Fabulous Five 005 - The Bragging War by Betsy Haynes Page B

he could remember anything.
    Trevor Morgan stepped to the microphone. His voice sounded
raspy, as if he were about to lose it.
    "Oh, please don't get laryngitis now," Beth said
out loud.
    "I want to take a moment to thank you all," said
Trevor. "You've been a wonderful audience, you really have, luvs." He
pulled a small piece of paper from his belt.
    Beth recognized it and punched Katie and Jana, who were
standing next to her. The Fabulous Five all doubled up their fists and bounced
on their toes in pent-up excitement.
    "I want to thank the kids from Wakeman Junior High—I
hear you call it Wacko—and say hello to my good friends Jana Morgan, Christie
Winchell, Katie Shannon, and Melanie Edwards. I hear you're nice to Indians.
And of course, I can't forget my very good friend Beth Barry. I love you all
and wish I could stop by Bumpers, but you know how show business is."
    The Fabulous Five jumped straight up in the air and
screamed. Beth had never felt so wonderful. He had done just what he had said
he would do.
    Then Trevor held up his hand for silence again. "As you
know, we always pick someone from the audience to join us on stage, and so for
our very last number, I'm going to ask another group to come up right now. A
group you're going to love as much as I do. The Fabulous Five! "
    Suddenly sirens went off and spotlights beamed down on them
out of now here, and before any of the girls knew what was happening, the
members of Brain Damage were rushing them onto the stage. Trevor Morgan grabbed
Beth's hand and pulled her up the stairs, grinning back over his shoulder at
her. She felt a hat plop onto her head and a microphone being thrust into her
hand.
    "Sing your heart out, luv!" Trevor shouted. "You're
a STAR! "
    Beth clutched the mike and started singing to the familiar
tune of a Brain Damage hit. Out of the corners of her eves she could see her
best friends singing, too, while the members of the band pranced around the
stage. Over the blare of the music the crowd roared its appreciation. It was
all too wonderful to be true.
     
    Beth stood back until Jana, Melanie, Katie, and Christie had
finished talking to Trevor in his dressing room. He had told Beth that he
wanted to see all of them after the performance.
    "It's been nice meeting you all," said Trevor as
they started leaving. "Keep up the good work with those Indians now."
    Beth hung back. Now that she knew Trevor so well, and he had
even let her sing onstage, maybe he would give her a real audition with his
band if she asked him. Other kids her age had made it big.
    "Trevor, I can't tell you how much I appreciate what
you've done," she told him, putting on her most mature face. Would he
think she looked like Madonna?
    "No problem, luv. It's been my pleasure, really. Matter
of fact, it's been a pleasant change from young girls trying to sneak into my
apartment and ask me for an audition. And it's been real refreshing meeting a
real live American Indian." He turned and started rubbing makeup off his
face.
    "Oh . . ." said Beth weakly. That shot that. There
was no way she could ask him for a real audition now. And besides, she was
feeling very guilty about telling him she was an Indian when she really truly
wasn't one. It was one thing to try and outbrag Laura McCall, but it was
something else to lie to such a nice person as Trevor.
    "Trevor," she said meekly.
    "Yes," he answered as two men came into the
dressing room and started collecting his guitar and other equipment.
    "I have to tell you something."
    "What's that?" he asked. He was hurrying now.
    "I'm not a true Indian." There, she had said it.
    He stopped and looked at her. Then he smiled and said, "That
doesn't surprise me. I've heard about people being part Indian. I guess it's
hard to be full-blooded Indian these days what with all the intermarriage. I
think that speaks well for you Yanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get
changed. We've got to be in Boston tomorrow."
    Beth nodded. She started toward