Fabulous Five 003 - The Popularity Trap (5 page)

"Okay. What are we going to do?" Jana asked her
glum-faced friends as they sat around her kitchen table. "That stunt
Laura, Melissa, Tammy, and Funny pulled in the cafeteria got everyone's
attention. All I heard in my afternoon classes was how great it was."

"Well, Funny Hawthorne is supposed to be your friend,"
said Katie. "Why didn't she tell you they were going to do it?"

Christie saw Jana look with frustration at Katie. "You
don't really expect her to tell me everything they're doing, do you? They're
still her friends, too, you know."

"Arguing isn't going to solve anything," said
Christie. "You guys put my name in for president so it's up to you to
think of some way to get me elected,
if
you're serious."

Katie looked at Jana. "I'm sorry. I just hate to see
that witch Laura show off." Jana smiled understandingly.

"Look," said Melanie. "We've got to come up
with something more spectacular than their silly little song. Something that
will make people think about Christie more."

"Like what?" asked Katie.

"Listen, guys," Beth said excitedly. "I think
you've just hit it. You said 'spectacular,' right? Get people's attention,
right? Okay, Christie, listen up. You need to be more dramatic. Get some flash—"

Christie opened her mouth to protest when Melanie broke in. "Christie
Winchell, don't listen to her! Didn't I tell you that boys make up half the
class? What you need to do is go after the
boy vote!
"

"Melanie's right about one thing," Beth
interrupted. "Boys are only half the class and half the vote. But if you
could grab the spotlight away from Melissa and The Fantastic Foursome, you
could get
all
the vote."

Melanie let out an exasperated sigh. "I could give you
private flirting lessons. Or if you didn't want to do that, I could loan you my
magazine with the seven tips for flirting in it."

Christie listened to the arguments lobbing back and forth
like a tennis ball. Here they go again, she thought, planning my campaign as if
I had nothing to do with it. At that moment something occurred to her. She
smiled and held up her hand for silence.

"I have a better idea for getting everybody's
attention," she said quietly. "It's dramatic and it could bring in
both the boy vote
and
the girl vote. And best of all, it's something we've
already thought of."

This time when Jon Smith rang the doorbell, Christie was
ready and answered it before either of her parents could get up.

"Come in," she said coolly. She had promised
herself that she wouldn't get into a fight with him again tonight, but at the
same time she wasn't going to let him think that she cared what he thought of
her either.

"Thanks," he said almost pleasantly.

As she led him to the kitchen, she wondered what he was up
to. He had been so hostile the night before. Maybe he's trying to soften me up
for the kill, she thought, and shivered.

Sitting down at the table and opening her book, she avoided
looking at him. "Did you redo your homework for chapter one?" she
asked.

He didn't answer. Instead he handed her a paper that was
covered with neatly written problems. Without meaning to she glanced up at him
and smiled. "Hey, these look better."

She skimmed the problems, making a check mark beside the
ones that were wrong. He had missed only three out of twenty. That wasn't bad
at all. She started to tell him so, but her anger with him held her back.
Instead, she handed the homework back to him and turned to the next chapter.

"I think you're ready to move on," she said
crisply.

"You
are
helping me just because Mr. Bell asked
you to," Jon said. "I checked you out."

"You checked me out!" cried Christie, raising her blazing
eyes to look straight at him. "What do you mean, you checked me out?"

"I asked my parents," he said matter-of-factly. "They
said they called Mr. Bell and asked him to find a math tutor for me, and he
called them later and said he had asked you to do it."

"So?" she challenged.

"Like I said yesterday, I thought you were doing it
because you knew who my parents are. Lots of kids try to butter me up just to
get to meet them. It happens all the time."

Christie bit her lower lip and shifted self-consciously in
her chair. He was apologizing—sort of—and she knew she should forget her anger
and accept.

"Don't take this wrong," he went on, "but I
always thought that you were conceited."

Christie's eyes blazed at him again, but he held up a hand
and smiled. "Whoa. Let me finish. Everyone knows that you make all A's and
that you're running for class president. Besides that, Mr. Bell and the
teachers all know you. I've seen them speak to you in the halls. I thought you
just wanted to tutor me for the kicks."

This time she was able to return his smile. In fact, she
felt such a rush of relief that she almost laughed out loud. "I make A's
because my parents want me to, and I guess I want to, too. And my friends put
my name in for class president. Believe me, if I could get out of it, I would.
As far as Mr. Bell and the teachers go, it's just like your problem. My mom is
principal of Mark Twain Elementary, and everybody at Wacko Junior High thinks
that I have an in with all the teachers. I can't help it if they all know me."

He gave her a crooked grin. "Do you have any idea how
many kids in this school have started their own rock bands and want me to use
my influence with my parents to get them on television? I guess
we
both
have the same kind of problem. Let's start over, okay? I promise not to be such
a pain."

