. She just wanted everyone to see how ridiculous the whole thing was.
"I agree with Beth," said Jana a few minutes later, after the two of them had joined her at The Fabulous Five's regular table and filled her in on the smooching episode in the hot-lunch line and the lips all over her locker. "You should keep a low profile for a while."
"Right," added Beth. "It's the only way the whole thing will ever die down."
Melanie knew her friends were right. It had been dumb to blow kisses at Tony and Bill, she thought. Especially since Shane will definitely hear about it. Why don't I use my brain before I go into action? That seems to be my problem a lot lately.
"Where's Katie?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.
"I saw her in the hall talking to Shawnie Pendergast," said Jana.
"Eeek!" said Melanie. "I hope they aren't talking about me."
"I don't know what they're talking about," Jana replied. "But Katie looked pretty angry."
"Has Shane heard about what happened yet?" asked Beth.
Melanie nodded dejectedly. "He sure has. And to make matters worse, he was in the hall by my locker when those stupid boys taped the paper lips all over it."
"Is he mad?" asked Jana.
"He's furious," Melanie replied. "He said that at first he couldn't believe I'd actually kiss all those boys, but then he saw the kisses on my locker and heard everybody singing 'Super Kisser'."
"Gosh, Mel, doesn't he know it was all meant in fun?" asked Jana.
Melanie shook her head. "I guess that's not how he sees it. But that's okay," she added bravely. "All I have to do is convince him and everybody else that it didn't mean anything. That shouldn't be hard to do."
Jana and Beth didn't respond. Melanie knew that they didn't believe that line any more than she did.
When Katie came bustling up to the table a few minutes later, her face was pink and her eyes were blazing. She slammed her hot-lunch tray down on the table and sat down. Then she pointed her fork at Melanie and said in her sternest voice, "If Shawnie Pendergast ever says another word to you about what happened after the concert, I want to know about it—immediately!"
Melanie could feel her skin crawl. What had Katie done?
"I just had a talk with her," Katie went on, "and I told her to watch it."
Melanie gulped. Why was Katie so angry? she wondered. After all, Katie was always calling Melanie boy crazy and telling her to stop flirting. Melanie wanted to ask her more about her conversation with Shawnie, but the angry look on Katie's face convinced her to keep quiet. Melanie just hoped that Katie's interference wouldn't make her problems with Kimm and Shawnie worse.
Melanie's first class after lunch was biology, and Shane was in her class. She walked as slowly as she could toward the classroom, trying to plan what she would say if she got the chance to talk to him, but her mind was blank. She had already explained to him that she had just gotten carried away with the music. And the excitement. And that her kisses hadn't meant anything. What else could she possibly say?
Shane was already in his seat when she got to the biology room, and he didn't look up when she came in.
What's he going to do now, give me the silent treatment? she wondered sadly.
Mr. Dracovitch spent the period talking about insects' antennae. If Melanie hadn't had other things on her mind, it would have been a fun class, since Mr. Dracovitch hopped around at the front of the room imitating an insect and holding a pair of drinking straws to his head like antennae. Sometimes he wiggled them in the air. Sometimes he moved them in circles as if he were homing in on something. The class laughed repeatedly at his antics.
But Melanie's attention kept drifting to Shane, who sat watching the teacher, acting interested in the lesson. He was definitely ignoring her.
When the bell rang ending the class, Melanie took her time putting her books away. Her seat was near the door, and Shane would have to pass her desk on his way out. Maybe she'd have one more chance to talk to him.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stand up and glance in her direction. He stood there for a moment as if he were thinking the situation over. Then he made his way across the rows toward her.
Melanie's heart beat in triple time. Here he comes, she thought. She stared at her notebook and held her breath. But then, without even another look in her direction, Shane brushed past her desk and headed out the door.
Her chin began to quiver. Oh, no! she cried silently. He doesn't want to talk to me. Dejected, she gathered her books. She was so miserable that she almost didn't notice the tightly folded square of paper lying on the corner of the desk. It was obviously a note.
Had Shane dropped it? she wonde
red hopefully. Was he saying he was sorry that he had believed awful things about her? Or maybe he was asking her to meet him somewhere private so they could talk?
Her fingers shook as she picked up the note and unfolded it. "Oh, it's from Igor," she whispered. "That must mean good news." She remembered all the funny notes that she and Igor had exchanged in the past. But as she silently read the note her face fell.
