Into the Mix #4
Page 10
But Amanda knew she had something even more important to do. Something she had to give up.
Right after rehearsal, she stood in front of Ms. Barlow until As. Barlow could give her some attention.
“What is it, Amanda?” asked Ms. Barlow. She suddenly looked away, distracted. “Morgan! I almost forgot. Please trade hats with Amber. Hers matches your dress better—Tiffany, let’s talk in the morning before homeroom.”
“Ms. Barlow, I need to ask you something,” began Amanda. “It’s—kind of important.”
Chapter 16
“So, you see, I can help with the baking,” Amanda told Molly that night. She and Molly were helping Mom clear the dinner dishes.
Mom smiled at Molly, as if to say I told you so!
“But how can you do that?” asked Molly. She still didn’t believe Amanda. “You have to get ready for the play. You have to be there early, even on Wednesday.”
“Ms. Barlow said that as long as I’m in costume and makeup and in the greenroom by seven forty-five sharp on opening night, it’ll be fine,” Amanda began to explain. “It’s a big deal that she’s letting me come late, because she doesn’t want to worry. So, anyway, we’ll have time to bake and decorate the cupcakes. And you, Mom, and Athena made the chocolate-chip cookies already. So a lot’s already been done.”
“Yeah, they turned out great,” said Molly. She was trying to say something nice to Amanda, but that’s all she could come up with. She was still a little upset.
“Molly, Amanda’s giving up something important,” said Mom gently. “Opening night is a big deal for the cast and crew...
“Everyone’s going to be, you know, having a great time backstage, putting on makeup, and taking pictures of each other,” Amanda tried to explain to Molly. Uh-oh, she thought. She was going to start crying. She looked up at the kitchen light to try to keep the tears from falling.
“And you’re going to miss all that?” Molly asked. She was beginning to “get” what Amanda was talking about. “Being with your friends before you go onstage.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, thanks. That’s—that’s really nice of you.”
That night, while Amanda was in the shower. Molly hurried down to the den and began to type.
To: happyface; qtpie490; BrooklynNatasha
From: mooretimes2
Re: Amanda’s big night!
I know we’re all going to see Amanda in the play together on Friday night, but ... just a reminder that opening night is Thursday! So call here late that afternoon to tell Amanda to “Break a leg!” (Amanda sez that’s theater talk for “Good luck.”)
It’s so exciting. Mom and Dad and Matthew and I are giving her a bouquet of flowers Friday night. Sshh! It’s a surprise!
Mwa! Molly
Thursday afternoon came quickly.
The kitchen smelled of chocolate cupcakes. They were on their fourth double batch, thanks to Mom, who’d decided to take the day off to jump-start the baking. They’d baked them and iced them and now they were beginning to decorate them. The chocolate-chip cookies were all done and were packed in tins, ready to be delivered.
“These cupcakes don’t smell as chocolatey as yesterday,” complained Matthew.
“That’s just because you’ve been smelling them for two days now,” said Mom crisply. “Listen, girls. We may not have time to decorate all of these cupcakes. But at least they’ll all be iced.”
“But we have to decorate them,” muttered Molly
Athena looked at her watch. “I hate to bail now, but I really have to get home. I have a math test I have to study for.”
Molly smiled. “That’s okay. You’ve been a great help. Besides, how would it look if my tutor flunked a test?”
Athena laughed and headed out the door.
“I have to take a break to help Amanda with her makeup,” said Mom. “You and Matthew keep working.”
Twenty minutes later. Amanda was in costume, except for her hat and shawl—she would put those on at the last minute. Mom had helped her make up her face to look like it had soot on it. Her hair was pulled up in an old-fashioned-style bun.
“There,” said Mom, as the two looked at Amanda’s reflection in the big mirror. “You look great!”
That’s when Amanda realized something.
Her costume wasn’t too dark or too uncool. It was perfect for the role of flower seller number four. Her role was a small one, but it was just as important as anyone else’s. And it was important that she look—just like this.
Amanda went downstairs and got right back to work.
She put the finishing touch on the cupcake she was decorating, then held it up. “See? Does that look like a high-button shoe?”
