by Betsy Haynes
"You're not going to tell us?" asked Melanie. "No fair! I tell you everything about the boys I like."
"And everyone else who'll listen," said Christie.
"Are you all right, Beth?" Jana asked. "Your eyes look kind of funny."
"Sure," Beth responded, gripping her hands tightly under the table. "I'll be back in a minute." She got up quickly and headed for the door marked LADIES.
"We know where you're going," teased Melanie.
"Next time don't wait so long," Beth heard Christie say as the door closed behind her.
Beth ran into the nearest stall and put her head against the wall. The cold metal pressed against her forehead and her shoulders shook with sobs.
It wasn't funny. Why didn't her best friends understand? Couldn't they tell she was hurting inside? She missed Keith something terrible, and there wasn't anything she could do about getting him back. And now she had told them she had a date with someone else for the movies.
What could she do? If she told everyone the truth, they would just feel sorry for her, and she didn't want their pity. It wouldn't help get Keith back. And Christie thought it was so funny. Maybe it was easy for her to give up Jon. Maybe she hadn't cared that much about him in the first place. But Beth had never really wanted to give up Keith. What could she do? Beth heard the door to the ladies' room open, and she took a deep breath to stop her crying.
"Beth. Are you all right?" It was Jana.
"Of course," she answered through the partition.
"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do? You looked as if you were going to cry."
"Cry?" Beth faked a laugh. "That's funny. Why would I be crying?" she said, making her voice sound happy.
There was a moment of silence before Jana said, "Okay. You just didn't look right to me." Beth heard the door open and close.
She pulled herself together and peeked through a crack in the stall door. Jana was gone.
She came out quickly, ran cold water in the lavatory, and splashed it onto her face. Then she waited a few minutes while the red when out of her eyes.
When she returned to the booth, they were chattering about boys again. Jana gave Beth a quick look and went on talking.
"Did you hear?" asked Christie. "Keith was telling me that Georgetown has played one more game than Wacko. That means he still has a chance to beat that guy from Georgetown."
"Is that right?" asked Jana.
"Yes, and he's really excited about it. I told him, if he did really well I'd give him a big hug."
Beth felt as if she were going to explode. She was going to have to leave or break down in front of them.
"You know, Beth," Christie said. "I understand why you went with Keith so long. He's neat. You really know how to pick them."
CHAPTER 14
"Ronnie, your parents are here," whispered Chet Miller.
Beth flashed him a grateful look for the cue. "Ronnie, your parents are here. You've got to stay hidden or they'll find you," she spoke the lines.
"Okay, cut," called Mr. Levine. "Beth, you need to sound more excited. Remember, you're afraid. If Ronnie's parents catch him in the closet, you know you'll never get to date him again. Put yourself in Julie's place. What if you were about to lose the boy you love? You'd be upset wouldn't you?"
"Yes, Mr. Levine."
It was the fifth time he had stopped the rehearsal to give her instructions, and she had forgotten her lines three times. Chet had helped her get started again. He was awfully nice for a ninth-grader.
She knew her lines. She was sure she did. She had studied them over and over until she could say them in her sleep. The trouble was, when someone else was speaking their lines, Beth would start thinking about Keith. Then she wouldn't know where they were at in the script when it was her turn to speak again. It was embarrassing.
"Look, everyone," continued Mr. Levine, speaking to the group of actors on the stage. "We've got a little over a week to learn our parts. We were doing so well for a while, and now we seem to have hit a rough spot." Beth knew she was the rough spot he was talking about.
"So, let's call it quits for today. Now I want you to go over your lines really carefully tonight and tomorrow so we can have a great rehearsal on Friday. I'll see you then.
"Beth, can I talk to you a moment?" he asked.
Beth cringed. She knew she deserved it if he chewed her out for goofing up.
"I know you're trying hard, Beth. Maybe you're trying too hard. I suppose I shouldn't have told you about Mr. Stapleton's being here on opening night. Would it be better if I called him and asked him not to come?"
"No, I don't think so," she whispered. "I don't think I'm bothered about his being there. I'll try harder, honest I will."
He looked at her with a wry smile. "I'm sure you will," he said. "Just relax, and remember, it's just a part in a play. There will be lots more, and it can be fun if you let it."
Beth skipped going to Bumpers after rehearsal. She told herself that she had to practice and couldn't spare the time.
At the dinner table she was glad for once that she belonged to such a big family. Brian and Brittany argued over who should get to use the van on Friday and Saturday, her father bawled out Todd for acting up in school again, and Alicia talked as loud as she could just to attract attention. All the while, Agatha walked from chair to chair hoping for a handout. Everyone pretty much ignored Beth, and she didn't have to talk. She could just poke at her food and stay lost in her thoughts.
In her room that evening, Beth sat with the play script on her lap. What had started out being a lot of fun was beginning to turn into a drag. She had done so well at the tryouts and at the first rehearsal, and now all of a sudden she couldn't seem to concentrate.
She flipped open the script to the lines she hadn't been able to remember today.
Ronnie, your parents are here. You've got to stay hidden or they'll find you.
