Fabulous Five 003 - The Popularity Trap

by Betsy Haynes

  "So how was tutoring Jon Smith last night?" asked Beth as they hurried toward the building.

  Christie sighed and told her story all over again, emphasizing how rude he had been.

  "Wow. That's too bad," said Melanie. "Maybe running for class president will help take your mind off of him."

  Christie chuckled. Leave it to Melanie to think of my campaign that way, she thought. And by the time the friends were scurrying through the halls laughing and taping up the posters, her unhappy mood was gone.

  Even though the walls were becoming cluttered with signs for candidates from all the classes, Christie had to admit that hers were attention-getters. The bright orange stood out against the soft beige walls and contrasted with the other posters.

  Next, each of them put stickers on all the locker doors they had missed the day before and slapped new ones all over the doors of Laura McCall's, Funny Hawthorne's, Tammy Lucero's, and Melissa McConnell's lockers until they were nearly covered. Melanie put another sticker on Shane's and Garrett Boldt's lockers, "for good measure," she explained. Then they stuck them on drinking fountains, and Jana took a handful to put on the mirrors in the girls' bathrooms.

  "I wish I could see Laura's and her friends' faces when they see their lockers," Beth said with a laugh when they were finished.

  "She'll blow her stack," said Jana.

  "I wonder if she'll make the others scrape them off," mused Katie. "You know she's supposed to make them do things to stay friends with her."

  "I'll bet she's got a whip that she uses on them," Beth added, pretending to snap a big whip like an animal trainer. They all laughed and cowered in front of her as if she were using it on them.

  "You know," said Christie. "I haven't seen any posters for Melissa yet." It bothered her. She had expected The Fantastic Foursome to be putting them up everywhere.

  "You're right," answered Jana. "They've got to be planning something. I wonder what?"

  She looked quizzically at her friends, but they all shook their heads.

  Christie noticed Curtis Trowbridge sitting with Whitney Larkin at a table near the door as she went into study hall. Christie frowned. Whitney had gone to Copper Beach Elementary, but she didn't have very many friends. Nobody liked her because she was an absolute genius, and she made everybody uncomfortable by knowing the answers all the time. Not only that, Whitney had skipped sixth grade this year and had gone straight from fifth to junior high. Everybody said she was a baby.

  "Hi, Curtis," said Christie, sitting down next to him.

  "Hi," he said, looking up and smiling. "Have you met Whitney?"

  They exchanged hellos, and Christie started to talk about her platform, but Curtis broke in.

  "You know, Whitney is a superb student. She's made all A's every class she has ever been in, haven't you, Whitney?"

  Whitney gave a little smile and nodded.

  "That's nice. Curtis, I—"

  "And she knows a great deal about computers, I might add. As a matter of fact, she and I have started networking together."

  That sounds really romantic, thought Christie, as she tried to continue. "Curtis—"

  "You wouldn't believe the software she and some of the kids from Copper Beach have. Why, it's mind expanding."

  Christie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Curtis Trowbridge was raving over someone besides Jana Morgan. Curtis had had a crush on Jana since third grade, and he used to follow her around like a little lost puppy.

  Christie looked at Whitney closer. While she wasn't in Taffy Sinclair's or Laura McCall's league, she wasn't bad looking. Christie had to admit that she looked just right for Curtis.

  "Curtis!" Christie said firmly. "You asked me about my platform for the election to put in the article you're writing for the Sig, and I want to give it to you."

  "Oh, uh . . . yes. The platform. Do you have it written out?"

  "Here it is," she said, taking it from her notebook.

  "Hmmm. Better food in the cafeteria. That would get you votes except Melissa McConnell has that one, too. Stop running in the halls. I'll bet Katie Shannon came up with that one. You'll lose Clarence Marshall's vote, if you care. Hmmm. More dances, something for the populace. Probably Melanie's idea, and more plays is Beth's. Hey, this is a good one. A costume for a school mascot. Melissa doesn't have that one. Hers are mostly prissy things, like getting rid of the gum tree. But don't forget, she's supposed to be a perfectionist."

