by Betsy Haynes
Melanie brightened. "Hello."
"Hi, Melanie, this is Garrett."
Of course it is, she thought as the sound of his husky voice turned her knees to mush. Backing up to the wall and sliding slowly down to a sitting position on the floor, she said, "So, how's the world's greatest sports photographer?"
"If you really want to know, not so great," he said. "Only about half of the pictures I took at the soap game turned out. Can you believe I was shooting at the wrong shutter speed? I don't know what I was thinking about when I did that."
ME! Melanie wanted to shout. You were so dazzled when you saw me in the crowd that you couldn't think straight anymore. But instead she said, "Gee. That's too bad."
"That wasn't what I really called about, though," Garrett assured her. "I just wondered how the cheerleader meeting went."
Melanie's jaw dropped almost to the floor. "How did you know that I went to the cheerleader meeting?"
"I saw you in the hall afterwards. Remember? I waved, and you waved back."
"Oh, yeah," Melanie said softly. When had she seen Garrett? She racked her brain. Had she been clowning around with Beth and missed seeing him? Had she been acting so goofy that he thought she was waving?
"So, aren't you going to tell me about the meeting?"
Melanie laughed nervously. "Sure. It was fun and interesting and definitely scary. I think at least half of the girls in seventh grade are trying out, and there are only eight spots on the squad."
"You'll do great," said Garrett, sending her heart soaring. "You probably know all the cheers already."
"As a matter of fact, I was practicing when you called."
"I'll let you go in a minute, then, so you can get back to your practicing. But first, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."
This time, Melanie's heart burst through the ceiling. This was it! He was going to ask her out.
"I was wondering if you're going to Laura's party Saturday night?"
His words shot through her like an electric current. She was too much in shock to answer at first. Finally she swallowed hard and said softly, "Sorry. I'm not invited."
"You're kidding. Why not?"
"Because I'm a girl and because I went to Mark Twain. Laura invited all of the boys from Mark Twain but none of the girls." Melanie tried not to sound catty, but she knew she did, anyway. "I guess she's afraid of the competition."
Garrett laughed softly. "Sounds like Laura. Listen, I know her pretty well. I went to Riverfield. I'll just remind her that's she's missing a great chance to show off. Believe me, there's almost nothing she likes better than showing off. I'll bet you'll get an invitation tomorrow."
"Not just me!" Melanie shrieked. Then regaining her composure, she added, "What I mean is, I'd feel self-conscious if I hardly knew any of the other girls."
"Okay," said Garrett. "I'll convince her to show off to all the Mark Twain girls."
After they had hung up Melanie sat on the floor for ages, dangling the phone from one hand. One minute she was thrilled over Garrett's wanting her to be at Laura's party. And the next she was in a total panic over actually going. What on earth am I getting myself into? she wondered over and over again.
CHAPTER 7
Four phone calls later, Melanie felt a little bit better—but only a little bit. She had talked to each of the other members of The Fabulous Five and told them about her conversation with Garrett and his promise to talk Laura McCall into inviting them to her party.
"Fantastic!" Jana had said. "With me there, Laura wouldn't dare try to steal Randy."
Beth had reacted pretty much the same way. "Terrific, Edwards!" she had shouted into the phone, practically breaking Melanie's eardrum. "She won't be able to get her clutches on Keith now."
Christie's reaction had been quieter, but enthusiastic just the same. "Gee, imagine us at one of Laura McCall's famous parties."
Even Katie had been mildly excited about going. "It will be interesting to see what Laura does at her own party." Then, after pausing for a moment, she added, "But what are you going to do, Melanie?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," said Katie. "All three of the boys you like are going to be there."
"Oh, my gosh," Melanie mumbled just before she hung up. "I hadn't thought about that."
