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

the second day in a row, and the swelling in her neck was gone.
    "I think you can go back to school today if you're
feeling well enough," her mother announced at breakfast.
    First the good news, thought Melanie. I do feel well enough
to go back. But now for the bad news. I'm scared to death of what everyone will
say.
    She gave her mother a noncommittal shrug and stared at her
toast.
    "What is that supposed to mean?" her mother asked
gently. "Cold feet?"
    Melanie kept her eyes downward. "Well, I feel okay now,"
she said, emphasizing the word now. "But what if I start feeling
sick again in the middle of class?"
    "Call me, and I'll come and get you," said Mrs.
Edwards. "I really do think you should try, though, even if it's just for
half a day."
    "I don't know . . ." she said, but a little while
later she climbed into the front seat of the car beside her mother and sat in
silence as they drove to school.
    When they reached Wakeman Junior High, Mrs. Edwards pulled
up in front and stopped in the unloading zone. Melanie looked across the school
ground. Kids she knew were milling around everywhere. She could see the rest of
The Fabulous Five at their corner of the fence. Scott Daly was sliding his
ten-speed into the bicycle rack. Alexis and Kim were sitting on the front step
talking. It looked like any ordinary day.
    A car honked impatiently behind them.
    "You'd better get going, honey," her mother said
softly.
    Melanie nodded and opened the door. Just then she spotted
The Fantastic Foursome standing near the gum tree. They were all looking in her
direction. She stiffened, thinking that she would give almost anything to
become instantly invisible, and climbed out of the car.

CHAPTER 16
    No one seemed to notice her at first. Melanie walked stiffly
across the grounds in the opposite direction of the gum tree where Laura and
her friends stood watching her, desperately hoping that everyone would just
leave her alone. If she could get to the fence where The Fabulous Five were,
everything would probably be okay. Surely they wouldn't desert her now. Even if
the clique was starting to break up, hadn't they been friends practically
forever?
    Melanie kept on walking, concentrating on putting one foot
in front of the other. Her legs felt as if they belonged to someone else and
might go off in different directions if she didn't force each one to keep
moving straight ahead.
    "HEY! LOOK WHO'S HERE!"
    Melanie froze and jerked her head up to see who had spoken.
Clarence Marshall was blocking her path. His hair was hanging in his eyes, and
he was clutching his throat with both pudgy hands and pretending to gag.
    "IT'S HER! IT'S HER! THE KISS OF DEATH!" he
shrieked.
    Everybody was watching, but nobody else said anything.
Slowly groups of kids turned away from her, looking back over their shoulders
at her and whispering among themselves. The kiss of death, she thought.
That's what they all think.
    After an eternity she heard someone else call her name.
    "Hey, Melanie! Come over here." It was Katie, and
she was motioning to Melanie to join them at the fence. Katie was the only one
of The Fabulous Five smiling. The other three were exchanging nervous glances
among themselves.
    With a sigh, Melanie threw Clarence a drop-dead look and
hurried toward them, but it didn't take her long to wish that she had gone to
her locker instead. Katie asked her how she was feeling, and then the five of
them lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, looking at the ground, at the school
building, at the fence—anywhere but at each other. It was obvious to Melanie
that her friends didn't know what to say to her. To make matters worse, she
didn't know what to say to them, either. She didn't even know if they believed
the terrible gossip that Laura McCall was spreading about her. Jana might, since
she had called to ask about Melanie's riding home from the committee meeting
with Randy. Maybe Christie did, too. After all, Jon was on the music committee
with her. Finally the bell