by Tina Wells
“Ugh!” Kathi sighed dramatically. “You must be totally humiliated, Zee.” Kathi sounded sympathetic, but Zee knew it was an act.
“Not really,” Zee lied.
“I would be,” Kathi said. “Luckily, nothing like that has ever happened to me.” Kathi was too perfect to stumble, sputter, or—worst of all—leave food on her face.
“Would you like a crisp?” Jasper said, holding his bag of potato chips up to Zee.
“Thanks,” Zee said, smiling at him. Her mother never packed potato chips in her lunch, so she took a few. As she bit into one, she instantly felt better. He’d found the perfect way to change the subject.
Landon drummed out a beat on the tabletop with his metal fork and spoon. “I hope we do something cool for the musical.”
“Like what?” Zee asked.
“Maybe a musical about a bunch of students putting on a musical,” Chloe suggested.
“Yawn,” Jen said, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep.
“Jen’s right,” Kathi said. “Everyone does that.”
“We could play ourselves,” Marcus said.
Kathi rested her eyes on Jasper, who had started reading a book. “No offense, but some people might not be very interesting.”
If Jasper got the insult, he didn’t let on. “What about Romeo and Juliet set to music?” he suggested, raising his head. “We could update the story and make the characters our age.”
“Romeo and Juliet?” Kathi asked. “I like it!”
“Really?” Zee said. It was impossible to guess when Kathi would be nice or nasty.
“Yeah,” Kathi said, as if she were behaving normally.
“Me too,” Jen agreed.
Chloe gave Jasper a firm pat on the back, and Marcus held up his hand high for Jasper to slap.
“I can definitely see myself playing Juliet,” Kathi said.
Ohmylanta! Zee groaned to herself.
As much fun as the band was going to be, there was one important person missing—Ally. When Zee got home, she turned on her computer.
* * *
E-ZEE: J came up w an idea 4 the musical. Every1 likes it.
* * *
* * *
SPARKLEGRRL: Even K?
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E-ZEE: ESPECIALLY K. She plans 2 b the lead.
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SPARKLEGRRL: LOL! w L as the male lead?
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E-ZEE: Probably!! LOL. Of course, I am planning 2 b the lead 2.
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SPARKLEGRRL: w L as the male lead?
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E-ZEE: LOL! Of course.
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SPARKLEGRRL: U r lucky. U have a big group 2 hang out w. I wish I did 2.
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E-ZEE: I thought u said u were making friends.
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SPARKLEGRRL: Yes—& no.
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E-ZEE: ???
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SPARKLEGRRL: People r nice 2 me, & we hang out. It’s not like in CA, though. I had things in common w people there—even K. I don’t know how 2 fit in here. There is 1 guy I like. We had pizza 2gether.
* * *
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E-ZEE: Oh, yeah! What’s his name?
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SPARKLEGRRL: Jacques. I think he likes me!!
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E-ZEE: Cool! Go 4 it!
* * *
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SPARKLEGRRL: I plan 2—LOL! GTG. LYLAS.
* * *
* * *
E-ZEE: TTFN.
* * *
Saturday morning Zee was helping Chloe and Jasper with their garden project. She stuck a shovel deep into a pile of dirt, then loaded the soil into the red wheelbarrow nearby and pushed it to where Chloe was kneeling in the garden bed.
“Where should I dump this?” Zee asked.
Chloe looked up. “Not here,” she said, wiping her hands on the front of her denim overalls. “I’m all done.”
Zee wiggled her toes in the navy-blue Converse sneakers she’d pulled out of the back of her closet. She’d carefully chosen her garden-themed outfit—a pair of long blue shorts that she’d decorated with butterfly patches and belted with a green scarf, topped with a tank top and a pair of big blue sunglasses. She felt bad that she had been purposely avoiding getting as dirty as Chloe.
“You can dump the dirt over there,” Chloe continued. She stood up and pointed to a plot where Jasper hoed the soil. “I’ll help you guys.”
Ms. Merriweather, the seventh-grade science teacher, tossed a big pile of dirt on to Jasper’s plot. “Chloe and Jasper, you should be proud of yourselves,” she said from underneath her giant, floppy straw hat. “Your science project is really shaping up.”
“I feel as though we haven’t done nearly enough,” Jasper said.
“There will always be work to do,” Ms. Merriweather said, “but you’ve accomplished a lot in a very short time. It’s students like you that make Brookdale Academy a true LEED school.” LEED stood for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and meant that Brookdale Academy was a green school.
