out toward them. "Hey, man. Have some!"
Tammy whirled around in her seat and shot Derek a fierce
look. "Shhhhh!" Then she put her hand over her mouth to muffle
the sound of her words and growled, "Get back to your seat before the
chaperons see you and figure out what's going on."
Derek crouched lower and whispered hoarsely, "I was
just gonna share this with my old buddies, Tony and Shane."
"You heard what she said," muttered Shane. "Get
out of here and stop being stupid."
"Hey, what's the matter, Arrington?" Derek said,
his voice getting louder. "I never thought you'd wimp out."
"It's probably because his old man's a chaperon,"
said Joel Murphy, who had left his seat in the back and come forward, too.
Shane scowled, but he didn't say anything.
Randy saw Jana looking at Shane with concern. "Don't
worry about Shane. He won't let anyone get to him."
Jana nodded and nervously bit her lower lip, peering through
the kids in front of her toward the front rows of the bus, where the chaperons
sat. Come on , she pleaded silently. Somebody turn around and stop
this before it goes any farther. But Mr. Neal, Mr. Arrington, and Mrs. Trowbridge
were all staring out the windows at the scenery.
"Have you seen anybody drink anything yet?" Jana
asked Randy a few minutes later.
"No," he replied.
"I haven't, either," she whispered. But she kept
her eyes firmly fixed on Laura, and a few minutes later saw Laura slowly
unscrew the top to her thermos.
Jana poked Randy in the side, then nodded toward Laura. "Can't
you give her a little more friendly advice ? " she grumbled.
"It wouldn't do any good," said Randy.
Suddenly from the back of the bus Clarence Marshall burst
into song. "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall . . . ninety-nine
bottles of beer . . ."
Kids all over the bus started laughing, and several joined
in.
"If one of those bottles happened to fall . . . ninety-eight
bottles of beer on the wall!"
"Isn't this a riot?" said Tammy, bouncing up and
down in her seat.
"Right." Laura laughed. "How dumb can Mr.
Neal and the chaperons get?"
Jana had heard all she could take. She had been staring at
the back of Laura's head and seething with anger over Laura's putting the empty
bottle in her locker to make it look as if Jana were drinking. Fortunately,
Laura's little trick hadn't worked, and Jana had forced herself not to have it
out with Laura over that because it would only get Funny in trouble. But this
was too much. Leaning forward, she tapped Laura on the shoulder. "Laura
McCall, you'd better stop all this right now, before you get everyone on the
bus in a lot of trouble."
"Oh," cooed Laura, "is the little baby . .
." She stopped abruptly as Randy leaned forward also, fixing her with an
icy glare. "Hey, I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to," she added, trying
suddenly to look innocent. "Everybody's doing their own thing."
Jana looked around. She would have to admit that now that
the kids had actually started sneaking drinks, the chaperons were probably the
only ones who could stop it. And they didn't even know what was going on!
Although she didn't actually see anyone drinking, she did
see chewing gum and breath mints being passed around, and every so often she
would hear the soft hiss of a spray can, which she knew was room deodorizer.
Still, she felt certain she could smell the faint, sickly sweet odor of alcohol
in the air. Or is it my imagination? she wondered.
Sighing, she settled back and stared out the window,
wondering what was happening on the other buses. Were the kids sipping out of
their thermoses, too? Maybe not, she thought, since Laura and Clarence were the
real ringleaders, and they were both on her bus. But she couldn't forget about
Shawnie and some of the others who thought sneaking around under the teachers'
and chaperons' noses was going to be a blast. They were probably just as much
into it as the kids on this bus, Jana thought.
Then Jana remembered Beth and swallowed hard. When it came
right
Tammy whirled around in her seat and shot Derek a fierce
look. "Shhhhh!" Then she put her hand over her mouth to muffle
the sound of her words and growled, "Get back to your seat before the
chaperons see you and figure out what's going on."
Derek crouched lower and whispered hoarsely, "I was
just gonna share this with my old buddies, Tony and Shane."
"You heard what she said," muttered Shane. "Get
out of here and stop being stupid."
"Hey, what's the matter, Arrington?" Derek said,
his voice getting louder. "I never thought you'd wimp out."
"It's probably because his old man's a chaperon,"
said Joel Murphy, who had left his seat in the back and come forward, too.
Shane scowled, but he didn't say anything.
Randy saw Jana looking at Shane with concern. "Don't
worry about Shane. He won't let anyone get to him."
Jana nodded and nervously bit her lower lip, peering through
the kids in front of her toward the front rows of the bus, where the chaperons
sat. Come on , she pleaded silently. Somebody turn around and stop
this before it goes any farther. But Mr. Neal, Mr. Arrington, and Mrs. Trowbridge
were all staring out the windows at the scenery.
"Have you seen anybody drink anything yet?" Jana
asked Randy a few minutes later.
"No," he replied.
"I haven't, either," she whispered. But she kept
her eyes firmly fixed on Laura, and a few minutes later saw Laura slowly
unscrew the top to her thermos.
Jana poked Randy in the side, then nodded toward Laura. "Can't
you give her a little more friendly advice ? " she grumbled.
"It wouldn't do any good," said Randy.
Suddenly from the back of the bus Clarence Marshall burst
into song. "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall . . . ninety-nine
bottles of beer . . ."
Kids all over the bus started laughing, and several joined
in.
"If one of those bottles happened to fall . . . ninety-eight
bottles of beer on the wall!"
"Isn't this a riot?" said Tammy, bouncing up and
down in her seat.
"Right." Laura laughed. "How dumb can Mr.
Neal and the chaperons get?"
Jana had heard all she could take. She had been staring at
the back of Laura's head and seething with anger over Laura's putting the empty
bottle in her locker to make it look as if Jana were drinking. Fortunately,
Laura's little trick hadn't worked, and Jana had forced herself not to have it
out with Laura over that because it would only get Funny in trouble. But this
was too much. Leaning forward, she tapped Laura on the shoulder. "Laura
McCall, you'd better stop all this right now, before you get everyone on the
bus in a lot of trouble."
"Oh," cooed Laura, "is the little baby . .
." She stopped abruptly as Randy leaned forward also, fixing her with an
icy glare. "Hey, I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to," she added, trying
suddenly to look innocent. "Everybody's doing their own thing."
Jana looked around. She would have to admit that now that
the kids had actually started sneaking drinks, the chaperons were probably the
only ones who could stop it. And they didn't even know what was going on!
Although she didn't actually see anyone drinking, she did
see chewing gum and breath mints being passed around, and every so often she
would hear the soft hiss of a spray can, which she knew was room deodorizer.
Still, she felt certain she could smell the faint, sickly sweet odor of alcohol
in the air. Or is it my imagination? she wondered.
Sighing, she settled back and stared out the window,
wondering what was happening on the other buses. Were the kids sipping out of
their thermoses, too? Maybe not, she thought, since Laura and Clarence were the
real ringleaders, and they were both on her bus. But she couldn't forget about
Shawnie and some of the others who thought sneaking around under the teachers'
and chaperons' noses was going to be a blast. They were probably just as much
into it as the kids on this bus, Jana thought.
Then Jana remembered Beth and swallowed hard. When it came
right
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