Free Fabulous Five 001 - Seventh-Grade Rumors by Betsy Haynes Page A

just
because I asked if they're going to the movie tonight doesn't mean I'm going to
do anything."
    "Sorry. I guess I'm a little touchy right now."
Jana went on to tell Funny about Beth and how worried she and her friends were.
"It's really weird that someone in her family isn't answering her phone."
    "Maybe they had to go out of town for something,"
offered Funny.
    "Maybe. But if it was something like that, surely she would
have told someone."
    By lunchtime Jana was more worried than ever. She had
exhausted every possible excuse she could think of, and nothing sounded
reasonable.
    The four girls went straight to the office when the lunch
bell rang. No one was interested in eating until they had tried once more to
reach Beth. This time Melanie punched in the number, but it didn't change
anything. The phone rang and rang without anyone's picking up on the other end.
    "I just don't understand it," said Jana, shaking
her head.
    She was deep in thought when they headed for the cafeteria
and was surprised when she heard Katie say, "Get a load of who has our
guys cornered. Of all the nerve!"
    Jana snapped to attention and focused on a group of boys and
girls just ahead in the hall. Randy was there, and Scott and Keith, but that
wasn't all. When she saw who the girls were, a small cry of alarm escaped from
Jana's lips. "Funny!" she said barely above a whisper. "And
Laura!"
    The two members of The Fantastic Foursome had definitely cornered
the three boys from Mark Twain Elementary. The five of them seemed to be having
a great time talking and laughing.
    Every once in a while Jana could catch a word of their
conversation. ". . . movie . . . tonight . . . Bumpers . . ." The
more she heard, the more her anger grew.
    "I don't like this," said Melanie. Turning accusingly
to Jana she added, "I thought you said Funny Hawthorne was okay. If that's
true, what are she and Laura doing flirting with our guys?"
    All Jana could do was shrug. She certainly couldn't defend
Funny. What was more, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Especially since Randy was
one of the boys she and Laura had been flirting with.
    Between algebra and history classes, Jana stopped Funny in
the hall.
    "I just can't believe it," she said angrily. "After
promising to leave our boyfriends alone, you and Laura McCall had the nerve to flirt with them in the hall at noon."
    Funny started to speak, but Jana cut her off. "Don't
deny it," she charged. "I saw you, and so did my friends. And you did
it after I talked you up and told them what a great person you are."
    Funny's large eyes filled with tears. "I know how it
looked," she protested, "but it wasn't that way at all. Laura and I
just happened to be walking in the hall and the boys came along. Laura said hi
and they said hi, and the next thing we knew we were talking to them. That's
all there was to it. Honest."
    Jana wanted to believe her, and the look of misery on Funny's
face almost convinced her that she had been wrong. But still, something was
nagging at her. Something she couldn't quite put a finger on was making her
doubt Funny's sincerity.
    "Okay," she conceded. "I believe you."
It wasn't quite true, but Jana didn't want to start any more arguments until
she had time to think things through.
    Funny's face lit up as if it were the sun just emerging from
behind a dark cloud. "I knew you'd understand," she gushed. "I'll
see you tonight at the movie and at Bumpers afterward. Okay? Everybody's going
to be there. It's going to be a blast."
    It wasn't until the two had parted that Jana realized what
had been bothering her about Funny. It was the rumors about Laura McCall's
making her friends do things to prove their loyalty and stay in her club. Could
it be possible that Funny had only been pretending to be her friend? Had Laura
put her up to it? Had she forced Funny to spy on The Fabulous Five and report
everything she found out—including information on their boyfriends—to her?
Maybe that was what Funny and Laura had been