Knot Too Shabby!

by Chloe Taylor

  “Oh, um . . . thanks,” Campbell said softly.

  Campbell sounds strange, Zoey thought. She’d have to ask her if everything was okay at breakfast.

  They met Priti and Taylor in the dining hall, as usual. As soon as they’d all sat down, Campbell said, “So, I’m really nervous.”

  “About what?” Priti asked.

  “About kissing Nick in the play,” Campbell confessed. “It’s so awkward. I mean, I know it’s just a quick peck, but . . . what happens if I start giggling? Or even worse, if I miss his face entirely!”

  “I could kiss him for you,” Priti offered. “Nick’s sooooo dreamy.”

  “I wish you could.” Campbell cracked a smile. “I’m totally dreading it.”

  “Well . . . my aunt Lulu always says ‘fake it till you make it,’ ” Zoey said.

  “What does that mean?” Taylor asked.

  “Basically, if you pretend you feel totally comfortable kissing Nick, maybe, eventually, you’ll actually feel that way,” Zoey explained.

  “The play’s only a week away,” Campbell said. “It would take years of faking it before I’d be able to convince myself that kissing anyone in front of all those people is no big deal.”

  “I don’t know if this helps, but one of the reasons I love acting is that it gives me the chance to be someone different for just for a little while—kind of like trying on a new hat,” Priti said. “So maybe pretend to be someone glamorous who thinks that kissing Nick is just, you know, ho-hum. And try to have fun with it. But not too much fun, because I have a crush on him!”

  Campbell actually relaxed enough to laugh.

  “Really? I had no idea,” Campbell joked. “Seriously, though, thanks, guys. Okay, I feel a little better now. Still nervous, but at least I have a plan.”

  Before they knew it, it was the night of the performance—which was also the last night of camp. The parents of the cast and crew had driven up early. They were staying nearby and would come pick up their campers the next day. When Priti’s parents arrived, Zoey noticed they weren’t arguing. In fact, they were smiling at each other and even laughing instead of being tense and angry-looking like they’d been the last few months when she’d seen them. She hoped that was a good sign. Zoey’s dad was there, too, even though she wasn’t performing. He wanted to see her costumes and cheer on Priti.

  When the curtain went up, the sets looked wonderful—all the stage crew’s hard work to re-create the New York skyline and Central Park had paid off. Priti shone in her role as Puck, and Zoey’s costumes looked amazing. Campbell was fantastic as Titania. Ms. Natasha is right, Zoey thought. She really is a natural actress.

  Then it was time for the kiss. Zoey had her fingers crossed and held her breath, hoping Campbell wouldn’t start giggling. Luckily, she didn’t—but Nick did. He burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter as he leaned in to kiss Campbell.

  Campbell was a total professional. She didn’t break character at all when Nick laughed. She waited for him to pull himself together, and when he finally gave her a quick peck, she carried on with the next line.

  When the play ended, the applause was deafening. Priti and Campbell both got standing ovations. Ms. Natasha called Zoey out onto the stage, so she could be acknowledged for making the beautiful new costumes for the lead actors.

  The cheers took Zoey by surprise. She was used to getting compliments on her blog, but those were typed messages. It was hard to imagine that those messages were from real people. But this was real clapping from lots of real people in the audience! Even though she still preferred life behind the curtains, she started to understand why Priti enjoyed life in the spotlight so much. It was fun to get applause and to get immediate feedback, especially when it was so positive! Maybe this was what Daphne Shaw felt like when she came on the runway to join the models at the end of her runway show at Fashion Week!

  After the performance, the Holbrookes and Mr. Webber came together to greet Zoey and Priti.

  “You were incredible, Priti,” Mr. Holbrooke said, giving her a big bouquet of flowers. “A real leading lady.”

  “Our star,” Mrs. Holbrooke said, give her daughter a hug. “I couldn’t be more proud, sweetie!”

  Priti beamed, looking from her mom to her dad.

  “Thanks!” she said. “So . . . did you sort everything out while I was gone?”

