Fabulous Five 006 - The Parent Game (5 page)

"Wow, Jana, are you so lucky! It's not every girl who
gets a chance to be maid of honor at her own mother's wedding." Christie
was holding her bunny and was grinning from ear to ear.

Jana couldn't help smiling to herself. It must have been the
millionth time one of her friends had said that.

The Fabulous Five were standing by the fence, and Jana had
her pink bunny in one arm and her books in the other. Rex was sitting on the
ground next to her. He was so big that he came almost up to her waist. His
eyes, which were made of plastic with loose black spots in them, were crossed,
making him look dumber than ever. Melanie had Scott's walrus, Beth had her
panda bear that looked raggedy because her dog, Agatha, had chewed on it. And
Katie was carrying her Sheena doll. All of the make-believe babies had on
diapers made out of assorted cloths.

"And think of all the flowers and beautiful music and
the wedding vows. I get weepy thinking about it," said Beth. "It will
be a church wedding, won't it?"

"I think they should go on a honeymoon," said
Melanie before Jana could answer. "Maybe to Hawaii. It's
sooo
romantic there."

"Have they signed a prenuptial contract?" asked
Katie. "Will your mother keep a separate bank account? I don't think it's
wise to mix all the money. It allows the man to take control, if you're not
careful."

"Of course I'm excited," answered Jana. "And
they can't really afford to go on a honeymoon. It will be a small church
wedding. And I don't think they've signed any contract, Katie. Not everyone
thinks like you do."

"Well, it pays to be safe. After you're married it's
too late."

"Look who's talking as if she's been married a zillion
times and knows all about what to do," Christie countered.

"The way you talk, Katie," added Melanie, "it
sounds as if marriage is a war."

"Have you gotten your dress yet?" asked Beth, and
Jana felt sure she was changing the subject before the argument between Katie
and Melanie got out of hand.

"Not yet," she admitted. "I guess I keep
putting it off. It's going to seem really strange to have Pink as a permanent
member of the family."

"It'll be okay," said Beth, putting a reassuring
hand on Jana's arm. "Just think how long you've known him. It isn't as if
he's a stranger, or anything."

Jana nodded. "You're right." She tried to sound
confident, but she could feel her chin begin to quiver. Quickly she added, "Anyway,
we're going shopping for my dress on Saturday before the game. Would any of you
guys like to sit with a dinosaur and a bunny while I go shopping?"

"He's cute," said Melanie, running her fingers
through the shock of yellow hair that stuck straight up from Rex's head. "Anything
Shane has would have to be darling."

"I'm afraid I'm busy," said Katie.

"Me, too," added Beth, and the others nodded.

"Oh, well," said Jana with a shrug. "Thanks
anyway."

"Hey, I thought you were going to send us invitations
to the wedding," said Christie. "I haven't gotten mine yet."

"Me, either," said Melanie.

Beth and Katie joined in the chorus asking Jana what had
happened to their invitations to the wedding.

"Eeek!" said Jana. "I was so busy with the
parent project and the yearbook that I forgot to send them. I'll get them out
tonight. I promise."

"Look over there," said Katie.

Taffy Sinclair was coming onto the school ground next to
Chad Wallace, and she was carrying the big white bear in the tutu that Jana had
seen on her bed. They had barely walked through the gate when Chad saw Garrett
Boldt and two other eighth-grade boys and left Taffy standing alone. She looked
around, saw The Fabulous Five, and headed for them with a huge grin on her
face.

"Hi, Jana, Melanie, Beth, Katie, and Christie,"
Taffy said, smiling so big that she was showing her crooked bicuspid. "Oooh,
it takes a lot of breath to say all your names at one time. Maybe I should just
say 'The Fabulous Five.'" She smiled sweetly, and there was an excited
sound in her voice.

Taffy continued, "Did you see me with Chad Wallace? Can
you
believe
he walked me to school? He tried to make it look as if he
ran into me by accident, but
I
think he was waiting for me." She
looked at Jana as she spoke as if she especially wanted her to hear.

"That's really something, Taffy," said Jana. "Most
eighth-grade boys ignore seventh-grade girls."

"Garrett Boldt is interested in me," interjected
Melanie. "He almost asked me out."

