Fabulous Five 014 - The Seventh-Grade Menace Read Free Page B

throat as he
breathed.
    "He hasn't moved in the last two days," said
Shane.
    "Have you fed him anything different that might have
made him sick?" asked Jana.
    "Just the mashed worms and medicine."
    Jana scrunched up her nose at the thought of the horrible
mess. "Anything else besides that gourmet meal? He hasn't gotten out when
you weren't looking, has he?"
    "No," Shane answered, shaking his head.
    Jana thought hard. She wished that she could think of
something that would help, but she was certainly no expert on iguanas.
    "How about a soda?" asked Shane.
    "I don't think you could get him to drink one,"
said Jana, laughing.
    "I don't mean for Igor, dummy. I mean for us."
    Jana followed him into the kitchen, where the walls were painted
a bright red and hung with more peace posters.
    Shane opened the refrigerator to get out the sodas, and she
saw that it was mostly full of health foods. He had once said that his mother
and father ate a lot of fruit and things made with grains, and drank homemade
vegetable juices. Shane took out an apple and offered it to her.
    "Aren't you afraid that Max McNatt is going to catch on
to you someday?" Jana asked as they sat at the table drinking the cola and
eating apples. "He and his brother Joe might beat you up."
    "I don't know what you mean," Shane said in a
perfectly serious voice. "Max and I are buddies." The twitching at
the corners of his mouth showed he was having a difficult time not smiling.
    "You may think you are, but one of these days he's
going to catch on to your tricks."
    "Oh, Max is all right," said Shane. "He just
likes to pretend he's tough. He wouldn't hurt anyone."
    "His sister is a lot like him," said Jana. "Except
she's not as big."
    Shane looked at her. "Geena? What's she been doing?"
    "She picks on people who can't defend themselves, like
Whitney Larkin."
    "I guess she does take after her brothers," said
Shane.
    They were still sitting at the table talking when Shane's
mother and father came home, and he introduced them to Jana. She had been dying
to meet them since she knew they had been hippies, and she had heard all sorts
of things about them, such as how Mrs. Arrington used to bring rice balls and
chopsticks instead of cupcakes to school for Shane's birthday when he was in
the lower grades.
    Mrs. Arrington was still pretty and had a sweet, almost
angelic smile, but she had gained weight since the picture in Shane's room was
taken, and her stomach was round. As she walked into the room, she was letting
her hair down from a bun, and it fell to her waist.
    Shane's father still wore a beard, although it was neatly
trimmed, and his hair was long in back and gray at the temples. He was wearing
a pin-striped suit.
    "Let me at that fridge," said Mr. Arrington after
saying hello to Jana. He tossed his suit coat carelessly over the back of a
chair and took out a large pitcher that was full of an unidentifiable
gray-looking liquid and filled a glass.
    Jana watched in fascination as his Adam's apple bobbed up
and down with each swallow. All he needs is a mole on his cheek and he would
look like Abraham Lincoln, thought Jana.
    "Care for some carrot and cucumber juice?" Mr.
Arrington said, holding the pitcher out to Jana. "I made it myself."
    Jana shook her head. "No thanks." The drink was
probably nutritious, but if it tasted anything like it looked, she didn't want
to gag in front of Shane's parents.
    "I've got to go," Jana said, getting up. "I've
got lots of homework tonight."
    Shane walked her to the door. The Arringtons' old orange
Volkswagen Beetle with flowers and butterflies painted on the sides sat in the
driveway.
    "I'm really sorry about Igor. I hope he gets better
soon," Jana said to Shane. "And by the way, your parents are very
nice."
    He smiled. "They're different, but they're all I've
got."
    After dinner, Jana's stepfather Pink volunteered to help her
mother with the dishes, and Jana went to call Randy before tackling her
homework.
    "Hi," she said when Randy answered.