by Betsy Haynes
It was when that thought hit me that I made my big decision. It was time to quit moping around and do something about my situation. The first thing was to quit going around with Taffy Sinclair. In fact, I stuck my nose in the air every time she looked at me. She didn't even act surprised, and she started eating lunch with Mona Vaughn. I didn't care. I had something else to do, and it was something I should have done a long time ago.
My biggest problem was Mom. When Halloween night rolled around, all she could talk about was my costume. She was so excited about it that I didn't dare tell her how I felt about making the wrong impression. Anyway, I had to admit she had done a super job on the costume. It looked just like the pictures on boxes of frozen food. Right after supper she helped me get the costume on, and then she double-checked each leaf to make sure none of them was loose.
"I'll bet you're going to win first prize for the best costume," she said as she pinned a cluster of felt leaves into my hair. "I'll be so proud of you."
The closer it got to the time to leave for the party, the more nervous I got. I checked my goody bag three times to make sure I had everything stashed inside that I would need. Finally it was time to go. Mom always walked me to school events when they were at night, and we put on our coats and left the apartment together.
"Try not to spill anything on your costume, honey. I didn't have time to take your picture tonight so I want to do it in the morning," she said as we got to school. "I'll be waiting right here at nine o'clock when the party's over. Have fun."
"Sure, Mom. See you at nine." As I headed for the gym, I was thinking how easily I could guarantee that I'd keep my costume clean. Several other kids were arriving at the same time and waving goodbye to their parents as they went inside.
I forgot about my big decision for a minute when I stepped inside the gym. It looked prettier than I had ever seen it. The whole class had stayed inside during afternoon recess to string crepe paper streamers, and at night the electric lights made it look spooky, with shadows on the walls and in the corners. In the center of the refreshment table sat a jack-o'-lantern with a flame flickering away, lighting up bowls of potato chips, paper cups of cider, and plates of square pieces of chocolate cake.
"Come on, little spooks and goblins. Take off your coats and have something to eat." It was Wiggins, and she was sweeping into the room on a broomstick. She wasn't actually flying, but from the way she was sliding along and holding out her long black skirt, it looked as if she were. She had on a tall, pointy hat and big gold earrings. She made a really super witch.
Just about everybody headed for the food except me. I sort of hung around the edge of the bleachers in the shadows. I looked at all the costumes as they came in, and I knew Mom had been right about me winning the prize. There were a lot of ghosts, wearing sheets, and bums in their fathers' old clothes. There were two gypsies and a robot wrapped in aluminum foil.
Pretty soon Taffy Sinclair came in. I gulped hard. It was plain to see that her costume would be my only competition. She was the tooth fairy, just as she had said that she would be. She was wearing a white leotard and tutu like ballerinas wear. Every point of her cardboard crown was in the shape of a tooth and was covered in gold sparkles. She was carrying a wand with a sparkly gold tooth on it, too. I had to admit that she looked more beautiful than ever.
My heart sank. What was I going to do? I couldn't let a snotty person like Taffy Sinclair win the contest without a fight. I looked down at my Jolly Green Giant costume. Mom had worked so hard on it, and she would be so proud of me if I won the prize.
Then I saw three boys come in. They all had on rubber masks that made them look like horrible monsters. They wore ragged clothes, and one of them was limping and leaning on a stick. The ugliest one of all had a big lump on his back that was probably a pillow inside his shirt, and it made him look like a hunchback. They were sneaking up behind kids and making monster noises, and they looked so awful that I couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey, Jana. What are you doing over here all by yourself?" I looked around to see a funny little man in a black suit standing beside me. I knew from the painted-on black mustache and the way he was tipping his hat that he was supposed to be Charlie Chaplin, but I also knew right away that he was Curtis Trowbridge. I had to admit his costume was pretty good.
"Oh, hi, Curtis," I said. "I just felt like standing here and watching everybody for a while."
"You'd better not stand here too long. The food is almost gone already. Hey, take off your coat so I can see your costume. What are you, anyway? Kermit the Frog?"
I looked down and had to laugh. I hadn't realized that all you could see of my costume were my green tights sticking out below my coat.
"No," I said. "You'd never guess it in a million years."
"Well, you'd better hurry up." Curtis was off again, shuffling around the room taking little bitty steps like Charlie Chaplin and tipping his hat to everybody.
"AAARGH!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Something was right behind me. It was the hunchback, and he was making horrible monster noises and acting as if he were going to capture me. He hung around for ages, circling me. He was probably hoping I'd scream or faint or something. Finally he saw that I wasn't going to and he lumbered off to attack somebody else.
Suddenly I wanted to take off my coat and run up to the refreshment table so everybody could see how great I looked. I knew I had the best costume in the whole sixth grade. I was just starting to unbutton the top button of my coat when my former friends came in and my heart went crashing to the floor. They were all dressed like scarecrows with their faces painted funny and pieces of straw sticking out all over. I thought that the straw must be pretty itchy, but they didn't seem to notice. It was plain to see that they were having too much fun together to care.
