Fabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine (3 page)

"What happened? Why is everybody so quiet?"
demanded Beth. She and Christie had just walked into Bumpers, where everyone
was staring silently at the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

At the sound of Beth's voice, soft murmurs of conversation
started up around the room again. As Melanie's friends approached the orange
bumper car, she blinked and shrugged off the trance that had come over her.

Suddenly emotion shook her. "It's Grandma Dee,"
she whispered in a choked voice. "She threw a fit when she saw Igor,
saying it was against the law to bring animals into restaurants. Then she
stormed off to the kitchen to see Mr. Matson."

"Mr. Matson never said anything about Igor's being here
before," argued Christie.

A wry smile crossed Shane's face. "That's because he
was probably planning to grind him up and serve him as iguana burgers."

"Oh, Shane," protested Melanie. "You know it
was because you always took care of him and kept him away from the food."

Bill Soliday picked up Igor's half-chewed french fry and
held it between two fingers. "Most of the time," he said and grinned.

Igor's wire cage was sitting on the floor beside the bumper
car, and Shane opened it and dropped Igor inside. "Come on, old buddy,"
he said with a sigh. "We're outta here."

"Don't go," said Melanie. "Grandma Dee can't
do anything. Mr. Matson likes Igor."

"Yeah, but your grandmother was probably right about
the health law."

"But . . ." Melanie insisted.

"Hey, it's okay," said Shane. "I don't want
to cause Mr. Matson any trouble. And can you imagine what this place would be
like if everybody brought in a pet? There would be dogs barking and chasing
cats, and cats yowling and hanging from the light fixtures."

"Right," said Bill. "Alexis Duvall even has a
horse. Can you see that?"

Melanie couldn't help laughing as a picture popped into her
mind of the chaos Shane had described plus Alexis's gorgeous Arabian prancing
around, knocking over chairs and swishing his long tail into people's food.

"Okay," she conceded. "I guess you're right.
You'd better go. I feel awful about this," she said, looking at Shane with
pleading eyes.

Shane nodded, and Melanie could see that he didn't want to
leave any more than she wanted him to. "I'm sorry I made such a rotten
impression on your grandmother," he said softly.

"Me, too," she murmured, thinking that he didn't
know the half of it.

Even though Melanie's grandmother hadn't come out of the
kitchen yet, by the time Shane was gone, Bumpers was back to normal. Kids were
laughing and talking, and music was blaring from the old Wurlitzer jukebox.

Keeping a nervous eye on the kitchen door, Melanie followed
Christie and Beth to the booth where Jana and Katie were sitting.

"I just don't understand Grandma Dee anymore. One
minute she's totally cool, and the next minute she does something like this! I'm
so embarrassed," Melanie confessed to her four best friends.

Jana nodded, then patted Melanie on the arm. "She's
still a neat grandma."

"Right," said Katie, winking at the others. "She
just has a thing about lizards in restaurants, that's all."

Melanie knew her friends were trying to make her feel
better, and a little smile crept across her face. "I know," she said.
"It's just that I wanted her to
like
Shane." She went on to
tell them about Scott's coming by her house while she and her mother were at
the mall and how Grandma Dee not only thought Scott was her boyfriend but
considered him absolutely perfect.

"Ouch," said Christie. "That could get
tricky."

"Especially after she got so angry at Shane for having
Igor in here," added Jana.

"Exactly," said Melanie. "I just hope I can
think of some way to change her impression of Shane."

Just then the kitchen door swung open, and a red-faced Mr.
Matson came out, followed by Melanie's grandmother. They both looked around,
presumably for Shane and Igor. Then they exchanged words again, and Mr. Matson
went back into the kitchen. Grandma Dee smiled triumphantly and headed for The
Fabulous Five's booth.

"Well," she said cheerfully, "I guess we got
that little matter settled. There'll be no more iguanas in Bumpers. And I see
that two more of your friends have joined us, Melanie. Would you care to
introduce me?"

