Fabulous Five 025 - The Fabulous Five Minus One (2 page)

"Gee, I've never been in here before," said Beth,
looking around the high school indoor swimming pool. "It's huge."

"It sure is," agreed Jana. "Wouldn't it be
great if Wacko had a pool just like it?" Wacko was the kids' nickname for
Wakeman Junior High.

"Let's sit in the stands near the middle of the pool,"
said Katie. "That way we can see everything."

Swimmers were doing the butterfly stroke in the eight racing
lanes. At the far end of the pool other boys stood waiting their turn. Cheers
for the swimmers echoed off the high ceiling and tiled walls, and the sweet smell
of chlorine filled the air.

"There's Randy and Tony," said Jana. "Look,
Christie. Chase is with them."

Christie spotted the three boys near one of the starting
blocks. Chase's swimsuit was so shiny that at first Christie thought it was
wet. When she looked closer, she realized the material made it appear that way.
She had never seen such a classy suit. He was wearing a matching swim cap and
had goggles with orange lenses flipped up on his head. He looked professional.
Randy and Tony played sports and were well built, but Chase's lean form and
well-developed muscles made him look exactly as a champion swimmer should look,
Christie thought.

Chase glanced in her direction and saw her. He broke out in
a big grin, and waved.

"He's waving at you, Christie," Melanie whispered,
squirming in her seat. "Quick! Wave back!" She nudged Christie so
hard with her elbow, it hurt.

Christie gave a timid wave with her fingers. She could feel
her cheeks turning red again.

"Okay, everybody out!" the coach yelled as the
boys who had been swimming reached the end of the pool.

"That's Coach Benfield," said Katie.

"Uh-huh," said Christie. She couldn't take her
eyes off Chase to look at the coach.

"Time for laps!" the coach yelled. "Here's
today's lineup. Collins, lane one. Kirwan, lane two. Olsen, lane three.
Calcaterra, lane four."

"Are they going to race?" Christie asked as the
coach continued calling out names and positions.

"No," answered Jana. "When they do laps, the
whole team swims at the same time."

"There aren't enough lanes for everyone," puzzled
Christie.

"Of course not," explained Katie. "What they
do is start the best swimmers first in each lane. Then the next-best swimmers
go in right after them, then the third-best, and so on. They swim back and
forth and keep to the right side of the lane so they can pass going in the
opposite direction. If someone catches the guy swimming in front of him, next
practice he moves ahead of him."

"They swim a bunch of laps that way," added Jana. "It's
to build their endurance."

"Neat," said Christie.

Coach Benfield blew his whistle. The first row of boys dove
into the water, followed immediately by the second row, then the third, then
the fourth, until all the swimmers were in. They stretched out in long lines in
the lanes.

Chase sliced through the water and reached the end of the
pool ahead of everyone else, did a somersault, and pushed away from the wall
with his feet. His arms were flying, and the water churned around him as he
increased his lead over the others. Christie clenched her fists with excitement
and heard herself yell, "Go! Go!"

He reached the opposite end of the pool and turned again as
the swimmers stretched out in a long line behind him. Chase was halfway back when
he passed the boy at the end of his line going in the opposite direction.

Christie's eyes opened wide in amazement, and her jaw
dropped as she watched Chase streak through the water. He turned again and
headed back. This time he met the last swimmer almost at the end.

When Chase turned, he was only a few feet behind the other
boy. Within seconds he had caught up with him and was swimming so close,
Christie was afraid Chase would get kicked in the face. Instead, he slowed and
started playfully slapping at the other boy's feet.

The other swimmer tried to go faster, but Chase stayed right
behind him. He kept teasing him, and as the two of them swam by The Fabulous
Five, Chase looked up into the stands and smiled at Christie. She knew he was
showing off for her.

Back and forth the swimmers went, with Chase playing at the
other boy's heels. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the coach blew his
whistle and yelled, "Everybody out!"

Christie was glad. She didn't really like the way Chase had
been teasing the other boy.

"Katie and I are going to wait for Randy and Tony,"
said Jana. "Why don't you wait with us, Christie? You can talk to Chase."

"If you promise not to leave us alone," Christie
pleaded.

"We promise," Katie assured her. "Maybe we
can all go to Bumpers together."

"Well, we're out of here, if you're going to talk to
boys,
"
said Beth teasingly. She pulled Melanie toward the door. "Come on, Mel.
Let's leave these lovebirds alone."

"Yeah," said Melanie, laughing. "I don't know
what you guys see in boys, anyway."