“I knew composting the cafeteria scraps and planting vegetable gardens was a good idea,” Chloe put in. “But I never realized it would be so much fun. Right, Zee?”
“Um…sure,” Zee said. “I…uh…get to be with you guys. And I’m definitely getting stronger.” She flexed her arms, pretending to show off muscles.
Chloe laughed. “It’s probably a teeny bit more exciting when it’s your own idea.”
“Like the musical—well, mine and Kathi’s and Jasper’s,” Zee said.
“Now that’s going to be a lot of hard work,” Jasper said.
Zee laughed. “That’s the difference between us,” she said. “Pushing around dirt is hard work to me. Planning a musical is fun. I’m going to ask if I can write the script, compose the music, work on the costumes, help Mr. P direct—”
“Hey! Between all of that and homework, you’re not going to have any time for us,” Chloe interrupted.
Zee reached out and put an arm around each of her friends’ shoulders. “I’ll always have time for you guys.”
3
A Big Surprise
Zee’s dad, J. P. Carmichael, turned his SUV around the corner toward Chloe’s house. “What are you girls doing today?” he asked Zee.
“Working on Taking Sides with Jasper,” Zee replied.
“Taking sides?” Zee’s dad raised an eyebrow. “Against whom?”
Zee laughed. “Taking Sides is the name of the Beans’ musical. Auditions are coming up.”
“Oh, that explains all the singing in the shower.”
“Yeah. Now I need a real audience.”
“Which part are you trying out for?”
“Lily,” Zee told him. “She’s the female lead. Dylan is the male lead. They have two best friends named Brianna and Gabe. And they spend a lot of time at the mall.”
“I wonder who came up with that idea,” Mr. Carmichael joked.
“An-y-way,” Zee continued. “Lily’s gang is a group of hip-hop dancers, and Dylan’s friends are football players.”
“And they all hang out together?”
“No way!” Zee said. “It’s like Romeo and Juliet, so the groups totally don’t get along. You know, they argue and make fun of each other. But then Lily and Dylan have a crush on each other, so things have to change.”
“Hmmm…,” Mr. Carmichael said as he pulled into Chloe’s driveway. “Problems with friends?”
“Yeah—and parents,” Zee said. “Lily’s mom and dad don’t want her to date.”
“I like it!” Mr. Carmichael cheered.
“Daaaad,” Zee groaned as she climbed out of the SUV and grabbed her star
s-and-stripes-studded guitar case.
Mr. Carmichael smiled and shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
Zee shut the door. “Bye, Dad!” She was so excited, she climbed the Lawrence-Johnsons’ steps by twos and rang the doorbell.
“Hello, Mackenzie.” Chloe’s mother greeted Zee with her soft southern accent. In her flowing silk pants, matching tank top, and strappy gold sandals, she looked as though she was dressed for a special dinner—not for a casual afternoon hanging out.
“Is Chloe here?” Zee asked.
“She’s downstairs with Jasper,” Mrs. Lawrence-Johnson said.
Zee bounded down the stairs to find Chloe and Jasper sitting on the couch next to the pool table.
“What about carrots?” Chloe said. “I like carrots.”
“Me too,” Jasper agreed, writing on his pad of paper.
“What are you guys doing?” Zee asked.
Chloe looked up. “We’re just trying to figure out what to plant in the school garden.”
“I thought we were going to practice for the musical,” Zee said.
“We are,” Chloe said. “But there are other things to think about.”
“Not for me,” Zee said.
“My mom says that if the band interferes with my schoolwork, I have to drop soccer—and I am not planning to do that,” Chloe explained. “I just want a small role—like one of the hip-hop dancers.”
“Well, I want to get the lead, so I need to start practicing,” Zee said. “What about you, Jasper? Who do you want to be? Gabe? One of the gang?”
“Dylan, actually.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose.
“What?” Zee’s voice squeaked with surprise. Jasper could be shy, so she hadn’t expected him to want the biggest part.
“You should so get that role,” Chloe told Jasper.
“Really?” Jasper sat up a little straighter.
Zee slumped over. “Really?”
“Uh-huh,” Chloe said to Jasper. “Nobody works harder than you do. You’d probably memorize all the lines in, like, a day.”
“I do have an excellent memory,” Jasper agreed.
“But Lily and Dylan are completely L.A.,” Zee said. “I picture Dylan as a tanned surfer type.”
Jasper looked suspicious. “That sounds a lot like Landon.”
