the teen taxi.
"Morning, everyone," called Mrs. Edwards. "How
are you feeling this morning, Melanie?"
"Great!" said Melanie, putting as much enthusiasm
into her response as possible. "I feel terrific."
"Well, if you ask me, she needs a good breakfast,"
Grandma Dee said sternly.
Mrs. Edwards took a sip of coffee and nodded. "Mmmm."
Then she swallowed and added, "I agree."
"But, Mom. I'm in a hurry," Melanie protested. "And
I've never felt better in my life."
Her mother sighed helplessly, looking first to Grandma Dee
and then to Melanie. "Your grandmother's right, you know. Let her fix you
something to eat, and you can ride to school with me in the teen taxi."
"Nothing's as important as your health," Grandma
Dee said triumphantly, taking two eggs and a tub of margarine out of the
refrigerator.
"Mo- om, " Melanie pleaded. "Do I have
to?"
Her mother nodded. "You seem well enough to go to
school, but I want you to have some breakfast before you go."
Melanie sighed. "I'll eat breakfast. Okay? But can't I
walk to school? There's nothing wrong with me. Honest!"
Melanie crossed her fingers behind her back. She knew that
her mom's teen taxi was a terrific service, picking up students who lived to
close to school to get the bus and too far away to walk. But ever since the
episode with Brian Olsen, who rode the teen taxi and had embarrassed her at
school with a terrific crush on her, she had avoided riding along whenever
possible.
Mrs. Edwards didn't answer, and Melanie knew her mother was
weighing the possibilities. She decided to play it smart and keep her mouth
shut for the moment. There was no use aggravating the situation.
By this time, Jeffy was coming into the kitchen in pajamas
with padded feet and a picture of Michelangelo, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, on the front. He stopped and blinked at Melanie as Grandma Dee set a
plate of scrambled eggs and a buttered English muffin in front of her.
"How come she's eating breakfast?" he asked in a
sleepy voice. "She never eats eggs on a school day."
"Melanie was sick last night, sweetheart," Grandma
Dee replied. "We don't want her to go to school with an empty tummy and
throw up again, now do we?"
Jeffy thought that over for a moment as he climbed up into
his chair. "But she didn't really throw up," he said softly.
Melanie shot him a warning look and muttered between
clenched teeth. "Shut up, would you?"
"Well, you didn't," he insisted a little louder.
Fortunately, neither her mother nor Grandma Dee had heard Jeffy, and Melanie
gobbled up her breakfast, keeping one eye on the clock over the stove. If she
hurried, she still might get to the corner ahead of Shane.
"Thanks, Grandma. That was a super breakfast,"
Melanie said as she rinsed her dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. "Now,
I've got to run. I really do have to get going a little early this morning."
Her mother had gone back upstairs without further insisting
that Melanie ride the teen taxi, so she threw her grandmother a big smile and
hurried to the hall closet, grabbing her favorite peach-and-white jacket. The
colors looked terrific with her reddish-brown hair, and she wanted to look her
best for Shane.
"Are you bundling up?" Grandma Dee called from the
kitchen. "It's cold out there this morning."
"Sure, Grandma," Melanie called back. "I'll
be warm enough. Don't worry."
The sound of slippers scuffing in the hallway made Melanie
cringe. "Let me see," said Grandma Dee as she appeared beside the
closet door. "What?" No hat? No gloves? No scarf? And that jacket. It
doesn't look very warm to me."
"It's fine," Melanie assured her. "It's
warmer than it looks."
Grandma Dee was frowning and staring into the closet. "How
about this one?" she asked, holding up Melanie's down ski jacket. It was a
bright yellow, and Melanie was sorry she had ever bought it. The color made her
face look as pale as Mr. Dracovitch's face under his Dracula wig. She certainly
didn't want to wear that jacket this
"Morning, everyone," called Mrs. Edwards. "How
are you feeling this morning, Melanie?"
"Great!" said Melanie, putting as much enthusiasm
into her response as possible. "I feel terrific."
"Well, if you ask me, she needs a good breakfast,"
Grandma Dee said sternly.
Mrs. Edwards took a sip of coffee and nodded. "Mmmm."
Then she swallowed and added, "I agree."
"But, Mom. I'm in a hurry," Melanie protested. "And
I've never felt better in my life."
Her mother sighed helplessly, looking first to Grandma Dee
and then to Melanie. "Your grandmother's right, you know. Let her fix you
something to eat, and you can ride to school with me in the teen taxi."
"Nothing's as important as your health," Grandma
Dee said triumphantly, taking two eggs and a tub of margarine out of the
refrigerator.
"Mo- om, " Melanie pleaded. "Do I have
to?"
Her mother nodded. "You seem well enough to go to
school, but I want you to have some breakfast before you go."
Melanie sighed. "I'll eat breakfast. Okay? But can't I
walk to school? There's nothing wrong with me. Honest!"
Melanie crossed her fingers behind her back. She knew that
her mom's teen taxi was a terrific service, picking up students who lived to
close to school to get the bus and too far away to walk. But ever since the
episode with Brian Olsen, who rode the teen taxi and had embarrassed her at
school with a terrific crush on her, she had avoided riding along whenever
possible.
Mrs. Edwards didn't answer, and Melanie knew her mother was
weighing the possibilities. She decided to play it smart and keep her mouth
shut for the moment. There was no use aggravating the situation.
By this time, Jeffy was coming into the kitchen in pajamas
with padded feet and a picture of Michelangelo, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles, on the front. He stopped and blinked at Melanie as Grandma Dee set a
plate of scrambled eggs and a buttered English muffin in front of her.
"How come she's eating breakfast?" he asked in a
sleepy voice. "She never eats eggs on a school day."
"Melanie was sick last night, sweetheart," Grandma
Dee replied. "We don't want her to go to school with an empty tummy and
throw up again, now do we?"
Jeffy thought that over for a moment as he climbed up into
his chair. "But she didn't really throw up," he said softly.
Melanie shot him a warning look and muttered between
clenched teeth. "Shut up, would you?"
"Well, you didn't," he insisted a little louder.
Fortunately, neither her mother nor Grandma Dee had heard Jeffy, and Melanie
gobbled up her breakfast, keeping one eye on the clock over the stove. If she
hurried, she still might get to the corner ahead of Shane.
"Thanks, Grandma. That was a super breakfast,"
Melanie said as she rinsed her dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. "Now,
I've got to run. I really do have to get going a little early this morning."
Her mother had gone back upstairs without further insisting
that Melanie ride the teen taxi, so she threw her grandmother a big smile and
hurried to the hall closet, grabbing her favorite peach-and-white jacket. The
colors looked terrific with her reddish-brown hair, and she wanted to look her
best for Shane.
"Are you bundling up?" Grandma Dee called from the
kitchen. "It's cold out there this morning."
"Sure, Grandma," Melanie called back. "I'll
be warm enough. Don't worry."
The sound of slippers scuffing in the hallway made Melanie
cringe. "Let me see," said Grandma Dee as she appeared beside the
closet door. "What?" No hat? No gloves? No scarf? And that jacket. It
doesn't look very warm to me."
"It's fine," Melanie assured her. "It's
warmer than it looks."
Grandma Dee was frowning and staring into the closet. "How
about this one?" she asked, holding up Melanie's down ski jacket. It was a
bright yellow, and Melanie was sorry she had ever bought it. The color made her
face look as pale as Mr. Dracovitch's face under his Dracula wig. She certainly
didn't want to wear that jacket this
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