Read Online Fabulous Five 019 - The Boys-Only Club by Betsy Haynes - Free Book Online

initiation
ceremonies, I guess we're in. Right, fellow Fab Fiver?" Richie put his arm
around Melanie, and she shrugged it off.
    "Yeah," Clarence said. "We'll be eating lunch
with you guys from now on, and we'll meet you right here by the fence every
morning. Hey, it's really great to be fabulous. I always wondered how it would
feel."
    The boys turned and put their arms around each other and
went off singing, "Oh, it's great to be a Fab Five! And it's great to
be alive! Hi , ho, a merry oh , it's great to be a Fab Five." The girls stared after them.
    "I don't believe this," said Christie.
    Melanie shook her head. "Me either. Am I really in the
same club as Clarence Marshall? I'll kill myself."
    "Clarence thinks there might be one or two ways he can
improve. I think there are a zillion ways," said Jana.
    " Katie! Look what you've done to us!"
squealed Beth.
    "What I've done to us?" Katie's mouth
dropped open.
    "Yes," said Melanie. "You got us to tell
everyone that it's not right to have exclusive clubs. And now we are one."
    "Don't get excited," said Jana, coming to Katie's
defense. "Those boys are just acting dumb. They don't really want
to be in The Fabulous Five." The others stared at her as if they weren't
so sure. Katie gulped and crossed her fingers behind her back.
     
    "I'm sorry, Mr. Bell hasn't made a decision yet,"
said Miss Simone when The Fabulous Five marched into the school administration
office a few minutes later. "You just brought the extra names in
yesterday. You need to give him a little time to consider it."
    "We're not here about the petition, Miss Simone,"
said Katie. "We were wondering if it would be possible for our girls' club
to meet in the gym on Saturday night."
    "Saturday night? The gym is normally locked up on
Saturday night. What kind of a girls' club is this?"
    After they explained, she was sympathetic. "But it
costs twenty-five dollars to have the head custodian, Mr. Bartosik, or one of
his people, to be here to let people in and lock up after functions and make
sure it's cleaned up. Can you pay that?" She could tell by the looks on
their faces they couldn't.
    She sighed. "Let me think about it, girls. For a good
cause such as this, there just might be a way."
     
    Richie, Joel, and Clarence were true to their word. After
The Fabulous Five had gone through the cafeteria line and taken seats at their
usual table, the boys picked up their trays and came over to sit down with
them.
    "Bug off!" said Melanie when Clarence sat
down beside her.
    "Hey, is that any way to talk to a fellow Fabulous
Fiver?" Clarence asked.
    "How come Fabulous Five sounds so bad when you say it?"
asked Beth.
    "I don't know," said Clarence, looking as if he
was genuinely wondering himself.
    "Want an apple?" Richie asked Jana, offering her
one that was half-eaten.
    "Eeeyew!" said Jana, shrinking away from
him. "Get that thing out of here."
    Richie acted hurt. "I was just trying to be friendly to
a fellow club member."
    "We are not fellow club members," said
Katie. "Now, like Melanie said, bug off ! " Everyone in
the cafeteria was watching them and beginning to laugh at the game the boys
were playing with them.
    "Since we belong to the same club, I forgive you for
talking that way to me," Richie said.
    "You don't have to," responded Katie. "I'd
just as soon you got mad at me and stayed that way."
    Katie had never had such a miserable time at a meal in her
life. The Fabulous Five tried to talk but couldn't because of the constant
babble of dumb jokes from the boys. Finally, Christie, Melanie, Beth, and Jana
quit trying to hold a conversation. Katie saw her friends glaring at her as if
the whole thing were her fault. But the only idea she could come up with to
make Richie, Joel, and Clarence go away was to hit them with her tray, and she
didn't want to end up in front of Teen Court.
     
    The public address system announcement came just as Katie's
fifth-period algebra class was ending.
    "Katie Shannon , please report to the