Fabulous Five 026 - Laura's Secret (3 page)

Laura's stomach lurched as she reread the part about keeping
the apartment clean. Alexis turned to look at Laura, but didn't speak.

What could Laura say?
Her mind spun wildly until she
suddenly came up with an idea.

"Oh, Dad!" she scoffed, pretending to be impatient
with her father. "It's the maid's day off, see, and I was just playing a
little joke on him—"

"But you said the maid cleaned the apartment and made
all those snacks for us," said Alexis.

"Well, she did, see," Laura fumbled, "but she
did that yesterday. And I was supposed to straighten things up this morning so
that she won't have too much to do when she gets back. Actually, that was when
I decided to play this joke," Laura rushed on, hoping Alexis wouldn't see
how flustered she was becoming, "but my dad has absolutely
no
sense
of humor."

Alexis looked skeptical.

She doesn't believe me! Laura thought. I have to do
something fast.

"So what were you doing looking at private notes on my
mirror, anyway?" Laura demanded, her voice rising with panic and anger. "I
said you could use my bathroom, not snoop around my room!"

Alexis took a small step backward. "I'm sorry,"
she said. "I've always liked the way you decorate your room, so I just
stopped to admire it for a moment."

"Yeah, right!" Laura snapped, reaching for the
note and ripping it to pieces. "That's a pretty lame excuse, Alexis."

"Really," Alexis insisted, obviously surprised by
Laura's outburst. "I'm sorry, Laura." She paused and looked Laura in
the eyes. "I won't tell anyone about the note on your mirror. Honest."

Laura bit her lower lip. It was clear that Alexis still didn't
believe her.

Pulling herself up to her full height, Laura shouted, "You're
a snoop, Alexis Duvall! You had no right to read my personal notes!"

"I said I'm sorry," Alexis said evenly. Her face
was turning red with anger. "I don't owe you any more than an apology!"

Alexis stormed out of the bedroom and down the hall. Laura
followed closely, terrified that she would tell the others about the note.

Instead, Alexis grabbed her jacket off the couch and stalked
out of the apartment without a word to anyone. The others watched, their eyes
wide with surprise. Lisa, Sara, and Marcie said quick thank yous to Laura and
left, too.

Probably to run after Alexis and find out what happened,
Laura thought angrily.

"Wow, what happened in there between you and Alexis?"
asked Tammy.

"Yeah," said Melissa. "We could hear you
yelling clear down the hall."

What am I going to say? thought Laura. They're my best
friends, but I can't let them find out that I made up the maid story. What
would they think? Besides, Tammy would spread it all over school.

"I found out Alexis is a
snoop
, that's what
happened!"

Funny wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about?"

"She was looking at my stuff!" Laura said
indignantly.

"So?" Tammy asked. "What's the big deal?"

Laura raised her eyebrows. "I mean, she was going
through my things!"

"Going through your things?" echoed Funny. "What
do you mean? What exactly was she doing?"

A signal went off in Laura's head.
STOP! Don't say any
more!

"Let's just forget it," snapped Laura. "I
just want to forget that it ever happened."

"Come on, Laura," Tammy urged. "We won't tell
anybody."

Funny and Melissa each shot Tammy a suspicious look.

"I
won't!
" Tammy insisted. Melissa rolled
her eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Laura
said. "And I want you three to promise me that you won't tell anybody what
happened here today."

Funny shrugged. "Laura, we don't
know
what
happened here today."

"Well, just forget it then," Laura repeated.

"Okay already," Melissa said. "Come on, you
guys. Let's go. I think the party's over."

"See you all later," Laura said, wishing
desperately that she could get things back to the way they were before she
discovered Alexis in her room.

"Yeah, see ya," said Funny.

The girls gathered their things and left. Laura watched the
door close behind them and began pacing around the room, her mind filled with
anger and worry. What if Alexis blabbed about the note on her mirror? It would
be all over school that Laura was a liar.