Christie hugged her books to her chest and shifted nervously
from one foot to the other as they waited for Chase, Randy, and Tony at the
exit. Finally, Brian Olsen and Bill Soliday came out of the locker room,
laughing and talking. They were followed by the rest of the swim team. Chase was
with Randy and Tony. He had a backpack tossed over his shoulder, and his short
black hair was still damp.

"Randy!" called Jana as she stood on her toes and
waved. The boys saw them and headed in their direction.

"Hi," Chase said, looking squarely into Christie's
eyes. His look made Christie feel as if she were going to melt down into her
shoes.

"Hi," she said softly.

Jana put her arm through Randy's and guided him toward the
door. "Why don't we all go to Bumpers? You'll come, too, won't you, Chase?"

"You bet I will," he said, not taking his eyes off
Christie.

The after-school crowd had gone when they reached Bumpers.
Except for two families with little kids having sandwiches, the place was
empty.

The boys went for sodas as Christie, Jana, and Katie slid
into the large booth in the corner.

"I think Melanie is right, Christie," whispered
Katie. "Chase does like you. He hasn't taken his eyes off you since we
left the pool."

"Yeah," agreed Jana. "And I saw him put his
arm around your shoulders. Don't you like him, too?"

"I don't know," Christie whispered back. "I
mean, I don't know what I think."

"If you don't date him, I know about a dozen other
girls who will," Katie added. "Half the girls I've talked to are
bonkers over him, and he won't even look at them."

Christie felt warm all over. It was almost overwhelming to
think that this handsome boy from California, who was also a champion swimmer,
liked her. She had to get to know him better.

"Shh! They're coming back," said Jana.

"One gigantic cola, coming up, Your Honor," Tony
announced as he set a soda down in front of Katie.

"Thanks, macho man," Katie responded, laughing.

"What can I say?" answered Tony, shrugging. "When
you've got it, you've got it."

"That's a neat chain you've got around your neck, Tony,"
Chase said. "What's that on the end of it?"

"Katie got it for me when The Fabulous Five went to
Barbados during Christmas vacation. She says it's black coral, but I think it's
just a piece of coal," Tony said with a grin.

Katie hit him hard in the ribs with her elbow. "I'll
have you know that piece of coal cost me four whole weeks' allowance, Tony
Calcaterra!"

"Just kidding! Just kidding!" Tony said, putting
his arms up to defend himself.

"The Fabulous Five? Where'd you girls get a nickname
like that?" asked Chase.

"We started calling ourselves The Fabulous Five in
elementary school," answered Jana, "and we've been that ever since."

"All the kids call them that," added Randy. "It
seems natural."

Chase's and Christie's eyes locked together. "I'd say
fabulous
is a pretty good way of describing you," he said.

Christie felt her cheeks get hot. She tugged her eyes away
from his.

As the six of them sat talking, Christie kept sneaking
little glances at Chase. He was laughing and talking to her and her friends as
if he had known them forever. She couldn't believe how natural it felt to be
with him.

"Gee! I'd better be getting home," Katie said,
looking at her watch. "Mom will be wondering what happened to me. It's my
turn to start dinner."

"Me, too," said Jana.

As the two other couples got up to leave, Chase said, "I
guess that leaves you and me, Christie. Is it okay if I walk you home?"

Christie's heart leapt. "Yes."

"I bet you hated to leave California," Christie
said as they walked together.

"Yeah, it's a neat place. There are lots of things to
do. Have you ever gone wind-surfing?" Before Christie could answer, he
continued. "Man, it's the greatest. I was just starting to learn to do
flips when we moved. Hey, do you know what I'd be doing right now if I were
still there?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"What?" asked Christie, shaking her head.

"I'd be at the beach. I used to go there most days
after school, the way you and your friends go to Bumpers. I'd meet all the guys
there. We'd wind-surf, or play volleyball, or just hang out."

"That sounds fantastic!" said Christie. Watching
his face light up as he talked about California made her excited, too. "But
didn't you have swim practice after school?"

"Yeah, but I'd tell the coach I had to study for a
humongous test or write a paper, and he'd excuse me. I did it all the time."

"And he didn't mind?"

"How could he? I won
six
gold medals in the
Southern California Junior Olympics. And that was swimming against some kids
who were a year older than me. If it hadn't been for me, the school wouldn't
have won any meets."

"
Six
gold medals?" she repeated, in awe.

