Panic

by Sharon M. Draper

  “I will. I promise,” Mercedes replied. “I got my driver’s license on a rainy day,” she added, “so I’m cool.”

  Mrs. Landers continued to look worried. “And no texting while you drive. You don’t need to be on your phone at all until you get to the mall.”

  “You got it, Mrs. L. No cell at all. We’ll just make a quick stop at the mall, and we’ll call you when we get to the school.”

  “Bye, Mom. Love you! We’ll see you there!” Diamond yelled as she grabbed her hot pink dance bag and headed out the door.

  “Bye, girls. Dance well. Can’t wait to see the showcase.”

  Diamond slammed the door and laughed out loud. “My mother is a trip! I swear!”

  “She’s just doin’ her thing. Don’t sweat it.” Mercedes, pulling the hood of her Cincinnati Reds sweatshirt over her head, ran with Diamond, dodging raindrops, to her car.

  “Too bad you don’t get to drive a car as cool as your name,” Diamond said as she climbed into the sturdy blue 2004 Ford Focus. “Your ride is messed up.”

  “Hey, my name is my car—no matter what I drive!” Mercedes replied with a smirk. “Today I drive my last name. But a Mercedes waits for me in my future.” She checked her hair in the rearview mirror, nodding with approval. Slicked back and sprayed into a bun, not a strand was out of place.

  “At least you got a car.” Diamond sighed. “I can’t wait until I get my license. One more year! I’m so sick of my mom driving me everywhere, I could scream.” She glanced at Mercedes’ sleek black hair. Her own curls were tousled and unruly. It took practically a whole can of hair spray to make hers behave on performance nights.

  “I bet your mother is just as sick of being your driver. My mom can’t dance worth nuthin’, and she jumped around the house like a hoochie-coochie girl when I got my license.”

  “I’m glad I didn’t have to see that,” Diamond said with a laugh, buckling her seat belt.

  Mercedes turned the radio up. The windshield wipers seemed to move to the music.

  “Hey, text Steve for me, will ya?” Mercedes asked. “Remind him to bring my chocolate bars to the backstage door.”

  “Can’t you just get some from the mall?” Diamond asked her as she took out her phone.

  “Yeah, but candy from Steve tastes so much better,” Mercedes said, licking her lips.

  “You’re a mess, girl.” But Diamond tapped in the message. Steve texted back in seconds. “He said he’d bring the candy to his favorite chocolate bunny. Oh, gag me now!”

  “He texts me every single morning,” Mercedes said happily.

  “Yeah, I know. It’s so sweet I can’t stand it.”

  “You want to hear what he sent this morning?”

  “I don’t know—do I? My head might explode.”

  “He said, ‘Morning, butterfly. Hope you slept well.’ Then he sent me a link to Mariah Carey’s old song ‘Butterfly.’ ”

  “I’m ’bout to choke up in here!”

  Mercedes’ and Diamond’s cell phones then beeped at the same time.

  “Who’s double-texting?” Mercedes mused.

  “Duh. Miss Ginger, reminding us not to be late.” Diamond held up both phones, which blinked the same message.

  “Text her back on both phones and tell her we’re on our way. We never shoulda taught that woman technology!”

  “Oh, man.” Diamond groaned as she glanced at the bars at the top of her phone. “My phone’s about to die, and I forgot my charger.”

  “I think Miss Ginger has a charger at the studio that will fit,” Mercedes said. “It’s probably one you left there! You go through chargers like Shasta goes through Popsicles!”

  “True that.”

  Mercedes upped the volume on the radio and sang along whenever a favorite song came on. During a commercial, though, Mercedes turned off the radio. She glanced at Diamond a few times, and finally asked, “So, are you upset about not getting the part of Wendy in Peter Pan? You’ve been kinda quiet about it.”

  Diamond sighed. “I’m glad Layla got it. She works really hard, and I guess she deserves it. But it’s still a bummer. I’ve never had a lead in any of Miss Ginger’s shows. I’m starting to think . . . well . . . that I’m just not good enough.”

  “Oh, you’re good enough, girlfriend. Maybe Miss Ginger is saving you for a lead in next year’s show. I heard she’s doing Cinderella.” Mercedes drove in silence for a moment.

