later that evening. "Telephone!"
Beth leaned out of her bedroom. "Who is it?"
"How should I know?" Brittany called back from
downstairs. "Just don't tie up the line too long. I'm expecting a call."
Beth sighed. When wasn't Brittany expecting a call?
"Hello?" said Beth, picking up the phone in the
hall.
"Hi, Beth." Keith's voice sounded uncertain.
Beth's heart soared. "Hi," she said, hoping her
voice didn't give her nervousness away.
"I didn't see you at school today, so I thought I'd
call and see how you're doing," he said.
Keith sounded friendly. He must be sorry, Beth thought. He
must be calling to apologize for defending Laura at Bumpers.
"I talked to Jana this morning," he said.
Beth froze. Did Jana tell him about what they argued about?
Would she have told him how Beth felt about her body?
"I asked her how you were, and she said fine,"
Keith added.
Thank you, Jana! Beth said to herself.
"She's right. I'm fine," Beth said aloud. She kept
her voice friendly, but distant.
"How did rehearsal go today?" he asked.
Beth's heart sank when she thought of Laura and her dress,
but she put on a cheerful voice for Keith.
"Oh, just fine," she said.
"I heard that the Macbeth curse is at work again
and that a bloody head rolled across the stage," he said with a sinister
laugh.
"It wasn't a bloody head," Beth insisted. "It
was just one of the heads Chet Miller uses in his juggling act. That curse is
just a lot of superstition, anyway."
"Well, it's certainly got everybody at school talking
about it," said Keith.
Beth didn't say anything for a minute. "Laura showed us
her dress today," she said carefully. "I'm sure it'll fit her like a
glove."
"Uh-huh, I heard about it, too."
Word sure travels fast, thought Beth. "Really?"
Beth said.
"Yeah, I'm sure she'll look terrific in it."
"Well, I have homework to do," Beth said coldly. "I'd
better get at it."
"Say, what's bugging you, anyway?"
"What makes you think something's bugging me?"
There was a short laugh on Keith's end. "Are you
kidding? You've been mad most of the time since—since—I guess since you started
rehearsing that Halloween skit. Aren't you having fun, or what?"
"Of course I'm having fun!" Beth snapped.
"Then what are you so mad about all the time?" he
demanded.
Without thinking, Beth shouted into the phone, "Well,
how would you feel if there was a football player on your team who didn't know squat about the game and fumbled every time he got the ball, but everybody cheered him and flirted with him and thought he was just wonderful because he had the biggest biceps on the team?"
Beth stopped and her face grew hot. She was glad Keith
couldn't see her red cheeks. There was a long pause and Keith didn't say
anything.
"Well?" Beth said, still angry, but in a lower
tone. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
There was another long pause before Keith spoke. "I
gotta go. We're going to eat supper."
Beth snorted. "It's eight-thirty. Your family always
eats at six."
"So, my dad's late tonight," Keith answered
angrily.
Why am I acting like this? Beth thought miserably. She
wanted so badly to make up, to say that it was okay, that she wasn't mad and
didn't want him to be mad, either. But she couldn't do it, couldn't say the
words. At least not now.
"Yeah, well, I have to do my homework," she said.
"Fine."
She imagined his shrugging her off as if she didn't matter.
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye. I'm such a jerk! she thought. I
just keep messing everything up! What's wrong with me?
"Hi, Pink," Beth said when Jana's stepfather
answered the door. "Is Jana here?"
"Come in," said Pink. "I'll call her."
Beth stepped into the apartment, her heart pounding. She
knew if she and Jana made up, she'd feel a lot better.
Jana walked down the hall toward her. "Hi," she
said softly.
"Hi," Beth said. "Can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure," said Jana. "Come on to my room."
Beth followed her into the neat bedroom. Jana sat at her
desk, and Beth sat on
Beth leaned out of her bedroom. "Who is it?"
"How should I know?" Brittany called back from
downstairs. "Just don't tie up the line too long. I'm expecting a call."
Beth sighed. When wasn't Brittany expecting a call?
"Hello?" said Beth, picking up the phone in the
hall.
"Hi, Beth." Keith's voice sounded uncertain.
Beth's heart soared. "Hi," she said, hoping her
voice didn't give her nervousness away.
"I didn't see you at school today, so I thought I'd
call and see how you're doing," he said.
Keith sounded friendly. He must be sorry, Beth thought. He
must be calling to apologize for defending Laura at Bumpers.
"I talked to Jana this morning," he said.
Beth froze. Did Jana tell him about what they argued about?
Would she have told him how Beth felt about her body?
"I asked her how you were, and she said fine,"
Keith added.
Thank you, Jana! Beth said to herself.
"She's right. I'm fine," Beth said aloud. She kept
her voice friendly, but distant.
"How did rehearsal go today?" he asked.
Beth's heart sank when she thought of Laura and her dress,
but she put on a cheerful voice for Keith.
"Oh, just fine," she said.
"I heard that the Macbeth curse is at work again
and that a bloody head rolled across the stage," he said with a sinister
laugh.
"It wasn't a bloody head," Beth insisted. "It
was just one of the heads Chet Miller uses in his juggling act. That curse is
just a lot of superstition, anyway."
"Well, it's certainly got everybody at school talking
about it," said Keith.
Beth didn't say anything for a minute. "Laura showed us
her dress today," she said carefully. "I'm sure it'll fit her like a
glove."
"Uh-huh, I heard about it, too."
Word sure travels fast, thought Beth. "Really?"
Beth said.
"Yeah, I'm sure she'll look terrific in it."
"Well, I have homework to do," Beth said coldly. "I'd
better get at it."
"Say, what's bugging you, anyway?"
"What makes you think something's bugging me?"
There was a short laugh on Keith's end. "Are you
kidding? You've been mad most of the time since—since—I guess since you started
rehearsing that Halloween skit. Aren't you having fun, or what?"
"Of course I'm having fun!" Beth snapped.
"Then what are you so mad about all the time?" he
demanded.
Without thinking, Beth shouted into the phone, "Well,
how would you feel if there was a football player on your team who didn't know squat about the game and fumbled every time he got the ball, but everybody cheered him and flirted with him and thought he was just wonderful because he had the biggest biceps on the team?"
Beth stopped and her face grew hot. She was glad Keith
couldn't see her red cheeks. There was a long pause and Keith didn't say
anything.
"Well?" Beth said, still angry, but in a lower
tone. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
There was another long pause before Keith spoke. "I
gotta go. We're going to eat supper."
Beth snorted. "It's eight-thirty. Your family always
eats at six."
"So, my dad's late tonight," Keith answered
angrily.
Why am I acting like this? Beth thought miserably. She
wanted so badly to make up, to say that it was okay, that she wasn't mad and
didn't want him to be mad, either. But she couldn't do it, couldn't say the
words. At least not now.
"Yeah, well, I have to do my homework," she said.
"Fine."
She imagined his shrugging her off as if she didn't matter.
She hung up the phone without saying goodbye. I'm such a jerk! she thought. I
just keep messing everything up! What's wrong with me?
"Hi, Pink," Beth said when Jana's stepfather
answered the door. "Is Jana here?"
"Come in," said Pink. "I'll call her."
Beth stepped into the apartment, her heart pounding. She
knew if she and Jana made up, she'd feel a lot better.
Jana walked down the hall toward her. "Hi," she
said softly.
"Hi," Beth said. "Can we talk for a minute?"
"Sure," said Jana. "Come on to my room."
Beth followed her into the neat bedroom. Jana sat at her
desk, and Beth sat on
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