She sighed. She had always liked Sara, Lisa, Marcie, and
Alexis. And she knew they had liked her, too. No, she thought. It was more than
that. They thought I was someone special. Really special. But what will happen
now, if Alexis tells everybody about the note, and they all turn against me? I
won't have anything. No mother to talk to and no friends, just a dad who doesn't
understand anything, and tons of housework. She felt tears spilling down her
cheeks, but she jerked upright and wiped them away with the back of her hand.
This was no time to get weepy, she told herself sternly. What she needed was a
plan.

Well, she knew one thing: The Fantastic Foursome would stick
by her. At least they'd
better
, if they wanted to remain her friends!

Laura saw the rest of The Fantastic Foursome leaning against
the building when she arrived at school on Monday. She waved. Funny waved back.

Why didn't Melissa or Tammy wave? she wondered. Are they mad
because I wouldn't tell them what happened with Alexis? Then she stopped in her
tracks.
Had Alexis told them about the note already?

As Laura slowly approached her friends, Funny smiled and
called, "Hi, Laura."

She forced a smile. "Hi, everybody."

"I hate Mondays," said Melissa. "Five whole
days of drudgery before we get any fun."

Tammy sighed. "I know what you mean. I hate Mondays,
too."

They didn't even say hi
to me, thought Laura.

"Yeah," agreed Funny. "Did you all get your
math homework done?"

"Barely," answered Tammy.

"It was a hard assignment," commented Melissa.

"What a week," said Funny. "I've got three
tests before Friday! Can you believe it?"

Laura stood silently and listened to the conversation. They're
leaving me out, she thought. They aren't even talking to me!

The bell rang, and the girls pushed off the side of the
building and trudged toward the school. Walking through the front door, Melissa
waved and headed off in the direction of her locker.

Why didn't she say, "See you at lunch?" Laura
wondered.

"Oh, there's Samantha," pointed out Tammy. "I
have to hear how her date with Josh went on Saturday night. See you guys later,"
she said, rushing down the hall.

Just then Beth Barry and Jana Morgan walked by. Beth saw
Laura, ducked her head, and whispered something to Jana. Jana laughed, and the
girls continued on to their lockers.

"Did you see that?" Laura demanded.

"No, what?" asked Funny.

"Beth saw me and smirked and then said something to
Jana," Laura replied hotly. "Then Jana laughed."

"Yeah?" said Funny.

"Yeah!"

Funny looked puzzled.

"They were talking about
me
!
" Laura
insisted.

"You're imagining things," Funny said, frowning. "They're
best friends, remember? Beth says nutty things all the time."

"Yeah, right," Laura answered sarcastically.

Funny grinned. "You're just being paranoid. Hey, see
you at lunch."

"Thanks for all your sympathy," Laura grumbled,
but Funny didn't hear. She had aleady disappeared into the crowd moving down
the hall.

"Well, this day is really getting off to a great start,"
Laura muttered as she headed for her locker. "I can hardly wait to see
what happens next."

The morning moved at a snail's pace. Laura watched the faces
of the kids in her classes, but everyone seemed to be ignoring her the way her
best friends had. Was Funny right? she wondered. Am I paranoid? Or is everyone
snubbing me?

By lunchtime she was convinced that the whole school had
heard the details of her blow-up with Alexis. She stopped in the bathroom just
before lunch and glimpsed her reflection in the mirror. Her shoulders were
stooped, the corners of her mouth were turned down, and her eyes looked tired
and angry.

Laura was shocked. Usually she looked terrific. She
straightened her shoulders, held up her head, and looked herself squarely in
the eyes.

You're not going to let them get you down, she told herself
silently. You're going to act as if there is absolutely nothing wrong. Then
when kids see you, they'll think that Alexis is just making up the story. You'll
look so
together,
no one will believe in a million years that you lied
about having a maid!

Laura felt better as she hurried to the cafeteria, went
through the hot-lunch line, and slid into her ususal seat next to Tammy.

