Mia's Recipe for Disaster

by Coco Simon

  “Of course!” said Mom.

  “Then what happens?” Katie asked.

  I sighed. “Then . . . there’s nothing to do but wait!”

  CHAPTER 12

  Manhattan Dreams

  That night I checked the rules of the contest over and over again, but it didn’t say anything about when the winners would be announced. How frustrating! I didn’t even know if they would let me know by phone, or e-mail, or text, or regular mail.

  Luckily, I had a weekend in Manhattan to distract me. When Dad picked me up from the train station, we had sushi, and then we went to an off-Broadway show featuring acrobats and music and flashing lights and stuff. The next day, I had my design class at Parsons.

  Since the photos had been taken and were safely in the hands of the judges, I was a little less nervous about taking the dress out of my house. I had carefully packed it for the weekend, so I could show Millicent and Ava. I had packed copies of the photos, too.

  Dad and I swung by to get Ava on the way to Parsons. Her eyes got big when she saw the garment bag I was carrying.

  “Oh my gosh, did you finish?” she asked.

  I nodded. “The deadline for the photos was Wednesday. I got done just in time.”

  “Let me see!” she pleaded.

  “When we get to class,” I promised. “I already had one near-disaster with this dress.”

  I told her about the cupcake incident on the way to class, and by the time we got to the workroom, she was practically jumping out of her boots.

  “Millicent!” she cried, as soon as she spotted her. “Mia finished her dress!”

  I could see Millicent was going for a street chic vibe that day, with a white boyfriend blazer over a black rock T-shirt, black leggings, and with low black boots. Her curls were wild and loose.

  Millicent smiled when she saw us. “Cool. Let’s check it out.”

  I hung up the garment bag on a clothing rack and carefully took out the dress.

  “Nice, Mia,” Millicent said, nodding approvingly. “Really good job with the lining.”

  “Thanks for all your help,” I said. Then I took the photos out of my bag. “This is what it looks like on the model.”

  Ava peered over my shoulder to look. “Wow, Emma looks fabulous!” she cried. “Mia, this dress is amazing. You are so going to win the contest.”

  “You should be really proud of this,” Millicent said. “Just remember that the fashion world is really competitive, so don’t feel bad if you don’t win. You’ve done great work here, and that’s what matters.”

  I wasn’t sure how to take what Millicent was saying. I couldn’t imagine not winning. I suddenly felt worried.

  “Do you think there will be a lot of dresses better than this?” I asked.

  “ ‘Better’ is a tricky word,” Millicent said. “One judge might think your dress is the best thing ever, but another might feel differently. It could all depend on what the judges like and don’t like, and everybody’s personal taste is different.”

  Ava nodded. “I know. When I watch those design shows on TV, sometimes I absolutely love a dress, and the judges hate it.”

  I knew Ava and Millicent were right, but I didn’t want to think about it.

  “Well, I need to stay positive,” I said. “Winning this contest could change my future.”

  “You’re in control of your future, Mia, no matter what happens,” Millicent said. “You’ll still want to go to design school, even if you win, right?”

  I hadn’t really thought it through, but it made sense. “Sure.”

  “So winning would be nice, but it wouldn’t really change anything,” Millicent said. “And if you go to school here, you can work with up-and-coming designers on Saturdays. You meet some pretty cool people doing that.”

  I hugged her. “You’re the best. Thanks! And I would so love to come here.”

  “Me too,” added Ava. “Won’t that be amazing? We can get our own apartment and be roommates and go to classes together!”

  “Definitely!” I agreed. “It seems so far away, but it really isn’t. Is it?”

  “It goes fast,” Millicent assured us. She looked at her watch. “Just like this class. Let’s get sewing!”

  The rest of the weekend was full of plenty of things to distract me from the contest. I went to Ava’s Saturday afternoon soccer game and watched scary movies with Dad. And on Sunday, Katie had invited me over to hang out when I got back from Manhattan.

