by Betsy Haynes
She hadn't gone much farther when she heard Davey give one of his yells, and expected to see him come racing by. Instead someone screamed.
Christie spun Rigel around to see what had happened. Melanie lay sprawled on the ground under the tree, and the horse was galloping away.
CHAPTER 9
Christie pulled Rigel to a sliding stop as Davey was jumping off his horse. She was beside him in a flash as he knelt next to Melanie.
"Is she hurt?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," said Davey.
Melanie's eyes were closed, and there was a gash on her forehead.
Davey yanked off his sweater and spread it over Melanie as Connie and the others came stampeding up. Charlie took off after the horse.
"What happened?" yelled Jana.
In just moments they were all on the ground and crowding around to see.
"Give her room," said Connie.
He put his hand on Melanie's cheek, and her eyes fluttered, then opened. She blinked and looked from one face to the other staring down at her.
Shaking her head as if to clear it, she asked, "Did anyone see a runaway freight train?"
"Are you okay, Mel?" Christie asked.
Melanie struggled to sit up. Shaking her arms and legs to see if anything was broken, she said, "Other than having the wind knocked out of me and a sore head and rear end, I think I'm okay."
"Wow," said Katie, "you sure scared us. What happened?"
"It was my fault," Davey answered dejectedly. "I pulled a clanger. I was showing off, and my horse bumped Melanie's horse, who then took off. Melanie hit her head on that tree limb." He pointed up. "It was a dumb thing for me to do."
"It's okay," Melanie told him, smiling weakly. "I'm fine."'
"It's not the first time you've pulled a clanger," said Nicki. "And I don't suppose it'll be the last."
Davey and Christie helped Melanie to her feet as Charlie brought Cleopatra back.
"Do you think you can ride?" asked Connie.
"Sure," answered Melanie, rubbing a sore spot.
Davey stayed by Melanie's side all the way back to the stable. As he helped her up the veranda steps, Connie's mother and Neal came out to see what had happened.
"Oh, dear," said Mrs. Farrell, when she saw the wound on Melanie's forehead. "Neal, get the medicine kit."
In just a few moments Melanie's head was bandaged, and she was sitting in a chair on the veranda holding an ice pack against the side of her head. Pillows were stuffed around her to make her comfortable. In her lap was a plate of chocolate Olivers.
"Now if you need anything," instructed Davey, hovering over her, "just let me know."
Melanie smiled at him. "You're nice, Davey, but don't worry about me. I'm okay."
Nicki made a sour face, but held her tongue.
Shortly after that, Mr. Winchell arrived to take them home. As Mrs. Farrell was explaining to him what had happened, Phoebe drew Christie aside.
"What are your plans for Saturday night?" asked Phoebe.
"We're going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner with my parents," Christie told her. "We'll probably go to Montague's after."
"Are you sure you'll be at Montague's?" asked Phoebe.
"Pretty sure," replied Christie. "I haven't talked to my friends yet, but I think so."
"Do talk to them about it," said Phoebe. "What time will you eat dinner?"
Christie shrugged. "Five-thirty or six, I guess."
"Good," responded Phoebe. "If you change your mind about going to Montague's, let me know."
On the way home Christie thought about Phoebe's interest in whether she and the rest of The Fab Five would be at Montague's Saturday night. She felt very encouraged. It seemed that Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore finally wanted to be friends with Jana, Katie, Melanie, and Beth. Maybe things weren't as bad between the two groups as she'd thought.
"I'm so excited about seeing Trevor Morgan again." Beth was standing on her toes to see past Katie in the wardrobe mirror in Christie's room. She was putting on eye shadow as Katie was brushing her hair.
"He'll be surprised to find out we're in London," said Jana, spritzing perfume on one wrist and rubbing it against the other. "I wonder if he'll even recognize me."
"I think they should make more fashionable bandages," Melanie joked as she patted down the end of the tape that held hers in place. "This one doesn't go with anything."
"You're right," added Beth. "It's so . . . blah."