  "Getting rid of the gum tree?" Christie said so loudly that the study hall monitor frowned at her. "She can't do that. It's a Wacko tradition."

  Curtis shrugged. "She says it's messy, it's unsanitary, and it's harmful to the tree. She wants a trash can with a plastic liner put by the front door."

  Christie made a face, thinking about how Mr. Bell objected to chewing gum in the classroom and how the students had dubbed the tree beside the front door to the school "the gum tree" and stuck their gum on its bark every morning when the bell rang. "Leave it to Melissa," she grumbled.

  "You know there's not much difference in your platforms," Curtis mused, looking down the list. "You'll get the Mark Twain vote and Melissa will get the Riverfield vote, and that makes you just about even. But why should someone like Whitney from Copper Beach vote for you?"

  His question stopped Christie cold. She didn't know why someone from Copper Beach should vote for her instead of Melissa, and she said so.

  "You've got to have something special to attract their attention," he said. "I'll vote for you, but Whitney has introduced me to a lot of kids who went to Copper Beach, and they don't care which one of you is elected."

  Christie darted a quick glance at Whitney, who raised her head briefly from some problems she was working, gave Christie a vacant look, and went back to what she was doing. Curtis is absolutely right, thought Christie. Whoever gets the Copper Beach vote will win the election.

  Christie was already at their table when the others came into the cafeteria.

  "Hey, why so glum?" asked Jana. "I've seen a lot of kids looking at your posters."

  "Yeah. But did you see the ones Melissa and her friends put up? They're good, too." Christie had seen them all over the school. The Fantastic Foursome must have put them up between classes. They were painted the colors of the rainbow and stood out brightly.

  "Well, I think ours are better," pouted Beth.

  "Maybe so," said Christie. "But I was talking to Curtis, and he said my platform isn't much different from Melissa's. He said we'd both get the votes of the kids from our own elementary schools, but then he asked why someone from Copper Beach would vote for me. He's been hanging around Whitney Larkin and knows a lot of them. I didn't know what to say to him. He's right, you know."

  Gloom settled over The Fabulous Five as they thought about what Christie had said.

  "What are they doing now?" Jana asked, looking toward the table where The Fantastic Foursome sat.

  Laura and her friends had gotten up and were smiling their biggest smiles as everyone in the cafeteria watched them head for the open space near the serving line. The chatter of kids' talking faded as Laura, Tammy, and Funny positioned themselves behind Melissa and stood quietly for a moment. Then they burst into song.

  "Melissa McConnell is the one for you.

  She'll make things happen we tell you true.

  If you want a president who'll be true blue,

  Vote for Melissa, that's what you should do.

  Vote for Melissa, put her to the test.

  Don't take a chance and please don't guess.

  Vote for Melissa over all the rest.

  Vote for Melissa if you care to

  ELECT THE VERY BEST!"

  They ended their performance down on one knee with their arms open wide and big grins on their faces. The kids in the cafeteria went wild and started cheering and applauding. Christie could hear Clarence Marshall veiling, "RIGHT ON!" The noise went on for ten minutes before the teachers could get them to quiet down.

  Meli
ssa smiled broadly at everyone in the room and waved as if she were running for president of the United States.

  Laura McCall was looking at The Fabulous Five, wearing a knowing smile, as Curtis Trowbridge leaned over from the next table where he was sitting with Whitney and some Copper Beach kids.

  "Now that's different," he said, not even bothering to conceal his enthusiasm. "It got everybody's attention."

  "Be at my house after school," Jana said to her friends with a look of grim determination on her face.

  CHAPTER 9

  "Okay. What are we going to do?" Jana asked her glum-faced friends as they sat around her kitchen table. "That stunt Laura, Melissa, Tammy, and Funny pulled in the cafeteria got everyone's attention. All I heard in my afternoon classes was how great it was."

