by Chloe Taylor
Zoey felt like she was being carried up to her bedroom on a shining cloud instead of her Converse-shod feet. She closed the door and walked over to the full-length mirror to stare at her reflection. She looked like the same old Zoey, which made it hard to believe this was really happening.
Still, she couldn’t help letting out an excited giggle and giving her mirror self a high five.
She was dying to tell Kate, Priti, and Libby, but what if it really was too good to be true? What if it turned out to be a great big mistake and Rashida Clarke called back to say they didn’t want her on the show?
Zoey decided it was better to follow Rashida’s rules and keep the secret under wraps until everything was confirmed, even though she felt like she was about to explode from keeping it.
- - - - Chapter 4 - - - -
Bursting at the Seams!!!
OMG, you guys! The MOST AMAZING THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS HAPPENED! There’s just one teensy-weensy problem: I can’t tell you what it is yet, or else I won’t be allowed to be a part of the secret at all. This is torture! I want to tell you everything right now.
So I don’t burst at the seams, I’m going to give you some clues about the secret, using—what else?—clothing sketches! It’s Sew Zoey, right? Anyway, the first dress includes a hint about how I learned about this most awesome thing in the first place, and the other dress is a hint about what it’s all about. You can tell me your guesses in the comments, but I can neither confirm nor deny if you’re right. Sorry, they’re not my rules! I know it’s mean, but seriously, this is a hard secret to keep, and I would tell everybody if I could. And I mean everybody. Maybe I wouldn’t have a hard time at school if certain people knew about it. . . .
But since I can’t write about it and I can’t think about anything else, I’m going to stop blogging for the moment. Just stay tuned, okay? Big news will be coming soon. Unless it’s all a dream, in which case I don’t want to wake up!
Sitting next to Kate on the bus the following Monday morning proved too much for Zoey’s secret-keeping skills.
“You will never in a gazillion years guess what happened,” Zoey said in a low voice.
Kate’s eyes widened. “Did Lorenzo ask you to the dance?”
The thought of the dance and her lack of a date for it put a momentary damper on Zoey’s excitement.
“No. And I haven’t asked him yet, either, in case that’s what you were going to ask next.”
“So . . . what is it? Tell me!”
Zoey told Kate about the phone call from Rashida Clarke.
“You’re going to be on TV?!” Kate squeaked.
“Shh!” Zoey hissed. “It’s a secret, remember?
“That’s so amazing, Zo!” Kate said. “And they found you through Sew Zoey!”
“I know. Who would have thought a little blog could lead to being on TV?”
“We have to have a watch party when the episode airs. It’ll be so much fun!”
“If it happens,” Zoey said. “I checked the notepad by the phone this morning to make sure my dad really had written down the producer’s details, because I was afraid I’d dreamed the whole thing.”
“Why wouldn’t it happen?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll decide they really do want someone who’s in high school. It is a high school prom dress challenge, after all.”
“They won’t do that,” Kate said. “They wouldn’t have asked you if they didn’t really want you.”
“I guess. It’s just hard to believe that they’d want me, Zoey Webber, seventh grader at Mapleton Prep, to be a judge on Fashion Showdown.”
“Why not?” Kate patted Zoey’s knee comfortingly. “Coach says, ‘If you think you can’t, you won’t, and if you think you can, you will.’ You’re going to be the most awesome guest judge they’ve ever had on Fashion Showdown.”
Kate’s words wrapped Zoey in a warm blanket of reassurance.
“Thanks. But remember, this is Super-Extra Top Secret.”
“My lips are zipped,” Kate said.
The morning passed quickly, although Zoey had a hard time concentrating. She kept doodling dance dress designs in her notebook and daydreaming about her appearance on Fashion Showdown. Even when Mr. Dunn made a comment about her unusual clothing choices, it didn’t bother her.
Aunt Lulu once said Mr. Dunn was an “old curmudgeon.” Zoey started to wonder what made him that way. She was standing in the lunch line, imagining the tragic story of Mr. Dunn’s lost love, when Ivy turned up with Shannon and Bree.