"Oh, Jana," Taffy said, as if it were an
afterthought. "I talked to Randy. He said he would be my partner on the
Family Living project. Now Laura can't steal him from you. Let me know if there's
anything
else I can do for you. I'll be glad to," she said, smiling
sweetly. "That's what friends are for. Well, I've got to turn in some
homework. I'll see you girls later. Maybe we can eat lunch together. Bye, bye."

The Fabulous Five stared after her. "She wants to eat
lunch with us," said Katie. "I never thought I'd hear her say that."

"Me, either," agreed Beth. "And she said,
helping
friends is what friends are for.
Can you believe it?"

"Hey, look, guys," said Christie. "People do
change, you know. Maybe even Taffy can."

"She has been acting differently lately," admitted
Jana. "She did fix it so Laura McCall can't be Randy's partner. She was
walking with Chad Wallace, so she must be interested in him and not Randy."
Katie looked doubtful. "Katie, you don't trust anyone. Remember how you're
always saying people should be fair?"

"I know, I know," said Katie. "But I can't
help it with Taffy."

"But what could she be up to?" Jana asked.

"I don't know," said Katie. "But I just don't
trust her."

"Hey, that's some ugly boyfriend you've got,"
called a ninth-grade boy. He pointed to Rex as Jana squeezed through the
crowded hallways after the bell dismissing classes.

"Yeah, I bet he's a terrible kisser," said his
friend.

Jana ignored them. Those were the kind of comments she had
heard from eighth- and ninth-graders all day long. At the moment she was trying
to find Shane, who was supposed to take the two stuffed animals while she went
to the yearbook staff room. It would be a relief to get rid of them for a while,
thought Jana. It would be hard enough taking care of one baby all day, but when
you had two and one of them was almost as big as you were, it was really hard.

Rex and the bunny were a pain, but a lot of other kids were
having as much trouble. Tammy Lucero had to fend off boys who wanted to break
open her piñata to see if there was any candy in it. Jana had seen Taffy
struggling with Monique, her big bear, but at least she only had one animal and
had one arm free to carry her books. Clarence Marshall walked around all day
with a smile on his face and his mouse sticking out of his shirt pocket. Now
and then he would reach up and squeeze it, and everyone would yell, "Child
abuse!" or "Mouse abuse!"

Suddenly she spotted Shane. "There you are!"

"Hi, Momma!" he said gleefully. "How are the
kids?"

"Fine, but it's your turn to take care of them,
remember? Where have you been hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding." He feigned a hurt look. "I've
been working hard all day at the office, and now I come home and you don't even
have dinner ready."

"Silly," she said, laughing. "Here, take your
kids and the schedule. Don't forget to change them and give them their formula."

Shane saluted and picked up a baby in each arm.

Jana arrived at the yearbook staff room just as Funny did.
Funny was carrying a green bunny with red stripes circling it, and it had very
long legs with straps on the bottoms of its feet.

"When I was a little girl, I'd stick my feet in the
straps and dance all around the house with Petey," she said, holding the
rabbit's feet up for Jana to see. "Actually, I still do it now and then."
She giggled.

They had been working and chatting for a while when Funny
suddenly turned serious. "Jana," she said, biting her lip. "I
shouldn't tell you this, but I'm going to. Promise you won't tell where you
heard it." Jana had never seen Funny look the way she did. "It's kind
of like snitching on a close friend."

"I promise."

"Laura is really mad at you."

"Mad at ME? What have I done besides stay alive?"

Funny giggled for a second time and then looked serious
again. "Laura thinks you put Taffy up to being partners with Randy, and
then you asked Shane to be your partner. She thinks you're out to get all the
good-looking boys for the Mark Twain girls and are trying to cut us Riverfield
girls out."

"Laura McCall has no right to be mad at me," Jana
said angrily. "She's the one who had that party and was going to ask all
the seventh-grade boys, including our boyfriends, and not invite us.
I
should be mad at
her.
"

"I know. But she thinks that you're still trying to get
even. I really wish you two would try to get along."

Jana sighed and looked at her new friend. She did like Funny
so much, and if there was any way in the world she could be close friends with
her, she would, but Laura was always making The Fantastic Foursome do nasty
things to The Fabulous Five. Such as the time Melissa McConnell ran for class
president against Christie. Jana knew that Laura wanted to be sure one of her
friends was president. And she certainly wasn't trying to be friends at Bumpers
the other day when Jana was talking to Randy.

