“Only every single episode of every single season.”
“Well . . . guess who came into Hello, Gorgeous! yesterday?” I asked.
Kristen and Lizbeth sat on the edges of their seats, waiting for Eve to guess everything.
When Eve realized what was happening, she said, “No way. I don’t believe you. For real?”
All three of us nodded.
“I am totally and completely serious,” I said. Then I told her how I texted in to the show, not thinking anything of it until Cecilia showed up yesterday.
“Hello, Gorgeous! is going to be on Cecilia’s Best Tressed and they start filming today!”
“So that’s why you look extra cute,” Lizbeth said, eyeing my dress.
“Thanks,” I said. “And check this out: Since I was the one who texted the show, Cecilia asked if I could be there each day this week to sort of help show her around or whatever. And Mom agreed. She said I got her into this mess so I had to suffer with her.”
“Suffer? That is awesome,” Kristen said, shaking her head. “I wish she’d ask me to come in, too. If you need any extra help—”
“I’ll let you know,” I laughed.
Jonah and Kyle came over with their lunches and sat down at our table. Jonah sat next to Eve, and Kyle sat across from Jonah, an empty seat between him and Lizbeth.
Eve swatted Jonah’s arm and said, “I can’t believe you kept such big news from me last night.”
“I just found out about it today!” he said.
“Last night?” Kristen asked, a mischievous look on her face.
Eve blushed and said, “Um, we went to play Warpath.”
“And get ice cream,” I teased. I almost added the dinner part, but Eve was turning so red that I decided to back off. She was smiling, though.
“Hey,” Lizbeth said. “Why are you wearing that hat?”
“Don’t ask,” I said, stopping her before she could answer. I caught eyes with Kyle, and he shook his head and sort of rolled his eyes like, Ugh. Those two. I gave him a look back that I hoped said, For real.
“Whatever,” Kristen said. She was a master at bringing one conversation to a halt and changing it to another direction—usually toward her. “Can we please talk about how I’m going to make my debut?”
See?
“Yes,” I said. I tapped the table. “Everyone, we’re talking about Kristen now.”
“When do we not talk about Kristen?” Kyle said, and we both smiled at our jokes.
“Ha-ha, not funny,” Kristen said. “Mickey, I made an appointment for Saturday. What do you think?”
“We don’t know what time they’ll be shooting the finale yet,” I said.
“Well, I figured there’s also Be Gorgeous, and they’ll definitely film that, right?”
“Probably.”
“You know she can’t actually guarantee you’ll be on the show, right, K?” Lizbeth said.
“Of course,” Kristen said, like duh. “But as soon as word spreads that Hello, Gorgeous! is going to be on Best Tressed, appointments are going to fill up. I have to do what I can to help myself. There’s enough room in this town for two TV stars.”
“Hey,” Eve said, but to Jonah—not us. “I found out about that skydiving thing we were talking about last night. I was watching MythBusters . . .”
Eve and Jonah stayed in their own conversation for the rest of lunch while Kristen, Lizbeth, and I talked about what Cecilia might really be like, and if she would be mean or nice (depending on the salon, she could be pretty firm). I had to admit Kyle was kind of on his own with Jonah being so into Eve. I felt bad, but then got distracted when Kristen and Lizbeth said I had to make sure I upped the glam before going to work after school.
“How dare you!” Gesturing to my outfit, I said, “The glam has been upped!”
“I mean your makeup,” Kristen said. “The camera doesn’t show much makeup, so you have to put extra on just to look normal.”
“Is that true, Eve?” I asked. She was the only one of us who’d seen herself on camera.
“What about that part when they collided in midair?” Eve asked Jonah.
“Hello, Eve,” I said, shaking her shoulder. “Are you listening?”
“Sorry, what, Mickey?”
“So, Jonah,” Kyle said very pointedly. “I never told you about that new skating trick we’ve been trying.”
Jonah turned his attention to Kyle and Eve finally turned back to us.