  Zoey was surprised her friend just came out and asked her parents the question right away, but she knew it was the only thing on her friend’s mind. After all, it was the reason Priti and Zoey had both come to camp in the first place, even though they’d ended up having a wonderful time.

  There was a split second of hesitation before Priti’s mom said, “Yes, honey. We did sort things out.”

  “We can catch up later. Don’t you two have a cast party to get to?” Mr. Holbrooke asked.

  “Yes, we do,” Zoey said. “And you guys have the parents’ dinner.” She gave her dad a big hug. “I’ve missed you,” she said. “And Marcus.”

  “We’ve missed you, too,” her dad said. “It’s been very quiet around the house with you gone.”

  “Don’t worry,” Zoey said. “I’ll be back tomorrow to make things noisy again. So, is Aunt Lulu still dating New Boyfriend John?”

  “Yes, she is!” Dad said. “She cooked him dinner the other night.”

  “Cooking? Sounds serious!” Zoey said with a smile.

  “See you tomorrow after breakfast,” Priti called out cheerfully to her parents as she and Zoey ran off to the cast party.

  “Oh my gosh. Did you see how much happier my parents looked?” Priti asked as they walked into the cast party.

  “Yeah, they were both smiling and laughing a lot,” Zoey said. “I haven’t seen them doing that in a while.”

  “See! It worked! We had a great time at camp this summer and now my parents are falling back in love with each other!” Priti said. “Thanks for coming with me, Zo. You’re the best bestie ever!”

  “I’m glad I came,” Zoey said. “And if it helped your parents, then that’s the icing on the cake.”

  “The icing on the wedding cake?” Priti asked, whistling “The Wedding March.”

  Zoey glanced over at Taylor and Campbell, whose mom was giving them a group hug.

  “I just hope the twins’ mom likes their new outfits tomorrow,” Zoey said.

  “She has to love them,” Priti said. “How could she not? They rock!”

  “We’ll see . . . ,” Zoey said.

  But she didn’t spend too much time worrying, because it was time for the cast party—pizza and soda to celebrate the successful performance. Everyone was in high spirits, especially when Ms. Natasha led them in a medley of show tunes.

  After the cast party, they joined the rest of the camp down by the lake for one last bonfire and a few too many last s’mores.

  When the fire began to burn low and it was time to return to their cabins, Priti and Zoey grabbed their flashlights and started walking back together. Zoey had to stop and tie her shoelace, and Priti, who was ahead of her on the path, didn’t realize it and kept walking. When Zoey looked up, she saw someone approach Priti but couldn’t tell who it was in the darkness.

  “Ooh, Nick, you scared me!” Priti said.

  “Oh my gosh, sorry,” Nick said. “I . . . uh . . . just wanted to tell you . . . how great you were . . . in the show.”

  Zoey couldn’t see it in the dim light, but knowing her friend, she was sure Priti’s face had turned pink.

  “Th-thanks. You were great too.”

  “Can I . . . walk you back to your cabin?” Nick asked.

  Priti looked back over her shoulder toward where Zoey was hidden in the shadows.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. And then she saw Nick take Priti’s hand. She felt awkward about being an inadvertent fly on the wall, but she was really excited for Priti!

  After waiting for a minute or two to give the pair time to walk far enough ahe
ad, she walked back to her cabin by herself. Campbell was already there, getting into her pj’s.

  “Guess who’s walking Priti back to her cabin!” Zoey said. “Nick!!”

  Campbell’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “That’s awesome! I hope we don’t have to wait till breakfast to find out what happens.”

  “Me neither,” Zoey said. “The suspense is killing me!”

  Luckily, it wasn’t long before there was a knock on the cabin door, and Priti stood there, flushed and beaming.

  Priti, Campbell, and Zoey all squealed at the same time.

  “What happened?!” Zoey asked.

  “He is sooooo sweet.” Priti sighed. “He gave me a little kiss on the cheek—and he didn’t laugh this time.”

  “See, it was you he wanted to kiss all along,” Campbell said.

  Priti twirled around in a circle.

  “I think you’re right.” She sighed again. “But why did he have to wait until the last night of camp to do it?”

  “Maybe he was shy,” Campbell said. “Maybe he wasn’t sure if you liked him.”