Melanie made the introductions and then listened while
Grandma Dee told another big story about scuba diving in the Gulf of Mexico and
coming nose to nose with a dolphin. Her friends were hanging onto every word,
and it was obvious that they were enjoying it.
They
had forgotten all
about Shane and Igor. Well, I haven't, she thought angrily.

Loud chatter brought her back to reality.

"It's really nice to meet you, Mrs. Edwards." Dekeisha
Adams was extending her hand to shake Grandma Dee's hand. The tall black girl
was all smiles, and so was Alexis Duvall, who stood beside her.

"Now, none of this Mrs. Edwards business," Grandma
Dee said, shaking her head and laughing. "I want all of you to call me
Dee."

Here we go again, Melanie thought. Next she'll be running
for homecoming queen. Still, Melanie was glad that the other kids seemed to
like her grandmother, because it looked as if Grandma Dee was planning to
become a part of the Wacko social scene—whether Melanie liked it or not. And
now that Melanie was getting used to the idea, it was neat to have a
grandmother who was so with it. If it weren't for her reaction to Shane, having
Grandma Dee around would be just about perfect.

"Hey, Mel," shouted Dekeisha. "You guys
should have been here after the game last night."

"Right," said Alexis. "Big news! Mr. Matson
said he's going to have a Valentine party right here in Bumpers on the night of
February fourteenth."

"He said we could even decorate the place if we want
to," Dekeisha added breathlessly.

"All right!" cried Melanie. "I hope Shane . .
." She stopped herself, hoping her grandmother hadn't heard.

She didn't need to worry. Grandma Dee looked enthralled at
the idea of the Valentine party. "Goodness, that's only two weeks away,"
she said. "There's not much time for me to find a date."

That put everyone, including Melanie, into laughing fits.

"Does anyone know if Mr. Matson's married?" asked
Christie. "If he were your date, you'd probably get free refreshments."

"Maybe my mom would let you borrow Mr. Dracovitch for
the evening, Dee," offered Katie.

"Not Dracula for a Valentine party," Jana said, laughing.
"He's strictly for Halloween."

Melanie half-heard Jana explain to her grandmother about the
science teacher Katie's mom was dating. The kids called him Dracula behind his
back because he wore a shiny black toupee to school and sometimes acted weird
to get kids interested in taking his classes. Melanie's own thoughts were on
Shane and the Valentine party.

I could hug Mr. Matson right now, she thought happily as she
imagined being with Shane on the most romantic night of the year.

Suddenly she sat up straight as if someone had poked her in
the ribs. "That's why Scott came by my house today," she murmured to
herself. "And why he said he'd call me later. Oh, my gosh. He wants to ask
me to the Valentine party!"

For the rest of the day Melanie held her breath every time
the phone rang, but Scott didn't call. On Sunday she kept the phone tied up
herself, calling each member of The Fabulous Five to talk about her
predicament.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do," she
wailed, after she had explained to Katie about how she thought Scott was
probably going to ask her to the Valentine party. "I really want to go
with Shane, but I
can't
hurt Scott's feelings."

Katie had listened patiently, but now she sighed and said, "Honestly,
Melanie, you know it isn't fair to string Scott along if you really like Shane."

"I know it isn't," said Melanie, "but Scott's
been my boyfriend for a long time. I can't just tell him to get lost."

Katie snorted. "You don't have to say it that way."

"But how
do
I say it?" Melanie pleaded. "I
rehearsed everything before I went to sleep last night, and nothing works. 'Scott,
I really like you a lot, but I don't want to go out with you. Can't we just be
friends?' YUCK! 'You have a terrific personality, Scott, but I'd rather go out
with Shane.' No way! See, Katie? Any way I say it is going to hurt his
feelings."

"But you've
got
to say it, even if it does hurt
his feelings," Katie insisted. "Otherwise, the mess you're in is just
going to get bigger and bigger."

"I know," Melanie mumbled. "But I can't do it
yet. I have to think about it a little longer until I come up with the right
thing to say."

After they hung up, Melanie called Christie.

"Maybe your grandmother can help," offered
Christie. "I mean, she's really cool, and she's bound to have had
experience with this kind of stuff."