“We were wondering,” I said, shooting Kyle a grateful look, “if you have to wear extra makeup on camera for it to show up. Did they put extra on you for your commercial?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know about regular makeup, since I was wearing silver and white, but they did put on a ton.”
As we headed out of the cafeteria after lunch, the girls continued talking about how I should look for my first day on camera. My stomach started to get a little tight. I was excited to get to the salon but I was starting to get a little nervous, too. Being on camera wasn’t exactly routine stuff.
After waving good-bye to the girls and Jonah and Kyle, Eve and I walked to English together.
“I hope I don’t say or do anything dumb on camera,” I told Eve. “That’d be just like me.”
“You won’t!” she said. “You’ll be totally fine.”
“Should I remind you that you’re talking to the person who creates disasters and crises on a weekly basis?”
Eve smiled. “I think you’re going to be great. Just do what you do best—help out at the salon.”
Before I could get to the salon, though, I had to get through English class. Ms. Carlisle was cruising through TKAM, and it turned out I was actually two full chapters behind. I was supposed to have read through chapter twenty-four—which meant that the chapters I’d read last night (and barely concentrated on) weren’t enough. I knew I should be taking notes as Ms. Carlisle gave her lecture, but I couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen at the salon—that afternoon and for the rest of the week. I had to make sure everything went smoothly. I wanted to show Mom how great this whole Cecilia thing could be for her and Hello, Gorgeous!
CHAPTER 7
Every time I walk through the doors of Hello, Gorgeous! there’s a certain buzz in the air. Something’s always happening. People are gossiping, getting and giving advice, being pampered, made over, and beautified. But today, with Cecilia and her camera crew hovering around, there was no buzz—more of a contained hum.
Cameramen were all over the salon—I did a quick count of four. Cecilia walked slowly across the floor, her arms folded over her toffee-colored jacket. She stopped to inspect a cut Violet was finishing up. Violet stepped back as Cecilia looked at the woman’s chin-length hair, showing new angles to Violet and talking to the client. It wasn’t until Violet laughed with Cecilia that I realized things were going just fine.
“Mickey, hi,” Megan said. “Are you here to help us out?”
“Yep! All week,” I told her, leaning slightly on the reception desk to really take in the scene before I jumped in myself.
A camera was all up in Devon’s station as she combed out her client’s wet hair. She looked a little annoyed but I also noticed she looked extra cute today. Devon always sported a rockabilly look but today she had cranked it up. Her black bangs had just been trimmed, and the black dress with red accents she wore hugged her body perfectly. Looking around, it seemed that everyone was a little more stylish than usual, which was amazing because everyone always looked great. Even the chunky necklace and bracelets Megan wore seemed more sparkly than normal.
“How’s Mom doing?” I asked Megan.
“She’s, um, fine,” she said. “You know how your mom is!”
Yes, I totally knew how she was. But Megan would never say anything negative about my mom.
“I better go get ready,” I said. I went toward the break room in the back, which doubled as a storage area. I took the heinous plastic smock Mom forced me to wear as the sweeper ou
t of my cubby, put it over my shoulders, and snapped it on. I couldn’t believe I’d be on camera for four days in this thing. I mean, really—it’s hard to have dignity when you’re working in a shower curtain.
On my way to the front, Mom came barreling out of her office and we totally collided.
“Goodness! Mickey!” she said, sucking in her breath and looking about as relaxed as a germophobe picking through the trash. “Did you sweep my station? I have a client due here any minute.”
Before I could answer, she hurried away toward the front as a camera caught sight of her and followed. I didn’t want to make her any more nervous, so I quickly grabbed the broom and went up to check. Mom was straightening up her always-perfect station, and there wasn’t a single hair on the floor. I ran my broom around it, anyway, knowing it would help calm her down.
“Violet, your technique is wonderful, really,” Cecilia was saying. Violet’s station was right next to Mom’s, so I could hear it all. “How long have you worked here?”
