Fabulous Five 003 - The Popularity Trap Read Online Free

"Sure," he said. "I'll
interview Melissa now and get back to you on Wednesday at school."
    After Curtis left, Christie gave Katie a puzzled look. "What
were you talking about?" she demanded. "I don't have any platform."
    "So? It made Curtis happy, didn't it? We'll think up
one," said Beth. "Come on over to the booth, and we can talk about
it."
    "I see this as a perfect opportunity for you to stand
up for the rights of girls," said Katie once Jana and Christie had settled
into the booth.
    Melanie wrinkled her nose. "Katie Shannon," she
scolded. "You can be so boring sometimes. Nobody wants to hear all that junk.
Besides, if she did what you say, probably none of the boys would vote for her.
And don't forget, they're half the class."
    "What we need to do is come up with something dramatic,"
said Beth, opening her eyes wide with excitement. "You know, something
that will really get everybody's attention."
    "Do you mean something like eliminating physical
education from the curriculum?" Jana teased. "Or making lunch period
two hours long?"
    "You've got it!" Beth said, laughing. "Only
it has to be something that kids want and that Christie can deliver."
    "Well, I can't deliver Mr. Bell, if that's what you're
getting at. If I could, I wouldn't be in this mess with Jon Smith."
Christie sighed. She had had enough talk about Jon Smith and her running for
class president, and she certainly didn't like the suggestions her friends
wanted to put into her platform much less into an article for the Sig, as most kids called the Wakeman Smoke Signal. "I'll see you guys
later," she said, getting up to leave. "I'm going home to do my
homework. And do you know what? For the first time in my life, I'm actually
looking forward to it."
    Everyone called good-bye as Christie headed for the door,
waving to a few other friends on her way. She was so preoccupied with her own
problems that she almost bumped into someone coming into Bumpers as she was
going out the door. Looking up, she saw to her astonishment that it was Jon
Smith.
    He scowled and brushed on past her. Christie clutched her
books and felt her face turning red. Here she was at Bumpers after she had told
him that she was too busy to tutor him after school today. But , she reflected, that was what he had told her, too.

CHAPTER 5
    When she got home, Christie dumped her books on her desk and
flopped down on her bed. What a pain. She really needed to be
campaigning for seventh-grade president of Wacko Junior High along with trying
to keep all A's in school, she thought sarcastically. What would everyone think
if she stopped doing her homework and dropped out of the elections? It would be
great not to have to worry about what other people wanted and concentrate on
what she liked to do for a change. But that would mean disappointing her
friends and her mom and dad.
    At first she had missed Mark Twain Elementary where
everything had been so comfortable and familiar, but lately she had been
starting to enjoy junior high school. It had seemed so much more grown-up than
elementary school. And she had begun to believe that she would have more
freedom now. What a joke! Getting up, she went to her desk and resolutely
opened her math book.
    "Hi, sweetheart. I'm home." Mrs. Winchell stuck
her head in the doorway of Christie's room.
    "Hi, Mom."
    "Doing your homework, I see." Her mother made that
comment at this time just about every day. "How was your day?"
    "Fine." Christie smiled at her mother. She was a super
mom. It was just that she was always checking to see if Christie was keeping up
with everything.
    "I saw Mr. Bell today. He said you volunteered to tutor
another student in math. That's really nice of you, dear. Not all gifted people
take time to help others. I'm proud of you. Oh, and he also told me that you were
running for class president. That's great. Why didn't you tell us you were
going to run?"
    Christie smiled again, weakly. "I didn't know it
myself." She decided against telling her mother