“OMG, what is she wearing?” Bree asked. “Is she trying to be a bumblebee?”
“The shape of that skirt is like a warning sign,” Ivy said. “Like, warning: dork approaching.”
Bree laughed so hard, she almost dropped her tray. Shannon giggled too.
When people said that names never hurt, they were wrong. Zoey always tried to pretend that the taunts didn’t get to her, but sometimes the words stuck in her head and repeated themselves when she was feeling down.
But today was different, because Zoey had the Secret. She might be a dork, but she was a dork who’d been asked to be a guest judge on Fashion Showdown. It was sooooooooo tempting to casually mention it to Ivy, Bree, and Shannon, just to see the expressions on their faces. But if she did and for some reason the Fashion Showdown people changed their minds . . . Ugh, Zoey didn’t even want to think of how awful Ivy would make her life if that happened. So she just smiled, quietly confident because she knew what she knew.
Zoey’s smile wasn’t the reaction Ivy expected. She glared at Zoey, then walked past her, as if nothing had happened.
Bree and Shannon glanced at each other, shrugged, than followed Ivy. Bree ignored Zoey completely, but Shannon gave her a curious look, as if she were wondering what was different. Zoey grinned, thinking about the secret glowing inside her like a warm golden flame, and Shannon, startled, scurried off to catch up with Bree and Ivy.
If only she had something like this to carry around inside her every day.
“Did you pass?” Zoey asked Marcus when she got home from school. It was the day both of them had been waiting for: the day he’d take his final driving test. If he passed, he’d have a mostly unrestricted license and could drive without an adult in the car.
Marcus reached into his back pocket and handed Zoey his shiny new license.
“Yay! You did it!” she said, giving him a hug.
“Of course I did! Did my little sister doubt me?”
“No. I knew you would pass.”
“I’m putting an ad in the paper tomorrow, warning all the other drivers in town to watch out,” their dad said.
“So I better go drive somewhere now before the word is out,” Marcus said. “How about it, Dad? Can I take the car for a spin?”
“Yes! I want to go too!” Zoey said.
Mr. Webber sighed. “When did you two get so grown up?” He pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to Marcus, along with the car keys. “Here. Go buy some ice cream for dessert. This kind of milestone requires ice cream.”
“Definitely!” Zoey agreed.
“Drive safely. And pay attention to the road,” Mr. Webber said.
“I will,” Marcus called as he headed out to the garage.
On the way to the supermarket, they had a discussion about what flavor ice cream to get.
“We’re celebrating my independence. I should get to choose,” Marcus said.
“Okay, but not Chubby Hubby. I don’t like that.”
“How about Phish Food? Or Late Night Snack?”
“Both!”
“Sounds like a plan!” Marcus declared. “So what do you think? Am I an ace driver or what?”
“Pretty ace,” Zoey said. “You’ll be even more ace if you drive me to A Stitch in Time when I have fashion emergencies.”
“As long as Dad lets me borrow the car and I don’t have a hot date.”
Zoey sighed. “Ugh. Dates.”
&
nbsp; “What’s the matter? You still haven’t asked What’s His Name?”
“No. Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
“It’s like the Nike ad, Zo. Just do it.”
Zoey was glad when they pulled into the supermarket’s parking lot, since Marcus had to focus on parking. If only it were as easy as just doing it.
They were just getting out when Marcus’s cell phone rang. It was Grace Hone. Zoey had never heard Marcus talk about her.
Marcus handed Zoey the twenty-dollar bill. “You go in—I’ll wait in the car,” he said.
Did Marcus have a girlfriend he wasn’t telling her about?
Zoey headed into the market and straight for the freezer section. She found the ice cream and opened the door to search for the flavors she and Marcus had agreed on, when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of . . . Lorenzo! He was with his mom, down by the frozen breakfast items. Zoey gazed at Lorenzo through the glass freezer door, which was slowly starting to fog from condensation, all thoughts of ice cream forgotten as she marveled at just how incredibly cute he was. His mother walked into the next aisle and Lorenzo turned toward Zoey’s direction. Wait. Was he smiling at her?