Now, back in her room with her French book propped open in front of her, she was certainly thinking about it. Hard. Seventh grade had started out like one of the fairy tales that she had always loved. Cinderella trying on the glass slipper and going to the ball with the handsome prince. Sleeping Beauty being awakened to a world of love by the prince of her dreams. Melanie Edwards adored by three handsome boys. Well, at least Scott adored her, and Shane and Garrett were coming around.
But now the wicked witch was trying to spoil everything by giving a party and inviting all three of them. She will probably invite me, too, Melanie thought, so that I can watch while she casts her spell on all of them.
Slamming her French book shut, Melanie jumped to her feet and paced her room. Maybe I shouldn't go, she thought. But that was out of the question. Of course she would go. She couldn't miss a thing such as that.
Melanie was nervous the next morning when she and her friends headed for their lockers. "What if Garrett wasn't able to convince Laura to invite us to her party?" she moaned. "Laura would feel so superior if she thought we wanted to go and all she had to do was say no. I'd die of embarrassment."
"Look! On my locker!" Beth cried.
Melanie blinked in disbelief as all five girls stopped and stared at Beth's locker, logjamming traffic in the hallway behind them for a moment. Stuck in the U-shaped shank of Beth's combination lock was a small red envelope—the same kind of envelope in which the boys had received invitations to Laura's party a few days before.
"Oh, my gosh," whispered Melanie. "He did it!"
As Beth grabbed the red envelope and tore it open, the other four girls raced to their own lockers. Melanie exhaled, releasing breath she didn't know she had been holding, and pulled the red envelope out of her lock, staring at it as if it might bite. Her hands were shaking so badly that she had trouble tearing it open, but there it was. Her own handwritten invitation to Laura McCall's party.
You're Invited to a Party
Where: 7034 Woodstock Drive, Apt #7
When: Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Given by: Laura McCall
That was it. No bright little note in the corner saying "Hope you can come!" No happy face drawn beside Laura's name. Not the kind of invitation kids usually sent. It was almost creepy. Melanie jammed it into her pocket and got her books.
She was deep in thought and heading for her homeroom when Taffy Sinclair and Sara Sawyer came strutting up beside her. They were giggling together as if they knew a big secret.
"You'll never guess what I found when I went to my locker this morning," Taffy purred. She had a catlike grin on her face, as if she couldn't be more satisfied with herself.
"Don't tell me. Let me guess," Melanie grumbled. "A red envelope."
Taffy gasped. "How did you know?"
"Because I got one, too. In fact, it's because of me that you were even invited to Laura's party."
"I don't believe that!" Taffy huffed, and then exchanged knowing glances with Sara.
"Well, it's true. Garrett Boldt called me last night and asked if I was going to Laura's party. I said no. I told him that she hadn't invited any girls from Mark Twain, and he said he would talk to Laura because he wanted me to be there. Then," said Melanie, glaring at Taffy through narrowed eyes, "I said that I thought every girl from Mark Twain should be invited if I was. So there!"
Taffy raised her nose into the air, and Sara and she wheeled away. She couldn't have looked more surprised if I had said that school had just been canceled for the year, thought Melanie. She let a tiny giggle escape to keep a gigantic laugh from bursting out. It felt good to outdo Taffy Sinclair for a change.
For the rest of the morning whene
ver she saw any of the girls from Mark Twain, she told her story again, basking in their gratitude and enjoying the flickers of jealousy appearing on their faces at the mention of gorgeous Garrett Boldt.
Then, as she was changing classes between second and third periods, she saw Garrett. He had turned into the hall just ahead of her, and he was coming her way. Oh, my gosh! she thought as her free hand automatically brushed her hair. I wonder if I look okay.
He was walking along and staring straight ahead as if his mind were a million miles away.
"Hi, Garrett," she said shyly.
He stopped and glanced at her, but two or three seconds passed before recognition registered in his eyes. "Oh, hi," he said. "How's it going?"
"Great," said Melanie. She was surprised that he didn't seem particularly glad to see her. Maybe he gets shy around girls he likes, she reasoned. Aloud she said, "I found my invitation to Laura's party when I went to my locker before classes."