“That’s cute, Manda,” said Molly.
“Hold that pose!” cried Mom. “I’ll take a picture. Say Flower Seller!”
Amanda smiled, posed with the cupcake, and said, “Flower Seller!”
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” cried Matthew.
Footsteps and giggles came down the hallway to the kitchen. It was Peichi, Shawn, and Natasha—wearing their chefs aprons!
“BREAK A LEG, AMANDA!” they all cried, as Molly and Mom looked on in surprise.
Shawn handed Amanda a bouquet of colorful flowers. “They’re from the three of us,” she said.
Natasha gave her a big card, decorated with Shawn’s cool designs drawn with a glitter pen. And Peichi gave her a big, bright red fabric flower. “For your hat,” she said. “We’ll pin it on.”
“Ohmygosh!” shrieked Amanda.
She hugged her friends and said, “No one’s ever given me flowers before! And I love the pin! Thank you!”
“You look great!” exclaimed Shawn. I love your costume!”
“Thank you very much!” said Peichi, and everyone laughed.
“I love my costume, too,” said Amanda, looking at Peichi. “Thanks, Peichi.” She gave her a hug.
“Oh, Amanda, you look so cute with your dirty face,” chuckled Natasha.
Just then, the friends looked around.
“Well, let’s get to work!” said Shawn. “We have to wash our hands. Move out of the way. Amanda. An actress can’t get her costume dirty before the show!”
“Get together!” said Mom, picking up her camera.
“Wait! Let me put on the rest of my costume,” said Amanda.
Mom snapped the photo when Amanda was ready. “That was a good one!” she cried. “Come on, one more. Say ‘Amanda!”’
“Amanda!” cried the girls.
After the photo was taken, Shawn whispered into Amanda’s ear. “While you were in line for your food at lunch today, I told everyone to meet at my house after school to sign the card. And the three of us talked, and everyone said they wanted to be here today to help out! I’m so sorry about...everything. I’ve missed you.”
“Me, too,” whispered Amanda.
Amanda had one more thing to do.
“Excuse me! Time out!” she called over all the chatter. “Sorry if I’ve driven some of you a little nuts lately,” she said. “You guys are the best friends in the world.”
Moments later, Molly looked around at the kitchen. Her friends filled it up with their talk and laughter. Sugar crunched underneath her shoes. Shawn already had flour in her hair. Everything felt—normal!
“It’s nice to be the Chef Girls again,” she said.
Chapter 17
Soon it was time for Amanda to go. She picked up her shawl and hat, now with the red flower pinned to it.
“Good-bye! Break a leg!” cried everyone, even Matthew.
Molly gave Amanda a quick hug. “You’ll be great,” said Molly. “Congralulations.”
“Bye, everybody!” called Amanda.
After Mom walked Amanda into the school, she said, “Okay, honey.” She hugged her carefully so that she wouldn’t smudge Amanda’s makeup. “Break a leg! Dad and I will be in the audience tonight. We’ll find you after the
show.”
“Thanks, Mom! Thanks for everything today!”
Amanda could hear the buzz of everyone in the greenroom. Her heart began to pound.
This was it!
As she walked into the greenroom, Tessa ran over to her with a little shriek. “Hi! Hi! Hi! You’re here! Ohmygosh!”
“Yeah, I made it!” said Amanda. “You look great! Nice and sooty!”
“So do you!”
The two girls giggled and walked around the greenroom, checking everyone out. Some, like Tiffany, were calm, sitting quietly by themselves. Some were saying their lines over and over. Some stretched and did breathing exercises.
Everyone was in full makeup and costume, just like last night’s dress rehearsal. But tonight felt so different from last night.
“This ain’t no rehearsal,” one of the boys kept saying in a funny voice.
Ms. Barlow appeared, smiling and calm. She looked stunning in her short, red velvet cocktail dress and glittering diamond earrings.
“Let’s make a circle,” she said. Everyone quickly grabbed hands and formed a large ring.
They all became silent.
“You’re wonderful, all of you,” said Ms. Barlow. “The most talented, enthusiastic group of kids I’ve ever worked with. Thank you.”
More silence.