Jana changed the subject. "How many kids did you call
about having their pictures taken?"

Melanie's brown hair was curling in little ringlets around
her face, and Beth's still looked damp, when Jana sat down with them in
Bumpers. They had had cheerleading practice after school and had barely beaten
Jana to the hangout. Beth was holding her panda, but Melanie was childless.
Jana guessed that Scott must have the walrus.

"Where's Katie?" Beth asked Christie, who had
saved them a booth. Christie had her bunny in the tennis outfit sitting on the
table with its back against the end of the booth.

"I saw her after class and she said she had Teen Court,
but she wanted us to save a seat for her," said Christie.

"I'll bet that Tony Calcaterra is in trouble again, and
she's defending him," said Jana. The four laughed. Since the Teen Court
had been started, Tony had been before it three times. The last time had been
for painting "T. C. + K. S." on the school wall. Everybody knew it
meant Tony Calcaterra plus Katie Shannon, and it had embarrassed the life out
of Katie.

"Katie says she really doesn't like Tony," Melanie
said.

"You're kidding," said Beth. "No matter what
she says, she likes him."

"Do you really think so?" asked Melanie.

"She just doesn't want to admit it because he's so
macho, and she's such a feminist," said Jana. "She thinks she'll be
considered less liberated if she ever admits she likes him. I'll bet he asks
her for a date and she accepts."

"Sure she will," agreed Christie. "She's gaga
over him, and I think he's getting into trouble just so that he can go before
the Teen Court and have her stick up for him."

Beth put her hands out to stop the conversation. "Speaking
of gaga. Look who's making eyes at whom."

They turned to where she was looking. Taffy Sinclair was
standing in the checkout line next to Chad Wallace, and she was smiling up at
him as he was paying the cashier.

"I wonder what
that's
all about?" asked
Christie.

"It looks as if he's buying her a soda," answered
Jana.

Taffy looked toward them at that moment and waved. Jana waved
back.

"I guess Chad
is
interested in Taffy, if he's
buying her a drink," said Christie. "Maybe we've been wrong about her
after all."

Taffy put her hand on Chad's arm and said something to him,
and they both laughed. Then she headed for The Fabulous Five's booth.

"Hi, Fabulous Five," she said as she beamed down
at them. "It is easier to say hello to all of you that way. How are my
favorite people?" Beth rolled her eyes toward the ceiling in obvious
disgust.

"Fine, Taffy," said Jana. The others murmured
their hellos.

"I was just talking to Chad," Taffy continued. "He's
such a riot. He keeps me laughing all the time. The doll just bought me this
cola. Wasn't that nice?"

Jana thought that Taffy was making an awful big deal about
his buying her a soda. But that's Taffy, she thought.

"Isn't the Family Living project a ball?" Taffy
asked. "Randy is taking care of our baby right now. He's supposed to be
here pretty soon to give it to me."

Jana gritted her teeth to keep from saving anything. She
hated to hear Taffy's talking about Randy as if they were married.

Taffy seemed to wait a moment for someone else to speak, and
when they didn't, she went on.

"I hear Shane's your partner, Jana, and I saw you at
school with a dinosaur. What a big baby. It looked as if you could barely carry
it and your books, too."

"It's big, all right," muttered Jana. What was
Taffy getting at, anyway? she wondered.

"Oh, Jana. I hate to ask you this, but I just
remembered. I have an appointment with my studio this evening, and I wonder if
you could sit for me. It will only be for a couple of hours."

"Gee, Taffy, I don't know. I'm going to have Rex and my
bunny, and I've got a lot of homework."

"Oh," said Taffy, looking hurt. "I thought
that since I was doing
you
a favor by keeping Laura away from Randy and
you were going to be home anyway, you wouldn't mind. I even thought you said .
. ." She didn't finish the sentence, but it was clear she thought Jana
owed her for what she had done.

Jana flushed. "Shane is supposed to bring Rex and my
bunny by, too. I don't think I can get all three of them and my books home."