"Grandma Dee
!"
Melanie exploded,
glad in the next instant that her grandmother wasn't nearby to hear her. "She's
half the problem. She hates Shane and loves Scott. There's no way she's going
to give me advice on breaking up with Scott."

"Have you tried explaining the situation to her?"
asked Christie.

"That won't help," said Melanie. "You should
have seen her face in Bumpers when she saw Igor sitting on Shane's lap eating a
french fry. She'll never like Shane, no matter how much explaining I do. I'm
just going to have to think of something else."

"Gosh, Mel. I don't know what to say," Christie
replied.

No one answered the phone at Beth's house, which was really
unusual, since there were five kids in the Barry family. Someone was almost
always at home. Melanie sighed and dialed Jana's number. If Jana didn't have
some good ideas, Melanie didn't know what she would do. She was running out of
time. Scott could call the instant she put down the phone. Or he might be on
his way over to her house at this very minute.

"Come on, Jana. Be at home," she begged as the
phone rang for the fourth time.

"Hello."

"Oh, thank goodness you're there, Jana," said
Melanie. "I've
got
to talk to you. It's a matter of life and death."

"Wow! What's the matter?"

Melanie went through her story for the third time. "I'll
just die if Shane doesn't ask me to the Valentine party, but if he does, what
will I tell Scott? And what if Scott asks me first?" Melanie's eyes popped
open wide. "Oh, my gosh! I just thought of something!" she burst out
before Jana could reply. "
I
didn't know about the Valentine party
at Bumpers because Shane and I went straight home after the basketball game
Friday night and didn't hear Mr. Matson announce it. I found out yesterday when
The Fabulous Five were there together."

"So?" asked Jana, puzzled.

"Don't you see?" Melanie insisted, her voice
rising to the panic level. "If
I
didn't know about it, neither did
Shane. What if he isn't planning to ask me because he doesn't even know there's
going to be a party?"

"Gosh, I see what you mean," said Jana. "And
Scott
does
know because he was there Friday night."

"Oh, Jana, what am I going to do?" moaned Melanie.

"Let me think," said Jana. "There has to be
some way to work this out."

She paused, and Melanie danced from one foot to the other.

"You could call Shane and ask
him
to the party,"
suggested Jana. "Girls ask boys out all the time."

"No, no," Melanie insisted. "It's too early.
He just kissed me and told me he liked me Friday night. I can't make him think
that I'm chasing him. Think of something else," she urged. "Please!"

"I've got it!" shouted Jana. "I'll talk to
Randy and have him make sure that Shane knows about the Valentine party."

"Terrific!" Melanie said, almost collapsing with
relief at Jana's idea to talk with Randy Kirwan, her boyfriend. "Call him
as soon as we hang up. I could be running out of time."

"Right," said Jana. "And I'll also hint
around that it's important for Shane to ask you
fast
, before you-know-who
does."

"It's not just important," Melanie assured her. "It's
critical.
"

When Melanie wasn't worrying about getting a call from
Scott, she was worrying that her grandmother would say something about the
incident at Bumpers in front of her parents. They liked Shane, but they also
knew that his parents were former hippies and that even Shane was a little more
laid-back than most of the boys at Wacko. She couldn't be sure how they would
feel about his bringing an iguana to Bumpers and feeding him french fries.
Fortunately, Grandma Dee hadn't said a word to them about Shane or Igor—as far
as she knew.

On the other hand, Melanie thought with a frown, neither
Scott nor Shane had called to ask her to the Valentine party. As she hurried to
school and the spot by the fence where she always met the rest of The Fabulous
Five, she was worrying more than ever about how she would handle her problem.

"I talked to Randy last night, and he said he'd make
sure Shane got the word about the party," Jana said.

"Did you tell him it was an emergency?" asked
Melanie.

"Well, not exactly," said Jana. "But I think
Randy got the message."

"I
hope
so," moaned Melanie. Then she
jumped up to attention. "Oh, my gosh! There's Scott, over by the bike
rack. Quick, hide me!"