"Didn't you say you lived someplace around here?"
Chase asked.

Startled, Christie looked to see where they were. "Oh,
yes," she said with a sheepish grin. She had been listening so intently to
him, she hadn't recognized her own home. "That's my house we just passed."

"Nice place," said Chase, looking at the large
house with the well-manicured lawn. "Are you coming to watch practice
again tomorrow?"

"Yes. Swimming is nearly my favorite sport," she
answered. Then she added quickly, "I mean, I like to swim. I haven't gone
out for the swim team, though. I play tennis a lot."

"I heard that you're pretty good," said Chase. "Maybe
you can teach me to play tennis, and I'll teach you some tricks about swimming I
bet you don't know."

"That would be great," Christie said
enthusiastically. She couldn't believe that he wanted to see more of her!

After he had left, Christie let herself into the house,
dropped her books on the table in the hall, and went to check the bulletin
board in the kitchen. A note in the lower corner said:

Christie
,

Please set the oven at 350°. The casserole's in the
fridge. Set the timer for one hour. Thanks.

Love
,
Mom

Christie thought about Chase as she followed the instructions.
He obviously liked her. He had walked home with her, hadn't he? And hadn't he
asked if she was going to watch him practice again tomorrow? On top of that, he
wanted to play tennis and swim with her. She couldn't help grinning as she
stuck the casserole in the oven.

When she finished, she went to her room and flopped across
her bed. Grabbing her white tennis-outfitted bunny, she hugged it tight. Then
she held it at arm's length and looked it in the eyes.

"Chase Collins likes me," she told the bunny. "I
think he
really
likes me." Saying it out loud made it seem even
more real. She squeezed the bunny tight to her chest, closed her eyes, and
tried to visualize him the way she had seen him that day. She was still lying
on her bed when she heard her mother come home.

The next morning Mr. Neal gave Christie a note telling her
to be at a PEAK program meeting in the media center during fourth period. When
she walked into the center that afternoon, Mrs. Brenner, Mr. Bell, and Mr.
Dracovitch were sitting at a table in front of the room. Curtis, Whitney,
Dekeisha, Melissa, and Melinda were sitting in chairs in front of the table.

"Hello, Christie. Please take a seat, and we'll get
started in a moment," said Mrs. Brenner.

While the adults talked among themselves, Christie looked
Mr. Dracovitch over. He was a science teacher at Wakeman, but the black toupee
and black clothes he always wore made him look more like a vampire. Everyone
said he did it to get kids interested in taking his class. But why is he here?
Christie wondered.

"We're ready to begin now," said Mrs. Brenner. "Sorry
about the delay. First, Mr. Bell would like to say a few words to you about the
PEAK program."

The principal smiled. "I'm happy to see so many of you
seventh-graders were eligible for PEAK. I'm proud to be able to say that
Wakeman has more students in the program than do any of the schools around us.

"Let me tell you some things about PEAK. The program is
different from any honors class that you might be taking. Instead of focusing
on one aspect of a subject, you'll study the subject in different ways. For
example, when you study something as simple as water, you might study sea
water, the water in the cells of your body, and how the location of water
thousands of years ago determined where and how people live today."

Curtis Trowbridge pushed his black horn-rimmed glasses up on
his nose with one finger and raised his hand. "You mean we'll go back in
time to find out about today, like they did in the movie
Back to the Future
?
"

"You might say that." Mr. Bell chuckled.

Dekeisha Adams raised her hand. "How many hours a week
will we be in this class, and will we still have time to do our other homework?"

"I can answer that," said Mrs. Brenner. "You'll
attend the PEAK class three times a week during what would be your normal study
period. We'll be monitoring your workloads to make sure that you can keep up
with your other classes.

"Mr. Dracovitch here will be your PEAK instructor. It's
going to require a lot of preparation on his part. If you need assistance that
he can't provide, he'll find a teacher who can help. Now, if there are no other
questions, I'll turn the meeting over to him."

The kids started whispering as the dramatic-looking Mr.
Dracovitch walked around to the front of the table. Christie couldn't help
wondering what he looked like without his toupee. He had been dating Katie's
mother recently, and Katie said that his hair was actually blond.

"There's not a lot more I can add to what's been said,
except that I'm looking forward to being your teacher. The class will be small,
which means that I can give you each as much individual time as you need. If
you have any questions, either during or outside of class, don't hesitate to
come to me with them. Here," he said, picking up a stack of papers from
the table and starting to pass them out, "is an outline of our first
subject. We'll be meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The classroom is
noted on the paper. Are there any questions?" he asked, looking around the
room. No one spoke up. "Well, then, I'll see you Friday at three p.m. for
our first class."

