"Besides,
by that time I really was feeling sick. And that's not all. Both my parents
really ate it up when Jeffy told the plot of an entire long television
movie at the dinner table last night, but did they pay attention to me when I
had something to say? Of course not. My mom just yelled again about my table
manners."
"Hey, my mom yells at me all the time, too,"
teased Beth. "And to think that until now I believed she really loved me."
"I think you're wrong, too," said Katie. "Look
at how she doesn't want to work outside the home so that she can be there for
you and Jeffy. And don't forget about those scrumptious brownies that she's
always forcing us to eat when we're at your house."
"She bakes those for Jeffy," Melanie said angrily.
"Jeffy's not a member of The Fabulous Five," Jana
reminded her with a grin.
Melanie shrugged. Her friends just didn't understand. So
what if her mother baked brownies? Big deal! That didn't prove she'd really
wanted Melanie. Glancing away, Melanie promised herself that she would spend
most of the weekend spying and getting evidence that even The Fabulous Five
wouldn't be able to argue with.
Nobody said anything for a few minutes, and Melanie knew
that it was her fault. Her bad mood had affected her friends, too, but she
couldn't help it. They just didn't realize how awful it was to be unwanted.
Probably Scott didn't want her for a girlfriend anymore, either, she thought.
Maybe he was tired of her or he had found someone else. Shane was too busy
worrying about Igor to care about her now. Imagine! she scoffed silently, an
iguana's love life being more important than his own. And Garrett. Well, she
mused, after all, he is in eighth grade. How interested could he get in a
seventh-grader like me?
Melanie was still moping around when she got to her locker a
little while later. She was trying for the third time to open her stubborn
combination lock when Funny came racing up to her.
"Hi," Funny said, grinning broadly. "Where
were you yesterday? I looked all over for you at lunchtime, but everyone said
you were absent."
Melanie breathed a sigh and tried to return Funny's smile,
but she couldn't.
"Oh, I wasn't feeling very well so I went home,"
she lied.
"Well, I'm glad you're back today," said Funny. "Especially
since today is our Family Living field trip to do gravestone rubbings at the
cemetery. I've got to run. See you later."
Melanie watched Funny speed down the hall, thinking about
the field trip. She had forgotten all about it, but maybe it would be the
perfect time to talk to Funny about her idea.
Family Living students from both Mrs. Clark's and Mrs.
Blankenship's classes pushed and jammed onto two school buses for the trip to
the cemetery that afternoon. Melanie could see Funny ahead of her in the crowd,
but by the time she jostled her way onto the bus, Jana and Funny were sitting
together. Melanie squeezed into the seat behind them next to Kim Baxter.
Neither Funny nor Jana had even so much as said hello to her. Some friends, she
thought. Just because I'm in a bad mood doesn't mean that I'm poison.
Jana was by the window and Funny on the aisle, and across
the aisle from Funny was Shane. He hadn't said anything to Melanie either. When
the bus started moving, she closed her eyes, trying to fight down the misery
that was overtaking her. Suddenly she heard Shane shout above the noisy crowd.
"Hey, Funny," he called. "You and Jana wouldn't
happen to know any female iguanas, would you?"
Melanie perked up and listened in spite of herself.
"Sure. There's Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Blankenship and Miss
Dickinson and . . . let's see. Who else?" teased Funny. Beside her Jana
was laughing like crazy.
When Melanie realized that she was chuckling, too, she
looked quickly away. She didn't want anyone to make her laugh. She had a
perfect right to feel miserable.
She tried not to listen, but she heard Shane say, "Naw.
They're not Igor's type. You don't know what a problem it is to find him
by that time I really was feeling sick. And that's not all. Both my parents
really ate it up when Jeffy told the plot of an entire long television
movie at the dinner table last night, but did they pay attention to me when I
had something to say? Of course not. My mom just yelled again about my table
manners."
"Hey, my mom yells at me all the time, too,"
teased Beth. "And to think that until now I believed she really loved me."
"I think you're wrong, too," said Katie. "Look
at how she doesn't want to work outside the home so that she can be there for
you and Jeffy. And don't forget about those scrumptious brownies that she's
always forcing us to eat when we're at your house."
"She bakes those for Jeffy," Melanie said angrily.
"Jeffy's not a member of The Fabulous Five," Jana
reminded her with a grin.
Melanie shrugged. Her friends just didn't understand. So
what if her mother baked brownies? Big deal! That didn't prove she'd really
wanted Melanie. Glancing away, Melanie promised herself that she would spend
most of the weekend spying and getting evidence that even The Fabulous Five
wouldn't be able to argue with.
Nobody said anything for a few minutes, and Melanie knew
that it was her fault. Her bad mood had affected her friends, too, but she
couldn't help it. They just didn't realize how awful it was to be unwanted.
Probably Scott didn't want her for a girlfriend anymore, either, she thought.
Maybe he was tired of her or he had found someone else. Shane was too busy
worrying about Igor to care about her now. Imagine! she scoffed silently, an
iguana's love life being more important than his own. And Garrett. Well, she
mused, after all, he is in eighth grade. How interested could he get in a
seventh-grader like me?
Melanie was still moping around when she got to her locker a
little while later. She was trying for the third time to open her stubborn
combination lock when Funny came racing up to her.
"Hi," Funny said, grinning broadly. "Where
were you yesterday? I looked all over for you at lunchtime, but everyone said
you were absent."
Melanie breathed a sigh and tried to return Funny's smile,
but she couldn't.
"Oh, I wasn't feeling very well so I went home,"
she lied.
"Well, I'm glad you're back today," said Funny. "Especially
since today is our Family Living field trip to do gravestone rubbings at the
cemetery. I've got to run. See you later."
Melanie watched Funny speed down the hall, thinking about
the field trip. She had forgotten all about it, but maybe it would be the
perfect time to talk to Funny about her idea.
Family Living students from both Mrs. Clark's and Mrs.
Blankenship's classes pushed and jammed onto two school buses for the trip to
the cemetery that afternoon. Melanie could see Funny ahead of her in the crowd,
but by the time she jostled her way onto the bus, Jana and Funny were sitting
together. Melanie squeezed into the seat behind them next to Kim Baxter.
Neither Funny nor Jana had even so much as said hello to her. Some friends, she
thought. Just because I'm in a bad mood doesn't mean that I'm poison.
Jana was by the window and Funny on the aisle, and across
the aisle from Funny was Shane. He hadn't said anything to Melanie either. When
the bus started moving, she closed her eyes, trying to fight down the misery
that was overtaking her. Suddenly she heard Shane shout above the noisy crowd.
"Hey, Funny," he called. "You and Jana wouldn't
happen to know any female iguanas, would you?"
Melanie perked up and listened in spite of herself.
"Sure. There's Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Blankenship and Miss
Dickinson and . . . let's see. Who else?" teased Funny. Beside her Jana
was laughing like crazy.
When Melanie realized that she was chuckling, too, she
looked quickly away. She didn't want anyone to make her laugh. She had a
perfect right to feel miserable.
She tried not to listen, but she heard Shane say, "Naw.
They're not Igor's type. You don't know what a problem it is to find him
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