Free Fabulous Five 028 - Breaking Up by Betsy Haynes Page B

was looking back at her with pain in her eyes.
    Jana felt her chin quiver as she fought back tears. Maybe
she should try one more time to talk to Beth. She wanted so badly to run to
Beth and hug her and remind her about how strong their friendship had always
been. How they had been able to tell each other their deepest secrets.
    But just then Beth looked away.
    "It's no use," Jana mumbled, and scuffed toward
the door.
    Walking through the hall, she heard the sound of someone
running up behind her, and then Shawnie Pendergast called her name.
    "Wait up!" Shawnie yelled as Jana turned around. "I
need to talk to you."
    "Oh, hi, Shawnie," said Jana. "What's up?"
    Shawnie frowned and shook her head. "Honestly, Jana, I
don't know what's wrong with you. Parker Donovan was going to ask you out
again, but then he heard all the rumors about you and Keith."
    "There's nothing going on between me and Keith,"
replied Jana, bristling.
    "Oh, sure. Then how come everyone is talking about how
you and Keith secretly planned to break up with Randy and Beth so that you
could go together? All the boys are talking about it, even Randy."
    "Randy believes a lie like that?" screeched Jana. "You've
got to be kidding! Randy would never believe a thing like that!"
    "Ha!" scoffed Shawnie. "According to what
Craig and Parker told me, Randy said he heard it from Keith himself. Even you
can't argue with that. Especially since Keith told him that you two had a date
last Friday night."
    Jana stared at her, dumbfounded. She didn't know what to
say.
    "Well, I've got to go. I just wanted to let you know
that you blew your chances of going out with Parker anymore, that's for sure,"
Shawnie said, turning and trotting down the hall.
    Jana watched her go, thinking that she didn't want to
go out with Parker again. But Randy was another matter. Surely he couldn't
believe the awful rumors about her and Keith's actually going on a date. He knew
her too well. Shawnie had to be making it up!

CHAPTER 14
    Jana didn't see Beth again until gym, which was the last
period before lunch. Jana got her gym basket out of its slot in the locker room
and headed toward the row of benches where the girls changed into their shorts
and shirts for class. She was already in a grumpy mood from being snubbed by
The Fabulous Five before school and from hearing Shawnie's malicious gossip,
and she was certainly in no mood to answer questions from Tammy Lucero, who
plopped her gym basket down beside Jana's.
    "What's this I hear about you and Keith Masterson
sneaking around behind Beth's and Randy's backs?"
    Tammy had a catty grin on her face, and it took everything
that Jana had to keep her cool. Tammy was the biggest gossip in Wakeman Junior
High, and the last thing Jana needed was Tammy getting on her case.
    Just then Beth came into the room. "It's true,"
she said in a deadly serious voice. "And that's just about as low as
anybody can get."
    Tears stung Jana's eyes as she looked straight at Beth. "You
can't believe that," she said just above a whisper.
    "I can't believe anything else," answered Beth,
her eyes locked with Jana's as they stood like statues facing each other across
the room.
    The locker room was filling up now as more girls rushed in
to change into their gym clothes. Most of them glanced at Beth and Jana, and a
few reacted by whispering or giggling among themselves, but there wasn't time
to do much more than scramble into their shorts and shirts and rush into the girls'
gym before the second bell.
    The locker room was empty of everyone except Jana and Beth
when the bell rang. Still, neither of them had moved. Jana's heart was pounding
as she tried to project all of her hurt and misery through her eyes. Surely
Beth would see how awful she felt and know deep in her heart that Jana could
never do the things Beth had accused her of.
    Suddenly the door from the gym burst open, and Miss Wolfe,
the physical education teacher, strode into the room.
    "Vy aren't you girls dressed and on zee