"Say, Laura," Tammy said, shooting a meaningful
glance at Melissa and Funny, "remember when you said that Alexis was going
through your things?"

Laura blinked in surprise. "Yeah?" she said,
feeling suddenly defensive.

"What
really
happened?" asked Tammy, a
small smile playing on her lips. "We've been talking about it, and we want
to know."

"I told you I didn't want to discuss it," Laura
said, trying to keep her voice even. That old, familiar panic sensation was
returning to her chest.

Tammy looked offended. "We just wondered. After all, we
are your best friends."

Laura breathed a sigh of impatience. "And I don't want
you saying anything to anybody, either. Do you get me?"

Tammy shrugged. "Okay, okay," she replied.

Laura picked at her lunch and thought about the situation.
Now what if Tammy starts a rumor about Alexis going through my things? I don't
want that to happen. Alexis has always been my friend.

"Speak of the devil." Melissa nudged Laura. "Guess
who just walked into the cafeteria."

Laura turned to look. Sure enough, Alexis was carrying a tray
and walking across the room. She saw someone she knew, smiled, and headed
toward the left side of the cafeteria.

"Look. She's sitting down at The Fabulous Five's table,"
said Tammy.

"Yeah," Funny said. "They sit together at
Bumpers sometimes, too."

Just great, thought Laura. Of all the times for her to be
sitting with my worst enemies.

Laura kept an eye on the table, watching while Alexis, Beth,
and Jana talked together. Alexis was doing the talking, and suddenly Beth and
Jana broke out laughing. Then Melanie Edwards leaned into the conversation to
say something, and the whole group laughed louder than ever.

"Melanie is such a ditz," Laura remarked sourly.

Funny giggled. "I think she's a riot. She's the most
boy-crazy girl I've ever known."

Laura continued to watch Alexis out of the corner of her
eye. Was she telling them the maid story right now? Once during lunch Alexis
glanced over toward Laura, and their eyes met. Laura was about to smile at her,
but before she could force the corners of her mouth to turn up, Alexis looked
away.

Well, I tried! Laura thought. She sat up straight and tossed
her long braid over her shoulder. I tried to show her I wasn't mad anymore, but
she wouldn't even look at me. I have to get out of here before I explode. She
stood up.

Tammy looked at her in surprise.

"Are you finished?" she asked. "You hardly
touched your sloppy joe."

"I'm going to study hall," Laura said. Then she
added a little lie. "I've got to study for my math test."

"Well, could I have your sandwich?" asked Tammy. "I'm
still hungry."

Laura picked up her sloppy joe, plopped it on Tammy's plate,
and started off to the garbage can to dump the rest of her lunch.

"Hey, I just realized something," Tammy called
after her. "I'm in your math class. We don't have a test."

When Laura came home from school, she picked up around the
apartment. Next she got chicken out of the refrigerator, dipped the pieces in
milk, rolled them in flour, and lined them up in the bottom of a glass baking
pan. Then she popped them into the oven.

All the time she was thinking about Alexis. What a total
disaster it would be if she broke her promise and told everybody about their
argument. Especially, thought Laura, if gossip-of-the-world Tammy blabbed Laura's
story about Alexis going through her things.

It was all her father's fault. If he hadn't put that stupid
note on her mirror, none of this would have ever happened. Sure, he had an
excuse for being extra crabby lately. He was worried about that promotion. If he
got it, he would be the youngest vice president in the company. "Big deal!"
grumbled Laura. "It's ruining my entire life."

Laura went into her bedroom and flopped onto the bed. She
turned on her radio and stared at the ceiling. The music was soothing to her
nerves. Her adrenaline had been pumping like crazy all day, and now she was
exhausted. Her eyelids drooped, and she sank deeper into her pillow. Thoughts
of Alexis and Tammy and her father melted together into a dreamy darkness.

"Laura!" her father called from the living room.