"Oh, that's all right," Taffy said brightly. "I'll
drop Monique off after supper and pick her up after my appointment. Mother won't
mind stopping by your apartment. Thanks, Jana," she said before Jana could
protest. "You're a
true
friend. See you all later, Fabulous Five."
Jana was about to protest further, but with a swish of her skirt Taffy spun on
her heel and was gone, leaving Jana with her mouth open.

"Wow, did you get sucked into that," said Beth.

"No, I didn't," Jana protested weakly. "I did
say I'd do it the other day, and since I'm not going anywhere anyway, it won't
make any difference."

"Well, don't you think it's funny that the favor your
biggest enemy is doing for you means she gets to spend time with your boyfriend?"
Christie asked suspiciously.

Jana felt helpless to answer. Taffy had said she wouldn't be
Randy's partner if Jana didn't want her to, and hadn't Chad just bought Taffy a
soda? And Randy said Taffy talked about being Jana's friend. Wasn't all that
proof that Taffy wasn't trying to pull something? It wasn't that she was taking
Taffy at her word. Or did she just want it to be that way so badly that she was
blinded to what was really going on?

After dinner, Jana sat in her room looking at the animals
that surrounded her at her desk. Randy had arrived at Bumpers with Shane and
had carried Rex home for her. There had been a brief moment of euphoria when
Randy had leaned forward, and this time, instead of her forehead, he had kissed
her on the lips. The world had turned to sunshine and roses for her at that
very moment. Later Taffy had come by in her mother's car and dropped off the
bear.

"Hi, Jana."

Jana hadn't heard her mother come in. "Hi, Mom."

"My goodness, you've got even more animals. Who does
the bear belong to?"

"That's Monique. It's Taffy's. I'm babysitting it for
her while she keeps an appointment."

Her mother looked at her curiously. She's probably wondering
why I'm doing it, too, thought Jana. Her mother knew that she and Taffy had
been enemies all through Mark Twain Elementary.

After she finished her homework, Jana went into the kitchen
to make up another batch of formula. All it was was water and cream of wheat,
but it looked like real formula, and besides, she was getting rid of a lot of
yucky cream of wheat.

Her mother sat at the table. She had papers and receipts
pertaining to the wedding spread out in front of her, and she was looking over
the guest list. Jana walked to the table and looked over her shoulder. Her
father's name wasn't on the list.

"Mom, could I have some invitations? I promised to
invite Christie, Beth, Katie, and Melanie, and I've been so busy with school
and yearbook that I forgot."

Her mother looked up and smiled. "Sure, sweetheart. I've
been meaning to ask you about your friends, but I'm afraid that I forgot, too."
She slid several invitations toward Jana from a stack of extras on the table.
Jana took the spare ballpoint pen that was lying on the table and addressed the
invitations to her friends.

When she finished, she stared at the list for a moment. She
hadn't really paid much attention to it before. She read it over and then
asked, "Is that the whole list?"

"Ummm, hmm," her mother answered absently. "Except
for your friends, of course."

"Aren't you inviting any of our relatives except for
Grandmother and Grandfather Drake?"

Her mother shook her head. "None of your aunts, uncles,
or cousins live near enough to come. But your grandmother and grandfather will
definitely be here. They're driving in on Friday before the wedding and will be
staying at a hotel." Jana slid into a depression. Grandma and Grandpa
Drake were her mother's parents. Jana loved them, but she had thought her
mother might say she was also asking Jana's father.

Back in her room Jana sat at her desk, thinking. She reached
into the pocket of her jeans skirt and pulled out an invitation and an
envelope. Her mother had extras and wouldn't miss one. Should she send her
father an invitation? How mad would her mother be if she did?

Jana pulled open the desk drawer. Inside was the wrinkled
letter she had begun the day before. The teardrop had formed an inky circle
where it had fallen. She took the letter out and placed it at the corner of her
desk.

Next she went to her closet and got an old boot box down
from the shelf. Inside was a stack of used envelopes that the support-payment
checks used to come in when her father was still sending them. They were all
alike, and she had quit collecting them after a while. Underneath the stack
were four letters bound together with a rubber band. Jana pulled one free. It
was wrinkled and smudged because of the many times she had taken it out to read
the letter inside. In the upper left-hand corner of the envelope was written
Bill
Morgan,
followed by an address. Carefully she copied the address onto the
invitation envelope.