Why couldn't she have remembered them today? It was so embarrassing to have Mr. Levine stop the rehearsal to correct her. I wonder if he'll kick me out of the cast? Beth thought. I bet he wishes he had chosen Kaci. Even Laura McCall could do as well as me. There's still enough time for him to let one of them do the part.
She walked over to the bed and picked up the panda bear she had used in the parent project at school. It was chewed up where Agatha had gotten hold of it. She held it close and nuzzled her face into its neck.
Everything was so different at Wakeman Junior High. It wasn't at all like Mark Twain Elementary. When The Fabulous Five were sixth-graders, Jana went with Randy, Scott went with Melanie, and Keith went with her. There were no complications.
Beth had been in all the school plays and there hadn't been any problems. In fact Keith had played a part in one of them. He had been a robber and wore a flat cap with a bill and had a mustache painted on. They had laughed lots over how funny he looked.
She kissed the panda on the nose and sat down on the bed.
"And now he's mad because I'm in a play and have to practice," she said to the bear. "It's not really fair. He practices football every day after school, and I don't say anything about it. In fact I'm happy for him, he likes it so much. I'm the one who should be mad." She sat the bear in her lap and held out its legs.
"Do you think it would make a difference to him if I dropped out of the play?" she asked it. "Mr. Levine could get either Kaci or Laura to take my place. They both know the part. But how could I tell Keith? And if I did, would he really want me back?"
She sighed, gazing out the window. "He should be happy for me that I got the role. But he's not. And I miss him so much."
CHAPTER 15
"Vell, Miss Beth Barry. Vould you like to join us in doing the next cheer? Or is it asking too much?" Miss Wolfe's German accent broke into Beth's daydream.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Beth jumped back into the lineup. She had been watching Keith and hadn't heard Miss Wolfe call an end to the break.
"What cheer is it?" Beth whispered frantically to
Melanie.
"Count Down," Melanie whispered back.
Beth spread her feet apart and put her hands on her waist in the starting position.
"Count down ready!
Count down now!
Count down ready!
We'll show you how!"
Beth concentrated and jumped in perfect unison with the team.
"10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1!
Count down ready!
Let's run Warriors!
We're number one!"
"Very good, girls. Ve ver all together for a change." Miss Wolfe gave Beth an approving smile.
Beth sneaked another look at the football team. Keith had the ball and was running with one player on his back and another hanging on to his leg. They finally wrestled him to the ground, and the rest of the team applauded his effort.
Every time she looked he had tacklers all over him and was fighting to stay on his feet. Keith was trying terribly hard and was beginning to look exhausted. She hoped he wouldn't get hurt. The game with Jefferson was important to him and to Wakeman, but not that important. If he didn't get noticed by the high school coach it wouldn't be the end of the world.
"Okay, now ve vill do Electrify," ordered Miss Wolfe. Beth jumped into the starting position.
"Are you going to Bumpers?" Melanie asked Beth after practice was over.
"Oh, I don't know. I've got a lot of studying to do tonight, and I missed some of my lines at play rehearsal yesterday," said Beth. "I'd better go home and study."
"Study? Aren't you going a little overboard?" asked Melanie. "You brought your lunch and studied by yourself again today. You've never had trouble remembering your lines before."
"I know, but for some reason I'm having trouble this time."
"Oh, come on and go to Bumpers, Beth. It seems like we never see you anymore."
"You're beginning to sound like Keith." Beth was sorry she said it the way she did. She could tell by Melanie's face that she had hurt her feelings.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Melanie. I didn't mean to say it that way. All right, I'll go. But I can't stay long."
"There are Katie and Jana." Melanie grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her toward the booth where they were saving seats for them. Katie leaned across and whispered something to Jana.
"Here are the prides of the cheerleading squad," said Katie cheerfully, smiling up at Beth and Melanie.
"How are the prides of the Teen Court and The Wigwam yearbook?" asked Melanie, laughing.
Beth thought they all seemed extremely happy. "You're still not going to tell us who you're going to the movies with?" asked Jana.
"Nope," said Beth, trying to sound self-assured and looking around.
"Where's Christie?" she asked, hoping she hadn't already guessed.
"She went to see Keith after practice," said Jana. "She'll be here later."
They talked about the usual things for a while, but Beth caught Jana and Katie looking at her oddly a couple of times. She sensed a stiffness to the conversation and tried to join in in spite of wishing she could leave before Christie and Keith got there.
"Beth," Jana said suddenly. "Are you mad at us?"
Beth was stunned by the question. "Why no, of course not," she answered wide-eyed. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, it seems like you've been avoiding us," said Katie. "And we thought we had done something to make you angry."
Beth laughed. She had been so involved in her own problems she hadn't thought about what her friends might be thinking about her not spending time with them.
"No, believe me, I'm not mad at you guys. I've just had a lot of things to think about."
"Good!" said Katie. "We were starting to worry. We thought you were avoiding us in the morning before school, and then during the lunch period you've started going outside by yourself. We didn't know what was wrong."
"And I could have sworn you were crying the other day when you went to the girls' room," said Jana. "You were almost running."