  “Yeah, but to just be a stupid pirate . . .” She paused.

  “But he’s the main one after Hook—you get to be onstage a lot,” Mercedes said encouragingly.

  “Big fat whoop.”

  “Jillian will be pretty good as Peter Pan,” Mercedes continued.

  “I figured that role would go to her. I’d never tell her, but she’s probably our best dancer.”

  “I feel ya. She’s flat-chested and skinny and perfect for that part. She’s probably texting and tweeting to the world that she got the lead role.”

  Diamond grunted. “Yeah, but dressed like a boy. She can have it.”

  Mercedes turned the corner to the mall. “Still, it’s gonna be a good show—Miss Ginger always turns it out. Justin will be dynamite as Captain Hook.”

  “What about you?” Diamond asked. “Are you cool with Tiger Lily?”

  “For real, I’m geeked. It’s the part I wanted—I’m dying to do that insane fight scene with the pirates. I can’t wait for rehearsals to start!”

  “I guess,” Diamond agreed, but she wished she felt as excited as Mercedes sounded.

  Mercedes, mimicking their teacher’s grab-your-guts-and-stand-up-straight voice, said, “All performance experience is good for the soul!”

  Diamond cracked up, nodding. “Park by the back entrance,” she suggested. “It’s closer to the dance store.”

  “And the food court. I’m desperate for a slice!”

  “Me too,” Diamond said, grabbing her dance bag as they headed inside. The rain had slowed to a drizzle.

  “Why don’t you just leave that in the car?” Mercedes asked.

  “I don’t care if somebody steals my school bag,” Diamond said, slinging it over her shoulder. “Actually, I hope they do! But my dance bag is my life. It’s like I can’t breathe without it.”

  “You crazy.”

  They hit C’est La Danse first. Owned by a woman who had been a dancer in Paris, it was like heaven to Diamond and Mercedes. They could find their favorite Capezio tights and Sansha shoes, plus dance bags, warm-ups, even sparkle-studded earrings and key chains designed to look like ballet slippers.

  “Hey, Madame Jolie.” They’d been in the store so often that the owner knew them by name.

  “Welcome back, mes cheries. What do you need on this rainy day?”

  “We need nude tights—size adult medium,” Diamond said.

  “Ah, oui,” she said. “Of course. And have you seen these new leotards with the cutout backs?” Madame Jolie asked, pointing to a display. “C’est très sexy!”

  “Oh, that’s what’s up! I gotta try this red one on,” Mercedes said excitedly.

  Diamond checked her watch. “Look, girl, you got a weakness, but I’m starving, and we’re gonna be late for rehearsal. Meet me at the food court in ten.”

  “Gotcha. Get me a plain cheese slice, okay? I’ll eat it in the car.” Mercedes was already disappearing into the tiny dressing room.

  Diamond paid for her tights and stuffed them into her ballet bag. Slinging it back over her shoulder, she waved good-bye to Madame Jolie and headed out.

  4

  DIAMOND, Saturday, April 13 2:30 p.m.

  “Our last glimpse of her shows her at the window,

  watching them receding into the sky until they were as small as stars.”

  —from Peter Pan

  With headphones snugly in place, Diamond glided down the mall, so intently focused on the music that she nearly crashed into a man heading in the opposite direction.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir. I was
n’t paying attention,” Diamond said, pulling out the buds.

  “Not a problem, young lady. I’m just here to pick up my daughter, and this place is a maze! Can you point me in the direction of the food court?”

  Diamond laughed. “Turn around. It’s right behind you.”

  The man, who looked to be about forty or so, was slender, handsome, and well dressed in a charcoal business suit. His dark blond hair, which looked to be spiked with just a touch of mousse, almost gleamed.

  “Forgive my manners,” the man said cordially. “I’m Thane English. My daughter is Chloe—maybe you know her? She a freshman at Broadway High School.” He reached out his hand and shook Diamond’s with a confident squeeze.

  “I’m Diamond. I go to Broadway High too,” Diamond said. “But I’m a sophomore. I don’t know all the freshmen—it’s a pretty big school.”