She ducked behind Christie as her friends quickly formed a
tight little knot in front of her.

When Scott had turned his back to talk to some other boys,
Katie shook her head. "Melanie, you're so paranoid about telling Scott you
don't want to date him anymore and hurting his feelings, but how do you think
he would feel if he saw what you just did?"

"Well, I couldn't let him see me," Melanie
protested. "I haven't figured out what to say to him yet."

The bell rang a few minutes later, and Melanie hurried to
her locker and then to homeroom, keeping her eyes down so that she wouldn't see
Scott. At the same time, she shot glances around the halls out of the corners
of her eyes in case Shane was somewhere near.

After homeroom Melanie dashed to Family Living class.

Scott and Shane were in the class so it would be hard to
avoid both of them. She quickly slid into her seat and pretended to be looking
for something in her book bag. As badly as she wanted Shane to ask her to the
party, she didn't even want to talk to him in front of Scott. Not until she had
figured out what to do.

She managed to get out of Family Living class without having
to talk to either of them, and for the rest of the morning, she could relax.
Shane was in her biology class, but that was after lunch. And Scott was in her
last-period English class, but he sat on the other side of the room, by the
windows. She could come in at the last minute and leave quickly when the bell
rang. That way she wouldn't have to talk to him.

She was feeling a lot more relaxed when the lunch bell rang,
and she almost skipped through the hall on her way to the cafeteria. She hardly
ever talked to either of the boys during lunch period, because they spent the
time with their own friends. But as she hurried past the windows looking into the
school office, a blur of blondish-white hair caught her eye, and she stopped
short, causing kids behind her to veer around to keep from plowing into her.

"Grandma Dee!"
she burst out, and then did
a double take to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

They weren't. It truly was her grandmother, dressed in jeans
and a down jacket again, and with her sunglasses stuck in her hair. She was
waving her hands and talking in a very animated fashion to Miss Simone, the
office secretary, and to the principal, Mr. Bell, both of whom were smiling
back at her.

"Oh, no," Melanie groaned. "What's
she
doing here?"

Melanie opened the office door and timidly stepped inside.

As she entered, Mr. Bell looked in her direction and said, "Here's
Melanie now. We've just been chatting with your grandmother. She's interested
in looking over Wakeman and meeting your teachers."

Melanie tried not to let the panic show in her face.
Grandma
Dee had come HERE to look over the school and meet her teachers? In front of
her friends? What would the other kids think?

Grandma Dee looked embarrassed for an instant. "Well,
actually, dear, I stopped by to bring this to you." She held out a small
notebook, which Melanie recognized at once as her assignment notebook.

"I found it under the kitchen table and thought you
might need it," she went on. "And I thought that since I was here
anyway, it would be nice to see your school."

"Uhm . . . well . . . thanks for bringing my notebook,
Grandma, but it's lunchtime now," Melanie fumbled. "Maybe you'd
better come back some other time, when I have a free period and can show you
around and stuff. . . ." Her voice trailed off as Mr. Bell began shaking
his head.

"Why, Melanie. This is a perfect time for Mrs. Edwards
to visit," he said firmly. "Why don't you take her to the cafeteria
and let her see how we handle our lunch program. That will be a great chance
for her to meet some of your friends, too."

"And have lunch with the kids!" cried Grandma Dee
before Melanie could object. "That's a wonderful idea. Besides, I'm
starved."

Mr. Bell was nodding now and smiling as if he knew he had
just come up with the best idea in the world. "And after lunch you can let
her sit in on your classes. It was very nice to meet you, Mrs. Edwards,"
said Mr. Bell, turning to Melanie's grandmother again. "And welcome to
Wakeman Junior High."

Melanie sighed inwardly and opened the door for her
grandmother, ushering her into the hall. "Are you sure you want to do
this, Grandma Dee? I mean, the food in the cafeteria is really
gross
,
and sometimes the kids have food fights. You could end up with spaghetti and
meatballs in your hair."

"Come now, Melanie," Mr. Bell called after her. "Aren't
you exaggerating a bit?"