Beth smiled at her. "Being a member of The Fabulous Five is very important to me. You guys are my best friends."
"Whew! That's a relief," said Melanie. The conversation perked up considerably after that.
Beth looked at her friends. They were very important to her. She hated that it was Christie who was dating Keith. If it were anyone besides one of The Fabulous Five, she could throw a tantrum and fight for him. But if she got into a fight with Christie, it would probably break up the group. She would never want to be the one who caused that.
She should have known that they would suspect something was wrong. They had been her friends almost forever and had come to her rescue lots of times. Like the time she had gone back to Mark Twain Elementary to hide when she thought she was the cause of her mother's being ill. They had even gotten a search party together to find her.
How much longer can I keep how I feel a secret? she asked herself. What will happen if Christie finds out I still like Keith? Christie likes him more and more. I can tell. Will she think I'm just jealous and possessive and don't want anyone to go with Keith? Will she be mad at me?
Just then the door to Bumpers opened and some of the football players came in. Trailing behind were Keith and Christie. They were laughing happily.
CHAPTER 16
Christie took Keith by the hand and led him to the booth where the rest of The Fabulous Five was sitting. Beth stiffened her back and took a deep breath. I can do it, she thought. I can hide my feelings. It's just like acting. All I have to do is concentrate.
"Hi, everybody," Christie said cheerfully.
Keith gave Beth a small smile.
"You don't have room for us," Christie said, looking around for another place to sit.
In a flash Beth said, "I'm leaving. The two of you can squeeze in."
"Oh," said Christie. "Are you sure?"
"I've got to look over my part for tomorrow and study." Beth was proud of the way she kept her voice from quivering. But it would be better if she left now.
"We're all going to meet at the movies, right?" asked Christie.
"I can't wait to see who this fabulous date of Beth's is," said Melanie.
Beth felt like shrinking down to a little blob. Not only did she not have a date for the movies, but everyone, including Keith, was going to find out that she never had one.
She looked at the other members of The Fabulous Five and gave them a big smile. "Good-bye, everyone." They all smiled back. She had them fooled. She had them all fooled, even Keith. But they would all know the truth tomorrow night.
Play practice went much more smoothly the next day. Mr. Levine was all smiles after Beth finished her big part, and Chet Miller told her what a super job she had done. It had taken a lot of concentration, but she had done it, and she loved every minute of it.
She was starting to like Chet very much. He wasn't like a lot of ninth-graders who thought it beneath their dignity to talk to a seventh-grader. And he was nice looking.
Suddenly an idea struck Beth. She looked at Chet as he was picking up his things to leave. Maybe . . . Could she be so lucky? She grabbed her books and followed him out of the auditorium.
"You're a super actor," she said as she caught up with him. "Have you been in a lot of plays?"
"Thanks. I've been in several," he answered.
"One of the books I have on acting says you should go to as many movies as possible and analyze them. Do you ever do that?"
He looked at her curiously. "No. I never thought about it."
"Like the movie that's on at the theater tonight. It's supposed to be a good one to study. Are you going?"
"Yeah. I heard it's a riot."
"I suppose you have a date."
"No. I told Jay Chisholm I'd meet him there."
"Oh." Everything was going great. Now if she could just pull off the next part.
"I was thinking about going, but I can't get a ride. My brother's got the car and it would be out of his way."
"Uh"—she took a deep
breath before she continued—"you don't suppose I could get a ride with you, do you?"
"Oh, sure. I suppose so. Where do you live?"
Beth almost squealed with delight.
There were lots of kids in front of the theater when Chet's mother and father pulled up to the curb to drop them off. Beth saw The Fabulous Five and The Fantastic Foursome as well as nearly everyone else she knew that counted.
"Oh, Chet," she said as they got out of the car. "Could you do me a favor and get a ticket for me? I want to say hello to someone." She handed him the money she had been holding since they had picked her up.
"Sure."
She walked with him to the ticket line so everyone could see that she had come with him. Smiling, she waved at Jana, Melanie, Katie, and Christie, who were waiting for their dates to buy tickets.
"I'll be right back," she said, patting Chet on the arm.
"Wow!" said Katie. "Chet Miller."
"And a ninth-grader," said Melanie. "How did you pull that off?"
"Oh, we were just talking after one of our practices," said Beth, leaving out the fact that it had been that day's practice, "and he said he'd pick me up. He's nice."
"We won't be able to sit with you guys, though. Chet wants to sit with Jay Chisholm. I'll see you later." She left them standing with their mouths open, and she could feel the eyes of Laura McCall and The Fantastic Foursome following her, too.
Chet was getting the tickets when she came back, and she went to stand next to him. She saw Keith watching her. He had a strange look on his face.
Luck was still with her when they went inside. They found three seats together. Beth had visualized the ultimate horror of having to sit by herself after she had made everyone think she was going with Chet.
She turned around to see where her friends were sitting, and she looked Keith right in the eyes. They were three rows behind her. He looked away quickly.
After the movie, she stood on the sidewalk with Chet waiting for his parents. All the seventh-grade girls who passed looked at Chet and then at her with envy in their eyes.
