Fabulous Five 030 - Sibling Rivalry (2 page)

Beth glanced around the dining room as she followed her
parents to a table. It was a big room, paneled in knotty pine, like the rest of
the resort. There was a large dance floor in the front of the room, and all the
tables were covered with red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Small red candles
sat in the center.

The Barrys chose a table by a window that looked out at the
mountain. The last skiers of the day were gracefully drifting down the
snow-packed slopes toward the lodge. Beth sighed, trying to imagine how it
would feel to be one of them.

When the family was seated, a waitress came to their table
and filled their water glasses. "I'm Cindy," she said. "For
dinner you have your choice of steak or chicken. I'll bring the vegetables in
bowls, and if you need more of anything, all you have to do is holler."

Cindy brought them bowls heaped with mashed potatoes, gravy,
corn, and green beans. Then she brought a cutting board with a loaf of bread
and a knife, and gave them plates with the entrees they had ordered.

While the rest of the family talked and laughed, Beth picked
at her food and stared out the window. All the skiers had left the slopes, but
that hardly mattered. She was still smarting from Brittany's nasty comments in
front of the three girls in the great room. Why did Brittany always treat her
like a baby?

Well, maybe it's a good thing there aren't any girls my age
here at Stony Lookout, she thought, stabbing a piece of chicken and popping it
into her mouth. This is my chance to prove once and for all that I'm just as mature
as Brian and Brittany. I'll show them, if it's the last thing I ever do.

After about twenty minutes, Julie, Molly, and Sarah came in
and sat down across the dining room. They waved at the Barry family.

"Hey, look," said Todd. "The band is setting
up."

Brittany whirled toward the front of the room, her eyes
glowing. "Finally some real action," she said.

Beth saw Brian glance at the table where the girls were
sitting. Would he ask Molly to dance? she wondered. Molly had certainly flirted
with him earlier in the great room.

This is definitely my big chance, Beth thought. She slipped
her mirror out of her purse and quickly checked her lipstick and hair. Then she
sat up straight and looked around the room, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

Within fifteen minutes the band began to play. There were
two guitars, a synthesizer, and drums. Most of the music was made up of current
Top 40 tunes, but the band also mixed in some oldies to please the parents and
grandparents in the audience.

"Come on, honey, let's dance," Mrs. Barry said to
her husband. "It's been ages."

"But, Mom," Todd said, slouching down into his
seat. "No one else is dancing yet."

"So we'll get them started," replied his mother.
"I love this song. It's easy to dance to." She laughed.

Beth watched her parents head for the dance floor.

"Is this embarrassing or what?" Todd mumbled,
staring at his empty plate.

"I think they're kind of cute," Brittany answered.

Beth looked around the dining room, wondering if anyone
would ask her to dance. After all, she and Keith Masterson had broken up, and
she could dance with anyone she pleased. She spotted a few older boys about
Brian's age. Maybe one of them would ask her.

A tall, dark-haired boy around sixteen was staring in her
direction. She felt herself blush and glanced away shyly. When she looked back,
she gave him a little smile. The boy got up from his table and started walking
toward her. Beth's heart leapt into her throat.

He's going to ask me to dance!
she thought. She
didn't know whether to jump up and run to meet him halfway or hide under the
table. So she held her ground, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

When he was in front of her, Beth looked up and smiled.

He didn't even notice her. "Want to dance?" he
asked Brittany.

Brittany hopped up, grinning, and walked with him to the
dance floor.

Let me die right now,
Beth thought. She shrank into
her seat, her face as red as a traffic light, and glanced around. Had anyone
noticed that she had just totally humiliated herself beyond belief? Maybe she
could slink off upstairs without anyone's seeing her.

Beth glanced out of the corner of her eye at Brittany,
trying to figure out why the boy had picked her instead of Beth. Brittany
didn't look that much older, and she was only a couple of inches taller than Beth.
Maybe he likes longer hair, Beth mused, running her fingers through her own
short, spiky do. Brittany's hair was the same dark brown, but it hung to her
shoulders in back and waved gracefully around her face in front.