Just do it, Zoey thought. He’s on his own, and Ivy isn’t here to laugh at me if he says no.
She took a deep breath and walked toward Lorenzo—SMACK—nose-first into the open freezer door. She let out a squeak of pain and ducked into a crouch, trying to hide from Lorenzo, forgetting that the door, although slightly fogged over, was made of glass, so he could still see her.
Please don’t let him have seen me.
There was no way she could ask him now. Not after walking nose-first into a door.
Zoey waited until Lorenzo walked into another aisle, and then she grabbed the Phish Food and Late Night Snack and crept to the checkout, making sure to avoid Lorenzo and his mom. As soon as she’d paid, she ran out to the car and jumped in.
“Quick, Marcus, leave!” she hissed.
“Gotta go,” Marcus said into the phone. “See you tomorrow.”
Marcus started the engine. “What’s the hurry? Did you forget to pay or something?”
“As if!” She saw Lorenzo and his mom coming out of the store. “I’ll explain in a minute. Just drive, please?”
Her brother shrugged and backed out of the space, slowly and carefully. Lorenzo was walking in their direction. Zoey sank down in the seat so he wouldn’t see her. It figured that Marcus would have to drive right past Lorenzo to get out of the parking lot, wouldn’t it?
“What’s up, Zo? You’re acting weird,” Marcus asked. “It wouldn’t by any chance have anything to do with that guy we just passed, would it? The one who looked in the car?
“He looked in the car?” Zoey groaned. “My life is totally over.”
“Yeah. He also waved after we went by.”
“Wait—he waved?”
“Yup. And since I have no idea who he is, I have to assume he was waving at you.”
“Lorenzo waved at me?”
“If that’s his name. Or at least he waved in the direction of our car as it passed by.”
“Oh my gosh, Marcus! What do I do? Hold on a minute; let me text Priti and Kate!”
Zoey typed furiously and pressed send.
“So can you tell me what this is all about?” Marcus asked. “Is this the guy . . . the one you wanted to ask to the dance?”
“Yes! And I was finally going to ask him because he was alone in the frozen aisle, but then I nose-planted into the door of the ice-cream section! And I think he saw me do it!”
Marcus tried really hard not to laugh.
“Oh, Zo . . . I know it’s not funny . . . but it’s kind of hilarious.”
“It’s not! I’ll never be able ask him to the dance now!” Zoey wailed. “How will I even face him in class?”
“He waved at you, didn’t he?” Marcus said.
“I guess. What if he was just saying ‘Bye, Loser’?”
Marcus stopped at the red light. “Sheesh, why are you stressing about this so much, Zo? I never did the date thing in middle school. It’s more chill to just go with friends.”
“Um . . . could that be because you had the most insane crush on Nicole Doyle and she wouldn’t even look at you in middle school?” Zoey said.
“Maybe that had something to do with it. Being six inches shorter than her might have also been a deal breaker,” Marcus admitted. “But at least I wasn’t trying to hide behind see-through doors in the ice-cream aisle.”
Zoey had to confess he had a point there.
“But Priti already has a date,” Zoey said.
“So? Do you do everything the same as Priti?” Marcus asked.
“Um . . . no,” Zoey said. “We’re best friends, but we’re different.”
“So why do you have to have a date just because she does?”
Zoey didn’t have a good answer. And just the thought of not having to worry about getting a date for the dance made her feel . . . lighter. It was exciting to imagine what it would be like to go to the dance with Lorenzo, but now that she realized she didn’t have to get a date, she felt so much better.
Her phone buzzed. It was Kate, telling her not to worry about Lorenzo, she was sure everything would turn out fine. Two seconds later a text came from Priti saying it was a catastrophe and Zoey should call her to strategize the minute she got home.
Zoey set her phone to vibrate. She needed to think.
“I guess I don’t,” Zoey said. “Maybe I’ll still ask Lorenzo. But whether I’ve got a date or not, I’m going. Which means I need a dress.”
Marcus smiled. “That’s more like it.”