  When my mom dropped me off at Katie’s, I was surprised to see Mr. Green there with Katie’s mom. I usually only ever see Mr. Green in school, and it’s weird to see him anywhere else—especially Katie’s house. Mrs. Brown was carrying one of those old-fashioned wicker picnic baskets.

  “Hi, Mia,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful fall day, we all thought a picnic would be a good idea.”

  “Hope that’s okay,” Katie said.

  I shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

  “Great!” said Mr. Green. “Let’s all walk to the park.”

  One of the nicest things about Maple Grove is the big park there. It has a pond and a running trail that I know Katie and her mom use all the time. When we got there we found a great tree that still had most of its bright yellow leaves. Mr. Green spread out a picnic blanket and Mrs. Brown placed the basket on it.

  “We’re going to take a little walk first,” said Mrs. Brown. “Just don’t leave the park without telling us, okay?”

  “Okay, Mom,” Katie said, secretly rolling her eyes at me.

  When they walked off, Katie and I leaned back on the blanket. The yellow leaves looked stunning against the bright blue sky. I wondered what a fabric might look like with those two colors. Could be interesting.

  Then I remembered. “So, I was thinking about going to design school in Manhattan after high school,” I said. “Ava and I could be roommates.”

  Katie frowned. “I wish I could be your roommate. But no way am I going to design school.”

  I sat straight up, excited. “But you wouldn’t have to go to design school. There are amazing culinary schools in Manhattan. You could room with me and Ava.”

  “Awesome!” Katie said. “I wonder if there are business schools there, for Alexis. And whatever kind of school Emma wants to go to. I’m not so sure she wants to be a model.”

  “The more roommates we have, the more affordable our apartment will be,” I said. “Alexis will like that.”

  Katie gazed up at the clouds. “Do you think we’ll always be together, all of us?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I hope so.”

  “I hope so too,” Katie said.

  That was the last thing either of us said for a while as we sat and watched the clouds float by.

  CHAPTER 13

  The Call

  Over the next few weeks, the beautiful leaves fell off the trees. The air got colder, and my homework got harder. Talia started sitting at Chris’s table at lunch. Yes, it was kind of a gloomy fall, but one thing kept me going: hope.

  I was sure I was going to win that contest. Every time the phone rang at home, I jumped. Every time I got a text, my fingers trembled when I checked it. Every time I did homework on my laptop, I checked my e-mail, like, every five minutes.

  But there was no news. I thought I might go crazy, but thankfully I had the Cupcake Club to keep me distracted. On one of those gloomy fall Fridays, we had a club meeting during lunch.

  “So, we have tons of holiday jobs coming up,” Alexis was saying. “And tomorrow we have that anniversary party for the Friedmans. Mia, did you get the right colors?”

  The traditional theme for a twentieth-wedding anniversary is china (the stuff they make plates out of, not the country), and the Friedmans were setting the table with their original wedding china. The pattern had pretty violet flowers and green leaves, and we were going to try to replicate it on top of the cupcakes.

  “I have to mix a couple of colors together, but I think I’ll get it,” I
said.

  “And Mom helped me make the samples last night,” Katie said, taking a small plastic food container from her backpack. “The bottle of violet syrup cost about eight bucks, but we can bill them for that, can’t we?”

  “We charge a higher price for specialty cupcakes,” Alexis reminded her. “That covers stuff like this. Can I drop one off at the Friedmans’? Mrs. Friedman wanted a taste test.”

  “Sure,” Katie said, handing over the box. “But you guys should try them too. I think they came out nice, but they’re kind of . . . flowery.”

  Alexis carefully took a cupcake out of the box and broke off a piece for herself, me, and Emma. The cupcake did smell kind of flowery, but nice.

  I took a bite. It was like no cupcake I had ever tasted before—but I liked it.

  “It’s really different,” I said, “but yummy.”

  Alexis made a face. “I think it’s weird,” she said. “But they did want violets.”