Christie glanced down at the sheet of paper Mr. Dracovitch
had given them. The subject
was
going to be water, and surprisingly, it
actually sounded kind of interesting. For starters, they would be visiting a
weather station. Maybe she would find out that she wanted to be a
meteorologist. Being able to track hurricanes and tornadoes sounded like fun.

"Hey, look who has a smile on her face."

Christie was so wrapped up in her thoughts as she left class
that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Chase's voice at her
side.

"You startled me," she said, putting her hand on
her chest to slow her heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But you were smiling.
I just had to know what was making you so happy. Were you thinking about our
walk home after school yesterday, maybe?" he asked, winking.

Christie blushed in spite of herself. She didn't normally
get so silly around boys.

"I just got out of a meeting of my PEAK class."

"PEAK?" Chase asked with a blank look on his face.
"Oh, that's the thing they announced in the cafeteria. I was talking to
Shane and didn't pay that much attention. School announcements are always
boring."

Christie began telling Chase about the program. She hoped he
would be impressed. After all, he was a champion swimmer. He'd appreciate
someone who succeeded in any field.

As she was talking, Chase glanced around the hallway. "Hmm,
sounds interesting," he said. "Hey, there's Kirwan. I've got to talk
to him about something. See ya later."

Before she could finish what she was saying, he was gone. A
deflated feeling swept over Christie as she walked to her next class.

Christie was feeling on top of the world again after school.
She, Jana, and Katie had met Chase, Randy, and Tony after swim practice, and
then they had run into Melanie, Shane, Beth, and Keith at Bumpers. They were
having so much fun, it was hard for anyone to talk without being interrupted by
one of the others.

"You think that's funny!" exclaimed Chase. Shane
had just finished telling about how he put tiny sunglasses on his pet iguana,
Igor, when he put him under the lamp that kept him warm in his sandbox. "Wait
till you hear this. We had this cat once who was so laid back that my friends
and I would slide him across our dining room table like a shuffleboard puck. We'd
spin him in circles in the middle of the table, and whoever his tail pointed at
got to start the game." The group broke out in laughter again.

"I know something funny! I know something funny!"
cried Melanie, raising her hand.

"The teacher calls on Miss Melanie Edwards,"
announced Chase, frowning and pretending to look over make-believe eyeglasses. "Miss
Edwards, do you have something you wish to tell the class?"

Everybody laughed at his act.

"Yes, teacher, I do. This salesman came to our house
one time and wanted to sell my mother some encyclopedias. It was after Rainbow
had her puppies, and they were still little. Well, my mother couldn't get the
guy to leave. He even stuck his foot in the door so she couldn't close it, and
I could see my mom getting madder and madder. A couple of the puppies got out
and were playing around this guy's feet. That didn't seem to bother him until
one of the little boy puppies finally wet the side of his foot. My mother and I
couldn't stop laughing. The more we laughed, the redder his face got, until he
turned around and stomped off. My mom took the puppy into the kitchen and gave
it a special treat for being such a good helper."

"Ha, ha
!"
laughed Chase, slapping
his legs and pretending to fall out of the booth. Randy and Keith grabbed their
sides and threw back their heads with laughter at Melanie's story. Christie and
Beth were laughing so hard, tears ran down their cheeks.

Mr. Matson, the owner of Bumpers, was working the cash register,
and he stared at them.

"Shh!" said Chase, putting a finger to his lips
and nodding toward Mr. Matson. "The KGB is watching." That sent the
group into more fits of laughter.

Christie wiped away her tears. "I don't think I've ever
laughed so hard in my life."

"Me, either." Beth blew her nose on a tissue she
had gotten out of her purse.

"Ooh," said Jana, breathing deeply to catch her
breath. "I hate to break up the party, but I've got to get home."

"Me, too," said Christie. "But I don't want
to."

The couples were still laughing when they split up at the
corner. Christie was glad when Chase asked if he could walk her home again.

"Chase, you're really funny," Christie told him. "I
don't know how we ever got along without you."

"Well, you'd better get used to me," answered
Chase, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to be hanging
around a lot."

"I'd like that," Christie said softly, looking up
into his dark brown eyes.

"What's this thing you were telling me about today?"
he asked. "You called it PEAK? Your being in it, that means you're pretty
smart, doesn't it?"