Laura's eyes flew open. "What?" she mumbled.

An instant later Walker McCall was standing in the doorway
to her bedroom. "Fall asleep?"

Laura sat up slowly and stretched. "Guess so," she
said.

"When's supper, hon?" he asked. "I'm meeting
some of the guys from the office at the bowling alley in an hour."

Laura looked at the clock. "Chicken should be ready in
a few minutes. I'll fix a salad and some instant rice. It'll be ready in a
jiffy."

"Good," her father said. "I'm starved."

Laura got up and scooted into the kitchen. She stopped in
front of the stove and gasped. "Oh, no!"

"What?"

Laura opened the oven door and stared at the pan of raw
chicken sitting inside. It was stone cold. She had been feeling so frustrated
over Alexis that she had left the kitchen without turning the oven on.

"What's the matter?" he asked from over her
shoulder.

Laura turned red. "The chicken . . . it's not cooked. I
must have forgotten to turn on the oven."

"What!"
Her father gave her a look of utter
astonishment. "Do you mean to say that you just left it sitting in a cold
oven while you fell asleep in your room?"

Laura stared at the floor. "Um-hm."

"Great," he muttered. "Just great."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I could make you a sandwich."

He sighed heavily. "What kind of sandwich?"

She threw open the refrigerator door and frantically looked
over each shelf and in each drawer. Eeek! she thought. No cheese. No luncheon
meat. No veggies. No fruit. No
anything.

Laura turned slowly to her father. "Peanut butter and
jelly?" she asked hopefully.

"Are you kidding?" he asked in exasperation.

"It'll only take an hour for the chicken to cook. In
fact, if I turn the oven a little higher than the recipe calls for, it'll
probably cook faster," she offered. "Why don't you sit down and watch
TV? Before you know it, dinner will be ready."

"I
told
you I'm going bowling in an hour,"
said her father, his voice rising in anger. "Not only that, my biggest
competition for that promotion is on the other team, and he's a terrific
bowler. I need to be on top of my game."

Laura bit her lip and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry,"
she whispered. There it was again, she thought. That promotion. Pressure or
not, did he have to blame her for everything? She hadn't
meant
to goof
up his dinner.

Her father looked at the ceiling, trying to regain his calm.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," he
said finally. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't mess up dinner on purpose."

"That's okay," Laura said. "I mean, I'm
sorry. I just forgot."

"Yeah, and sometimes I forget that you're still a kid.
Still my little girl," apologized her father, looking at her tenderly. "Listen,"
he added, suddenly brightening. "Come here, will you? There's something I
want to talk to you about." He took her hand and led her into the living
room. "Sit down."

Laura sat on the edge of the couch, while her dad sank into
the big, upholstered chair next to her. What's this all about? she wondered.

"Listen, I'm going to ask you to do me a special favor."

Laura eyed her father suspiciously. "What?" she
asked.

"I'm going to bring home a . . . lady I want you to
meet," he said.

Laura blinked in surprise. "A girlfriend?"

He cleared his throat self-consciously. "Well, yes, I
guess you could call Trudy a girlfriend."

"Trudy?" she asked, grinning slyly.

"Yes," her father said. "That's her name.
Trudy Dwyer."

"What does this Trudy Dwyer look like?" Laura
wanted to know. The argument about the chicken seemed far away now.

Her father stared off into the distance and said, "She's
a terrific woman. Beautiful. You're going to like her." Then he looked
back at Laura. "And I want the place looking very nice, and I want you on
your best behavior. Get it?"

Laura nodded.

"Trudy is going to come here tomorrow evening," he
continued. "We're going out for dinner and a movie. But I wanted her to
meet you first—I've told her what a great kid you are. You don't have to dress
up or anything, but be sure to wear something nice." He thought for a
moment. "How about that yellow dress?"

"Yellow dress?" she echoed.

"You know, the one you wore to your cousin Annie's
wedding last spring."