  “Well, I like it,” Emma said. “I’ll bet you that Mrs. Friedman will too.”

  “Well, she’d better, because we don’t have a Plan B,” Alexis said with a sigh. “I really hate these last-minute orders.”

  “She’s going to love them,” Katie said. “I’m not worried.”

  “Okay, then,” Alexis said. “Seven o’clock at Katie’s house tonight, okay?”

  “I can come tonight, but tomorrow I’ve got a catalog shoot, so I can’t help with the delivery,” Emma said.

  Katie raised her eyebrows. “A high-heeled shoe catalog?” she teased.

  Emma laughed. “No, thank goodness. It’s actually winter boots! I’m excited.”

  “I’ll practice mixing the colors at home before the meeting, to get them right,” I offered. “I have the pictures of the china on my phone.”

  Knowing I had to get the flowers just right kind of excited me, especially because I knew the cupcakes would be gorgeous once they were finished.

  That might be why I didn’t jump up from the dinner table that night when the phone rang. I was busy thinking about cupcakes. Eddie got up to answer the phone, and then the next thing I knew, he was standing next to me, holding out the handset.

  “Mia, it’s for you,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

  My hand shaking, I took the phone from him. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Mia,” said a young female voice on the other end. “This is Allondra from Teen Runway magazine. I’m calling with some good news for you regarding the dress you entered in our fantasy dress contest.”

  I felt like I had an apple in my throat. “News? Yeah? R-really?” I stammered. Good news could only mean one thing—I had won!

  “Mia, I’m happy to tell you that you came in third place,” Allondra said.

  It took a few seconds for what she said to register.

  “Third place?” I croaked. My voice didn’t even sound like mine. “Wow, that’s, um, great.”

  But I was lying. It didn’t feel great at all. Third place.

  I had lost.

  “We’ll be sending you a packet in the mail,” Allondra went on. “We’re having a fashion show in Manhattan with the top ten designs, and there will be some exciting members of the fashion industry there. We’ll give you free passes for your family and friends. You’ll get all the details soon, but I wanted to congratulate you personally.”

  “Thank you,” I said. My voice was barely a whisper now.

  “Okay, talk to you soon, Mia. I loved your dress.”

  “Thank you. Bye.” I hung up the phone. Mom, Eddie, and even Dan were staring at me.

  “Third place, Mia!” Mom said in an extra-cheerful voice. “That’s wonderful! You are one of the top three winners! There must have been so many people who entered.”

  “Yeah, that’s really good,” said Dan.

  “We need to celebrate!” Eddie cried. “How about we all go out for ice cream?”

  “I have a Cupcake meeting,” I said. “But thanks, anyway.”

  I kind of picked at my dinner after that. I saw Mom and Eddie exchanging worried glances. Maybe they thought I was going to lose it or something. But mostly I felt kind of sad and flat.

  After dinner I helped clear the table and then got together the supplies for our Cupcake session at Katie’s. Mom offered to give me a ride, and I climbed into the passenger seat next to her.

  Mom looked like she was going to turn on the engine, but then she stopped.

  “Mia, I hope you know how excited I am for you,” she said. “I never wanted to force you to enter into a career in fashion, but ever since you were a little girl, I secretly hoped you would.”

  I was surprised. “You did?”

  Mom nodded. “Of course, I had a clue that year when you were seven and your dad and I asked if you wanted to go to Disney World, and you told us you wanted to go clothes shopping instead,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m thrilled it’s something you’ve stuck with, and you love, and that you’re talented at.”

  “Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you’re my mom?” I asked.

  “That is my professional opinion,” Mom replied. “And I think I’m a pretty good judge of talent. And those judges are too. Getting third place in the contest is amazing, Mia! You were competing against girls a few years older than you, and with more experience.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted.

  “And even though you didn’t come in first place, those fashion experts will still get to see your dress,” Mom said. “And isn’t that really what you wanted? To get some advice and attention for your talent? Well, you’re going to get it. I am so excited for that fashion show.”

