Free Fabulous Five 023 - Mall Mania by Betsy Haynes Page A

filled the small room while the
kids got up to go home.
    Beth, Jana, Christie, Katie, and Melanie strolled out of
Pizza Perfect's front door together and into the evening air. The sun was
sitting on the horizon like a huge yellow balloon.
    Beth sighed. "That was quite a month. Fun, exciting,
terrifying, and educational! "
    Jana laughed. "Well, it had a happy ending. That's what
counts."
    "I guess you're right," said Beth.
    "We're so proud of you, Beth," Christie said.
    Beth turned to Christie. "Thanks," she replied,
her cheeks tinting pink with pleasure.
    "That's right," added Katie. "You were
polished, and poised, and a real pro."
    Beth stopped walking and looked around at her friends. "Thanks,
guys," she said. ''But I'm the proud one. You're always there for me.
Whether it's to support me when I perform, or to lend me money, or to just be
there when I need a friend. I'm so proud to be one of The Fabulous Five!"
    The girls grinned back at her. Then they locked arms and
headed toward home.

CHAPTER 14
    Katie Shannon ran a brush through her red hair and glanced
at her watch.
    "Eeek," she said half aloud. "I didn't
realize that it was so late. Tony should have been here already."
    She raced down the stairs and grabbed a jacket from the hall
closet.
    "How do I look?" Katie asked her mother who was
watching her from the kitchen.
    Willie smiled. "Great, honey. What movie are you and
Tony going to see tonight?"
    "It's a thriller called Follow Me Quietly , and
the theater absolutely will not let anyone in after it starts. Not only that,
but they say the ending is so surprising that you're not supposed to tell
anyone what happens after you see it."
    "Sounds good," said her mother, raising an
eyebrow.
    Katie nodded and looked out the window. She couldn't wait to
see the movie. She had had to convince Tony to give up watching a baseball game
to go, but she knew he'd be glad that he did. Besides, that was all he had been
doing lately. She was starting to feel as if he liked baseball more than he
liked her.
    Where is he anyway? she wondered. They had only twenty
minutes left to get to the theater before the movie started. They would barely
make it in time.
    "Is Tony late?" asked Willie, seeing her look out
the window again for Tony.
    "Um-hm." Katie sighed. It wasn't like Tony to be
late. And tonight, of all nights, when they were supposed to see Follow Me
Quietly.
    Ten minutes later Katie picked up the receiver and punched
in the first three digits of Tony's number, then hung up. If something really
is wrong, she thought, he would have called me.
    She went back to the window, trying not to look at her
watch. Slowly she began to make out a figure running up the street. It was
Tony.
    Katie called "Good-bye" to her mother and hurried
out the door. She met Tony just as he reached her front sidewalk.
    "Where have you been?" she demanded.
    Tony struggled to catch his breath. "Gosh, Katie . . .
I'm sorry . . . but there was this baseball game on TV . . . and I couldn't
leave . . ."
    Katie looked at him in astonishment. "Do you mean to
say that you're late because of some stupid baseball game? Do you realize that
we'll probably miss the movie?"
    "Yeah, but, Katie," he went on breathlessly, "you
wouldn't believe the game José Canseco was having! Every time the Yankees got a
run, Canseco drove in a run. The score was two to two, three to three, then
five to five. Finally, he got a grand slammer in the eighth and put the game
away. It was out of sight! I just had to watch." A sheepish expression
crossed his face. "It won't happen again. I promise! This was absolutely
the last time."
    Katie's anger faded. Tony really looked sorry.
     
    But will Tony live up to his promise? What will happen if
Katie gets fed up with competing with television for Tony's attention? Find out
in The Fabulous Five #24: The Great TV Turnoff.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Betsy Haynes, the daughter of a former newswoman, began
scribbling poetry and short stories as soon as she learned