Read Online Fabulous Five 017 - Celebrity Auction by Betsy Haynes - Free Book Online Page A

to
tell her he was sorry for not recognizing her voice.
    "I've been working on the celebrity auction all day
long," Beth said. "Wait until I tell you the plans we've made."
She spent the next five minutes telling him about the addresses they had
collected so far and about how Mr. Bell was going to let them use school
stationery and postage for the letters and the school gymnasium for the auction
itself. By the time she finished talking, she was almost breathless. "Isn't
it exciting?"
    "Sure," said Keith with a definite lack of
enthusiasm. "It should keep you busy for the next few weeks."
    Beth winced. She was remembering how they had actually
broken up for a while when she got the lead in the school play. Keith had been
upset that the play took so much of her time. She thought that they had worked
that problem out and that by now he understood that even when she was busy with
other things, she still liked him. But maybe she had been wrong.
    Thinking fast, she said, "I'm not busy now. Why don't
you bring the Brain Damage tape over and we'll listen to it? I got my allowance
today so we could even order in a pizza."
    There was another silence on the line. Finally Keith said, "Sorry.
I can't come over right now."
    "Why not?" Beth knew her voice sounded
exasperated, but she couldn't help it. That was exactly how she felt. "What
are you doing at four o'clock on a Saturday afternoon that's so important?"
    "I have company," Keith said.
    Beth rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Well, just tell
them they have to leave because you're going somewhere," she insisted. "Who
is it? Tony Sanchez? Randy Kirwan? Scott Daly? They won't care. They're your
friends."
    Keith didn't answer.
    "Are you still there?" Beth asked after a minute.
    "It's a girl," he said. His voice sounded
unbelievably cheerful.
    Beth swallowed hard, but she couldn't utter a sound so she
silently hung up the phone.

CHAPTER 14
    Fifteen minutes later Beth was sprawled across her bed
crying into her pillow when she heard the telephone ringing. I hope it's not
for me, she thought angrily.
    From the instant Keith's words had sunk in, she had been
trying to figure out why. Why had he invited another girl over to his
house? Had Beth been right before when she suspected that he didn't like her
anymore? Maybe that was why he had laughed so hard when he squirted green slime
in her hair. But why did he have to hurt her like this? Why couldn't he just
break up the regular way?
    "Beth! It's for you!" Todd shouted through her
bedroom door.
    "I don't want to talk to anyone," she yelled back.
    "It's a boy," he called, and pounded on her door.
    Beth slowly raised her head. A boy? Who would that be? she
wondered. Surely not Keith.
    "Come on!" Todd boomed. "I need to use the
phone."
    She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then blew
her nose. Maybe I'd better answer it, she reasoned. It might be someone calling
with a great new idea for the celebrity auction.
    "Hello," she said a moment later.
    "Hi, Beth." It was Keith. "I just wanted to
tell you that what I said before—about not being able to come over because
there was a girl here—well, it was just a joke."
    "A joke?" Beth asked incredulously.
    "Yeah. I guess it wasn't very funny, was it?"
    Beth puffed out her cheeks and let out a big breath, trying
to figure out what to say.
    "I still can't come over, though," he added
quickly. "But maybe I can come over one night next week and bring the
tape. Okay?"
    "Sure," Beth murmured.
    "I'll see you at school Monday. Bye." Then he hung
up.
    Beth listened to the dull buzz of the dial tone and stared
at the phone. She had been terribly hurt when Keith told her that a girl was at
his house. She was still hurt, even though he said now that it wasn't true. But
she was also confused. Totally confused.
    "What is his problem anyway?" she asked herself as
she hung up the phone and stomped back to her room.
    She had no sooner closed the door than she heard the phone
again. If it was Keith, she wasn't