Christie was pleased he remembered. She hadn't been sure he
had even heard. "There are people a lot smarter than me," she
answered. "Curtis Trowbridge is downright brilliant."

"I know who he is, but he's a nerd."

"Well, Whitney Larkin, Dekeisha Adams, Melinda Thaler,
and Melissa McConnell are in PEAK, and they're really smart."

"But they're not as nice-looking as you," said
Chase. He was quiet for a moment, then he continued. "Your being so
brainy, it's embarrassing for me to tell you, but I'm having trouble in math
and English. As a matter of fact," he said with a grimace, "I'm
making D's in both classes. If I don't get at least C's, I'll get cut from the
swim team."

The look on his face made Christie feel instantly sorry for
him. "If you'd like, I could try to help. I'm pretty good at math and
English."

"You would?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered brightly. "I'm on the
homework hot-line team. I help other kids all the time. We could study together."

"But you're so busy already. Would you have time?"

"Oh, yes," she said quickly. "Whenever you
want. We could even do it this evening."

Chase hesitated, and looked embarrassed. "I can't. I've
got a test in history I have to study for tonight."

"We could study together tomorrow night, then,"
Christie suggested.

"Uh . . . my problem is I've got math and English
assignments I need to turn in
tomorrow
, or my grades will go down even
more." He looked around in despair. "I'll never get out of the hole."
He looked so sad, Christie wanted to put her arms around him and tell him that
everything would be all right.

"I'll do whatever I can to help," she said.

"What chapters are you on in math and English?" he
asked.

"Let's see . . . chapter twelve in math and ten in
English."

"You're ahead of us. We're on chapters eleven and
eight. I wonder . . ." He hesitated again. "No, you couldn't."

"Couldn't what?" asked Christie.

"We're not going to be graded on the assignments; they
just take off points if you don't turn them in. Would it be possible for me to
copy your assignments? It sure would help until we can study together, and you
can get me straightened out." He looked at her with hope in his eyes.

Christie paused. "Gee . . . I don't know."

"Hey, it wouldn't be cheating." He had a sincere
look on his face. "Cheating is when you give someone answers to a test. I
would
never
ask you to do a thing like that."

"Well, okay," Christie said reluctantly. "Hold
my backpack, and I'll dig them out of my notebook for you."

"Great!" exclaimed Chase, giving her a squeeze. "You're
really super to do this. Just ask me to do something big for you one of these
days, like throw myself in front of a car. Anything."

Christie still wasn't sure she was doing the right thing as
she gave him the assignments.

When Christie walked into the house, she heard her mother
and father talking in the kitchen. The serious tone of their voices made her
stop just as she was about to call out that she was home. She walked to the
kitchen door to listen.

"Vince, you said it would be a long time before your
company decided to fill that job in London," her mother was saying. "And
now, two days later, you come home and tell me you're on a list of candidates
for the job."

"I know, I know," her father answered. "I
told you what I
thought
would happen. No way did I expect them to decide
this soon to fill the job permanently."

"And now we have to decide whether to uproot our family
and go to England for some unknown number of years? There can't be a lot of
openings for elementary school principals in London."

"Who knows? London's a big city, and they've got
private schools as well as the public school system. You're always talking
about how great the English school system is."

"I can't deny that," said her mother. "How
big a promotion would this be for you?"

"I'd be running a company. If I did okay, who knows
what it could mean. I'm not going to kid you, Val. It's intriguing to me."

There was a momentary silence before her mother spoke again.
"England has always interested me. There's so much to see and do over
there. And the school system
would
be good for Christie."

"And she certainly wouldn't have to give up tennis,"
Christie's father said. "There's nothing bigger than the Wimbledon tennis
tournament."

Their conversation sent chills through Christie. She had
started to convince herself that her father wouldn't be transferred to England.
After all, he had said there was only a remote chance. And now. . . . Christie's
mind whirled around like a carnival ride. She had just met Chase, and it looked
as if there could really be something special between them.
If s
he
stayed here.

On top of that, her parents were the ones who had wanted her
to be in the gifted and talented program. Now they'd want her to be in a
program like it in England, and she would have to start all over again. She had
heard how smart the kids in England were. They made higher grades on tests than
kids in
any other
country. She would probably be just average over
there, and her parents wouldn't understand.

And what about her friends, The Fabulous Five? She would
never, ever have friends like them again. Nothing she had here would count, and
she'd have to start her life all over again. Christie spun on her heel and ran
to her room.