Free Fabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together Again by Betsy Haynes Page A

back and forth, from one girl to the other,
as her two groups of friends stormed at each other.
    "And now Christie's moving back to the States, so you
can all forget about us," said Nicki.
    "Stop it!" shouted Christie, abruptly
standing. "All of you, stop it!" She was so upset, she was trembling.
    The table went silent as everyone looked at her in surprise.
    "I've had enough," she said. "I thought this
was going to be the happiest week of my life, having my best friends from the
United States and England all together. But it hasn't been. It's been a mess.
    "You three keep saying you're being left out," she
said, looking at Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore. "And you four seem to think
that Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore shouldn't mind what we do, since we might
never see each other again," she said to Katie, Melanie, Beth, and Jana. "Well,
what about me?" Tears were starting to well up in Christie's eyes, and
everyone moved nervously. "Did you even think about how hard this has been
for me?"
    She turned again to look at the British girls. "You
know how much I missed The Fabulous Five. You were the ones who helped me to
adjust. The Fab Five have been my best friends for years, and they mean
a lot to me."
    Then looking at The Fabulous Five, she continued, "And
you knew that Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore helped me to get over my loneliness
when I came here. They've also been my best friends." Christie's voice
softened. "And now I'm going to have to leave them, the way I left you."
    "I . . . I . . ." She fumbled for words. Not
finding any, she turned and walked out of Montague's.

CHAPTER 15
    "Christie!" called Connie. She heard his footsteps
as he ran after her.
    "Wait," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
They walked along in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "You
know, I wish I were as lucky as you."
    "As lucky as me?" She looked at him incredulously.
She had just told off every one of her best friends, and he was calling her
lucky.
    "Yes, you." Connie took Christie's hand. "You've
got so many friends, they're fighting over you. But come to think of it, maybe
that's not being lucky. Maybe that's just what happens when you're the
wonderful kind of person you are."
    Christie smiled and shrugged. "Thanks, but I'm not sure
that I have any friends after what I said in there."
    "Sure you do," he told her, taking her by the
shoulders and turning her so they were facing each other. "They'll get
over it. You'll see."
    "I'm so confused, Connie," she said. "I don't
know what I want anymore. I am excited about going back home . . . to the
United States. But I don't want to leave here, either. I like England. I like
all my friends here, and I like you a lot." She smiled up at him.
    "I like you, too," he said. "But your going
home doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. You and your mother can tag
along when your father comes to London on business, and who knows—maybe I'll
travel to the States with my father on a business trip. I could have done it
before, but I didn't have any reason to go. Besides that, if you go to either
Oxford or Cambridge, as you've been planning, you'll have to come back, won't
you?"
    Christie looked up at Connie. His blond hair was swept
across his forehead, and his blue eyes seemed so warm. "Thanks," she
said softly. "You're a really nice guy, do you know that?"
    He bent down and kissed her. "Why don't we go back and
see who's left at Montague's. Maybe we can act as referees, if anyone is still
standing."
     
    When they walked back into Montague's, Christie was amazed
at what she saw. The Fabulous Five and the British girls, instead of standing
toe to toe and shouting at each other, as Christie expected, were sitting
around the table and talking as if they had been friends forever.
    "Christie!" called Jana when she saw her and
Connie walk in.
    "She's back," Phoebe said. "Come sit down,
Christie."
    After Christie was seated, Katie said, "First, we want
to apologize, Christie. We all knew how