  “We just moved here a few weeks ago,” the man told her. “Chloe’s still adjusting; Broadway High is a lot different from the school she went to in California.” He fell into step with her as they approached the sparsely populated food court. It smelled of cinnamon buns, strong coffee, and onions.

  “I’d give anything to go to school in California,” Diamond admitted as she bought two slices of cheese pizza.

  “Why is that?” He glanced around, evidently looking for his daughter.

  “I don’t know. Close to Hollywood. Movie stars. The ocean. All that stuff,” Diamond replied.

  Thane tilted his head. “You have that look, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

  “Huh? What look?”

  He checked his watch. “Where can that girl be?” Then he looked back at Diamond as if he’d just remembered her question. “That star look. You’re a dancer, right?”

  Diamond’s eyes went wide. “How did you know?”

  “Well, you walk like a queen—tall and graceful. And it says ‘dance’ all over that bag you’re carrying.”

  Diamond laughed. “Well, duh! Yeah, I’ve been dancing since I was four. My dream is to get on one of those shows like So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing with the Stars.”

  “You can do better than that,” Thane replied. He looked around the food court once more. “She better not be late again,” he grumbled.

  “What do you mean?” Diamond sat down at a table and nibbled her pizza.

  “Chloe is always late—drives me bonkers,” he said, still glancing around.

  “No, I mean, what did you mean when you said I could do better than being on a dance show?” Diamond asked.

  “Well, my Chloe was in the last two Harry Potter movies and the first Twilight movie as well. Not huge parts, but she had small speaking roles in all of them.”

  Diamond almost choked on her food. “What? How?”

  “I was the assistant director for all those films,” Thane explained. “It helps. Chloe’s got a portfolio that most kids her age would kill for. She’s had a chance to work with some of the best teen actors.”

  “Wow. Lucky kid. So why did you move here to Nowheresville? There are no movie stars around here. Trust me. I would know.”

  “It’s just temporary. We’re filming a new movie here on location outside of town.”

  “Really? Why?”

  His cell phone jingled. He pulled an iPhone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “Excuse me, it’s Chloe.” He sat down at Diamond’s table and slid the bar across the face of the phone. “Hey, sweetie. Where are you? I’m here at the mall, waiting for you in the food court, where you’re supposed to be, talking to a classmate of yours from school.” He stopped to laugh, giving his wedding ring a twirl. “Well, I’m glad you called, Chloe-girl. I’ll see you at home. Tell Mom I already picked up the dog food.” He tapped his phone off.

  “She’s already on her way home. Her mom and I got our wires crossed.” He stood up and reached out his hand. “I gotta run. But it was a pleasure to meet you, Diamond.”

  “Me too,” Diamond said, shaking his hand. She noticed his nails looked nicer than her own. Her pizza was growing cold.

  Thane started to walk away from Diamond’s table, then turned, frowned, and walked back. “I just had a thought,” he said.

  “A thought?”

  “Would you like to meet Chloe and my wife and our goofy dog?”

  Diamond tilted her head. “What?” She wasn’t sure what he was asking.

  “Chloe’d love to meet more kids from school, so I just thought you might . . . Well, of course you couldn’t just drop everything this minute . . . ” Thane ran his fingers through his hair. “I just had a crazy idea—and Chloe’s got some of her Hollywood friends visiting for the weekend. In fact”—he glanced at his watch—“their flight landed twenty-three minutes ago. But I’m sure it’s too last-minute for you—forget I even mentioned it.”

  “Well, I’m waiting for someone, and I’ve got to get to dance. We have a performance tonight.” But Diamond looked at him quizzically. Friends from Hollywood? She wondered what she might be passing up.

  “Of course,” Thane said. “I understand. You kids are always so busy. Chloe’s friends are here to audition for the movie I mentioned. They know how to combine work and play!”

  Diamond paused. Chloe’s LA friends weren’t just kids from California—they had to be actors and actresses! “You’re casting this weekend?” she asked.

  Thane shook his head. “I wish. I have to get my recommendations to the director tomorrow morning, so tryouts are tonight. It’ll be tricky, because Diva Dawson and California Clover both want the main role, but I’m wanting a new face to grab that part.”

