Fabulous Five 007 - The Kissing Disaster by Betsy Haynes

rang, and Melanie said a quick good-bye and headed
toward the school.
    The rest of the day was the pits. Every time she saw Laura
or one of her friends, they would smirk and give her knowing looks or whisper
to each other behind their hands. Most of the boys stared at her as if they
were convinced she was the carrier of a dread disease and they would catch it
if they even opened their mouths to say hello. Scott and Shane both spoke to
her, but even they were hesitant and kept their distances, and Melanie noticed
that Shane looked relieved when Mr. Dracovitch announced that they wouldn't be
returning to the dissecting tables for a while.
    Melanie was glad that Scott and Shane were both in school,
which meant that they hadn't actually gotten her mono already, but she couldn't
help secretly watching them every time she got the opportunity. She needed to
see if either of them looked pale or acted as if they were coming down with
something. But both of them seemed okay. So far, so good, she thought. She
would have to keep her fingers crossed for tomorrow.
    She didn't bother to go to the cafeteria at noon. No one
would want her at their table. Instead, she got her lunch out of her locker and
went, out onto the school ground to eat by herself. The air was chilly as she
looked around for a place to sit. A ninth-grade boy and girl were perched on
the steps, gazing romantically at each other. The only tree nearby was the gum
tree, and she certainly didn't want to sit under it.
    Melanie stopped and looked at the gum tree. Even though most
of its leaves had already fallen for the winter, it was almost pretty with its
bark covered with bright gobs of pink and green and orange and blue and yellow
chewing gum stuck there by students before going into class every morning.
Still, everybody talked about how gross the tree was, and getting close enough
to touch somebody else's gum was avoided at all cost.
    "I know just how you feel," Melanie whispered to
the tree, and then she looked around self-consciously to make sure no one was
near enough to hear.
    Scuffing out to the fence, she turned her back on the school
and sat down on the cold ground. Using her biology book for a table, she pulled
her sandwich out of the bag and took a bite. She glanced at the book and
thought about Mr. Dracovitch. He was an outcast, too. Kids called him Dracula
and made jokes behind his back. She had even done it herself. And now the dance
committee was going to play an even bigger joke on him by asking him to
chaperon the monster dance. Everyone would be talking behind his back, too. She
sighed. Poor Mr. Dracovitch. I almost wish that there weren't going to be a
dance, for both our sakes.
    Melanie was leaning against the fence, still thinking about
her and Mr. Dracovitch's predicaments, when Beth came up to her. Her heart
skipped a beat as Beth dropped to one knee beside her and asked, "What are
you doing out here instead of eating in the cafeteria with the rest of us?"
    "I didn't think anyone would want to sit with me after
the silent treatment I got at the fence this morning," said Melanie,
looking away.
    Beth hesitated before she spoke. "I guess nobody knew
exactly what to say to . . ." She lowered her eyes.
    "To someone with the kissing disease and who goes
around kissing boys and starting epidemics? Is that what you mean?"
Melanie asked angrily.
    "It's Laura and the rest of The Fantastic Foursome who
are talking about epidemics," Beth argued. "They're really making a
big deal out of it and scaring kids—especially boys—into thinking they're going
to get sick if they even hang around you." Her voice softened. "Christie
and Katie and Jana and I don't really believe them, and we tell everybody that
we don't. It's just that we don't know very much about mononucleosis, either.
We don't know what else to say."
    "That's okay," Melanie said halfheartedly. She
couldn't really blame them, she supposed. She gathered her books and stood up,
and as she turned to head