couldn't be more than one Chantal DuBois in town."
"Good idea!" someone from the crowd shouted. "That's
a weird name!"
"Oh, but she doesn't live here." Laura was
thinking fast. "She lives in some little town a few miles from here."
"Which one?" Alexis demanded.
Laura shrugged. "I have no idea." She smiled. "Sorry."
Alexis glared at Laura. Then she glanced helplessly around. "Don't
you all think it's pretty convenient that everything I suggest won't work?"
she asked, loudly enough for everyone in the crowd to hear. "There doesn't
seem to be any way that Laura can possibly prove her maid story."
"Except if you come to my apartment tomorrow morning,"
Laura said with a small, triumphant smile.
Once again she glanced around to see if anyone would take
her up on her offer. There were still no takers. She breathed a silent sigh of
relief.
Alexis took a step backward, then whirled around and marched
away down the hall. A large group of kids followed her, among them The Fabulous
Five, Laura noticed. She watched them go. She was pretty sure she had won the
battle.
Then she looked at the few kids still hanging around. Thank
goodness Shane was gone—and she didn't think he had followed Alexis. Some kids
were starting to leave now, but others were glancing sideways at her. They
still didn't believe her!
Maybe she hadn't won the battle after all.
Laura turned to Tammy, Funny, and Melissa. "I guess I
settled that," she declared, watching her friends' faces carefully.
Tammy stared at Laura as if she were searching for the truth
in Laura's face. Funny and Melissa looked at the floor.
"What's the matter with you guys?" Laura demanded.
Funny finally looked up at Laura. "Laura," she
said evenly, " we haven't even seen your maid—and we're your best
friends."
"So you have to see my maid before you believe me?"
Laura huffed. "Some friends!"
Tammy gasped. "But we are your friends!"
"Real friends stand by each other," Laura said. "They
don't doubt each other's honesty."
"I don't doubt you," Tammy insisted. "Can't
you believe that?"
Laura turned away.
"What can I do to prove I'm your friend?" Tammy asked.
Laura thought she could detect desperation in Tammy's voice.
She was glad that someone felt desperate about being her friend.
"We're your friends, too," Funny said softly. "But
it would be fun to see Chantal sometime."
"Because you really want to meet her?" asked
Laura, "or so that you can know I'm not lying?"
There was a long pause.
"I'd like to meet her," Funny said, staring Laura
right in the eyes.
"Did you notice that The Fabulous Five left with
Alexis?" asked Laura abruptly, changing the subject.
"Yeah," the girls mumbled.
"They're on Alexis's side, you know," Laura
warned. ""That could mean big trouble for The Fantastic Foursome if
they talk the rest of the kids into siding with her. Our group could be
history."
"That's true," agreed Melissa.
"We've got to stick together," Tammy added. "Through
thick and thin."
"We will stick together," said Laura, "if
you help me and stick up for me."
"Don't worry," Tammy assured her. "We won't
let you down again."
"Can I depend on you two?" Laura asked Funny and
Melissa.
"You can depend on me," Melissa answered.
"How about you, Funny?"
Funny nodded, not looking at Laura. "I'm with you,"
she said softly.
Laura felt a little better, but not a lot. Somehow she wasn't
completely convinced.
CHAPTER 9
" G one With the Wind is my all-time
favorite movie," said Tammy, plopping onto the floor in front of the
television set. "Don't you think Vivien Leigh is gorgeous ? "
Laura set a huge bowl of popcorn down in front of Funny and
Melissa. "I like Clark Gable, myself."
"Well, I wish you'd gotten Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure , " said Funny. "It's the most hilarious movie I've
ever seen."
"Can't you ever be serious?" Melissa grumbled.
Funny gave her a pained look.
"All the copies were checked out, anyway," said
Laura before Funny could fire back an angry response. She had
"Good idea!" someone from the crowd shouted. "That's
a weird name!"
"Oh, but she doesn't live here." Laura was
thinking fast. "She lives in some little town a few miles from here."
"Which one?" Alexis demanded.
Laura shrugged. "I have no idea." She smiled. "Sorry."
Alexis glared at Laura. Then she glanced helplessly around. "Don't
you all think it's pretty convenient that everything I suggest won't work?"
she asked, loudly enough for everyone in the crowd to hear. "There doesn't
seem to be any way that Laura can possibly prove her maid story."
"Except if you come to my apartment tomorrow morning,"
Laura said with a small, triumphant smile.
Once again she glanced around to see if anyone would take
her up on her offer. There were still no takers. She breathed a silent sigh of
relief.
Alexis took a step backward, then whirled around and marched
away down the hall. A large group of kids followed her, among them The Fabulous
Five, Laura noticed. She watched them go. She was pretty sure she had won the
battle.
Then she looked at the few kids still hanging around. Thank
goodness Shane was gone—and she didn't think he had followed Alexis. Some kids
were starting to leave now, but others were glancing sideways at her. They
still didn't believe her!
Maybe she hadn't won the battle after all.
Laura turned to Tammy, Funny, and Melissa. "I guess I
settled that," she declared, watching her friends' faces carefully.
Tammy stared at Laura as if she were searching for the truth
in Laura's face. Funny and Melissa looked at the floor.
"What's the matter with you guys?" Laura demanded.
Funny finally looked up at Laura. "Laura," she
said evenly, " we haven't even seen your maid—and we're your best
friends."
"So you have to see my maid before you believe me?"
Laura huffed. "Some friends!"
Tammy gasped. "But we are your friends!"
"Real friends stand by each other," Laura said. "They
don't doubt each other's honesty."
"I don't doubt you," Tammy insisted. "Can't
you believe that?"
Laura turned away.
"What can I do to prove I'm your friend?" Tammy asked.
Laura thought she could detect desperation in Tammy's voice.
She was glad that someone felt desperate about being her friend.
"We're your friends, too," Funny said softly. "But
it would be fun to see Chantal sometime."
"Because you really want to meet her?" asked
Laura, "or so that you can know I'm not lying?"
There was a long pause.
"I'd like to meet her," Funny said, staring Laura
right in the eyes.
"Did you notice that The Fabulous Five left with
Alexis?" asked Laura abruptly, changing the subject.
"Yeah," the girls mumbled.
"They're on Alexis's side, you know," Laura
warned. ""That could mean big trouble for The Fantastic Foursome if
they talk the rest of the kids into siding with her. Our group could be
history."
"That's true," agreed Melissa.
"We've got to stick together," Tammy added. "Through
thick and thin."
"We will stick together," said Laura, "if
you help me and stick up for me."
"Don't worry," Tammy assured her. "We won't
let you down again."
"Can I depend on you two?" Laura asked Funny and
Melissa.
"You can depend on me," Melissa answered.
"How about you, Funny?"
Funny nodded, not looking at Laura. "I'm with you,"
she said softly.
Laura felt a little better, but not a lot. Somehow she wasn't
completely convinced.
CHAPTER 9
" G one With the Wind is my all-time
favorite movie," said Tammy, plopping onto the floor in front of the
television set. "Don't you think Vivien Leigh is gorgeous ? "
Laura set a huge bowl of popcorn down in front of Funny and
Melissa. "I like Clark Gable, myself."
"Well, I wish you'd gotten Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure , " said Funny. "It's the most hilarious movie I've
ever seen."
"Can't you ever be serious?" Melissa grumbled.
Funny gave her a pained look.
"All the copies were checked out, anyway," said
Laura before Funny could fire back an angry response. She had
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