"Yeah? Well, it's going to be a great party. See you around." He gave her a casual wave and moved on down the hall. Boys! she thought, and shrugged helplessly. There was no way to understand them.
CHAPTER 8
If Melanie had thought for one moment that Laura would invite The Fabulous Five to her party and let it go at that, she found out at lunchtime that she had been very much mistaken. She pushed the door open and went into the girls' room ahead of her friends and came face-to-face with Laura McCall and the rest of The Fantastic Foursome. They were all facing the door when Melanie walked in except Melissa McConnell, who was looking in the mirror and meticulously applying lip gloss with a tiny pink brush.
"Did you find the invitations to my party?" Laura asked.
There was a haughty sound in her voice that made Melanie feel as if she had been invited to an execution. "Yes, we did. Thanks."
"Well . . . are you coming or not?"
"We haven't decided yet," piped up Katie.
Melanie dug an elbow into Katie's ribs. "What Katie means is, we haven't had time to talk about it yet or check with our parents. We'll let you know as soon as we do."
"Gosh, I hope you guys come," said Funny. She and Jana had become friends during the first week of school, and now she was grinning at each of them. "Laura's parties are always super."
"'Super' isn't even the word for it," said Tammy. "They're fantastic! Ask anybody who's ever been to one."
"That's right," said Laura. She narrowed her eyes and smirked at them. "You'll be impressed right out of your socks. Ask anybody."
"We'll probably be there," Jana said quickly, and Melanie noticed that she was speaking mostly to Funny. "But we have to check it out at home first."
After The Fantastic Foursome left, Melanie and her friends clustered near the mirrors.
"The nerve of that girl!" said Melanie as she ran a brush through her reddish-brown hair.
"She really has us where she wants us, too," said Beth. "She knows we'd rather die than miss the party. Can you imagine how she's going to show off in front of us? I could throw up already just thinking about it."
"She's such a witch," said Jana. "I don't know why the others stay friends with her."
"Obviously they think it's a big deal to be known as her friends," said Katie. "Maybe we'll understand it better after we've been to her party and seen her in action."
"Action!" scoffed Melanie. "You know what that's going to be, don't you? She's going to steal our boyfriends right in front of our eyes."
Melanie was still fuming about Laura McCall as she stomped up the hall toward her first afternoon class. Rounding a corner, she almost smacked into Scott.
"Whoa!" he said, laughing and holding up his arms in mock surrender. "Where are you going so fast?"
Melanie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to mow you down. I guess I was concentrating on something so hard that I forgot to look where I was going."
"I know," he said confidently. "You were thinking about cheerleading tryouts. Hey, I just heard the good news."
"What good news?" asked Melanie, wondering if Miss Wolfe had already made a decision on the squad without her knowing about it.
"You're invited to Laura's party. That's terrific." Then leaning closer to her, he said confidentially, "I hear that her parties are terrific. I'm really glad you're going to be there."
Giving him her biggest smile, she said, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Melanie couldn't help feeling pleased as she moved on to class. First Garrett had gotten her the invitation, and now Scott was glad she was going. Two out of three wasn't bad, she told herself. Saturday night could turn out to be one of the most exciting nights of her life.
"Hi, Melody," someone called out behind her. Whirling around, she saw Shane Arrington hurrying to catch up with her.
"It's Melanie," she said, pretending to be hurt that he had gotten her name wrong again.
Shane snapped his fingers. "That's right!" he said. "Melanie. How could I forget?"
She could tell he was teasing, and it made her tingle with excitement.
"So, I hear all the Mark Twain girls found little red envelopes on their lockers this morning."
Melanie nodded, giving him her best smile.
"I hope you're going to the party," he said earnestly.
"Hmm." Melanie pretended to stall. "I was thinking about it but . . ."
"Laura has great parties," Shane insisted.
The shrill sound of the bell brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Waving good-bye, Melanie dashed to her classroom. It would be some party Saturday night, she mused as she dropped into her seat. She just had to go.
