Hawthorne was just behind them,
looking thoroughly miserable. Jana faced them by herself, her books and bunny
in one arm and Rex clutched in the other. None of her friends were in sight,
and she felt vulnerable.
"You're not going to get away with stealing Riverfield
boys, Jana Morgan. It was a sneaky trick to get Taffy to be partners with Randy
Kirwan while you lured Shane into being your partner. Who are you going after
next?"
"I didn't ask Shane to be partners. He asked me,"
Jana said angrily, glaring back at Laura. She wasn't stealing Riverfield boys.
All she wanted was to keep Randy, who had been her boyfriend in Mark Twain
Elementary.
"Do you deny that you asked Taffy to be Randy's partner
so he couldn't be mine?"
Jana hadn't, but she couldn't say so without its sounding
like a lie. Taffy had brought up the subject of being Randy's partner, not
Jana, but Jana had agreed to it. And how did Laura know Jana had agreed to
Taffy's asking Randy, anyway?
"I don't need to steal boys from anyone," Jana
shot back, avoiding Laura's question. "They go out with whomever they want
to. If they don't ask you to be partners, you're the one with a problem."
"Right!" said Katie, sticking out her chin.
She had appeared from nowhere and stepped between Jana and Laura. Christie and
Melanie moved in beside her, too.
"Listen, Katie Shannon," said Melissa. "The
only boyfriend you can get is in trouble all the time." Melissa was
referring to Tony Calcaterra, and Jana thought Katie's red hair was going to
burst into flame. Then she noticed that Funny looked as if she were going to
cry and remembered what she had said about Jana's being the only one able to
stop the war between the two cliques. But Laura had started the argument. She
had gotten in front of Jana and stopped her. Funny's eyes were pleading with
her.
"Well, you can think what you want, Laura McCall,"
said Jana, backing off. "But I am not out to steal Riverfield boys. And
you can shout all you want, but we don't have to listen. Come on, everybody,"
she ordered Katie, Melanie, Beth, and Christie, "let's find better
company." She saw a look of relief on Funny's face as they turned away and
left The Fantastic Foursome standing in the hall by themselves.
"The nerve of that witch," said Beth. "If we
wanted to, stealing boyfriends from them would be like stealing candy from a
baby."
"She's just mad because she couldn't get Randy to be
her partner," said Katie. "I guess you were right about Taffy. If it
weren't for her, Laura might be Randy's partner right now."
"But what I can't understand," said Jana
thoughtfully, "is how Laura knew that Taffy asked Randy to be
partners so that Laura couldn't ask him."
"Maybe someone overheard you and Taffy talking and told
her," said Melanie. "It could have been some Riverfield kid. What
about Funny? Did you say anything about your deal with Taffy to her?"
"No. I didn't tell anyone except you guys."
"Maybe Taffy told someone," said Christie.
"Why would she do that?" asked Jana.
The Fabulous Five stared blankly at each other.
"Oh, Jana, there you are. I've been looking all over
for you." Taffy seemed out of breath and was hugging her big white stuffed
bear with both arms. "I want you to know how much I appreciate your
sitting with Randy's and my baby last night. That was super of you. If I
can do it for you sometime, let me know. That is, if I don't have an
appointment."
"You're welcome, Taffy. Your dropping it off and
picking it up made it easy."
"Oh, good. Uh, Jana. I was wondering . . . since it was
so easy and all . . . if you'd mind sitting again for me? I hate to ask you,
but I've got a tryout for this big modeling job, and it means a lot to
me. Would you mind too much?" Her voice was like syrup being poured over
pancakes.
Jana hesitated. It hadn't been so hard sitting the extra
make-believe baby. After all, Taffy and her mother had delivered it to her
apartment and picked it up later. All Jana had to do was carry it to her room
looking thoroughly miserable. Jana faced them by herself, her books and bunny
in one arm and Rex clutched in the other. None of her friends were in sight,
and she felt vulnerable.
"You're not going to get away with stealing Riverfield
boys, Jana Morgan. It was a sneaky trick to get Taffy to be partners with Randy
Kirwan while you lured Shane into being your partner. Who are you going after
next?"
"I didn't ask Shane to be partners. He asked me,"
Jana said angrily, glaring back at Laura. She wasn't stealing Riverfield boys.
All she wanted was to keep Randy, who had been her boyfriend in Mark Twain
Elementary.
"Do you deny that you asked Taffy to be Randy's partner
so he couldn't be mine?"
Jana hadn't, but she couldn't say so without its sounding
like a lie. Taffy had brought up the subject of being Randy's partner, not
Jana, but Jana had agreed to it. And how did Laura know Jana had agreed to
Taffy's asking Randy, anyway?
"I don't need to steal boys from anyone," Jana
shot back, avoiding Laura's question. "They go out with whomever they want
to. If they don't ask you to be partners, you're the one with a problem."
"Right!" said Katie, sticking out her chin.
She had appeared from nowhere and stepped between Jana and Laura. Christie and
Melanie moved in beside her, too.
"Listen, Katie Shannon," said Melissa. "The
only boyfriend you can get is in trouble all the time." Melissa was
referring to Tony Calcaterra, and Jana thought Katie's red hair was going to
burst into flame. Then she noticed that Funny looked as if she were going to
cry and remembered what she had said about Jana's being the only one able to
stop the war between the two cliques. But Laura had started the argument. She
had gotten in front of Jana and stopped her. Funny's eyes were pleading with
her.
"Well, you can think what you want, Laura McCall,"
said Jana, backing off. "But I am not out to steal Riverfield boys. And
you can shout all you want, but we don't have to listen. Come on, everybody,"
she ordered Katie, Melanie, Beth, and Christie, "let's find better
company." She saw a look of relief on Funny's face as they turned away and
left The Fantastic Foursome standing in the hall by themselves.
"The nerve of that witch," said Beth. "If we
wanted to, stealing boyfriends from them would be like stealing candy from a
baby."
"She's just mad because she couldn't get Randy to be
her partner," said Katie. "I guess you were right about Taffy. If it
weren't for her, Laura might be Randy's partner right now."
"But what I can't understand," said Jana
thoughtfully, "is how Laura knew that Taffy asked Randy to be
partners so that Laura couldn't ask him."
"Maybe someone overheard you and Taffy talking and told
her," said Melanie. "It could have been some Riverfield kid. What
about Funny? Did you say anything about your deal with Taffy to her?"
"No. I didn't tell anyone except you guys."
"Maybe Taffy told someone," said Christie.
"Why would she do that?" asked Jana.
The Fabulous Five stared blankly at each other.
"Oh, Jana, there you are. I've been looking all over
for you." Taffy seemed out of breath and was hugging her big white stuffed
bear with both arms. "I want you to know how much I appreciate your
sitting with Randy's and my baby last night. That was super of you. If I
can do it for you sometime, let me know. That is, if I don't have an
appointment."
"You're welcome, Taffy. Your dropping it off and
picking it up made it easy."
"Oh, good. Uh, Jana. I was wondering . . . since it was
so easy and all . . . if you'd mind sitting again for me? I hate to ask you,
but I've got a tryout for this big modeling job, and it means a lot to
me. Would you mind too much?" Her voice was like syrup being poured over
pancakes.
Jana hesitated. It hadn't been so hard sitting the extra
make-believe baby. After all, Taffy and her mother had delivered it to her
apartment and picked it up later. All Jana had to do was carry it to her room
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