down to it, would Beth back off, or would she go along with the crowd?
Jana wished she could be sure that Beth would be smart, but nobody loved to
clown around and party more than Beth. If Beth didn't take the whole thing
seriously, she just might do the wrong thing.
Before long Jana noticed that the song was down to
fifty-seven bottles of beer on the wall, and the bus had entered the outskirts
of New York City, which meant the buildings were drab and squeezed together,
and the traffic was bumper to bumper.
When the bus stopped at a traffic light, Mr. Neal got up and
walked slowly down the aisle and back again. Kids snapped to attention, and
thermos bottles disappeared from sight as all eyes were riveted on the teacher.
Jana held her breath. Did he know? Could he smell it, too?
But her hopes faded when he reached the front of the bus
again, raised his hand for the singing to stop, and said, "We'll be there
in a little while, so I want you all to look around your seats to make sure you
have all your belongings—especially your lunches—because the buses won't be
coming on board the ferry with us." Laughter rippled through the bus.
"I also want you to remember your bus number. This is
bus number one . . . seven . . . two . . . six. Seventeen-twenty-six. Memorize
it. Write it on your arm. Do whatever you have to, but don't forget it. There
will be school buses from a lot of schools at the park when we get back, and we
don't want anyone getting lost and boarding the wrong bus."
By the time Mr. Neal had finished his instructions about
walking in an orderly manner from the buses to the dock, good conduct on the boat
and at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and all the other rules and
regulations pertaining to the day, they were pulling into the parking lot at
Battery Park.
"Hey, I see the Statue!" Curtis shouted, and
pointed to the middle of New York Harbor.
"Well, we got this far without any trouble," Jana
said to Randy as the bus pulled to a stop.
She hadn't been talking to Laura, but Laura must have
overheard her, because she turned around and looked at Jana with an air of
superiority.
"Of course," Laura remarked airily. "What did
you expect? Don't forget, we're the big deals on campus now."
CHAPTER 12
Kids pushed and shoved their way into the aisles, and Jana
felt herself being swept along toward the exit. Once she was out of the bus,
she clutched her lunch bag and looked around for the rest of the Fabulous Five.
Randy had stopped to talk to Shane, but he had promised to meet her again on
the boat.
"Jana! Jana! You should have been on our bus!"
Melanie came running up to Jana, her face glowing. "Scott Daly and Keith
Masterson almost got caught."
"You're kidding," said Jana. "What happened?"
By this time Katie and Beth had joined them, and Melanie
pulled all three closer and said, "Keith had a thermos of stuff, and he
offered some to Scott. Scott was acting like a big deal and bragging about how drinking
it was nothing. Then he took a big swallow and almost choked! He was gagging
and spitting, and tears were squirting into his eyes. It was a riot."
"Oh, my gosh," said Beth. "Then what
happened?"
"Well, Miss Dickinson rushed back to see what was
happening. You could tell she was scared. She probably thought he was having a
heart attack or something. But when he saw her coming, he grabbed his own
thermos and acted as if he had just swallowed wrong and choked."
"But couldn't Miss Dickinson smell anything?"
asked Jana.
"Ha! Talk about quick thinking," replied Melanie. "Sara
Sawyer started squirting perfume all over the place and brushing her hair and
pretending that she was trying to look good before she got off the bus."
"Do you mean to say that Miss Dickinson got that close
and still didn't catch on?" Jana asked in disbelief.
"Exactly," said Melanie. "Whew! Talk about a
close call."
"Hey, everybody," said Beth. "Let's forget
about all that stuff and have fun, okay?"
"I'll go along with that," agreed
Jana wished she could be sure that Beth would be smart, but nobody loved to
clown around and party more than Beth. If Beth didn't take the whole thing
seriously, she just might do the wrong thing.
Before long Jana noticed that the song was down to
fifty-seven bottles of beer on the wall, and the bus had entered the outskirts
of New York City, which meant the buildings were drab and squeezed together,
and the traffic was bumper to bumper.
When the bus stopped at a traffic light, Mr. Neal got up and
walked slowly down the aisle and back again. Kids snapped to attention, and
thermos bottles disappeared from sight as all eyes were riveted on the teacher.
Jana held her breath. Did he know? Could he smell it, too?
But her hopes faded when he reached the front of the bus
again, raised his hand for the singing to stop, and said, "We'll be there
in a little while, so I want you all to look around your seats to make sure you
have all your belongings—especially your lunches—because the buses won't be
coming on board the ferry with us." Laughter rippled through the bus.
"I also want you to remember your bus number. This is
bus number one . . . seven . . . two . . . six. Seventeen-twenty-six. Memorize
it. Write it on your arm. Do whatever you have to, but don't forget it. There
will be school buses from a lot of schools at the park when we get back, and we
don't want anyone getting lost and boarding the wrong bus."
By the time Mr. Neal had finished his instructions about
walking in an orderly manner from the buses to the dock, good conduct on the boat
and at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and all the other rules and
regulations pertaining to the day, they were pulling into the parking lot at
Battery Park.
"Hey, I see the Statue!" Curtis shouted, and
pointed to the middle of New York Harbor.
"Well, we got this far without any trouble," Jana
said to Randy as the bus pulled to a stop.
She hadn't been talking to Laura, but Laura must have
overheard her, because she turned around and looked at Jana with an air of
superiority.
"Of course," Laura remarked airily. "What did
you expect? Don't forget, we're the big deals on campus now."
CHAPTER 12
Kids pushed and shoved their way into the aisles, and Jana
felt herself being swept along toward the exit. Once she was out of the bus,
she clutched her lunch bag and looked around for the rest of the Fabulous Five.
Randy had stopped to talk to Shane, but he had promised to meet her again on
the boat.
"Jana! Jana! You should have been on our bus!"
Melanie came running up to Jana, her face glowing. "Scott Daly and Keith
Masterson almost got caught."
"You're kidding," said Jana. "What happened?"
By this time Katie and Beth had joined them, and Melanie
pulled all three closer and said, "Keith had a thermos of stuff, and he
offered some to Scott. Scott was acting like a big deal and bragging about how drinking
it was nothing. Then he took a big swallow and almost choked! He was gagging
and spitting, and tears were squirting into his eyes. It was a riot."
"Oh, my gosh," said Beth. "Then what
happened?"
"Well, Miss Dickinson rushed back to see what was
happening. You could tell she was scared. She probably thought he was having a
heart attack or something. But when he saw her coming, he grabbed his own
thermos and acted as if he had just swallowed wrong and choked."
"But couldn't Miss Dickinson smell anything?"
asked Jana.
"Ha! Talk about quick thinking," replied Melanie. "Sara
Sawyer started squirting perfume all over the place and brushing her hair and
pretending that she was trying to look good before she got off the bus."
"Do you mean to say that Miss Dickinson got that close
and still didn't catch on?" Jana asked in disbelief.
"Exactly," said Melanie. "Whew! Talk about a
close call."
"Hey, everybody," said Beth. "Let's forget
about all that stuff and have fun, okay?"
"I'll go along with that," agreed
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