Christie laughed along with her friends. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask you. Phoebe wanted to know if we were going to Montague's Saturday night. She really sounded as if she wanted us to go. How about it?"
The Fab Five seemed to hesitate.
"We're still going to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, aren't we?" asked Beth.
"Yes," replied Christie. "I told her we might go to Montague's after that."
"Uh, I guess it's okay," said Jana. The others slowly agreed.
Christie was glad they'd agreed to go, but she felt a prickle of annoyance. Now that the London girls seemed more interested in The Fab Five, Christie's old friends didn't seem to care about being with the Londoners. Christie wanted to scream. She was getting so sick of balancing her two sets of friends!
CHAPTER 10
"Wow, what a crowd!" exclaimed Beth as The Fabulous Five filed through the gate near the bandstand in Hyde Park. "It reminds me of Central Park in New York."
"I love outdoor concerts," said Melanie.
"How are we ever going to find Phoebe and the others in this crowd?" asked Christie, scanning the nearby faces.
"We goofed," observed Jana. "We should have picked a place to meet. We'll just have to keep our eyes open. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"Let's hurry and try for a spot up front by the bandstand," said Beth. "Maybe Trevor will see us and wave."
"You've got to be kidding," scoffed Katie. "There'll be zillions of people, and he'll have spotlights shining in his eyes. How in the world will he be able to see us?"
"At least we'll be able to see him better," replied Jana.
"Everybody grab a hand and follow me," said Beth, taking Katie's hand. "I'll make a path."
As The Fabulous Five snaked between people, holding hands, Beth called out, "Excuse me. Pardon me. Lady with a baby!"
The crowd parted in front of her to let them through.
As they worked their way through the crowd, Christie looked in every direction for the London girls. Phoebe, Eleanore, and Nicki were nowhere to be seen.
"How's this spot?" asked Beth with a big grin when The Fabulous Five had reached a place not far from the bandstand. "Did I do good, or what?"
"You did fantastic," said Christie with a worried look. "But I just wish we could find the others." She didn't want her British friends to think they hadn't tried.
"We'll all keep looking," promised Katie.
They still hadn't found the others when the warmup band came on. As the music started playing, the audience began clapping and swaying, and it became harder and harder for Christie to see through the crowd. Finding Nicki, Phoebe, and Eleanore seemed hopeless.
When the band finished and the audience was waiting for Brain Damage to come on, Christie saw Davey's head bobbing toward them. He had spotted them and had a grin on his face. Christie could see Connie and Charlie behind him.
"Thought we'd find you birds right about here," said Davey. "How's the lump on the noggin, Melanie?"
"How'd you ever find us?" asked Christie.
"If it hadn't been for Davey's being six feet taller than everyone else, we might not have," teased Connie.
"Here they come! Here they come!" screamed Beth as Trevor Morgan led the members of Brain Damage onto the stage.
The Fabulous Five started jumping up and down, trying to get Trevor's attention. But with the shouting, waving crowd, it was impossible.
"Have you seen Phoebe and the others?" Christie asked Connie as Trevor introduced the band. "I'm worried that they'll feel left out if
we don't find them."
"We've been looking but haven't spotted them," answered Connie.
Christie made a face. She hated it that they weren't all together, but at this point there wasn't much she could do about it.
Brain Damage started their first song, and the crowd got right into it—swaying, clapping, and singing along. Trevor pranced across the stage singing the lyrics and teasing the kids nearest the stage.
"I wish Trevor would see us," Beth yelled above the noise.
"He always gets kids from the audience to go up onstage and sing with the band," said Melanie. "If he saw us, he might ask us to come up again."
"Hey, Mel," shouted Davey. "They're about to play the song we both like."
"Yea!" screamed Melanie, grabbing his arm and jumping up and down.
Davey put his arm around Melanie's shoulder, and the two started singing at the tops of their voices. The others joined in.
As the band played on, Christie forgot all about Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore. Connie took her hand, and the two of them looked at each other as they sang.
The band played song after song, and the excitement in the crowd lifted to a fever pitch. Finally Trevor Morgan started pacing back and forth across the stage, pointing to different people in the audience.
