Read Online Fabulous Five 019 - The Boys-Only Club by Betsy Haynes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Betsy Haynes
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another
name."
Katie was just about to get up and walk out when a low voice
said, "Leave them alone."
Katie turned. Tony was standing behind Christie's shoulder,
and he had his hands on his hips. His face was unsmiling as he looked at
Richie, Clarence, and Joel. The three boys shuffled nervously under his stare.
"We were just teasing them about their girls' club,"
said Richie.
"What's funny about a girls' club? responded Tony.
Richie turned red. "All the guys are laughing about it."
A silence fell over the group until Clarence, probably
remembering how Tony had stood up to ninth-grader Max McNatt, said, "I'm
gonna get some fries."
"Me, too," said Joel, glancing back at Tony. "I'm
hungry." The three boys headed for the service line.
"Thanks, Tony," said Jana. "They were getting
on our nerves."
A smile spread over Tony's face. "No problem. You could
have handled it. I wanted to ask if you'd seen Randy."
"Not since lunchtime," said Jana. "And I didn't
talk to him then." A sheepish look came over her face.
"That's okay. I just had something I needed to ask him.
It can wait."
As he turned and left, Katie's heart sank into her stomach.
He hadn't even looked at her. He must really be mad. That's not fair,
Katie told herself. Tony was the one who had joined the boys' club and made her
look like a fool.
For the next two days, Katie was totally absorbed in
planning the girls' club night. Everyone was getting really excited about the
meeting. Several girls had volunteered to bring aerobics videotapes, and Daphne
Alexandrou said her father would help her bring a television and a VCR to play
them on. Everyone was talking about the clothes they were going to model, and
Marcie Bee said her mother had lots of makeup for the girls to try on. Katie
wished they could think of some things that had more to do with improving their
minds or deciding on a career, but Jana and Christie talked her out of it.
"Not now," Jana had said. "When we get
everyone coming to the meetings, we can try it."
"We don't want to lose them before we get started,"
agreed Christie. "Let them find out how much fun it is first." Katie
also stopped in the administration office several times during the week. Each
time Miss Simone had said that Mr. Bell hadn't agreed to the women's history
class, and each time the secretary's mouth looked a little tighter, as if she
was upset.
Even though she was busy every minute, Katie couldn't stop
thinking about Tony. She had seen him in the halls a few times, but he still
hadn't talked to her. And she wasn't about to talk to him.
When Katie got home after school on Friday, Willie met her
at the door. "Have I got a surprise for you," she declared. "I
found Gwyneth Plum today."
Katie's heart leapt. "Found Gwyneth? How could you? I
thought we had looked everywhere we could for information about her."
"I did, too—the marriage license records, property
records, everything I could think of—but there's one thing we didn't count on."
Katie was bouncing up and down. "What? Tell me, tell
me."
Her mother looked proud about what she had done. "We
didn't think about the fact that she might have gone someplace else to be
married and then come back. It turns out she went to Reno, Nevada, and was
married there in a little chapel ceremony."
"How did you find that out?" asked Katie.
"I remembered the photograph of the young boy in the
time capsule and got it out. There aren't any Thomas, Tom, or Tommy Rawls in
the directory, but I started calling all the Rawls anyway. One of them, named
Ronald, is the son of Gwyneth Rawls. She did marry Tommy after all."
Katie's eyes grew large and her heart swelled. Gwyneth had
survived the argument with Tommy over women's rights, and they had gotten
married.
"Here's the telephone number that Gwyneth's son gave me"
her mother said. "He told me she was away for the weekend and would be
coming back on Sunday. I thought you might want to call her and see if you can
meet her."
Katie took
name."
Katie was just about to get up and walk out when a low voice
said, "Leave them alone."
Katie turned. Tony was standing behind Christie's shoulder,
and he had his hands on his hips. His face was unsmiling as he looked at
Richie, Clarence, and Joel. The three boys shuffled nervously under his stare.
"We were just teasing them about their girls' club,"
said Richie.
"What's funny about a girls' club? responded Tony.
Richie turned red. "All the guys are laughing about it."
A silence fell over the group until Clarence, probably
remembering how Tony had stood up to ninth-grader Max McNatt, said, "I'm
gonna get some fries."
"Me, too," said Joel, glancing back at Tony. "I'm
hungry." The three boys headed for the service line.
"Thanks, Tony," said Jana. "They were getting
on our nerves."
A smile spread over Tony's face. "No problem. You could
have handled it. I wanted to ask if you'd seen Randy."
"Not since lunchtime," said Jana. "And I didn't
talk to him then." A sheepish look came over her face.
"That's okay. I just had something I needed to ask him.
It can wait."
As he turned and left, Katie's heart sank into her stomach.
He hadn't even looked at her. He must really be mad. That's not fair,
Katie told herself. Tony was the one who had joined the boys' club and made her
look like a fool.
For the next two days, Katie was totally absorbed in
planning the girls' club night. Everyone was getting really excited about the
meeting. Several girls had volunteered to bring aerobics videotapes, and Daphne
Alexandrou said her father would help her bring a television and a VCR to play
them on. Everyone was talking about the clothes they were going to model, and
Marcie Bee said her mother had lots of makeup for the girls to try on. Katie
wished they could think of some things that had more to do with improving their
minds or deciding on a career, but Jana and Christie talked her out of it.
"Not now," Jana had said. "When we get
everyone coming to the meetings, we can try it."
"We don't want to lose them before we get started,"
agreed Christie. "Let them find out how much fun it is first." Katie
also stopped in the administration office several times during the week. Each
time Miss Simone had said that Mr. Bell hadn't agreed to the women's history
class, and each time the secretary's mouth looked a little tighter, as if she
was upset.
Even though she was busy every minute, Katie couldn't stop
thinking about Tony. She had seen him in the halls a few times, but he still
hadn't talked to her. And she wasn't about to talk to him.
When Katie got home after school on Friday, Willie met her
at the door. "Have I got a surprise for you," she declared. "I
found Gwyneth Plum today."
Katie's heart leapt. "Found Gwyneth? How could you? I
thought we had looked everywhere we could for information about her."
"I did, too—the marriage license records, property
records, everything I could think of—but there's one thing we didn't count on."
Katie was bouncing up and down. "What? Tell me, tell
me."
Her mother looked proud about what she had done. "We
didn't think about the fact that she might have gone someplace else to be
married and then come back. It turns out she went to Reno, Nevada, and was
married there in a little chapel ceremony."
"How did you find that out?" asked Katie.
"I remembered the photograph of the young boy in the
time capsule and got it out. There aren't any Thomas, Tom, or Tommy Rawls in
the directory, but I started calling all the Rawls anyway. One of them, named
Ronald, is the son of Gwyneth Rawls. She did marry Tommy after all."
Katie's eyes grew large and her heart swelled. Gwyneth had
survived the argument with Tommy over women's rights, and they had gotten
married.
"Here's the telephone number that Gwyneth's son gave me"
her mother said. "He told me she was away for the weekend and would be
coming back on Sunday. I thought you might want to call her and see if you can
meet her."
Katie took
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