CHAPTER 1
Bumpers was jammed with kids from Wakeman Junior High on
Friday night after the movie when Jana Morgan and her best friends pushed their
way through the fast-food restaurant. Booths and bumper cars were overflowing
with boys and girls, and the line at the order counter reached almost to the
front door.
"Wow! Have you ever seen such a crowd in your life?"
Beth Barry shouted over the noise.
Katie Shannon pointed toward the far end of the counter. "Look.
Mr. Matson's even brought in a television set so we can watch the news report."
"Oh, my gosh!" said Melanie Edwards. "I'm so
nervous. What if it doesn't pass?"
"We've all got our fingers crossed," Jana assured
her.
Katie laughed. "Right. I'll bet there are more fingers
crossed in this room than in anyplace else in America."
"Or the world!" added Beth with a dramatic sweep
of her hand.
"Quick. There's an empty bumper car!" shouted
Jana. She made a beeline toward a red bumper car that three eighth-grade boys
were vacating. "Let's grab it!"
The four girls had barely settled into the car when a cheer
went up in the crowd. Glancing around, Jana saw that Mr. Matson had turned on
the television set and was flipping through the channels with his remote
control, finally stopping at channel 30, the local station.
"Shhh! Everybody quiet!"
"Yeah, pipe down, everybody! It's time."
The crowed grew quiet as the channel 30 theme music came on
and the camera zoomed in on Marge Whitworth at the news desk.
"Good evening, everyone. This is Marge Whitworth with
the ten-o'clock news. Our top story tonight concerns the school board's nearly
unanimous vote just moments ago to change Wakeman Junior High into a middle
school. The change will take place at the beginning of the next school year, in
September, and will also include enlarging the high school to include ninth-graders.
The change was brought about by overcrowding—"
Pandemonium broke out as all the kids in the place scrambled
to their feet, clapping and stamping and shouting at the top of their lungs.
Dozens of drinking-straw wrappers streaked into the air like rockets.
Jana hugged Beth, Katie, and Melanie. She couldn't remember
when she had been so excited. Across the room she could see Randy Kirwan, her
steady boyfriend, and she gave him a thumbs-up sign.
Dekeisha Adams perched on the edge of the red bumper car as
the noise began to subside. "Whew! I can't believe it," she said,
shaking her head and grinning at the same time. "Do you realize that when
they change Wakeman from a junior high with seventh, eighth, and ninth grades
to a middle school with sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, we'll be the upperclassmen next year!"
"Yeah," said Katie. "What a switch, huh? We'll
go from being the youngest—'seventh-grade babies' they called us this year, in
case you've forgotten—to the oldest and the biggest deals on campus, the
eighth-graders."
"And just think what a great homecoming it will be for
Christie," said Jana. "She'll be getting back from London just before
school starts." The fifth member of The Fabulous Five, Christie Winchell,
had moved to London when her father got a big promotion midway through the
school year. But now, much to everyone's relief, the family was moving back
again.
"I can't wait to tell her the good news," said Melanie.
"I'm going to write her tomorrow."
Beth jumped into the middle of the floor and motioned to
Melanie and Dekeisha to join her. "Come on, guys. Let's make up a cheer!"
Laughing, Melanie and Dekeisha raced to Beth. They whispered
together for a couple of minutes and then all three stood with their feet wide
apart and their hands in the air. Then Melanie and Dekeisha watched for Beth to
lead them as they all three chanted:
Hey! Hey! What can we say?
We won't be the babies for one more day!
Instead we'll be
the biggest and the best!
Yea! Yea! For Wakeman Middle School!
We de-SERVE it!
There was another round of wild applause as the rest of the
cheerleading squad joined
Bumpers was jammed with kids from Wakeman Junior High on
Friday night after the movie when Jana Morgan and her best friends pushed their
way through the fast-food restaurant. Booths and bumper cars were overflowing
with boys and girls, and the line at the order counter reached almost to the
front door.
"Wow! Have you ever seen such a crowd in your life?"
Beth Barry shouted over the noise.
Katie Shannon pointed toward the far end of the counter. "Look.
Mr. Matson's even brought in a television set so we can watch the news report."
"Oh, my gosh!" said Melanie Edwards. "I'm so
nervous. What if it doesn't pass?"
"We've all got our fingers crossed," Jana assured
her.
Katie laughed. "Right. I'll bet there are more fingers
crossed in this room than in anyplace else in America."
"Or the world!" added Beth with a dramatic sweep
of her hand.
"Quick. There's an empty bumper car!" shouted
Jana. She made a beeline toward a red bumper car that three eighth-grade boys
were vacating. "Let's grab it!"
The four girls had barely settled into the car when a cheer
went up in the crowd. Glancing around, Jana saw that Mr. Matson had turned on
the television set and was flipping through the channels with his remote
control, finally stopping at channel 30, the local station.
"Shhh! Everybody quiet!"
"Yeah, pipe down, everybody! It's time."
The crowed grew quiet as the channel 30 theme music came on
and the camera zoomed in on Marge Whitworth at the news desk.
"Good evening, everyone. This is Marge Whitworth with
the ten-o'clock news. Our top story tonight concerns the school board's nearly
unanimous vote just moments ago to change Wakeman Junior High into a middle
school. The change will take place at the beginning of the next school year, in
September, and will also include enlarging the high school to include ninth-graders.
The change was brought about by overcrowding—"
Pandemonium broke out as all the kids in the place scrambled
to their feet, clapping and stamping and shouting at the top of their lungs.
Dozens of drinking-straw wrappers streaked into the air like rockets.
Jana hugged Beth, Katie, and Melanie. She couldn't remember
when she had been so excited. Across the room she could see Randy Kirwan, her
steady boyfriend, and she gave him a thumbs-up sign.
Dekeisha Adams perched on the edge of the red bumper car as
the noise began to subside. "Whew! I can't believe it," she said,
shaking her head and grinning at the same time. "Do you realize that when
they change Wakeman from a junior high with seventh, eighth, and ninth grades
to a middle school with sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, we'll be the upperclassmen next year!"
"Yeah," said Katie. "What a switch, huh? We'll
go from being the youngest—'seventh-grade babies' they called us this year, in
case you've forgotten—to the oldest and the biggest deals on campus, the
eighth-graders."
"And just think what a great homecoming it will be for
Christie," said Jana. "She'll be getting back from London just before
school starts." The fifth member of The Fabulous Five, Christie Winchell,
had moved to London when her father got a big promotion midway through the
school year. But now, much to everyone's relief, the family was moving back
again.
"I can't wait to tell her the good news," said Melanie.
"I'm going to write her tomorrow."
Beth jumped into the middle of the floor and motioned to
Melanie and Dekeisha to join her. "Come on, guys. Let's make up a cheer!"
Laughing, Melanie and Dekeisha raced to Beth. They whispered
together for a couple of minutes and then all three stood with their feet wide
apart and their hands in the air. Then Melanie and Dekeisha watched for Beth to
lead them as they all three chanted:
Hey! Hey! What can we say?
We won't be the babies for one more day!
Instead we'll be
the biggest and the best!
Yea! Yea! For Wakeman Middle School!
We de-SERVE it!
There was another round of wild applause as the rest of the
cheerleading squad joined
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