"He's going to ask kids to come up!" shouted Beth. "Oh, I wish he would see us!"
Everyone in the audience knew what Trevor was about to do, and the screaming and shouting grew louder and louder as he teased the crowd.
Beth and Melanie started jumping up and down and waving with both hands. "We're here! We're here!" they yelled.
Trevor was looking over their heads.
"We'll help!" shouted Charlie, grabbing one of Beth's arms and legs. "Get her other side," he ordered Davey.
Davey did, and the two of them hoisted Beth above their heads.
"Trevor! Here! Here!" she screamed.
Trevor saw her and looked as if he couldn't believe his eyes. He threw up his arms, then blew Beth a kiss. He motioned that he wanted Beth and her friends to come up onstage.
The fans standing near The Fabulous Five groaned with disappointment and shouted "Lucky!" as they cleared a path for Beth, Melanie, Katie, Christie, and Jana. The girls pulled Charlie, Davey, and Connie along with them.
"Dudes and dudesses!" Trevor shouted into his microphone. The cheering and shouting subsided to a dull roar.
"I want you to meet my fabulous friends from the United States. This is Beth, Melanie, Christie, Katie, and Jana, otherwise known as THE FABULOUS FIVE!"
There was a mixture of friendly cheers and boos.
"The last time I saw you, Beth, you were in an Indian costume," said Trevor. "What are you gals doing in London?" He stuck out his microphone so Beth could speak into it.
"We're on spring break and visiting our friend Christie, who moved here," answered Beth.
"Well, all right," said Trevor. "Glad you're here, and I hope you're having fun. And who are these dudes you've got with you?"
"These are our British friends," said Melanie. "Davey Hopper, Charlie Fenwick, and Connie Farrell."
A cheer went up from the audience.
"Okay," said Trevor. "I'm happy to meet you guys. Are you going to join in with The Fabulous Five on this next song?"
"I guess so," answered Davey, looking embarrassed for the first time that Christie could remember.
"What would you all like to sing?" asked Trevor as two stagehands brought out three wireless mikes and gave them to the girls.
Melanie suggested the Brain Damage song that she and Davey liked so much.
"Okay, guys!" Trevor shouted to his band. "Let's do it!"
The band started, and The Fabulous Five and the boys sang along.
When they finished, the crowd roared.
"ONE MORE TIME!" shouted Trevor, and the band started over, with The Fabulous Five, Davey, Charlie, and Connie singing at the tops of their voices.
By the time they sang the last verse, the crowd was going wild, and The Fabulous Five's faces were shining with excitement. Charlie was jamming his fists into the air. Davey grabbed Melanie around the waist and swung her in a circle. Charlie saw what he was doing, and grabbed Beth and swung her, too.
Connie looked at Christie with a big grin on his face and hugged her. She hugged back.
What a night to remember, thought Christie happily. Onstage with her best friends and the band Brain Damage in the middle of London, England, with thousands of people cheering. What more could you ask for?
She looked down into the audience swirling at their feet and saw Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore looking up at her. They didn't look happy at all.
CHAPTER 11
"Didn't I tell you they are FABULOUS?" yelled Trevor over the loudspeakers.
The crowd cheered.
"Stay onstage while we finish up," Trevor said to The Fabulous Five. "I want to talk to you."
After the performance was over, Trevor invited the girls and Connie, Davey, and Charlie into his private touring bus.
Charlie whistled as he looked around the opulent interior of the bus. The walls were finished in a dark paneling; the floors had thick carpeting; and soft, indirect lighting lit the rooms. Trevor was taking sodas out of a refrigerator and handing them out.
"I heard entertainers had fancy buses," said Charlie, "but I never imagined they were this nice."
"It's my home away from home," explained Trevor, sitting down on a long sofa and kicking off his shoes.
"So," began Trevor, looking from one member of The Fabulous Five to another, "tell me what you've been doing in London. I hope these blokes have been showing you the sights," he said, referring to Connie, Charlie, and Davey.