  Mom was starting to turn my whole head around. “Yeah, I am too,” I realized.

  She turned on the engine. “Your friends are going to be so happy for you. And think—you all get to go to the fashion show together.”

  “You’re right.” Suddenly, I could envision Emma walking down a runway—a real runway—in my dress! I couldn’t wait.

  We pulled up in front of Katie’s house, and I leaned over and hugged Mom.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She smiled. “I’m so proud of you, Mia.”

  I practically ran into Katie’s house.

  “I got third place!” I yelled as soon as she opened the door.

  Katie started screaming and jumping up and down and hugging me. Her mom came running up.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Mia got third place in the design contest!” Katie squealed.

  “Mia, that’s wonderful!” said Mrs. Brown, giving me a hug too.

  “Third place?”

  Alexis and Emma had arrived and were climbing up the steps behind me.

  “Third place,” I repeated, and it sounded better every time I said it. “And there’s going to be a fashion show, and everybody can come. Emma, I’m not sure, but I think you can model in it, but I have to ask.”

  “A runway show? Cool!” Emma’s blue eyes were shining.

  “That is great news, Mia,” Alexis said.

  “Well, come in, girls, come in,” said Mrs. Brown. “It’s chilly out here.”

  We headed inside Katie’s house, and my friends had tons of questions for me as we set up to start our baking. The heat from the oven made the kitchen nice and toasty, and Katie started doing impressions of all our teachers, and we were laughing hard, and soon the delicious smell of cupcakes filled the air.

  That’s when I had a completely dorky moment.

  “You know what?” I said. “At first I was kind of bummed about getting third place in the contest, but I’m already a winner, because you guys are my friends.”

  I knew the words were supercorny as soon as they came out of my mouth, but my friends didn’t mind. Katie hugged me with floury hands.

  “Awww, you’re so sweet,” she said. “That means we’re all winners too, then.”

  Luckily, Alexis ended the sappy moment.

  “Mia, if your fashion career
doesn’t work out, you could get a job writing greeting cards,” she teased.

  I playfully hit her with a dish towel. “Very funny! I don’t care how it sounds. I mean it. I love you guys!”

  “Group hug!” Katie yelled, and soon we were all covered with flour and sugar from one another’s hands, and it was a total mess.

  And I didn’t mind one bit.

  CHAPTER 14

  “An Impeccable Eye”

  Welcome, everyone, to the Teen Runway Design Your Fantasy Dress fashion show!”

  Everyone clapped, and I nervously looked around the fancy hotel conference room, sizing up the crowd. Mom, Eddie, Dan, Katie, Alexis, Ava, and my dad and I had one row to ourselves. The other rows were filled with other contest finalists and their families. Some men in nice suits and women in chic dresses were sitting in the front rows on each side of the runway. I suspected they were the fashion experts and maybe people who worked for the magazine, but I didn’t recognize any of them. Mom had waved at a couple people before we sat down.

  The woman talking onstage had sleek red hair pulled back into a bun. She wore a short black dress with cap sleeves and turquoise high-heeled shoes.

  “I’m Laura Arnes, the editor in chief of Teen Runway,” she said. “When we announced this contest, we had no idea how many entries we would get from so many talented young designers. We received more than four thousand submissions.”

  Katie nudged me. “That means you beat out three thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven other people!” she whispered.

  I sat up proudly in my chair. Third place seemed more impressive than before.

  “Our judges had a tough job trying to choose the best of the best,” Laura said. “And you’ll see our top ten here today. But before we show them off, let’s meet some of the special guests who helped our staff judge this contest. First, fashion designer Jeremy Collins.”

  A twentysomething man with black eyeglasses and thick brown hair swept over his forehead gave a little wave. I almost let out a scream, but I stopped myself. Jeremy came on the scene last year, and I have been following his career ever since. His clothes are totally fun and cute, and they are always on the covers of all the magazines.