Beth looked up with a start and realized that Molly was
standing next to Brian.

"Want to dance, Brian?" Molly asked.

Brian smiled. "Sure."

Beth gazed around the dining room, reminding herself that
there really weren't many boys her age. And the boys who
were
her age
all looked pretty immature. They were the "hot-dog skiers" Julie had
mentioned. Brian and Brittany were just lucky.

Then Beth noticed a red-haired boy about her age heading for
her table. Oh, no, she thought, cringing. Not a hotdogger. I don't want to
dance with one of them. He'll probably stomp my feet to a pulp.

Instead the boy skirted around the table and stopped next to
Todd. "Want to go to the video arcade?" he asked him.

"Sure," said Todd, hopping out of his chair.
"It beats sitting around here watching a boring dance."

"That's what
I
thought," the boy agreed.
The two of them headed out the door.

Beth sighed as she sat with Alicia and watched her parents,
Brittany, and Brian on the dance floor.

"Hey, that was fun," said Brittany after the song
was over and she and her parents had returned to the table. "Wasn't he
cute? His name's Brad Jenkins, and he's from Wisconsin."

"I'm glad he asked you to dance," said Mrs. Barry.
"We had a good time, too." She gazed sadly at Beth and then patted
her husband's arm. "Jeff, why don't you dance with Beth?"

Beth looked up. "What!"

Brittany exploded with laughter.

"Go on, honey," her mother urged. "Dance with
your father."

"Yes, Beth," Brittany teased. "Dance with
your
daddy
!
"

"Oh, that's okay," Beth said, glaring at her
sister. "I'm having fun watching."

Please
,
oh, please
, Beth thought desperately.
I
don't want to dance with my own FATHER! I'd die of embarrassment!

"Go ahead, you two," said Mrs. Barry. "I'm
going to take Alicia upstairs to bed."

"Come on, Beth," her father said. "It'll be fun."

"Sure, Beth," Brittany said, grinning wickedly.
"It'll be fun."

Beth didn't know what to do. She didn't want to hurt her
father's feelings, but she just couldn't dance with him.

"I have a little stomachache," she lied.

"Come on." Her father pulled Beth out of her
chair. "It'll do you good."

As he led her to the dance floor, Beth heard Brittany
giggle. When Beth saw her sister again, Brittany was holding one hand over her
mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.

It was a slow dance, so her father put one arm around her
waist, placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and took her other hand.

Maybe I'll have a heart attack and die right here, Beth
thought. She felt stiff and awkward as her father led her around the dance
floor. Glancing over his shoulder, she saw Brian dancing with Molly. Molly was
practically plastered against him. Brian looked over and grinned at Beth.

He's laughing at me, too, Beth thought. Why couldn't I have
been born an only child?

When the music stopped and she started back to her seat, her
face was hot and prickly. She was positive that everyone in the entire dining
room was looking at her and snickering.

Julie and Sarah were sitting at her family's table when she
got there. Brian and Molly followed close behind her and sat down.

"Well," said Mr. Barry, "I think I'll find
Todd and then go up to the room and join your mother."

"Okay, Dad," Beth said.

What a relief, she thought. With her parents out of the way,
maybe she could blend in with the older kids.

"Want to come back, too?" her father asked,
looking at Beth.

"Uh, no, thanks," Beth said. "I think
I'll—just stay and listen to the music for a while."

He checked his watch. "For an hour, okay? Then you come
up to the room and watch Alicia so your mother and I can come back down."

Beth started to open her mouth and say, "Why do
I
always have to be the sitter?" But she didn't want to act like an immature
kid, arguing with her father in front of everyone, so she forced herself to
smile. "Okay," she replied softly.

"Look after your sister," Mr. Barry told Brian and
Brittany.

"Sure," Brittany said. "We'll look after our
little sister, and in one hour we'll send her up to bed."

Beth was determined not to give Brittany the satisfaction of
watching her get angry. She made herself look her father right in the eye.
"I'll be fine, Dad."

Beth expected another snide remark from Brittany as soon as
her father left, but her sister was too interested in the other kids to bother
with her.

