Fabulous Five 022 - Melanie's Valentine by Betsy Haynes Read Free Book Online Page A

just fine as long as her grandmother disliked Shane and her
own parents were prejudiced against him because his parents used to be hippies?
It was just one big fat lost cause!
    A little while later there was a tap at her bedroom door. "It's
me, honey," her mother called. "May I come in?"
    "I guess so," Melanie grumped. She was still angry
about her mother's attitude toward Shane.
    "I want to talk to you about your grandmother,"
Mrs. Edwards said, sitting down on the edge of Melanie's bed. "I know you're
angry with her."
    "That's the understatement of the eon, " mumbled
Melanie. "She's absolutely ruining my social life." She went on to
tell her mother how Grandma Dee had embarrassed her in Mr. Bell's office and
then again in the cafeteria at noon, wanting to talk Funny out of being friends
with Laura McCall. Next she explained how Shane had been trying so hard to make
her grandmother like him that he had tried too hard, and Grandma Dee had
practically caused a scene in biology class. "I just don't know what she's
going to do next," Melanie confessed.
    Mrs. Edwards was quiet for a moment. "I think I
understand the problem," she said.
    "Well, I wish I did," said Melanie.
    "It's because she loves you so much," her mother
said quietly. "You see, all her children were boys, and you're her first
granddaughter. She wants to be with you as much as she can while she's here and
be involved in the things you're doing."
    When Melanie didn't respond, her mother patted her hand and
moved toward the door. "Remember, dear, she doesn't mean any harm. She
just wants to be involved."
    Watching the door close behind her mother, Melanie thought,
Grandma Dee's not just involved. She's interfering!

CHAPTER 10
    Grandma Dee didn't say anything about Shane at supper, and
Melanie relaxed a little. But upstairs, as she was doing her homework in her
room, a new worry began to grow. Scott. How could she have forgotten that he
had said he would talk to her later? Later had to mean one thing. He was going
to call her tonight.
    Melanie drew little doodles on the notebook page and tried
to plan what she would do. Maybe she could ask her parents to say she wasn't
home.
    "Fat chance," she mumbled under her breath. They
would never do a thing like that. They would consider it lying, and besides,
they had always insisted that the only way to handle a problem was to face it.
But how could she face this one?
    If only he would start liking someone else, she thought.
Then I wouldn't have to hurt him. The idea had possibilities, but she knew it
was just a dream. There was no way she could find someone else for him to like.
    What then? Tell him I don't like him anymore? she asked
herself for the zillionth time.
    Suddenly she heard the phone ring, and panic lifted her
straight out of her chair. "Oh, my gosh!" she whispered. "It's
him!"
    Melanie raced to the door and opened it a crack. She could
hear her father saying hello. The bathroom was across the hall from her room,
and she made a mad dash into it and closed the door behind herself. She stood
there in the dark for a moment, listening to her heart pound. Then she switched
on the light and pressed her ear against the door.
    "Melanie," she heard her father call from the
bottom of the stairs.
    She bit her lower lip and waited.
    Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Her father's heavy footsteps were
coming up the stairs. Then all was quiet for a moment. He was probably looking
in her room.
    "Melanie?" he called again. "Where are you,
honey? You have a phone call."
    "In here," she answered. "Who is it?"
    "Scott," said her father.
    Melanie swallowed hard. This was it.
    "Um. I can't come to the phone right now. Okay?"
she said, crossing her fingers behind her back.
    "I'll tell him you're busy."
    "Thank goodness," she whispered to the crack in
the door.
    Melanie waited until all was quiet downstairs and then
opened the bathroom door and tiptoed back across the hall to her room. She sat
down at her desk again and stared at her homework, but