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thought. But she did not dare. She only stared, open-mouthed, unable to say a word.
    Then she shook her head again.
    “He wouldn’t come,” she insisted, her words carefully chosen and hardly above a whisper. “Not for me, he wouldn’t. Not for you, either. He … he never crosses his parents. Never.”
    Jenny gave the angry flip of her red mane. “Is he totally boring?”
    “No. He’s fun.” Virginia was too quick with her answer. She softened her voice and continued because Jenny was staring at her, waiting for her to go on. “He’s … he’s fun at Youth Group. He … laughs and … everything. Makes us laugh. He—”
    But Jenny seemed to have heard enough. She reached out a hand that pushed Virginia aside. “Maybe I’ll just have to go to Youth Group,” she said with another toss of her head. And as she turned to give Virginia a smug look, her green eyes were flashing again.

CHAPTER 6
    I ’ve got it!” was Jenny’s greeting to Virginia the next morning when they met at the corner for the last few blocks to school. Her face was flushed with her excitement, and Virginia felt her own pulse quicken.
    “Got what?”
    She was sure that the answer would have something to do with Jamison Curtis, so she was surprised when Jenny answered, “A way to get ole nosy Parker.”
    Virginia blinked. She thought that Jenny had given up on her little plan of revenge. She wanted to ask about the plan, and at the same time she feared to do so. She had a foreboding that she might enter into Jenny’s scheme in some way.
    “We’ll give her something to talk about,” Jenny hurried on.
    Virginia swallowed. She was right. Jenny was using the word “we.”
    “What are you …?”
    “We,” Jenny confirmed. “I’ll tell you all about it at recess. I can hardly wait. I sorted it all out last night in bed. Just wait. The whole town will know she’s just a meddlin’ ole fool.”
    Virginia’s frown deepened. The whole town already knew about all there was to know concerning Mrs. Parker. Folks just, well, accepted her for the way she was, ignoring most of what she prattled on about. Who paid any mind to Mrs. Parker?
    They couldn’t talk as they hurried on to reach the school yard before the bell rang. It was too hard to walk fast and talk at the same time.
    Virginia did not know if she wanted recess to arrive or not. In some ways, the very thought of Jenny’s excitement made her heart quicken in similar fashion. Yet it frightened her a little bit, too. It was sure to be something that would get her in more trouble at home—unless they could lay their plan carefully and not get caught at whatever it was Jenny intended for them to do.
    When the bell was given a little tinkle to announce the recess break, Virginia looked up to see Jenny’s eyes already upon her. With a nod of her head toward the door, Jenny indicated that Virginia was to leave the room and meet her around the east corner, their usual rendezvous spot.
    Wordlessly she slipped her books back in her desk, rose from her seat, and followed Jenny from the room.
    Her mouth felt uncomfortably dry. She tried to swallow, but there was nothing there.
    Jenny continued walking until she had rounded the corner and turned to lean against the warmth of the brick from the brightness of the early rising sun. A grin spread over her face.
    “You know that grove of poplars just down from Parker’s house?” she began.
    Virginia nodded.
    “Well, we’re gonna give Mrs. Parker something to really set her tongue a waggin’.”
    “But—”
    “We’re gonna meet down there—sort of a secret meeting.”
    “She won’t even see us.”
    “Oh, yes she will. She’s always watching whatever’s going on.”
    “She won’t even know it’s us.”
    “That’s just the point. We don’t want her to know. It’s the not-knowing part that will drive her near crazy.”
    Virginia frowned. She was not following Jenny’s logic at all.
    “She’ll get out her spyglass and try and try