“Now,” she continued, “Have a fabulous opening night! It’s time to give it your all! Break a leg, everybody!”
“Wooooo-oooh!” Everyone whooped and threw up their arms.
Suddenly, Sam Wong appeared in his headset. He was the stage manager and was responsible for making the show run smoothly.
“Places,” he announced.
A gasp went up all over the room. It was time for the show to begin!
“That’s us!” said Tessa. She and Amanda were both in act one, though they were just extras for the street scene.
Grabbing each other’s hands, Amanda and Tessa followed the rest of the act one group down the hall, through a door, and onto the stage. They quietly took their places where they’d been assigned to stand.
The curtain was still down, of course. Behind the curtain, the actors could hear the buzz of the audience as they found their seats and talked and rustled their programs. The audience is exciled, too, Amanda realized.
The orchestra was finishing warming up. A piccolo trilled and a cymbal went chinnngg.
Amanda looked around the stage. The London street set looked so beautiful with the stage lighting. It’s real, but not real, at the same time, thought Amanda. Like a street in a dream.
As she gazed at the other kids, quiet and thinking their own thoughts, Amanda felt like she was in a dream, too.
Suddenly, all was quiet.
Then, BOOM! A drum rumbled, and the overture began. As the music played, Amanda felt like an electrical current had run right through her. The curtain began to rise, and the actors began to move as people would on a busy street at night.
Amanda looked out into the sea of blurry faces. She felt the warmth of a spotlight as it hit her face. And she began to laugh and joke as part of the crowd that watches Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins argue back and forth.
She’d done it. She’d taken a chance. Gone to the audition when she could have stayed home. And now she was here, onstage, where she had always belonged.
cooking tips From the chef Girls!
The Chef Girls are looking out for you!
Here are some things you should know if you want to cook.
(Remember to ask your parents if you can use knives and the stove!)
1. Tie back long hair so that it won’t get into the food or in the way as you work.
2. Don’t wear loose-fitting clothing that could drag in the food or on the stove burners.
3. Never cook in bare feet or open-toed shoes. Something sharp or hot could drop on your feet.
4. Always wash your hands before you handle food.
5. Read through the recipe before you start. Gather your ingredients together and measure them before you begin.
6. Turn pot handles in so that they won’t get knocked off the stove.
7. Use wooden spoons to stir hot liquids. Metal spoons can become very hot.
8. When cutting or peeling food, cut away from your hands.
9. Cut food on a cutting board, not the countertop.
10. Hand someone a knife with the knifepoint pointing to the floor.
11. Clean up as you go. It’s safer and neater.
12. Always use a dry pot holder to remove something hot from the oven. You could get burned with a wet one, since wet ones retain heat.
13. Make sure that any spills on the floor are cleaned up right away, so that you don’t slip and fall.
14. Don’t put knives in clean-up water. You could reach into the water and cut yourself.
15. Use a wire rack to cool hot baking dishes to avoid scorch marks on the countertop.
An Important Message From the Chef Girls!
Some foods can carry bacteria, such as salmonella, that can make you sick.
To avoid salmonella, always cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating.
Don’t eat or drink foods containing raw eggs.
And wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
mooretimes2: Molly and Amanda
qtpie490: Shawn
happyface: Peichi
BrooklynNatasha: Natasha
JustMac: Justin
Wuzzup: What’s up?
Mwa smooching sound
G2G: Got To Go
deets: details
b-b: Bye-Bye
<3 hearts
L8R: Later, as in “See ya later!”
L0L: Laughing Out Loud
GMTA: Great Minds Think Alike
j/k: Just kidding
B/C: because
W8: Wait
W8 4 me @: Wait for me at
thanx: thanks
BK: Big kiss
MAY: Mad about you
RUF2T?: Are you free to talk?
TTUL: Type to you later
E-ya: will e-mail you
LMK: Let me know
GR8: Great
WFM: Works for me
2: to, too, two
C: see
u: you
2morrow: tomorrow
VH: virtual hug
BFFL: Best Friends For Life
: -@ shock
: -P sticking out tongue
%-) confused
: -o surprised
; -) winking or teasing