Christie looked into his smiling brown eyes. He seemed like
a whole new Jon Smith now. He was suddenly more relaxed, and the way he looked
at her told her that he meant what he said. Christie smiled back. It was going
to be hard to concentrate on chapter two.

"We can get them," said Jana when they met at the
fence the next morning. She could hardly contain her excitement. "Christie's
idea was terrific. I talked to Mom and she called one of the grocers that
advertises in her classified ads. He says we can have the oranges for a really
good price, and he'll even have one of his trucks drop them off."

"Great," said Melanie, jumping up and down.

"Fantastic," said Katie.

"Super," said Beth.

Christie didn't say anything. In fact, she barely heard what
they were saying. She couldn't get Jon out of her mind or the talk they had had
last night.

"Earth to Christie, Earth to Christie," Beth sang,
cupping a hand around Christie's ear. "Come in, Christie."

Christie blinked. "Sorry, guys. I was thinking about
something else," she said. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck.

"Uh-oh," said Katie. "Tutoring must have gone
a little better last night."

This time Christie was sure she was blushing. Nodding, she
said, "Lots better. I think he even likes me—a little bit."

Her friends started cheering and asking a million questions.
Finally Jana got everyone's attention back to the campaign and preparing the
oranges to be handed out the next day.

"We can all get together after school today and put the
stickers on them," she continued.

"VOTE FOR VITAMIN C! A DAY WITHOUT CHRISTIE IS LIKE A
DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE," chirped Beth. "It's a
super
slogan.
Look out Fantastic Foursome! Here come The Fabulous Five."

They all cheered, and Christie was glad the subject had
changed.

"And I brought the stickers for the boys," said
Katie.

"I talked to Scott last night, and he said he'd be glad
to talk to Randy and Keith and all the rest of the football players," said
Melanie.

"Did he say if the coach would let the players put the
stickers on their helmets?" asked Katie.

"He said he thought it would be okay."

"What about the tape we recorded last night? Did you
bring it?" Jana asked Melanie.

"Yes. And I called Bumpers and talked to Mr. Matson,
and he said we could play it over the sound system."

Christie watched her friends having fun as they planned what
they were going to do to beat Melissa. They had come up with the ideas for
stickers on the football helmets at Saturday's game against Black Rock Junior High
and the tape to be played at Bumpers after she had suggested the oranges.

She wished that she could feel as cheerful about all of it
as they did.

It was Thursday so
The Wakeman Smoke Signal
was
handed out in homeroom, just as Christie knew it would be. She quickly skimmed
Curtis's article on the seventh-grade candidates and saw that he had been
right. Her platform and Melissa's were an awfully lot alike. As much as she
didn't want to be president, she couldn't let Melissa beat her. Those oranges
have just got to do the trick, she thought, crossing and uncrossing her fingers
three times for luck.

Christie and her friends rushed to Bumpers as soon as school
was out and gave the tape to Mr. Matson. "You understand that if I play
this for you, I've got to do the same for anyone else who is running for an
office. I've got to give them equal time," he said, smiling.

"That's okay," said Melanie. Jana, Christie,
Katie, and Beth nodded in agreement. "It's still best to be first."

"Okay. Just give me a signal when you want me to play
it."

They rushed to get an empty booth.

Shortly Bumpers started filling up, but when Christie looked
around for Jon, she didn't see him anywhere. She couldn't help being a little
nervous about what he would think when he heard her tape.

When Melanie saw Scott, Randy, and Keith coming in from
football practice, she waved to them, and they came over.

"Did you talk to the coach about the stickers?"
Melanie asked Scott.

"No. I don't think it will be a problem, though. We'll
wait until halftime and put the stickers on before we come out."

"Is everyone keeping it a secret?" she asked.

"Yep," he said, crossing his heart. The boys said
good-bye and wandered off to talk to Tony Sanchez and Bill Soliday, who were
standing at the counter placing an order for food.

"Oh, look. Here comes the head duck and her little
ducklings," said Katie.

Christie turned to see Laura McCall walking in as if she
owned the place. Following behind her were Funny, Melissa, and Tammy. They do
kind of look like a mother duck and her little ducklings, she thought.

"I wish you wouldn't say bad things about
all
of
them," said Jana. "Funny Hawthorne is nice."

"Sorry," said Katie. "We know you like her.
But it looked so weird."

"Hey, there's Shane. I wonder who he's going to vote
for," Melanie said, stretching and weaving at him. "Shane! Shane!"

"Melanie! Can't you control yourself?" snapped Katie,
putting her hand over her eyes in embarrassment at Melanie's yelling.

Shane saw them and headed their way.

