competition
as Mr. Broderick began calling roll. Curtis Trowbridge, who had gone to Mark
Twain Elementary with Jana, was seated to the right of his girlfriend, Whitney
Larkin. Whitney was a brain who had skipped sixth grade and gone right into seventh.
She was smaller and shyer than the other kids. What about Curtis for Mr.
Seventh Grade? Jana asked herself. He's seventh-grade class president so he's
pretty popular. She shook her head. Although Curtis had won the election for
president, neither Randy nor Shane had been running.
A movement near Whitney caught Jana's attention. Geena
McNatt sat on Whitney's left, and Jana thought she had seen Geena pulling a
folder from between two of Whitney's books. Jana couldn't be sure if that was
what had really happened or if she had imagined it.
As the period passed, Jana couldn't keep her eyes from
returning to Geena. Geena partially opened her notebook, and it appeared to
Jana that she was looking at something in a folder, but had she really taken
the folder from Whitney? Then Geena took out a blank page and wrote something
on it. When she was finished, she dug a paper clip out of her purse and clipped
it to the top of some papers she took from the folder.
Jana frowned. What was she doing? Just then, Geena glanced
up and her eyes locked with Jana's. An arrogant look spread over her face, and
she stuck her tongue out at Jana.
Jana could feel a hot flush creep up her neck.
"All right, class," Mr. Broderick said as the
period drew to an end. "Please turn in the articles about pollution I
asked you to cut out of newspapers and magazines over the weekend."
Jana dug into her notebook and took out her assignment.
There had been another oil spill off the coast of Alaska, and it had been easy
to find lots of articles in the Sunday papers. The only problem was, everyone
else probably had the same ones. She had dug through some old Time magazines that were stacked under the coffee table in the living room and found
a few others that were different. As she passed her assignment forward to Joel
Murphy, who sat in front of her, she noticed Whitney frantically searching
through her books.
Geena passed something forward and then gave Jana a mean
look.
As they left the room, Geena walked up beside Jana and
bumped her. "You tell, and I'll get you," she said, and then hurried
down the hall leaving Jana staring after her with her mouth open.
CHAPTER 2
"Can you believe her nerve?" grumbled Jana,
glancing at Geena McNatt, who was standing by herself near the old Wurlitzer
jukebox in Bumpers. Jana was sitting in a booth with the rest of The Fabulous
Five in the junior high hangout. "She actually took something from Whitney
Larkin and threatened me if I told."
"Do you know for sure that it was Whitney's homework
she took?" asked Katie.
"No, I can't prove it. I talked to Whitney after class,
and she was almost crying. You know Whitney—the kids who went to Copper Beach
Elementary with her say she's never made a grade lower than an A in her life.
Not being able to turn in homework on time just blew her mind. She had cut out
several articles about pollution, and if I know Whitney, she went to a lot of
trouble to find some that no one else would have. But Geena could have gotten
her own articles. Sunday's papers were full of them."
"What about the folder?" asked Beth. "Wouldn't
that prove she took them?"
"Not if Geena doesn't have it anymore," said
Christie. "And I'm sure she wouldn't keep it around for someone else to
find."
"Why did she have to pick on Whitnev?" said Melanie.
"She's so shy."
Everyone nodded agreement.
"Do you suppose Whitney will tell Curtis what Geena
did?" asked Katie. "If I know Curtis, he'll get really mad if
he finds out."
"I told her I didn't think she should, and she agreed,"
said Jana. "Geena would probably run and tell her two brothers, and that
would not be good for Curtis." Jana thought about the McNatt boys.
Max was in the ninth grade at Wakeman and played
as Mr. Broderick began calling roll. Curtis Trowbridge, who had gone to Mark
Twain Elementary with Jana, was seated to the right of his girlfriend, Whitney
Larkin. Whitney was a brain who had skipped sixth grade and gone right into seventh.
She was smaller and shyer than the other kids. What about Curtis for Mr.
Seventh Grade? Jana asked herself. He's seventh-grade class president so he's
pretty popular. She shook her head. Although Curtis had won the election for
president, neither Randy nor Shane had been running.
A movement near Whitney caught Jana's attention. Geena
McNatt sat on Whitney's left, and Jana thought she had seen Geena pulling a
folder from between two of Whitney's books. Jana couldn't be sure if that was
what had really happened or if she had imagined it.
As the period passed, Jana couldn't keep her eyes from
returning to Geena. Geena partially opened her notebook, and it appeared to
Jana that she was looking at something in a folder, but had she really taken
the folder from Whitney? Then Geena took out a blank page and wrote something
on it. When she was finished, she dug a paper clip out of her purse and clipped
it to the top of some papers she took from the folder.
Jana frowned. What was she doing? Just then, Geena glanced
up and her eyes locked with Jana's. An arrogant look spread over her face, and
she stuck her tongue out at Jana.
Jana could feel a hot flush creep up her neck.
"All right, class," Mr. Broderick said as the
period drew to an end. "Please turn in the articles about pollution I
asked you to cut out of newspapers and magazines over the weekend."
Jana dug into her notebook and took out her assignment.
There had been another oil spill off the coast of Alaska, and it had been easy
to find lots of articles in the Sunday papers. The only problem was, everyone
else probably had the same ones. She had dug through some old Time magazines that were stacked under the coffee table in the living room and found
a few others that were different. As she passed her assignment forward to Joel
Murphy, who sat in front of her, she noticed Whitney frantically searching
through her books.
Geena passed something forward and then gave Jana a mean
look.
As they left the room, Geena walked up beside Jana and
bumped her. "You tell, and I'll get you," she said, and then hurried
down the hall leaving Jana staring after her with her mouth open.
CHAPTER 2
"Can you believe her nerve?" grumbled Jana,
glancing at Geena McNatt, who was standing by herself near the old Wurlitzer
jukebox in Bumpers. Jana was sitting in a booth with the rest of The Fabulous
Five in the junior high hangout. "She actually took something from Whitney
Larkin and threatened me if I told."
"Do you know for sure that it was Whitney's homework
she took?" asked Katie.
"No, I can't prove it. I talked to Whitney after class,
and she was almost crying. You know Whitney—the kids who went to Copper Beach
Elementary with her say she's never made a grade lower than an A in her life.
Not being able to turn in homework on time just blew her mind. She had cut out
several articles about pollution, and if I know Whitney, she went to a lot of
trouble to find some that no one else would have. But Geena could have gotten
her own articles. Sunday's papers were full of them."
"What about the folder?" asked Beth. "Wouldn't
that prove she took them?"
"Not if Geena doesn't have it anymore," said
Christie. "And I'm sure she wouldn't keep it around for someone else to
find."
"Why did she have to pick on Whitnev?" said Melanie.
"She's so shy."
Everyone nodded agreement.
"Do you suppose Whitney will tell Curtis what Geena
did?" asked Katie. "If I know Curtis, he'll get really mad if
he finds out."
"I told her I didn't think she should, and she agreed,"
said Jana. "Geena would probably run and tell her two brothers, and that
would not be good for Curtis." Jana thought about the McNatt boys.
Max was in the ninth grade at Wakeman and played
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