"Oh, they have," Beth assured him.
After they had been talking for half an hour, a man stuck his head into the room and announced, "We're ready, Trevor."
"Sorry, kids," Trevor said, standing up, "but it looks as if we'll have to cut our chitchat short. My manager's telling me it's time we left."
"Uh, Mr. Morgan . . ." said Davey.
"Yes?" replied Trevor.
"Could I, uh, like have your autograph?"
Trevor chuckled. "Sure. How about if I sign the soda can you've been drinking out of?"
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Davey.
"Mine, too!" added Charlie.
"I'll sign everybody's," Trevor told them, taking a marker out of a drawer.
"Wow," said Davey after they had left the bus. "I can't believe we were in Trevor Morgan's very own tour bus. And look," he continued, pulling himself up to his full height. "He wrote here on my soda can, To Davey Hopper, He's a big one."
"You have to show that to Nicki," said Charlie. "It'll knock her bug crunchers off."
"Bug crunchers?" asked Katie.
"Her shoes," explained Christie.
"She'll claim I wrote it myself," said Davey. "But who cares? You guys can back me up."
We may all need to back each other up when we see Nicki, Eleanore, and Phoebe, Christie thought with a sigh. They weren't going to be happy about having been left out of things tonight. And Nicki and Eleanore especially weren't going to be happy about having had to watch their boyfriends onstage having fun with Melanie and Beth. Christie just hoped she didn't get a call from Phoebe telling her to forget about going to Montague's on Saturday.
"Phoebe?" Christie tried to keep her voice low. She was in the Winchells' study later that night and didn't want the other girls to hear.
"Yes?" answered Phoebe. Her voice sounded stiff.
"We looked all over for you before the concert started," said Christie. "We couldn't find you. We should have picked a place to meet."
"You found Connie, Davey, and Charlie all right," responded Phoebe.
"We didn't find them," explained Christie. "They found us. And then we all looked for you, but the concert started. I'm sorry."
"Listen, Christie," Phoebe replied. "I know you want us to like your friends, but the way things are
going, it's not easy, especially for Nicki and Eleanore. They're angry about Davey and Charlie, and I can't blame them."
"But Melanie and Beth aren't playing up to Davey and Charlie," protested Christie. "The guys are being friendly, and Melanie and Beth can't just tell them to go away."
"Well," Phoebe said, "Nicki and Ellie are furious."
"I know," Christie told her. "Look, Phoebe, I'll talk to Melanie and Beth again and tell them to back off totally. But maybe you can talk to Nicki and Eleanore and convince them to talk to Davey and Charlie about their feelings instead of blaming my friends." She softened her voice. "You three are my best friends in England. I really wanted you and The Fabulous Five to meet and get to know each other. If you would give them a chance, I know you'd like them."
Christie heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
"Okay," said Phoebe. "I'll try to talk to the girls. But you know Nicki. I'm not going to promise anything. Are you still going to Montague's tomorrow?"
"Yes," answered Christie. "We wouldn't miss it."
CHAPTER 12
Melanie and Beth were sitting at the kitchen counter eating when Christie came downstairs Saturday morning. "You guys sure got up early," commented Christie. "I didn't even hear you. Where are Katie and Jana?"
"They went out to buy souvenirs for Randy and Tony," said Beth.
"They did?" asked Christie, glancing at the clock on the wall. "The stores are hardly open. They should have waited, and we could have all gone."
"They didn't want us to have to follow them around," explained Melanie.
"I thought you wanted to get something for Shane, Mel," said Christie.
Melanie shrugged and looked into her cereal bowl. "I can get him something later, maybe tonight or at the airport tomorrow."
"The girls and I talked it over before you came down," said Christie's mother. "We thought we should go to the Hard Rock Cafe around five. That way they can buy T-shirts, we can eat, and you'll still have time to go to Montague's. Oh, by the way, happy birthday, dear." Her mother gave her a hug and a kiss.
"Yeah, happy birthday, dear," teased Beth.
"Happy birthday, Christie," added Melanie.