"Hi, girls," he said, flashing his handsome smile.
Christie thought that Melanie was right—he did look like River Phoenix. Melanie
was so thrilled that he had smiled at her that she looked as if she were going
to leap out of her seat at him.

"Hey, Christie. I see you're running for class
president. Lots of luck," he said.

"Oh, Shane. Who are you going to vote for?"
Melanie blurted. "Christie or Melissa?" The five of them looked at
him with anticipation.

He glanced from face to face and a slow smile came to his
lips. "Laura asked me the same question. And do you know what I told her?"

"What?" asked Melanie, bouncing up and down in her
seat.

"I told her that tonight I'd ask Igor who I should vote
for and let everybody know tomorrow."

"You didn't," said Jana, giggling.

"Yes, I did. I always consult my pet iguana before I
make an important decision. And so it's fair to everyone, I'll tell here at
Bumpers tomorrow after school."

"Oh, you rat!" squealed Melanie. "Tell us
now," she begged. "Please, please!"

"You're asking me not to talk to Igor first?" He
raised his eyebrows in fake surprise and then laughed coolly. "Hey, I've
got to live with him."

"It would be great if he'd vote for Christie,"
said Beth after Shane had left. "A lot of the Riverfield kids would vote
for her, too, if he would."

"Do you suppose there's a chance he
will
vote
for Christie?" asked Katie.

"I don't know," answered Jana. "He's pretty
independent."

"I can't stand to wait until tomorrow to find out,"
said Melanie. "I'm going to call him tonight and see if I can talk him
into telling me."

"Lots of luck," said Christie. "He's having
too much fun."

"It looks as if everybody's here. Should we have Mr.
Matson play the tape?" asked Melanie.

Christie had the sudden impulse to say no. She was getting
pulled deeper and deeper into this election campaign, and the tape might be the
thing that would make her the winner. Just then Jon's face flashed into her
mind again. It had been comforting in a way to know that another person had to
deal with pressure, too. But his way of dealing with it seemed to be by copping
out. She couldn't do that. Not in a million years.

"Okay," she said. "Let's play the tape."

All five of them waved to get Mr. Matson's attention. He
returned the wave and disappeared into the back room.

A few seconds later the music that had been playing stopped
in mid-song. Some of the kids turned and looked curiously at the old-time
Wurlitzer jukebox.

Then over the speakers came Beth's voice:

"A day without Christie is like a day without
sunshine. Christie Winchell stands for . .
. MORE SCHOOL DANCES . .
."

The recording hesitated, and The Fabulous Five started
clapping and cheering. Then Lisa Snow, Alexis Duvall, and other kids from Mark
Twain joined in.

"Christie Winchell stands for . . . A SCHOOL INDIAN
COSTUME FOR A MASCOT AT ALL THE GAMES."

The cheers from the Mark Twain kids sounded louder this
time. Some of the Riverfield kids booed.

"Christie Winchell stands for . . . MORE SCHOOL
PLAYS."

The cheers and boos were much louder from both sides.
Christie saw Laura looking furious and switching the tail of her long braid
like a cat.

"VOTE FOR CHRISTIE WINCHELL FOR SEVENTH-GRADE CLASS
PRESIDENT! SHE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!"
cried Beth's voice over the
speakers.

Christie blushed as the Mark Twain kids came up to her to congratulate
her on the recording. Between them she saw Jon Smith sitting in a booth in a
far corner with some other boys from Copper Beach. He was looking at her, and
she couldn't help wondering what he was thinking.

"My gosh, I've never seen so many oranges in my life,"
said Katie as the five friends stood in Jana's kitchen. They had giggled all
the way to Jana's apartment from Bumpers. Laura had really looked mad after the
recording had played.

There were oranges in mesh bags on the counters, loose oranges
that Jana had dumped onto the table, and boxes of oranges on the floor. One
orange rolled off the table and landed on Beth's foot. They were surrounded by
oranges.

"Okay. If we're going to get all of these oranges done,
we'd better get started. The one who works fastest gets to eat one!" cried
Melanie. "Who wants to wipe oranges, who wants to make stickers, and who
wants to stick them on?"

"Me! I'll make stickers," shouted Beth.

"I'll make stickers, too," cried Katie.

"I'll stick them on," said Jana.

"I'll take them out of the bags and boxes and put them
back in," said Melanie. "What about you, Christie?"

Christie sighed and looked at the mountains of oranges. "I
guess I'll wipe them," she offered halfheartedly.

They began laughing and chattering as they wrote "CURE
ALL YOUR TROUBLES WITH VITAMIN C—VOTE FOR CHRISTIE WINCHELL" on stickers,
peeled off the backing, and stuck them on the oranges, then put them back into
the bags and boxes. All of them laughed except Christie. She couldn't get the
look on Jon's face out of her mind. The one he'd had after her campaign tape
had played at Bumpers.