After school Melanie met her friends at the lockers, and as usual, the talk turned to Laura's party.
"I told Randy that we got invited," Jana said. "He seemed really glad. He said he has to get home early, though, because he's in training for football. The coach wants all the players in bed by ten o'clock every night of the week."
"Terrific!" shrieked Melanie. "That narrows down the amount of time Laura has to work on our guys. I'm glad they're on the football team."
"Hey, wait a minute," said Beth. She gave each of them a horrified look. "I just thought of something. Cheerleading tryouts are Friday after school, and Laura and her friends are going out, too. What if they make it and we don't?"
"Oh, my gosh," said Melanie. "Don't even think about it. I mean, can you imagine Laura on Saturday night if that happened? We wouldn't dare go to the party."
"All I've got to say is, I hope you guys are practicing," said Christie. "Tryouts aren't that far away."
Beth and Jana and Melanie exchanged stricken looks. "Come on, you two," said Melanie. "Let's go to my house and practice."
They had just pushed back the furniture in Melanie's family room and lined up to try the hello cheer when the phone rang.
"I get it! I get it!" shrieked Jeffy, who had been peering out from behind the sofa and watching the girls get ready to practice. "Edwards residence. This is Jeffy," he said proudly. He listened for a moment and then turned to his sister. "Melanie, can you come to the phone?"
Melanie sighed. "It never fails," she said in exasperation. "Can you find out who it is?"
Her little brother nodded. "This is Jeffy again," he said importantly. "Who is this, please?" There was a pause. "Garrett Boat?"
"Jeffy!" Melanie shrieked. "Give me that phone!" Then she grimaced. What if he had heard her?
If Garrett had heard her, he didn't let on. "Hi, Mel," he said. "Is it okay if I call you Mel?"
"Sure," she said, beaming at her two friends and giving them a thumbs-up victory sign. "What's up?"
"Not much," he said. "I was just thinking about you and wanted to hear your voice."
"You did? I mean . . . well . . . great!" Melanie looked at her friends and blushed. She had never felt so flustered. Especially since he had acted so casual when he saw her in the hall. "I was thinking about you, too."
"Yeah," he went on. "I like your long blond
hair. You're awfully cute, you know."
Blond hair? Melanie's lips formed the words but no sound came out. He had said long blond hair. Her hair wasn't blond. It was reddish brown. But in that awful instant she knew who did have long blond hair and her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. It was the someone who had been sitting next to her at the soap game and had waved at Garrett at the same time as she had. Just before he asked Christie for her name and phone number. That someone was Taffy Sinclair.
"Hey, are you still there?" Garrett asked. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"I'm still here," she said quickly, before she could lose her nerve. "It's just that I have to go now. My mom is calling. She needs me for something. I'll talk to you later. Okay?"
"Right," said Garrett, and they hung up.
Melanie stared at the phone. She couldn't turn around and look at her friends. She couldn't even utter a sound. All she could think about was Taffy Sinclair.
It's true, she thought. All this time that he's been calling and talking to me, he's thought I am Taffy Sinclair.
CHAPTER 9
"What's the matter!" cried Jana.
By this time tears were streaming down Melanie's face. How could Christie have done this to her? Once it got out, she would never be able to face Garrett again. Or Taffy Sinclair. Or the entire student body of Wacko Junior High, for that matter. Between sobs, she explained to Jana and Beth what had happened.
"I think you ought to call Christie," said Beth.
"Me, too," said Jana. "Maybe she can explain it. You know she would never do anything on purpose to hurt you."
Melanie nodded. Beth was right, she thought. There was probably some simple explanation to the whole thing. But what good would that do? another part of her brain argued. Garrett still thought he had been talking to Taffy Sinclair on the phone all this time. What was worse, it was Taffy Sinclair that he WANTED to be talking to.
Picking up the phone, Melanie punched in Christie's number. "Christie?" she said when her friend answered.