Dear Melanie,
Shane asked me to write you this note. He wants me to tell you that he doesn't want to go out with you anymore. He says he doesn't like thinking about you kissing all those other boys.
Igor
Melanie read the note over and over again, staring at it in disbelief. This can't be true, she thought. But deep down she knew it was. Shane was breaking up with her.
CHAPTER 5
Melanie sat on her bed and stared out the window, holding the note from Igor in her hand. She looked at it for the hundredth time and sighed. She had stopped crying after about the fiftieth reading. Now she felt numb. She didn't even need to look at the note anymore. The words were stamped onto her memory along with every fold and every small crinkle in the paper.
She flopped back onto her pillow. "Oh, Shane," she whispered, staring at the ceiling. "It's bad enough that you wanted to break up with me. But couldn't you have told me to my face?"
There was a tap on her bedroom door. Melanie sat up abruptly. "Come in."
Mrs. Edwards poked her head in the door. "Hi, honey. You have a telephone call. It's a boy."
Melanie hadn't even heard the phone ring. It must be Shane, she thought as she mumbled thanks and charged past her mother, heading for the upstairs phone. Maybe he's changed his mind.
"Hi!" she said brightly.
There was a crackling sound, as if paper were being placed over the mouthpiece, and then a muffled voice said, "Hi, Melanie, if you haven't run out of kisses, maybe we could go out on a date."
Melanie narrowed her eyes. Even though the voice was disguised, she knew who it was. "Clarence Marshall, you creep!" she yelled into the phone.
There was wild laughter on the other end, and then the phone went dead.
Mrs. Edwards was standing in the hallway, looking at Melanie with a puzzled expression.
"Just a stupid, immature boy making dumb phone calls," she huffed as she stomped back to her room and slammed the door.
It wasn't long until the phone rang again. This time Melanie heard it, but she made no move to answer it.
"Another phone call, dear," her mother called from downstairs.
Should I answer it? Melanie wondered. It might really be Shane this time, and she didn't dare take a chance on missing him.
When she picked up the phone, she stared at the receiver for a moment and then said in a tentative voice, "Hello?"
"Hey, Mel. It's Tony Sanchez. How's it going?"
Melanie crumpled against the wall in relief. It wasn't Shane, but at least it wasn't Clarence playing dumb tricks again. It was someone who would actually give his name. Then she frowned. Tony Sanchez? Why was he calling her?
"Oh, hi, Tony," she replied. "Everything's fine."
"Say, um . . . listen," Tony fumbled. "How about if I come over for a little while tonight—that is, if you're not doing anything," he added hurriedly. "Maybe we could . . . you know . . . go for a walk or something."
"What?" Melanie asked incredulously.
"Sure . . . um . . ." his voice trailed off, followed by the muffled sound of laughter in the background. Melanie frowned. It sounded as if Tony had put his hand over the receiver, and he and someone else were having a good laugh at her expense.
"Is that creep Clarence Marshall there with you?" Melanie demanded.
When there was no answer, she shouted, "Well, you're a creep, too!" and slammed down the phone.
She stood in the middle of the floor for a moment, fuming. Then she stomped to the head of the stairs and leaned over the banister. "Mom, would you do me a favor and tell anyone else who calls that I can't come to the phone? I'm doing my homework."
"Sure, honey," her mother replied.
"Unless it's Shane," Melanie added, thinking, Fat chance. She went back into her room and tried to do some homework, but she couldn't concentrate for long. She had to get Shane to hear her side of the story. Her eyes flicked to the note from Igor, which was still lying on her bed.
"Maybe . . . just maybe," she whispered. Good old Igor. Maybe he could save her life. She got out a piece of stationery and her favorite ballpoint pen, then quickly started writing.
Dear Igor,
I got your note, and I feel so terrible. No matter what he thinks, Shane has always been the boy I like best. I don't want to break up with him. I still like him and only him. Those other boys don't mean a thing. Please tell him that for me.
I tried to explain to him about what happened after the concert, but I don't think I said it right.
If he would give me a chance to talk about it again, I'd try harder to help him understand.
I enjoyed having you stay at my house, Igor. You're a perfect gentleman. I hope Shane doesn't stay mad so I can see you again, too.