  “But I do like him!” Priti said.

  “Well, duh!” Zoey said.

  “And then he asked me if I was planning to come back to camp next year. Well . . . now I am, definitely!”

  It seemed like all was well that ended well as far Priti was concerned, Zoey thought. Now she just had to see how things went the next morning with the twins and their mom.

  Zoey was so excited to get dressed the next morning. She was going to be sad to say good-bye to the new friends she’d made at camp, but she was definitely not going to be the teensiest bit sorry to say good-bye to her uniform! The thought of a whole closetful of colorful clothes and being able to pick a new outfit every day was heavenly. She was slipping on her shoes when Campbell tapped her on the shoulder.

  “How do I look?” Campbell asked Zoey and everyone in the cabin. She was wearing the outfit Zoey designed, walking up and down the narrow space between the bunks as if she were on a catwalk. Her smile was brighter than ever.

  “Like a model,” Marisol said. “Your mom will love it!”

  “I hope so,” Zoey whispered.

  “Hey, Zoey, can you redesign the camp uniforms, too?” Kelly asked, throwing hers into her trunk in disgust. “I get so sick of wearing that ugly thing.”

  “Maybe next year,” Zoey said, smiling.

  After breakfast, when it was time to go meet the parents in the parking lot, Campbell and Taylor asked Zoey to come with them to meet their mother.

  “Maybe she’ll want to meet you,” Taylor said. “Seeing as you designed the outfits, and all. Then again, maybe she won’t.”

  “Okay,” Zoey said.

  She couldn’t believe how nervous the two girls were to wear nonmatching clothes. Her dad let her wear what she wanted. She couldn’t imagine always having to dress like Marcus!

  The twins’ mother stood by her SUV. When she turned and caught a glimpse of Campbell and Taylor in their new outfits, the shock registered on her face. She didn’t look upset, but she didn’t look happy.

  “Girls!” she exclaimed, hugging both of them. “What . . . are you . . . wearing?”

  “New outfits. Our friend Zoey designed them for us,” Taylor said. She sounded nervous. “Zoey’s kind of famous. She has her own fashion blog.”

  “Don’t you like them, Mom?” Campbell added.

  “We love them,” Taylor said, sounding less nervous and more determined.

  “I . . . I love them too,” their mother said. “I guess I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”

  “Mom, we’re tired of being dressed the same all the time,” Campbell said.

  “We like being twins, but we need a chance to be ourselves,” Taylor pleaded. “I don’t want to always wear the same thing as Campbell. Say it’s okay, please?”

  “Of course it’s okay, sweetie,” their mom said. “You know, I never realized you girls were so upset about being dressed alike. I just automatically buy two of everything, just like I have since you were born. It’s habit more than anything.”

  She put her arms around her identical daughters.

  “I’m glad you want to express your individual personalities,” she said. “You’ve always been totally different, unique girls to me.”

  “So why did you freak out so much when Campbell cut her hair?” Taylor asked.

  “Well, most of all, because she did it herself without asking me for permission,” her mom said. “And also because I’m not a big fan of bangs or anything that would cover up your beautiful eyes.”

  “So if I’d asked you first, you wouldn’t have been mad?” Campbell said.

  “No. I might have tried to talk you out of bangs, but maybe we could have come up with a compromise,” her mom said.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Campbell said, hugging her mother. “Next time I’ll talk to you first.”

  “And I’m sorry for making you two dress alike all these years. I guess I thought you liked it,” their mom said. “Zoey, thanks for opening my eyes and for making such great outfits for my girls.”

  “It was fun,” Zoey said. “And I’m soooo glad you like the clothes.”

  “You know what, Mom? Earlier this summer, Zoey got to meet Daphne Shaw!” Taylor said.

  “Really?” her mom said. “I’ve got a few Daphne Shaw pieces. I love her designs.”

  It was the perfect ending to a great camp experience. Zoey waved good-bye to her friends, and went to find her father. It had been a really fun summer, but she was ready to go home.

  CHAPTER 12

  Let There Be Internet!