  "Well, Funny Hawthorne is supposed to be your friend," said Katie. "Why didn't she tell you they were going to do it?"

  Christie saw Jana look with frustration at Katie. "You don't really expect her to tell me everything they're doing, do you? They're still her friends, too, you know."

  "Arguing isn't going to solve anything," said Christie. "You guys put my name in for president so it's up to you to think of some way to get me elected, if you're serious."

  Katie looked at Jana. "I'm sorry. I just hate to see that witch Laura show off." Jana smiled understandingly.

  "Look," said Melanie. "We've got to come up with something more spectacular than their silly little song. Something that will make people think about Christie more."

  "Like what?" asked Katie.

  "Listen, guys," Beth said excitedly. "I think you've just hit it. You said 'spectacular,' right? Get people's attention, right? Okay, Christie, listen up. You need to be more dramatic. Get some flash—"

  Christie opened her mouth to protest when Melanie broke in. "Christie Winchell, don't listen to her! Didn't I tell you that boys make up half the class? What you need to do is go after the boy vote!"

  "Melanie's right about one thing," Beth interrupted. "Boys are only half the class and half the vote. But if you could grab the spotlight away from Melissa and The Fantastic Foursome, you could get all the vote."

  Melanie let out an exasperated sigh. "I could give you private flirting lessons. Or if you didn't want to do that, I could loan you my magazine with the seven tips for flirting in it."

  Christie listened to the arguments lobbing back and forth like a tennis ball. Here they go again, she thought, planning my campaign as if I had nothing to do with it. At that moment something occurred to her. She smiled and held up her hand for silence.

  "I have a better idea for getting everybody's attention," she said quietly. "It's dramatic and it could bring in both the boy vote and the girl vote. And best of all, it's something we've already thought of."

  This time when Jon Smith rang the doorbell, Christie was ready and answered it before either of her parents could get up.

  "Come in," she said coolly. She had promised herself that she wouldn't get into a fight with him again tonight, but at the same time she wasn't going to let him think that she cared what he thought of her either.

  "Thanks," he said almost pleasantly.

  As she led him to the kitchen, she wondered what he was up to. He had been so hostile the night before. Maybe he's trying to soften me up for the kill, she thought, and shivered.

  Sitting down at the table and opening her book, she avoided looking at him. "Did you redo your homework for chapter one?" she asked.

  He didn't answer. Instead he handed her a paper that was covered with neatly written problems. Without meaning to she glanced up at him and smiled. "Hey, these look better."

  She skimmed the problems, making a check mark beside the ones that were wrong. He had missed only three out of twenty. That wasn't bad at all. She started to tell him so, but her anger with him held her back. Instead, she handed the homework back to him and turned to the next chapter.

  "I think you're ready to move on," she said crisply.

  "You are helping me just because Mr. Bell asked you to," Jon said. "I checked you out."

  "You checked me out!" cried Christie, raising her blazing eyes to look straight at him. "What do you mean, you checked me out?"

  "I asked my parents," he said matter-of-factly. "They said they called Mr. Bell and asked him to find a math tutor for me, and he called them later and said he had asked you to do it."

  "So?" she challenged.

  "Like I said yesterday, I thought you were doing it because you knew who my parents are. Lots of kids try to butter me up just to get to meet them. It happens all the time."

  Christie bit her lower lip and shifted self-consciously in her chair. He was apologizing—sort of—and she knew she should forget her anger and accept.

  "Don't take this wrong," he went on, "but I always thought that you were conceited."

  Christie's eyes blazed at him again, but he held up a hand and smiled. "Whoa. Let me finish. Everyone knows that you make all A's and that you're running for class president. Besides that, Mr. Bell and the teachers all know you. I've seen them speak to you in the halls. I thought you just wanted to tutor me for the kicks."