Your friend, Melanie
Oh, please let this work, she prayed silently. She folded the note and slipped it into an envelope. She'd stick it in Shane's locker as soon as she got to school tomorrow.
The next day in each of her classes, Melanie kept one eye on the clock, willing the hands to move faster. She had pushed the note through one of the slats in Shane's locker early this morning, and she hadn't heard anything from him.
She saw him in the cafeteria at noon, eating lunch with Randy Kirwan and Scott Daly, but he didn't look her way. She picked at her food and barely joined in the conversation with her friends. She had to admit that today had been a little bit better than yesterday. She'd managed to avoid Shawnie and Kimm, and so far only a few boys had made smooching noises in the halls or hummed "Super Kisser" when she passed by. There were still plenty of whispers and giggles wherever she went.
Before the end of lunch break she went to her locker to get her books for afternoon classes. When she opened the locker door, a note fell out onto the floor.
Melanie stared at it for a moment, afraid to touch it. She finally stooped and picked it up. She forced herself to open it and read the message inside.
Dear Melanie,
Shane says it's too late. He still wants to break up with you. Sorry.
Igor
Melanie froze. Shane's words hurt so much that for a second she didn't dare move. It was over between Shane and her. He didn't even want to hear her explanation of what had happened that night. Don't start crying right now, she told herself. If anyone sees the tears in your eyes, it'll be all over school that Shane Arrington has broken up with Melanie Edwards—super kisser. Well, one thing's for sure, Melanie thought miserably, I don't have anyone to kiss now.
After school Melanie was rushing to get home and hide permanently from the rest of the world when Beth caught up with her in the hall. "Hi, Mel, how was your day?"
Melanie sighed. "Lousy." She told Beth about the note from Igor.
"Oh, Melanie, that's awful!" said Beth.
"Shane's listening to all the stories about me," Melanie added, "and he doesn't seem interested in hearing my version about what happened."
Beth wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't sound like him."
"It sure isn't like him," Melanie agreed. "Which means that he really believes everyone else, and he's furious at me."
Melanie and Beth walked slowly down the hall, almost bumping into a group of seventh-grade girls as they turned the corner. The girls were surrounding Shawnie and Kimm.
Shawnie looked toward Beth and Melanie. "Who'd you kiss today, super kisser?" she asked. The girls around her laughed.
Kimm joined in. "Any new boys in your life?"
"Give her a break," Beth said to the girls. "She doesn't deserve all this garbage from you!"
Kimm laughed. "She deserves a w
hole lot more. We know the truth! It was her idea to kiss Craig!"
"What!" cried Melanie.
Kimm pushed her face close to Melanie's. "That's right!" she said. "The guys told us!"
"They were standing there after almost everybody had left The Coliseum," Shawnie continued. "They were just standing there, talking, minding their own business, and you marched right up and kissed Craig!"
"Right on the lips!" Kimm added.
"That's a lie!" Melanie cried. "They were teasing me because I didn't kiss Craig earlier!"
"Oh, riiiiight, Edwards," said Shawnie.
"What's the big deal, anyway?" Beth demanded. "Maybe we should start calling you super kisser, Kimm. After all, you kissed one of The New Generation!"
"But that was different!" Kimm insisted. "He kissed me, but with Melanie, it was the other way around."
Melanie felt totally defeated. She knew her story probably sounded bizarre to them after they had watched her race around kissing Cory, Chris, and Parker.
"Those guys lied," said Beth. "They weren't about to tell you about all the heat they put on Melanie to kiss Craig."
"And were you there, Beth?" Shawnie demanded. "Did you see all this happen?"
"No," Beth admitted, "I'd already gone home, but—"
"Ha!" Shawnie shouted triumphantly. "See? You're just taking Melanie's word for it!"
"Of course Beth's going to stick up for Melanie!" said Kimm. "Just the way Katie Shannon did. But they weren't there. They don't know what really happened, and we do."
"Forget it, Beth," said Melanie. "Thanks, but they're never going to believe you, anyway."
"That's right," Kimm replied. "We saw most of it, and we trust our boyfriends to tell us the truth about the rest."
"Just stay out of our way!" Shawnie warned. "And leave our boyfriends alone!"
Kimm and Shawnie and the others turned in a huff and stormed off down the hall.
"They're just mad, Mel," Beth said, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "Mad and jealous that you kissed their boyfriends. They'll get over it. Come on. I'll walk you home."
