Free Fabulous Five 018 - Teen Taxi by Betsy Haynes Page B

trailed off as she tried to put Brian out of her
mind and concentrate on helping her mother. She knew down deep that she ought
to do more than just put up flyers and hope for the best. Turning to leave, she
stopped and went back to the mirror and pulled a ballpoint pen out of her
purse. Underneath the phone number she added:
    Or See Melanie Edwards at School
    Leaving the girls' room, she hurried down the hall toward
the big bulletin board beside the office. Most kids checked it every day or so
because any new events going on at school were posted there.
    Just about everybody was still in the cafeteria eating
lunch, and Melanie's footsteps echoed in the deserted hallway. She scanned the
crowded bulletin board, looking for a place to put the flyer among notices
about school club events, swim team tryouts at the YMCA, and a variety of other
things. There's so much junk up there, she thought, that nobody will see mine
unless I rearrange things. She began clearing a space in the lower left-hand
corner, which was the spot nearest the drinking fountain and where a lot of
students would be likely to see it. She was so intent on her task that she was
barely aware of someone else's footsteps coming closer and closer until they
were almost there. Then they stopped.
    Startled, she looked up into Brian Olsen's face and felt her
own face turn red. He looked equally startled, and then he looked down and
coughed a fake-sounding cough.
    Oh, no, she thought. He's embarrassed, too. Now what am I
going to do? Words filled her mind. Sorry. Didn't mean it the way it
sounded. Don't think I'm awful. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. But her tongue was
frozen and nothing came out.
    What was probably only seconds seemed like an hour as they
stood there facing each other. Finally, Brian murmured, "Hi, Mel,"
and walked on by, leaving her staring at a spot on the floor and feeling as if
her heart would burst.

CHAPTER 16
    Brian was quiet again on the ride home, and Melanie's
depression deepened. She knew that she should try to fix things between them.
She should apologize. Or if she couldn't do that, she should ask someone else
to give him the message that she was sorry for acting like a jerk. But what if
she did and he started liking her again? Her mind reeled at the thought of more
brick-smashing demonstrations where he yelled out her name, or of him chinning
himself for her again in front of the entire student body. Or worst of all, of
anyone's thinking that she liked him back. As badly as she wanted to make
things right, she didn't want that to happen.
    Maybe if I just ignore the whole situation, it will go away,
she told herself. Maybe he'll forget all about me. Maybe he'll even get
interested in somebody else. But one look at the forlorn expression on Brian's
face told her that he wouldn't. Not very soon, anyway.
    For the next few days, Melanie had a lot of other things to
occupy her mind. Two eighth-graders and a ninth-grader signed on for the teen
taxi. Counting herself, that made seven junior-high passengers, which was the
limit the van could hold, and except for the tension between her and Brian,
trips to and from school took on a party atmosphere. Her mother was ecstatic,
and Jeffy was running around the house shouting about all his new friends, and
Melanie was miserable.
    More of the puppies went to new homes, also. Scott was taken
by an elderly friend of their neighbor's, Mrs. Miller, and Melanie consoled
herself that the old gentleman was lonely and that Scott would be a good friend
to him. Christie was chosen by Jeffy's kindergarten teacher, Ms. Strickland,
who promised they could visit her anytime they wanted. But the hardest time
came one afternoon when Melanie came home from riding her bike to Jana's and
her mother met her at the door.
    "There is a family downstairs with the puppies,"
she said, "and I think they're going to take Katie."
    A lump the size of a tennis ball filled Melanie's throat. "Katie?"
she whispered in disbelief. Red-haired Katie