  “You’re tellin’ me Diva Dawson and California Clover are gonna be at your house?” Diamond was incredulous.

  “Yep. A driver’s at the airport right now.”

  This time it was Diamond who checked her watch. Practice started in half an hour, but she could be a little late. The show wasn’t until seven thirty. And it was a chance to meet real movie stars! This was insane. “They’re your daughter’s friends?” she blurted out.

  “Sure, since they were children. That’s why Chloe was here at the mall—to get a new outfit for tonight. She goes crazy with my credit card!”

  Diamond’s heart began pounding. Could it be possible she had the chance to hang out with real movie stars?

  “They’re a great bunch of kids—they go to some pretty awesome parties together,” Thane told Diamond with a smile. “But this is all so spur-of-the-moment—I just thought you’d like to meet them. But maybe next time.”

  Diamond hesitated. Would there ever be a next time? Stars like that in her hometown? “Wow. I’d give anything . . . ”

  Thane nodded. “It’d be pretty special—I can just imagine the photos you’d be able to post on Facebook.”

  “My friends will die of jealousy!” Diamond exclaimed. Then she glanced down at her flip-flops and cutoff tights and frowned. “I look like a mess. I’m dressed for dance, not for meeting famous people.”

  “Not a problem, great way to break the ice. Dancing, acting—it’s all art.” Then Thane thumped his forehead. “It just occurred to me—one of the key roles in the movie is a dance part! It’s a modernization of Peter Pan.”

  “You’re kidding!” Diamond jumped up from her seat. This was totally crazy! “Our studio is doing the ballet version of Peter Pan in June!”

  It was Thane’s turn to look surprised. “What a coincidence. I guess great ideas float in the universe at the same time.” He paused. “So, what’s your part? Wendy, I expect?”

  Diamond flushed, embarrassed. “Uh, not exactly. I’m a pirate—Smee—and I’ll probably fill in with a couple of small company parts.”

  “But not a lead?” Thane looked like he’d been personally insulted.

  “Our teacher gives the big parts to different people every year. I’m hoping for the lead next year when we do Cinderella.”

  Thane frowned. “A year is a very long time to wait.” He paused again. “Well, anyway, that settles that. I
guess if you’re already in a Peter Pan, you wouldn’t be interested in our version.”

  “Sure I would! I’d love to see it when it comes out,” Diamond told him as she picked the cheese off her pizza.

  “I’ll tell you what—why don’t you aim for better than that? Why don’t you try out for a role? You’d be just the kind of freshness I’m looking for in the part of Wendy.”

  “What? You’re kidding.” Diamond felt her heart racing. Was he for real?

  “I never joke about my profession,” Thane assured her. “In fact, I’d be honored if you’d try out for Wendy with the other kids.”

  “Me?” Flustered, Diamond didn’t know what to say. “Now?” she managed.

  “I know—it’s pretty last-minute. But my director is antsy—we can’t cast Pan until we cast Wendy, and I had to wait until some of the girls’ schedules opened up—Ms. Dawson, for instance, is one busy lady! A half dozen other girls flew in from New York this morning from the Alvin Ailey studio—the part is an amazing opportunity for a dancer. But I have to be blunt—none of them have your presence.”

  Diamond tried to remember the last time someone told her she had “presence.” Miss Ginger had often told her to stand straighter or balance better, but she’d never actually been given a compliment like that. “Really?” she sputtered.

  Thane smiled. “I have no need to lie to you.”

  “But . . . but I can’t leave my friend—she’ll be here in a few minutes—and we have a show tonight,” Diamond said, straining around to see if Mercedes was coming. Her mind was doing crazy spirals as she let herself think about the possibilities.

  “I understand—really, I do. I wouldn’t want you to miss your performance. ”

  “Actually, it’s just a three-minute piece tonight called ‘Pixie Dust.’ Our teacher always does one group dance as a preview to our upcoming show—kinda like a teaser,” Diamond explained.

  “I can’t believe how your universe seems to be colliding with ours,” Thane said, shaking his head. “Do you at least have a good part in this one?”

  Diamond frowned. “Nothing special. I’m in the back row.”

  “You feel like you ought to be in the front, don’t you?” Thane asked.