by Betsy Haynes
The rest of the party was terrific, including the food, which was a ten-foot-long submarine sandwich cut in sections and served with chips and brownies. Garrett shot pictures all over the place, getting several of Melanie. Everyone talked and danced and had a good time, except for Laura and Taffy, who spent the evening making a big deal of ignoring each other. And by time to go home, almost everyone had gotten up the nerve to pet Igor at least once.
"It was a great party, wasn't it?" Melanie asked Scott as Mr. Daly drove them home.
"Yeah," said Scott. "It sure was."
And then, when he walked her to the door, he pulled her behind an evergreen bush and kissed her.
Melanie stood watching Scott drive away. She felt so dreamy she could barely stand it. Just think, she told herself, Scott really likes me, and I came so close to messing up a good thing.
She said good-night to her parents and went to her room. Still, she thought as she got ready for bed and Shane's and Garrett's faces reappeared in her mind. Scott and I aren't going steady, and Shane and Garrett are awfully cute. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to keep on flirting with them once in a while.
She sighed, knowing what Katie would say. She'll say I'm boy crazy, thought Melanie. Then she hugged herself and smiled.
So, let her. Being a little bit boy crazy is fun!
CHAPTER 17
On Monday morning Christie got up before anyone else in her family and tiptoed outside to get the morning newspaper. She couldn't wait until breakfast to read her horoscope. Not that she believed in such things, of course, but her horoscope for Saturday had said that a mysterious stranger would enter her life. That had to have meant Jon Smith. She had thought he was cute ever since school started, but Saturday night at Laura's party she had caught him looking at her from across the room three times.
She sighed and smiled to herself as she leafed through the paper looking for the horoscope page. So what if most kids say he's boring? He's just quiet, she thought, that's all. I'm quiet, myself. And so what if his parents are big deals on the local television station? Celebrities, actually. It's wrong the way some kids butter him up just to get to meet his parents.
In a way, she knew how he felt. Sometimes kids tried to take advantage of the fact that Mr. Bell, the principal of Wakeman Junior High, was a friend of her parents. So what? she thought. That had nothing to do with Saturday night and Jon Smith's looking at her three whole times!
Finally she found the horoscope and looked down the list of signs until she found her own:
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Your best qualities push you into the limelight. Special meeting will bring either conflict or romance. You could find yourself under pressure. Beware!
Christie read over the message at least a dozen times. The parts about conflict and pressure made her shiver, but what was the meaning of the special meeting that could bring romance? Did that mean that she would actually come face-to-face with Jon? And why would she have to "beware"? Find out in The Fabulous Five #3: The Popularity Trap.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Betsy Haynes, the daughter of a former newswoman, began scribbling poetry and short stories as soon as she learned to write. A serious writing career, however, had to wait until after her marriage and the arrival of her two children. But that early practice must have paid off, for within three months Mrs. Haynes had sold her first story. In addition to a number of magazine short stories and the Taffy Sinclair series, Mrs. Haynes is also the author of The Great Mom Swap, and its sequel The Great Boyfriend Trap. She lives in Colleyville, Texas, with her children and husband, who is the author of a young adult novel.
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