Melanie shrugged. "Well, a little bit, maybe."

Grandma Dee stopped once to look at the bulletin board where
club announcements and coming events were posted, and a second time at the
drinking fountain. She got a drink and grinned impishly at Melanie as she put
her thumb over the spray of water and squirted it across the hall.

"Grandma Dee!"
Melanie cried in
astonishment. At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief that everyone had
gone to the cafeteria by now and the hall was empty. Fortunately, no one had
seen what her grandmother had just done except her.

"I haven't done that in
years!
" said her
grandmother, obviously satisfied with herself. "Come on. What else can we
do?"

"I think we'd better just go to the cafeteria,"
said Melanie.

"I know," said Grandma Dee. Then she cupped her
hand over her mouth and pulled Melanie toward her, whispering conspiratorially,
"Let's go into the girls' room and write 'Melanie plus Scott' on the
walls."

Melanie looked at her grandmother in horror.

"Oh, sweetheart, can't you tell when I'm joking?"
Grandma Dee asked with a laugh. She went bouncing on down the hall, and Melanie
let out a big sigh and caught up with her, wondering what on earth her
grandmother was going to do next.

There were only four people left in the hot-lunch line by
the time Melanie and her grandmother reached the cafeteria. Grandma Dee got a
tray and slid it along in front of the steam tables.

"Go for the sandwiches if you want to survive,"
Melanie warned when she saw her grandmother eyeing the meat loaf. "The
tuna salad and the hamburgers are the best. And whatever you do, stay away from
the mashed potatoes. They taste like library paste."

"Sounds as if things haven't changed much from my day
after all," Grandma Dee said with a wink.

As soon as they had gotten their food, Melanie led the way
to The Fabulous Five's table. She could hear a ripple of surprised reactions as
the kids she passed looked up and saw her grandmother behind her, prancing
along as if she were one of them. Melanie thought she would die of
embarrassment.

"Hi, Mrs. Ed . . . uhm, I mean Dee," said Beth, and
the others joined the greeting.

"Hi, girls. Mind if I join you?" asked Grandma
Dee.

"Of course not," said Jana. "We'd love to
have you eat with us."

"What are you doing at school?" asked Katie.

Grandma Dee seemed delighted at the question. "Well,"
she said with a bright smile, "I dropped off something Melanie forgot when
she left this morning. And I thought that since I'm going to be staying here
for a while, I ought to see Melanie's school and get to know her teachers as
long as I'm in the building. I want to be involved and help out in any way I
can."

"That's terrific," Christie said. "Not that
many grandmothers are so concerned."

"Yeah, Melanie. You're pretty lucky," said Jana.

"Hi, Dee! Hi, Dee!" sang a chorus of voices.

When Melanie glanced around, she saw that Dekeisha, Alexis,
and two or three other girls who had been in Bumpers on Saturday were passing
the table on their way to the tray return.

"Hi, girls. How are you doing?" Grandma Dee called
in response. "What a nice school," she said to Melanie and her
friends when the others had gone on past. "Everyone is so friendly."

Melanie smiled weakly and took a bite of her tuna salad
sandwich. So far, so good, she thought, but she couldn't help feeling nervous
about what her grandmother might do.

To Melanie's relief, they finished lunch without incident.
Grandma Dee entertained The Fabulous Five with stories about her trip to the
Daytona 500 automobile race in Florida the year before and some of the handsome
race car drivers she had met.

"I'll have to miss the race this year because it's
always held in February," she told them. "But that's okay with me. I'd
rather be here."

Melanie sighed, wondering if her grandmother ever ran out of
stories about her adventures. So far, in addition to parasailing, she had told
everyone about scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, and, now, going to the Daytona
500. At least she didn't race one of the cars, Melanie mused.

Suddenly she felt a nudge in the ribs. "Look," her
grandmother whispered, pointing across the cafeteria. "There's that nice
Scott Daly over there. I'm going to see if I can catch his attention."

To Melanie's horror, Grandma Dee stood up and began waving
in Scott's direction.