  This time she was able to return his smile. In fact, she felt such a rush of relief that she almost laughed out loud. "I make A's because my parents want me to, and I guess I want to, too. And my friends put my name in for class president. Believe me, if I could get out of it, I would. As far as Mr. Bell and the teachers go, it's just like your problem. My mom is principal of Mark Twain Elementary, and everybody at Wacko Junior High thinks that I have an in with all the teachers. I can't help it if they all know me."

  He gave her a crooked grin. "Do you have any idea how many kids in this school have started their own rock bands and want me to use my influence with my parents to get them on television? I guess we both have the same kind of problem. Let's start over, okay? I promise not to be such a pain."

  Christie looked into his smiling brown eyes. He seemed like a whole new Jon Smith now. He was suddenly more relaxed, and the way he looked at her told her that he meant what he said. Christie smiled back. It was going to be hard to concentrate on chapter two.

  "We can get them," said Jana when they met at the fence the next morning. She could hardly contain her excitement. "Christie's idea was terrific. I talked to Mom and she called one of the grocers that advertises in her classified ads. He says we can have the oranges for a really good price, and he'll even have one of his trucks drop them off."

  "Great," said Melanie, jumping up and down.

  "Fantastic," said Katie.

  "Super," said Beth.

  Christie didn't say anything. In fact, she barely heard what they were saying. She couldn't get Jon out of her mind or the talk they had had last night.

  "Earth to Christie, Earth to Christie," Beth sang, cupping a hand around Christie's ear. "Come in, Christie."

  Christie blinked. "Sorry, guys. I was thinking about something else," she said. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck.

  "Uh-oh," said Katie. "Tutoring must have gone a little better last night."

  This time Christie was sure she was blushing. Nodding, she said, "Lots better. I think he even likes me—a little bit."

  Her friends started cheering and asking a million questions. Finally Jana got everyone's attention back to the campaign and preparing the oranges to be handed out the next day.

  "We can all get together after school today and put the stickers on them," she continued.

  "VOTE FOR VITAMIN C! A DAY WITHOUT CHRISTIE IS LIKE A DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE," chirped Beth. "It's a super slogan. Look out Fantastic Foursome! Here come The Fabulous Five."

  They all cheered, and Christie was glad the subject had changed.

  "And I brought the stickers for the boys," said Katie.

  "I talked to Scott last night, and he said he'd be glad to talk to Randy and Keith and all the rest of the football players," said Melanie.

  "Did he say if the coach would let the players put t
he stickers on their helmets?" asked Katie.

  "He said he thought it would be okay."

  "What about the tape we recorded last night? Did you bring it?" Jana asked Melanie.

  "Yes. And I called Bumpers and talked to Mr. Matson, and he said we could play it over the sound system."

  Christie watched her friends having fun as they planned what they were going to do to beat Melissa. They had come up with the ideas for stickers on the football helmets at Saturday's game against Black Rock Junior High and the tape to be played at Bumpers after she had suggested the oranges.

  She wished that she could feel as cheerful about all of it as they did.

  It was Thursday so The Wakeman Smoke Signal was handed out in homeroom, just as Christie knew it would be. She quickly skimmed Curtis's article on the seventh-grade candidates and saw that he had been right. Her platform and Melissa's were an awfully lot alike. As much as she didn't want to be president, she couldn't let Melissa beat her. Those oranges have just got to do the trick, she thought, crossing and uncrossing her fingers three times for luck.

  CHAPTER 10

  Christie and her friends rushed to Bumpers as soon as school was out and gave the tape to Mr. Matson. "You understand that if I play this for you, I've got to do the same for anyone else who is running for an office. I've got to give them equal time," he said, smiling.

  "That's okay," said Melanie. Jana, Christie, Katie, and Beth nodded in agreement. "It's still best to be first."

  "Okay. Just give me a signal when you want me to play it."

  They rushed to get an empty booth.

  Shortly Bumpers started filling up, but when Christie looked around for Jon, she didn't see him anywhere. She couldn't help being a little nervous about what he would think when he heard her tape.

  When Melanie saw Scott, Randy, and Keith coming in from football practice, she waved to them, and they came over.