Free Fabulous Five 007 - The Kissing Disaster by Betsy Haynes Page A

you think you'll be back to
school?"
    "I don't know vet," Melanie said with a sigh. "But
I can't wait. This house is beginning to feel like a prison. Let's change the
subject. What's going on at school? Do you know any juicy gossip?"
    "Not really," said Jana. She hesitated again. "There
is one thing I wanted to ask you though. . . ."
    "Sure," said Melanie.
    "Is it true that Randy gave you a ride home from the
refreshments committee meeting Monday night?"
    What! thought Melanie. Little explosions went off in her
brain, sending red fireworks blazing before her eyes.
    "Yes, he did give me a ride home. But for your
information, we sat on opposite sides of the backseat, and I did not kiss him and give him mononucleosis!"
    "Melanie! I didn't mean . . ."
    Melanie didn't give Jana a chance to finish saying what she
meant. It was pretty obvious. Jana was worried that Melanie had given
Randy the kissing disease, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Hanging up
the receiver, Melanie trudged back to her room feeling worse than ever.
    The phone rang again a little later. When her mother called
up to her, saying it was Katie, she braced to hear for the zillionth time that
she was boy crazy. Katie was like an absolute broken record, always making a
big thing out of the fact that Melanie was interested in a lot of boys. This
business about mono has probably really set her off, thought Melanie. But Katie
surprised her.
    "I thought you ought to know that Laura McCall and the
rest of The Fantastic Foursome are wagging their tongues all over school making
sure that everybody knows you've started an epidemic of the kissing disease,"
she said. Melanie even thought she sounded a little sympathetic.
    "I know how it feels to be gossiped about," Katie
went on. "It happened to me when I first joined Teen Court. Remember?"
    Melanie did remember. Lots of kids had said that Katie played
favorites, getting her friends off with light punishments and really sticking
it to kids she didn't like. That wasn't true, of course. Katie was the fairest
person she knew.
    "I remember," she said softly. "Thanks for
telling me."
    "Well . . . anyway . . ." Katie fumbled, and
Melanie knew her friend didn't quite know what to say next. Finally she cleared
her throat and added, "I also wondered if you need for me to drop off your
assignments after school tomorrow?"
    "Thanks," said Melanie. "But Mom stopped by
the school today and got them." She started to add that Katie could come
over anyway if she wanted to, then changed her mind. She wasn't ready to face
anybody yet.
    Christie was the only one of The Fabulous Five who hadn't
called, Melanie mused before she went to sleep that night. But it didn't
matter. What could Christie add to what the other three had said, that
everybody in Wacko was talking about her and how she had the kissing disease.
    The weekend was dreadfully long. In fact it was the longest
one she could ever remember. She knew that everyone else was at the football
game on the beautiful, fall Saturday afternoon, having fun without her while
she had been sent to her room to take a nap. The cheerleaders would be
cheering. The fans would be yelling. And then everybody would head for Bumpers
after the game. Not only that, probably no one would miss her one little bit or
think about her staying at home with her face and neck puffed out like a toad.
    She tried to ignore the clock beside her bed. She didn't
want to know when it was time for everybody to be at Bumpers. And she certainly
didn't want to think about Laura flirting with Shane. Would Scott be looking
around for someone different to ask to the dance? She didn't want to think
about that either. But she couldn't help it, any more than she could help
looking at the clock and picturing everything else that was going on at
Bumpers. As the afternoon shadows grew long, she lay back against the pillows
in her darkening bedroom and cried.
     
    By Monday morning Melanie's temperature was back to 98.6
degrees for