It was time to begin!
Taking a deep breath, Teacup launched into the show. She rolled. She spun. She pranced on two paws. She jumped through the hoop. She jumped through the hoop again as it rolled across the grass.
Next up—the super-special part!
With her paw, Teacup hit the button on Simone’s invention. The wooden arm unfolded. It shook a peach from a tree and flicked it toward the basket.
But Teacup jumped in front of the basket and caught the peach in her mouth. She flipped it to her nose and balanced it there.
“Hoorah!” Simone yelled. She clapped loudly.
“Bravo!” Belle called.
Petit stomped her hooves.
Teacup felt a glow of joy. It was perfect!
Then something hit her in the ear. The peach atop her head wavered and wobbled. It fell to the ground.
What had happened?
Teacup turned—
In time to see another peach coming her way!
It smacked her right between the eyes.
Oh, no! She’d forgotten that the invention didn’t pick just one piece of fruit. It picked one after another!
When the next peach started flying toward here, she ducked and it glanced off her back.
“Oof!” She heard a cry behind her. Teacup whirled around. Her eyes widened in shock.
The peach had hit the prince!
Teacup leaped onto the invention’s start button. But instead of stopping, it picked peaches faster!
Peaches now zoomed across the garden. Lumiere jumped in front of an incoming peach and saved one of the maids from getting hit.
Cogsworth sputtered as a peach brushed the end of his mustache.
Petit hid behind the stone bench. She found Belle’s father hiding there, too!
Simone raced over. She turned a dial on the side of the machine, and it clattered to a stop.
In the silence, Teacup’s tail drooped. She had wanted everything to be perfect. Instead it was all wrong! Would Belle and Simone be mad at her? Had she broken the invention?
Teacup wanted to hide. She didn’t want to face her friends, but she had to finish the show. She always finished…even when things weren’t going as planned.
Teacup returned to the center of the garden. She leaped as high as she could. She pranced like a dancer. Her rolls were faster than ever before. At the end, she balanced her cup on her head. Peach juice was in her eyes. But the cup didn’t waver.
Instead of taking a bow, Teacup lowered her head and covered her nose with her paws. Then she heard a surprising sound. It was clapping. And whistling!
She looked up.
Why was Petit smiling? Why was everyone cheering?
The show was a mess. Her crown was crooked. Her fur was sticky.
And she had hit the prince with a peach!
Someone touched Teacup’s paw. It was Simone. Next to her were Belle and the prince. Teacup couldn’t face them.
“You, little pup, are amazing!” Simone said.
Teacup looked down.
Simone was being nice.
Simone raised Teacup’s chin with her hand. “I mean it,” she said. “You’re just like me. You have spunk. Things didn’t go your way, but you kept going.”
Teacup lifted her head higher.
Maybe perfect was boring at times. And imperfect things could be special, too. She glanced at the cracked cup by her feet.
“All your shows are wonderful,” Belle said. “But, Teacup, this was the best! When that peach hit the prince…” Belle’s shoulders shook with laughter. “It was priceless!”
“Hey,” the prince said. “It wasn’t that funny!” He picked up Teacup and playfully tossed her in the air. When he caught her, Teacup licked his face. He tasted peachy.
Teacup wagged her tail. It was her worst show ever. But maybe it was also the best.
She had no control over whether it rained or not. She couldn’t control an invention if it went crazy. Sometimes things didn’t go the way she planned. But she could control one important thing: what she did next. She could keep going. She could do her best.
Sun or rain, perfect or not, Teacup could always shine!
Teacup: Belle's Star Pup Page 2
