and took it back. "That's okay, if
you're afraid to take a chance." He flipped the coin and caught it.
"Heads!" shouted Max.
Shane looked at him as if he were surprised at the call. Then
he slapped the quarter down in his opposite hand and held his two hands palms
together and looked at Max. Slowly, he raised the top hand to reveal a quarter
tails-side up.
"Darn!" said Max, reaching into his pocket and
taking out some change, which he tossed into the box before stomping off.
"That makes one hundred twenty-three dollars and eleven
cents," said Shane, tossing the money he had been holding into the box,
too.
Melanie stared at him, and he smiled. She could have sworn
that she saw him throw in two quarters, but it had looked as if he just had one
when he was flipping with Max.
"McNatt's really a sweet guy, when you get to know him,"
said Chet. He smiled and left.
"Max makes Ebenezer Scrooge seem nice," said Jana.
"His sister Geena's in my Social Studies class, and she's always
disrupting class and picking on people."
"Let's forget about them," said Christie. "Now
that we're getting some money, doesn't anyone know anyone who wants a
cat or dog?"
"What about Mrs. Miller?" asked Jana. "Did
she ever find her dog, Duchess?"
"No," said Melanie. "Hey! That's an idea. If
Duchess doesn't come back, maybe we can give her one."
"I don't know," said Jon, shaking his head. "Maybe
she's too sad to want another dog right now."
Melanie looked at him. He might be right. "I'll ask Mom
about it. She talks to Mrs. Miller a lot. Maybe she can find out."
A glimmer of an idea was starting to grow in Melanie's mind.
Maybe this was just the opening she needed to get Rainbow, she thought as she
headed for her afternoon classes. If she could convince her parents to go with
her to the shelter to pick a new pet for Mrs. Miller, it would be the perfect
opportunity to introduce them to Rainbow. It just might work, if she played it
right. Maybe she would get a pet for Christmas after all.
CHAPTER 9
"Are you going to Bumpers today?" Melanie asked
Katie as they were getting their books out of their lockers after school.
Katie shook her head. "I wish I could, but my sneakers
are shot. Mom gave me some money this morning, and I'm going to the mall to get
some new ones."
"The mall!" shrieked Melanie, slapping her
forehead with the back of her hand. "Why didn't I think of that? Come on.
Help me catch everybody before they leave the building."
"What are you talking about?" asked Katie. "All
I said was that I was going to get new sneakers."
Melanie slammed her locker and gave Katie an exasperated look.
"Don't you get it? The mall. All those shoppers with money. I'll
bet lots of them would donate to save the animals if they had the chance."
Katie's eyes shot open as if she'd just been struck by
lightning. "You're right. And we're going to give them a chance."
The two girls darted through the crowded hallway flagging
down each of their friends before they left their lockers until they had the
entire Fabulous Five together and had told them the new plan.
"I think it's terrific," said Beth. "Should
we get the boys, too? I know they would help."
"There isn't time," said Jana. "I have to be
home in an hour and a half."
"Besides," said Christie proudly, "this is
something just for The Fabulous Five to do together."
The girls were out of breath by the time they had jogged the
seven blocks to the huge downtown mall, and they exchanged smiles of victory at
the bumper-to-bumper stream of cars heading into the parking garage.
"Genius, pure genius!" said Beth, patting Melanie
on the back.
The interior of the mall was even more crowded than the
parking garage, and the girls had to link arms to stay together in the surging
crowd as they went past the picture-taking booth where Santa Claus sat, then
got on the escalator up to the second level.
"How are we going to get noticed?" asked Jana.
"I brought the poster from our cafeteria table,"
said Christie,
you're afraid to take a chance." He flipped the coin and caught it.
"Heads!" shouted Max.
Shane looked at him as if he were surprised at the call. Then
he slapped the quarter down in his opposite hand and held his two hands palms
together and looked at Max. Slowly, he raised the top hand to reveal a quarter
tails-side up.
"Darn!" said Max, reaching into his pocket and
taking out some change, which he tossed into the box before stomping off.
"That makes one hundred twenty-three dollars and eleven
cents," said Shane, tossing the money he had been holding into the box,
too.
Melanie stared at him, and he smiled. She could have sworn
that she saw him throw in two quarters, but it had looked as if he just had one
when he was flipping with Max.
"McNatt's really a sweet guy, when you get to know him,"
said Chet. He smiled and left.
"Max makes Ebenezer Scrooge seem nice," said Jana.
"His sister Geena's in my Social Studies class, and she's always
disrupting class and picking on people."
"Let's forget about them," said Christie. "Now
that we're getting some money, doesn't anyone know anyone who wants a
cat or dog?"
"What about Mrs. Miller?" asked Jana. "Did
she ever find her dog, Duchess?"
"No," said Melanie. "Hey! That's an idea. If
Duchess doesn't come back, maybe we can give her one."
"I don't know," said Jon, shaking his head. "Maybe
she's too sad to want another dog right now."
Melanie looked at him. He might be right. "I'll ask Mom
about it. She talks to Mrs. Miller a lot. Maybe she can find out."
A glimmer of an idea was starting to grow in Melanie's mind.
Maybe this was just the opening she needed to get Rainbow, she thought as she
headed for her afternoon classes. If she could convince her parents to go with
her to the shelter to pick a new pet for Mrs. Miller, it would be the perfect
opportunity to introduce them to Rainbow. It just might work, if she played it
right. Maybe she would get a pet for Christmas after all.
CHAPTER 9
"Are you going to Bumpers today?" Melanie asked
Katie as they were getting their books out of their lockers after school.
Katie shook her head. "I wish I could, but my sneakers
are shot. Mom gave me some money this morning, and I'm going to the mall to get
some new ones."
"The mall!" shrieked Melanie, slapping her
forehead with the back of her hand. "Why didn't I think of that? Come on.
Help me catch everybody before they leave the building."
"What are you talking about?" asked Katie. "All
I said was that I was going to get new sneakers."
Melanie slammed her locker and gave Katie an exasperated look.
"Don't you get it? The mall. All those shoppers with money. I'll
bet lots of them would donate to save the animals if they had the chance."
Katie's eyes shot open as if she'd just been struck by
lightning. "You're right. And we're going to give them a chance."
The two girls darted through the crowded hallway flagging
down each of their friends before they left their lockers until they had the
entire Fabulous Five together and had told them the new plan.
"I think it's terrific," said Beth. "Should
we get the boys, too? I know they would help."
"There isn't time," said Jana. "I have to be
home in an hour and a half."
"Besides," said Christie proudly, "this is
something just for The Fabulous Five to do together."
The girls were out of breath by the time they had jogged the
seven blocks to the huge downtown mall, and they exchanged smiles of victory at
the bumper-to-bumper stream of cars heading into the parking garage.
"Genius, pure genius!" said Beth, patting Melanie
on the back.
The interior of the mall was even more crowded than the
parking garage, and the girls had to link arms to stay together in the surging
crowd as they went past the picture-taking booth where Santa Claus sat, then
got on the escalator up to the second level.
"How are we going to get noticed?" asked Jana.
"I brought the poster from our cafeteria table,"
said Christie,
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