The band started playing again, and Molly turned to Brian.
"Want to dance again?" she asked.

"How about sitting this one out?" Brian said.

"Oh, but Brian, this is my most
favorite
song in
the whole world," Molly pleaded, tugging his arm.

Brian laughed. "Well, I guess in that case we'd better
not waste it."

As they were getting up to go to the dance floor, a man
walked into the dining room, and Beth caught her breath. He was tall, tanned,
muscular, and the best-looking guy she had ever seen. She quickly estimated his
age to be twenty or so, too old for her, but she didn't even care. She would be
happy just to
look
at this incredibly handsome guy.

Brittany had spotted him, too. In fact, Beth noticed that
just about every female in the room had turned to stare at him.

He nodded cordially to people sitting at tables scattered across
the room, and his gaze stopped when he looked their way. Beth watched in
amazement as he waved and smiled in their direction. Julie, Sarah, and Molly
returned the wave.

Brittany grabbed Julie's arm and whispered. "Who is
that guy?"

"I knew that would be your next question," Julie
said, laughing.

"Isn't he unbelievably good-looking?" asked Sarah.

"Incredible," answered Brittany, not moving her
eyes from him even for a second. "He looks like a movie star!"

"His name is Marcel Goujon," Julie told her.
"He's from France."

"He's the ski instructor here," explained Sarah.
"And you should hear his accent. It's
wonderful
!
"

"He's the ski instructor, is he?" asked Brittany,
a smile creeping across her face. Beth could guess what was going through her
sister's mind.

"Uh-huh," said Julie. "We take lessons every
chance we get."

Brittany grinned. "Surely you're getting too good for
lessons by now."

Sarah shrugged. "It takes a long time to learn to ski
well. Lots of people take lessons over and over again."

Beth smiled to herself. Probably some people did take ski
lessons over and over again, but she wasn't fooled by Julie, Sarah, and Molly.
They wanted to be close to Marcel.

"Is Marcel married?" asked Brittany.

"Nope," Julie said.

"Great!" exclaimed Brittany. She still hadn't
taken her eyes off Marcel, who was now sitting with a couple at a table near
the far wall.

"Who's he sitting with?" Brittany was craning her
neck to see across the crowded room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Martin," said Julie. "They own
the resort. He comes in here several times a week to have dinner with
them."

"Do you think he'll ask anyone to dance?" asked
Brittany.

Julie sighed. "He never does."

"But we've seen plenty of girls ask him," added
Sarah.

"Really?" Brittany said. "Ha
ve you
asked him?"

Sarah chuckled. "No. We're still working up our
nerve."

"But does he dance with the girls who ask him?"
Brittany pressed.

"Yes," said Julie. "But I think he's just
being polite."

Just then Brad Jenkins, the boy who had danced with Brittany
earlier, approached and asked her to dance again.

"Sure," Brittany said. But Beth noticed that she
glanced over at Marcel as she made her way to the dance floor.

It was a fast dance, and Brittany really threw herself into
it. Beth knew Brittany was an excellent dancer, but she hadn't realized just
how good her sister really was. Brittany swung around and waved her arms in the
air and really looked great.

Beth noticed that Brittany moved a little toward the far
side of the dance floor, and Brad followed. Seconds later Brittany took a few
more steps to the side, and Brad followed again.

Then it dawned on Beth what her sister was doing.
She's
moving closer to Marcel! She wants to get his attention with her dancing!

Well, that should do it, Beth thought. If Brittany's dancing
won't get Marcel to notice her, nothing will.

Beth sat up as tall as she could and was able to see Marcel.
He and the Martins were talking. Once Marcel looked up, seeming to watch
someone on the dance floor.

It was Brittany, of course. Who else?

Beth sighed and rested her elbows on the table, her chin in
her hands. This is the crowning blow, she thought. Brittany gets a bed all to
herself, she doesn't have to go back to the room early, and she doesn't have to
baby-sit Alicia. And now she's got the attention of the most handsome man in
the whole world. It just isn't fair!