Fabulous Five 009 - The Boyfriend Dilemma Read Free

at them through narrow eyes. Laura was the
leader of The Fantastic Foursome. She lived alone with her father, who let her
do just about anything she wanted, and she had great parties with no adults
around. There were rumors that she made the others in her clique do things to
stay friends with her.
    Melissa McConnell was smart and very prissy and precise. She
had run for seventh-grade class president against Christie, and every time
Christie was involved in something, Melissa seemed to be on the opposite side.
The Fabulous Five thought Laura was putting her up to it.
    The other members of The Fantastic Foursome were Funny
Hawthorne and Tammy Lucero. Funny was always laughing, and some people thought
she was a bubblehead, but Jana thought she was nice. They were seventh-grade
coeditors on the Wigwam yearbook staff.
    Tammy Lucero was a gossip. She talked all the time and told
everything she knew. The Fabulous Five suspected that she had started rumors
about them a few times, but it was hard to know for sure.
    Christie sighed. If she didn't get some time to study,
Melissa, Curtis, and Whitney would all do better than she would at the tryouts.
She found a table in a corner and spread her books out so people would see that
she was busy. Finally, she thought, and opened her social studies book.
    Just as she was reading the first sentence, something hit
her in the back. She whirled around and saw Clarence Marshall and Joel Murphy
standing behind her. Clarence was grinning at her, and his hair hung in his
eyes, as usual.
    "What are you doing, Christie?" Clarence asked. "Trying
to get smarter?"
    "She's already the smartest kid in the seventh grade,"
said Joel.
    "Please leave me alone, you two," she said
impatiently.
    "Whoa! Let's not mess with old Christie," said
Clarence. "Her mother's a principal, and she knows Mr. Bell. You mess with
her and he'll send you to Teen Court."
    "Shhhh!" Mrs. Karl pointed her finger at
the boys and then at two empty seats.
    Clarence and Joel headed for the chairs, snickering to each
other.
    "Hi. Can I sit here?" She hadn't heard Jon come up
on the other side of her and she jumped.
    Christie fought back a frown. "Sure," she mumbled.
But inside she was wondering how she'd ever get to study.
    Jon sat down and opened a book. A few minutes later he
looked over at Christie and poked her in the side. "Are you going to
Bumpers after school?" he whispered.
    "No. I'm going straight home so I can study," she
answered.
    "I'll walk you home."
    "I'll really be in a hurry and would rather not,"
she answered.
    "Oh." He went back to his reading.
    A few minutes later Jon looked up again and asked, "Can
I help?"
    "No, thanks."
    "What if I asked you some questions?" he insisted.
    "No, Jon. Please. I need to study by myself."
Christie instantly regretted the way she had said it. A hurt look passed over
Jon's eyes.
    "I'm sorry, Jon," she said softly. "I didn't
mean to say it that way, but I do need to study by myself right now."
    "No. I'm sorry," he said with a smile. "I
didn't realize."
    She gave him a smile of appreciation.
    "Would Christie Winchell please report to the
principal's office. " The announcement came over the public
address system.
    Christie slammed her book shut in frustration. Mr. Bell, the
principal, probably wanted her to be a messenger again. He was always asking
her to take things to her mother. There was no way she'd be able to get in any
more studying before tonight.
    Everyone stared at Christie as she walked out the door, and
Clarence Marshall and Joel Murphy covered their mouths and pointed their fingers
at her.
    "Oh, hi, Christie," said Mr. Bell's secretary,
Miss Simone, as she approached his office. "Mr. Bell asked if I'd have you
paged. He wondered if you would mind taking these papers to your mother."
She handed a blue folder to Christie. "I don't know what we'd do without
you, dear."
    "No problem, Miss Simone," Christie responded. She
took the folder and put it on her stack of books.
    The last bell