They were tearing all over the place, but they never once looked at me. Why should they? They thought I was a terrible person. They thought I was like Taffy Sinclair. Even though I tried not to, I couldn't help thinking about all my friends' good points and my good points, too. That cinched it. There was only one thing to do.
I grabbed my goody bag and headed toward the door, but the hunchback was after me again. Oh, no, I thought. This is all I need. I tried to ignore him, but he followed me around, beating on his chest like King Kong. He was a pretty good monster. Anyway, when I didn't pay any attention to him, he finally went away and I was able to sneak out of the gym.
I was glad the girls' bathroom was empty. I stripped off my Jolly Green Giant suit and put on the stuff I wanted to wear in just about half a second. Then I put my coat back on and headed for the gym. When I got there, Wiggins was lining everybody up for the grand march.
"Okay, all you spooks and goblins. Line up in single file behind me. We are going to march around the gym one time so we can see one another's costumes. When we stop, I'll stand behind each of you one at a time, and we'll vote by applause for the best costumes."
Kids were scrambling all over the place to get in line. Of course Taffy Sinclair stood right behind Wiggins, and I could see four scarecrows standing together about halfway down the line. I knew it was now or never. If I was going to let my friends see me for what I really was, I would have to take off my coat and get in that line. My hands were shaking like crazy when I unbuttoned it and took it off. I stood there for a minute looking down at my jeans and blue T-shirt—my T-shirt that said The Fabulous Five. Then I went charging up to that line as fast as I could.
I stomped around that gym without looking at anybody, but I knew everybody had seen me. They probably all thought I'd lost my mind. Maybe they were right. What if it didn't work? What if my four friends laughed at me in front of the whole sixth grade? I'd be so embarrassed I'd die.
"All right, everybody. Make a circle," Wiggins said in a screechy voice. "It's time for the judging to begin."
When I turned around, I was right across the circle from my friends, and I could tell they were staring straight at me. I coul
d feel my ears getting hot, and I looked down at the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Wiggins hopping around and holding a handkerchief over each kid's head until the applause died down.
Then she got to me, and the gym got as quiet as a tomb. I wanted to die. At the very least I wanted to faint so I would be unconscious, but I couldn't. All of a sudden somebody started to applaud. I looked up, and I couldn't believe my eyes. My four friends were clapping like crazy and grinning at me. They were the only ones applauding, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that they had finally seen that I was their friend.
"First prize goes to Taffy Sinclair for her tooth fairy costume," Wiggins announced a few minutes later. Taffy looked at me with poison dart eyes, and I stuck my tongue out at her. Let her win, I thought. Who cares? Then I nearly burst out laughing because Beth was grinning at me and imitating the prissy way Taffy was walking up to get her prize.
"Second prize goes to Curtis Trowbridge for dressing as Charlie Chaplin."
After we finished applauding, we all headed back for the refreshment table where Wiggins had put out wrapped candy for us to stuff in our goody bags. My friends and I didn't go to the refreshment table. We just sort of stood there looking at each other and feeling really self-conscious. Then Beth ran up and gave me a big hug.
"Oh, Jana. I'm so glad we're friends again."
"Me, too," I said, hugging her back.
Then Melanie and Christie and Katie were crowding around me, too, and everybody was talking at once.
"How could you stand to be friends with Taffy Sinclair?" asked Melanie, holding her nose.
"The way she flirts all the time drives me crazy," said Christie.
"Don't worry about that," I said. "All flirting does is attract attention."
Just then I realized there was one person I hadn't seen at the party. "Is Randy Kirwan here?" I asked looking around.
"Sure," said Christie. "He's the hunchback. He came with Mark and Scott."
I had to laugh. I remembered how I had thought he might come as Romeo and I'd be Juliet.
"You know, Jana, you really are boy crazy," said Katie. She had an awfully serious look on her face, and my heart skipped a beat. "But that doesn't matter. We all like you anyway."
All my friends started nodding their heads and laughing like crazy again, and I couldn't help laughing, too.
On the way home from the party I explained to Mom about my Jolly Green Giant costume, and she understood. She said I could wear it next year if I wanted to and even offered to make one just like it for each of my friends.
When we got home, I said good night and went straight to my room. I took down the picture of Miss Piggy and looked at Randy Kirwan for a long time. I had been so sure he liked me. He had smiled at me and talked to me on the school ground and sat down at my table in the lunchroom. I sighed. Randy was a genuinely nice person, that was all. And that was probably why I liked him so much.
My friends were right, though, I thought. I was boy crazy. Of course I liked Randy best, but I liked other cute boys, too. In fact, I even liked Curtis Trowbridge a little bit. He was still a nerd, but he had been my friend all along.
Taffy Sinclair could have her body language, I thought. I didn't need it anymore. I had a new plan. After all, hadn't Randy followed me around the gym making monster noises during practically the entire Halloween party? He was probably starting to be just a little bit crazy about me now that he could see me for what I really was. I gave him a big wink. "I'll get you yet," I said and snuggled into bed.
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 books, Mrs. Haynes is the author of The Great Mom Swap and its sequel The Great Boyfriend Trap. She lives in Colleyville, Texas, with her children and husband, a businessman who is also an amateur painter and professional cartoonist.