“So who is this Grace Hone person you’re so chatty with?” Zoey asked.
Marcus kept his eyes on the road and said, “Just a girl in my class,” but his face turned bright red.
“Sure she is,” Zoey teased. “That’s why you’re blushing.”
“Okay, she’s a really funny, cute girl in my class, okay?” Marcus said. “But don’t tell Dad. One member of my family teasing me is enough for now.”
“I won’t say a word, “ Zoey said. “Can you drive me to A Stitch in Time tomorrow?
“If Dad lets me use the car,” Marcus said.
Zoey couldn’t wait to get home to her sketch pad and pencils. She had a superawesome dress to design—for herself to wear!
- - - - Chapter 5 - - - -
Zoey “Nose” Best
Well, despite the fact that I look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’s long-lost cousin (long story, but it involves my nose, a door, and ice cream), I’ve made a decision: I’m going to the dance, even if I don’t have a date. (Gasp!) It’s funny. You worry about something so much, and then when you decide it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen, it’s like someone just rolled a huge boulder off you and you can start breathing again.
Once I decided to go, the first thing I thought about was designing a fabulous dress. I want it to be beautiful, but something that I feel “me” in. I headed straight to my mom’s closet to look for inspiration. She had this really cool velvet dress, but it just doesn’t fit right, you know? I guess I could take it in here or there, but I kind of like keeping her clothes just as they were. Maybe I’ll grow into it and wear it to my high school prom! So instead of wearing Mom’s dress, I’m making my own Zoey-fied velvet dress. Marcus promised to take me to A Stitch in Time to buy fabric as soon as Dad gets home with the car. I can’t wait to get started!
In the meantime I’m almost finished with Priti’s dress. I’m so glad Jan told me to get the stretch sequin stuff instead of sewing on each sequin individually. I had to do that for the sequins around the hem, and it was really fiddly and took me forever. If I’d had to do the whole dress, I think I’d have graduated middle school before I finished! Whoever invented sequin fabric, I owe you one!
Lorenzo didn’t mention their encounter in the frozen aisle when she saw him in school, so Zoey relaxed, figuring that by some
miracle he hadn’t seen her.
That night Rashida Clarke called to speak to Zoey.
“Hi, Zoey. I wanted to touch base and confirm you’re still on?”
“Definitely!” Zoey said.
“Fantastic,” Rashida said. “As I explained to your father the last time I called, we’ll need you here the night before so you can be here bright and early for hair, makeup, a wardrobe consultation, and a dry run of the judging process.”
“That’s fine,” Zoey said. “Dad arranged for my aunt Lulu to come with me, because it’s hard for him to get off during the week. Plus, no offense, it’s more her kind of thing, if you know what I mean.”
Rashida’s laugh was warm and full.
“I understand completely. No offense taken. My father only watches when I’m coming for a visit. My uncle, on the other hand, loves it and watches every episode religiously. Go figure.”
“My brother, Marcus,” Zoey told her, lowering her voice so Marcus couldn’t hear, “pretends to be doing something else, but then he complains when someone gets voted off.”
“Well, I’m sure everyone in your house will be giving this episode their full attention,” Rashida said. “I’ll send you and your father an e-mail in a few minutes with your train and hotel bookings and confirmation numbers, a consent form because you’re a minor, and a timetable of our shooting schedule for the day. Now that it’s official, feel free to tell people! Great talking to you again, Zoey, and I look forward to meeting you in New York.”
“Me too!” Zoey said. “I can’t wait!”
Zoey tried to concentrate on her homework, but she kept taking breaks to check if the e-mail from Rashida had arrived. She finished everything except for reading two chapters from The Misfits.
She showered, got into her pj’s, and decided to check her e-mail one more time before settling down to read. Finally! There was an e-mail from Rashida Clarke!
She and Aunt Lulu were going to take a 1:15 p.m. train to New York next Thursday afternoon. A car would pick them up at Penn Station and take them to their hotel, LM House. The car was scheduled to pick them up at seven the next morning to bring them to the studio. They’d be on set all day and then take the train back at . . .