“Going on seven years now,” Violet said. Her ultrashort, golden-blond hair was perfectly styled, not moving a bit as she combed and cut her client’s dark hair. “I’ve been manager for two.”
“Well, you certainly have talent,” Cecilia said. She looked at Violet’s client in the mirror. “This cut is going to look gorgeous on you. Absolutely stunning.”
The client smiled and said, “I’d never go anywhere else.”
“Thank you, Mickey,” Mom said, interrupting my eavesdropping as I swept microscopic dust off her station. She practically shooed me away. Her client was coming, and Cecilia turned her attention to Mom. I backed away, getting more nervous at what was about to happen. Would Cecilia be extra hard on Mom just because she was the owner? Would that make good TV? I almost couldn’t watch. (But of course, I did.)
“Hey, kid.” Giancarlo’s voice boomed down at me from the other side of Violet’s station. He nodded his bald head for me to come closer. A camera was behind his shoulder, catching his every cut, but he looked relaxed and comfortable.
“Hey, Giancarlo,” I said, feeling a bit jittery with the camera so close and so on me.
“Mickey, could you do me a huge favor? Could you please tell Miss Lisa here how gorgeous she’s going to look with these long layers I’m about to give her?”
I felt myself blush under the scrutiny of the camera. I looked at the woman in his chair as she smiled at me expectantly. She had a freckled face and dark green eyes. I wondered if Giancarlo was just playing it up for the cameras. “Most definitely,” I told Lisa. “Giancarlo is the master of long layers.”
“And I didn’t even have to pay her to say that!” Giancarlo said.
“Not this time, anyway,” I said, and Giancarlo winked a thanks at me.
I glanced back at Mom. Cecilia was observing her as Mom consulted with the woman in her chair. Mom now looked relaxed. Maybe because she was totally in her element and knew everything was perfect as long as she stood behind the chair with comb and scissors in hand.
The salon continued to work in overdrive as cameras caught our every move. Cecilia strolled past the stylists, inspecting each and every cut, color, and blowout. She didn’t say too much, but having someone watch over your shoulder can be a little tough. I even felt her eyes on me as I ran to get a drink for Giancarlo’s client. It frazzled me enough that I grabbed the wrong drink twice. First I got a diet and then I brought back a seltzer.
“Mickey, did you leave your head back there?” Giancarlo teased. “She just wants a Coke, sweetie, that’s all.”
After I delivered the drink, Cecilia approached me. “Your mom has a fantastic salon here,” she said, looking at me through her kitty-cat glasses. “Did she know you texted her in for the show?”
“No, it was a total surprise,” I said, then added, “but a good one.” Of course, a camera was right between us, making sure to get every word that came out of our mouths.
“Do you want to go into the business as well?” Cecilia asked.
I tried to ignore the big black camera and shining light above it and just concentrate on this one subject I loved more than anything. “Definitely. I want to be just like my mom. I want to cut here when I get older and then maybe open my own salon one day.”
Cecilia nodded. “Do they help you with your own hair? It looks very healthy—a nice, glossy shine.”
“Devon did,” I said. “She showed me how to tame my curls.”
“It’s a good lesson to learn,” she said, pointing to her own spiral, red curls. “Do you think you could get my guys here something to drink? They’ve been hiding behind these cameras for a while.”
“Thanks, Cee,” said the voice behind the lens.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
I got sodas for the guys and then I showed Cecilia where we kept the cotton robes the clients wore and where we stored extra products. By the end of the day I felt totally comfortable around her, just like I did with the other stylists. Suddenly I didn’t care that she was on TV—or, I guess, that I was, too.
As her crew packed up she thanked my mom for a great first day.
“And Mickey,” she said, turning to me before leaving, “thank you so much for all your help today. I look forward to tomorrow.”
Mom looked at me and gave me a nod of encouragement. “You’re welcome, Ms. von Tressell. And me too,” I said.
“Remember, you can call me Cecilia,” she replied. “See you all tomorrow!”