Why do I always let my mouth get me in trouble? “Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Zee said, trying to sound convincing. “Um…let’s get started.”
“Okay!” Chloe shot upright. “I’m gonna sing ‘Love Story.’ Good choice for a romantic musical, huh?”
“I’ll play with you,” Zee said, picking up her glittery guitar.
As Zee played, Chloe sang along. As usual, she sounded great. She had memorized all the words and hit every note perfectly—even though she was bouncing and spinning around the room. “‘Romeo, save me, I’ve been feeling so alone,’” she belted, jumping up onto the couch, pretending to hold a microphone. When the song finished, she kicked her legs up in the air and plopped onto the cushion.
“Brilliant!” Jasper exclaimed.
“What did you think, Zee?” Chloe asked.
“You sounded amazing,” Zee began. “But don’t you want to practice the way you’ll do it for the real audition? You won’t be able to jump around.”
Chloe flicked her hand in the air. “Nah,” she said. “I’m just having fun.”
Zee went to the brick hearth in front of the fireplace. “This is a good stage,” she said, stepping up. With Jasper’s and Chloe’s eyes focused on her, Zee began to sing “Breaking Free” from High School Musical. Her voice trembled, and the first time she got to the chorus and sang “There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach,” she couldn’t hit the right notes. Then she forgot some of the words—even though she’d sung the song a million times. The more she messed up, the more nervous she got and the worse she did. She stopped singing. “That was a disaster!”
“It needs work,” Chloe agreed. “Why are you so nervous? You’ve sung in front of people before.”
“This audition is so important,” Zee explained.
“I know what you mean,” Jasper said, looking away.
“Okay, Jasper,” Chloe said. “It’s your turn. What are you gonna sing?”
“Something from West Side Story,” he said. “But I’m not sure I know all the words.” Jasper cleared his throat and nervously shifted his feet.
“Just sing the part you know. Then you can memorize the rest later,” Chloe told him.
In the next beat, Jasper started to sing “Maria,” a love ballad from the Broadway musical. Zee was shocked. Jasper was a great bass player, but she had never heard him sing before. His voice was strong and even. He had no problem hitting the highest notes—or the lowest ones. Had he been practicing as hard as Zee? Did he want the lead that much?
Then when Jasper sang “I just kissed a girl named Maria,” Zee got a really weird feeling inside. She’d never heard him say anything so romantic.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked her when Jasper had finished.
“What do you mean?” Zee asked.
“Your face is all white.”
Zee reached up to her face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
It was the truth. Because the problem was, everything was wrong.
* * *
5 Things I Know About Me
I HAVE to work really, really hard if I’m going to be Lily.
Landon has to be fantabsome if he is going to beat Jasper.
I’m not sure why I felt so weird around Jasper today.
I want Landon to beat Jasper—which means…
I am the worst friend in the world!
* * *
4
Part Won
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E-ZEE: Audition 2morrow.
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SPARKLEGRRL: Good luck, Lily.
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E-ZEE: I BETTER get the part. I’ve been practicing CONSTANTLY. I am worried, though.
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SPARKLEGRRL: Y?
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E-ZEE: K wins everything.
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SPARKLEGRRL: She didn’t win Teen Sing—& that was the most important competition she has ever been in.
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E-ZEE: What’s up in France?
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SPARKLEGRRL: Mom is interviewing Geneviève Lapointe next week at le Sentier. I get 2 go 2.
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E-ZEE: Who’s that? And what’s that?
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SPARKLEGRRL: She’s a VERY famous French designer, and it’s a really big fashion center.
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E-ZEE: Oh la la!
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SPARKLEGRRL: LOL!! Also, I’m officially going out w Jacques!
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E-ZEE: Pizza Boy???
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SPARKLEGRRL: Yes.
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E-ZEE: No way! Y didn’t u tell me?
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SPARKLEGRRL: I just did!!! We went 2 the movies—and held hands!
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E-ZEE: Cool beans! I am totally jealous.
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SPARKLEGRRL: U won’t b when u r going w L.
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E-ZEE: I hope, but I don’t know if he’ll EVER want 2 hold my hand.
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SPARKLEGRRL: 1st get the lead in the musical. THEN get the guy. That’s how it is w real celebrities!
* * *
The next morning, Zee woke up early to practice lines with her mother.
“Did you hear t
hat?” Mrs. Carmichael asked, looking around the kitchen.
“No, what?” Zee replied seriously.