Laura wrinkled her nose. "That's old. It's not
flattering anymore, either." To herself, she said, This will have to be a
really great outfit. I can't have my father's date outshine me!

"Of course it's a flattering dress," her father
argued. "You look like my little girl in that dress. The white lace collar
is great with your hair."

Laura rolled her eyes. "I think I'll wear my new black
skirt with the pink silk blouse."

"I don't remember that outfit." Her father paused.
"But if it looks nice, wear it."

Laura grinned. She was eager to meet her father's new
girlfriend. Usually she didn't get to meet his dates. Best of all, he seemed to
have forgotten all about the raw chicken in the oven. She was off the hook.

"I'm going to change clothes," her father said. "Then
I'm going out for a hamburger on my way to the bowling alley. See you around
ten-thirty. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Laura smiled. "No thanks, Daddy."

The next morning Laura spotted her friends at their usual place
at the corner of the school building. But someone was standing with them.
Alexis! She was wearing her blue denim jacket with the hand-painted Western
scene on the back. It had to be Alexis. No one else at Wakeman had a jacket
like that. Laura narrowed her eyes. Alexis was talking to the girls.

And she looked
mad!

Tammy looked up and saw Laura coming. She must have warned
Alexis, because Alexis whirled around as if she were confronting an enemy.
Laura slowed. She knew that the moment she had dreaded had finally arrived.

Her mind ticked off the possibilities, and in the next
instant she knew what she would do. She would take the offensive.

"What's the matter with
you,
Duvall?" Laura
asked nastily. Maybe she could intimidate Alexis into backing down.

"You know very well, Laura McCall," Alexis
countered. She didn't look as if she would back down at all. Her face was
bright red with anger.

"I have no idea," said Laura airily, trying to
make it sound as if she couldn't care less, either.

"I've heard all the rumors you've been spreading about
me," Alexis said.

"What rumors? I haven't said anything about you."

"Oh, yes, you have. You've been telling everyone that I
went through your things last week at your apartment!" Alexis replied.

"And where did you hear that?" challenged Laura.
She threw Tammy an angry glare. Tammy's face fell, and she shrank back.

"I heard it from Sara Sawyer, who got it from
your
friend
Tammy," Alexis told her. "But since then, I've heard it
from lots of kids."

"Really?" Laura asked sarcastically.

Laura noticed the color drain from Tammy's face. Good. She's
terrified! Laura thought.

"You know that story is a lie," Alexis said, her
face hardened with fury. "I would never do a thing like that! You owe me a
big apology!"

There was no turning back. Laura had created this horrible
situation; now she had no choice but to see it through. Backing down was
unthinkable! She would lose face in front of the whole school. A large group of
kids had already formed around them. The Fabulous Five—minus Christie Winchell,
who had moved with her family to England—were standing behind Alexis and off to
the side. Even worse, Laura could see out of the corner of one eye that a group
of seventh-grade boys had appeared and were watching from a few yards away.
Randy Kirwan, Keith Masterson, and even Shane Arrington were there. What would
they think of her if she admitted she had lied?

All of these thoughts flashed through Laura's mind in a
millisecond.
Stand up for yourself, or you're dead!
a frantic voice
cried out in her head.

"
I
owe
you
an apology! That's a laugh!"
Laura shrieked. "You went through
my
things!"

"I didn't!" cried Alexis. "That's the last
thing I'd do to a friend—or—or someone I thought was my friend!"

Laura flinched for an instant. Alexis had just called her a
friend. At that moment Laura hated herself. Hated herself and what she'd just
done to Alexis. How had she gotten into this horrible, ugly mess? she wondered.

She glanced at the faces around her. They were all riveted
on her, waiting to see what she would say next.

Laura was trapped.

She glanced down and in a split second formed her strategy.
Pointing to Alexis's Wakeman charm bracelet, she said in a deadly serious
voice, "You
stole
that from me. That's my bracelet, Alexis Duvall,
and you stole it."