When the door closed and the crew was gone, everyone in the salon let out a sigh of relief.
“We made it,” Giancarlo said, collapsing against the back of his chair.
“Great job, everyone,” Mom said. She really seemed to mean it, too. First day down, four to go, and everything looked great in Gorgeousland.
At home Dad was finishing up a special celebration dinner for our first day with Cecilia. While he put on the finishing touches, I ran upstairs to call Eve and tell her how awesome the day went.
“I knew it would be great,” Eve said.
“So great,” I said. “I was nervous at first, especially being on camera, but after a while I sort of forgot about it.”
“Reality people are always saying you get used to it,” Eve said.
“I know, right? And do you know what I was thinking?” I could hear her typing through the phone. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if your commercial came on during my show?”
She didn’t respond. I heard the fast tapping of keys and then a giggle. “Eve?” I said.
“Oh, sorry! What’d you say?”
“If your commercial came on during our episode of Best Tressed—wouldn’t that be awesome?”
“I know,” she said. “I mean, yeah, it’d be awesome.”
“I can’t have a huge premiere party like your commercial did, but we should definitely have some party here at the house for it, don’t you think?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, clackity-clacking on her end.
“Eve!” I said. “What are you doing?”
“I’m listening!” she said. “I swear.”
“So what’d I just say?”
“You said they’re going to make a commercial of the show you’re on.”
“Not even close,” I said. “And tell Jonah I said hi.”
“Sorry, Mickey. Don’t be mad. He was just IMing me a question about our English homework.”
“I’m not mad,” I said. And I really wasn’t. I was in too good of a mood to be upset. Dad called up from the kitchen to say dinner was ready. “I gotta jet, anyway. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, though. Kay?”
“Definitely,” she said.
As I headed back downstairs, I heard Mom telling Dad about the day.
“. . . amazing job,” she was saying.
“You didn’t expect any less, did you?” Dad asked. There was no reply, and Dad said, “Oh, Chloe. She’s excellent at the salon.”
I stopped short just outside the dining room.
“But she
has had a few problems in the past,” Mom said. “You can’t deny that. Today, she was incredible, though. Mickey really took it upon herself to help Cecilia out. I didn’t even have to ask her. She was more calm than I was with those cameras on her. Seeing her so in control made me feel relaxed, too. She doesn’t even know how much she helped me.”
I helped Mom? That seemed totally impossible. My mom was always poised and perfect and in control. How could a spaz like me keep her calm?
“Maybe you should tell her,” Dad said.
I took that as my cue to walk into the dining room then, as if I hadn’t been listening. Dad had set up a total feast for dinner—braised short ribs with homemade fries and bread with some kind of fancy cheese. I even spotted what looked like my favorite dessert—raspberry cheesecake—on the counter in the kitchen.
“Wow, Dad,” I said as I sat down. I tore off a piece of bread and spread the cheese on it. I took a bite—creamy and buttery and delicious. Through a mouthful I said, “This looks amazing.”
“I had to do something special for my girls on their first big day in front of the cameras,” he said. “Mom was just telling me that it went pretty well.”
Mom sat down and Dad served up the short ribs.
“Mickey, I wanted to tell you,” Mom began. “Last night I really wasn’t feeling a hundred percent about this whole TV thing. But after today, seeing how Cecilia worked with my stylists and hearing her initial thoughts, I feel very good about it.” She piled fries on her own plate and sprinkled sea salt on them from the dish in the center of the table. “I was just telling Dad how proud I am of how you handled yourself today. You did a great job.”
“That’s our Mick!” Dad said, always ready to cheer me on.
“I had a lot of fun,” I told them. “Cecilia is really nice.”
Mom nodded. “She has a lot of great ideas, just after the first day. This could turn out to be huge for the salon. She mentioned expanding Rowan’s spa area. I know it’s really small, but I just haven’t put the time into thinking about what to do with it. She’s also looking at Karen’s manicure station and seeing how we can expand that, too. Really turn the place into a full-service salon.”
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