Fabulous Five 026 - Laura's Secret Read Free Page B

to the door.
    Funny was breathless as she came in. "Wow, what a
bummer," she said.
    "What happened?" asked Laura. "Where have you
been?"
    Funny shrugged off her jacket and looked at the others with
exasperation. "Miss Dickinson kept me after class to talk to me about my
giggling in English class."
    "Your giggling!" hooted Tammy. "It's about
time someone mentioned it. You giggle all the time."
    "So what finally got you into trouble?" asked
Laura.
    "Well, you know how dramatic Miss Dickinson can get
sometimes when she's reading a poem out loud. You know, how she swoops around
the front of the room as if she were on stage?"
    The others nodded.
    "Well, today she was doing that, and Joel Murphy ducked
down behind Clarence Marshall and started imitating her. It was a scream. I
just couldn't help it. I started laughing, and naturally Miss Dickinson saw me."
    "Did she see Joel, too?" asked Lisa.
    Funny shook her head. "And I didn't dare tell her,
because she would want to know what he was doing that was so funny."
    "Well, you can laugh all you want to here," Laura
told her, chuckling at Funny's predicament. "Sit down and have something
to eat."
    "Hey, did you hear that Keith Masterson sat with Shawnie
Pendergast at the game last weekend?" asked Tammy. She grinned. "I
bet Beth Barry was furious."
    Laura laughed. "Serves Beth right. She's such a
show-off. Did you ever see anybody wear such bizarre clothes?"
    Funny giggled. "I kind of like her style, though,"
she said, cocking an eyebrow. "She's got guts!"
    Laura snorted. "You'd never catch me wearing
some of the combinations she comes up with."
    "I saw Keith sitting with Shawnie," said Marcie, "but
I happen to know that Shawnie was just saving a place for Beth. Shawnie even
sat with Beth and Keith for the rest of the game. Besides, doesn't Shawnie date
Craig Meachem?"
    Tammy grinned impishly. "So what? Shawnie might've pretended she was saving a seat for Beth. But what she really wanted was to be near
Keith. She was flirting with him like you wouldn't believe."
    The girls continued to gossip about kids at school while
they devoured cookies, brownies, and chips, and drank soda.
    "Hey, did you get some new charms for your Wakeman
bracelet?" Tammy asked Funny.
    Funny nodded, holding up her wrist and shaking it a little
to make the charms clink together softly. "My mom gave me the one spelling Wakeman in cursive letters for my birthday last week, and Melissa gave
me this jukebox."
    "I love those Wakeman charm bracelets," said
Tammy. "I'm going to ask for one for Christmas."
    Laura was pleased that everyone seemed to be having a good
time. Of course that was her reputation—she had great gossip parties, with no
parents around .
    "What time is it, Laura?" asked Sara.
    Laura glanced at her watch. "Four-thirty."
    "Rats! My mom is picking me up in fifteen minutes,"
said Sara. "You know, she's starting to drive me nuts!"
    "Tell me about it." Melissa rolled her eyes. "My
mother is like a drill sergeant."
    "Man, Laura," said Lisa, "I hope you know how
lucky you are."
    "Right," Laura replied, forcing some enthusiasm
into her voice. "I've got it pretty great."
    Alexis smiled. "I guess I'm pretty lucky then. My
mother and I get along pretty well."
    "Really?" asked Funny in amazement. "Don't
you ever argue with her?"
    Alexis shrugged. "I guess we argue sometimes, but it's
never very serious. Basically, I think of her as a friend. I can tell her just
about anything."
    Laura felt a wave of envy wash over her. It must be great to
have a mother you can tell your secrets to.
    "Gee, your mother must be a very understanding person,"
Funny said.
    Alexis nodded. "She is. She still remembers what it was
like to be in junior high."
    "Back in the dark ages." Funny chuckled.
    "Right," Alexis agreed, and laughed. "She had
some of the same problems with boys that I sometimes have."
    Tammy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You talk
to your mom about boys ? "
    "Sure," Alexis answered. "She's saved me from
doing