  I’m back! I never thought I’d survive six whole weeks without my phone and my computer and the Internet, but it actually wasn’t so bad. I did miss you all, but now I just have more to tell you about all our amazing adventures. Camp was awesome! I had so much fun and enjoyed making new friends, but I think I’m more of a city girl than a nature girl at heart. Still, going to new places and trying different things gives me lots of ideas for designs. Here’s my latest!

  “Yum!” Zoey said after her first forkful of pancake. “I’ve really missed your cooking, Dad!”

  “You missed Dad’s pancakes more than you missed your fantastic, amazing, wonderful brother?” Marcus asked, pouting.

  “Or your wonderful aunt and her incredibly adorable dog?” Aunt Lulu asked.

  Buttons sat next to Zoey, looking up with her big brown eyes and wagging her tail across the floor. She was incredibly adorable.

  “I missed all of you!” Zoey said. “Especially Buttons. But at least the people at camp were nice—which is more than I can say for the food.”

  “It definitely wasn’t the same around here without you, Zo,” Aunt Lulu said. “We all missed you.”

  “We sure did,” Dad agreed. “I had no one to tell me what to wear.”

  “And you should have seen some of the outfits he came up with,” Aunt Lulu said, giggling. “Your fashion emergency alarm would have been sounding full blast!”

  “I had to invite Allie over to give him pointers,” Marcus said.

  “I’m sure that wasn’t the only reason you invited Allie over,” Zoey said, smiling.

  “Well, okay, we might have also watched a movie,” Marcus admitted.

  “Can someone drive me to The Perfect Ten later?” Zoey asked. “Libby, Kate, Priti, and I are going to have a reunion over pedicures. It feels like forever since I’ve seen Kate and Libby!”

  “I’ll drop you off on the way home,” Aunt Lulu said.

  “But first I need another pancake. Or two,” Zoey said. “I’ve got a lot of good eating to catch up on.”

  Kate and Libby were already choosing toenail colors at The Perfect Ten when Aunt Lulu dropped off Zoey.

  “Zoey!” they exclaimed when they saw her, and the three girls embraced.

  “So tell me everything, guys! How was your summer?” Zoey asked.

  “Ballet camp was fun, but it was real
ly hard work,” Libby said. “We danced for, like, four hours a day! My feet got really beat-up. I seriously need a pedicure!”

  “Me too,” Zoey said. “After six weeks in the woods, my toes are looking grody.”

  “Me three,” Kate said. “Playing sports all summer doesn’t exactly make for pretty feet.”

  “Where’s Priti?” Zoey asked. “She’s late.”

  The owner of The Perfect Ten asked if they were ready for their pedicures.

  “What should we do?” Libby asked. “Go ahead?”

  “I guess we should at least get started,” Zoey said. “I’ll text Priti and see if she can hurry.”

  When the girls were seated in the pedicure chairs, Kate said, “Enough about us, Zoey. Tell me all about your visit with Daphne Shaw!”

  Zoey was more than happy to share with her best friend the details of one of the best days of her life.

  “The T-shirt I’m wearing was a present from Daphne,” she said. “And she gave me this note with it.”

  She scrolled to the picture she’d taken of Daphne’s note, so that she could reread it whenever she needed encouragement, and handed her phone to Kate.

  Kate read the note aloud.

  Dear Zoey,

  I hope you had a great time today and that you’ll keep in touch. We fashion sisters have to stick together!

  Fondly,

  Daphne

  “Huh . . . that’s odd.” Kate chuckled.

  “What’s odd?” Zoey asked.

  “How Daphne Shaw calls you ‘fashion sisters,’ ” Kate said. “It reminds me of your fashion fairy godmother, Fashionsista.”

  It was as if, all of a sudden, puzzle pieces suddenly clicked into place in Zoey’s head. She’d thought the handwriting on Daphne’s note looked vaguely familiar.

  “Wait—hand me my phone,” she told Kate.

  Zoey scrolled to the picture of herself and Daphne that her father had taken in Daphne’s office. She zoomed in on Daphne’s wrist and saw . . .

  “I don’t believe it! She’s wearing a sticks-and-stones bracelet, exactly like the one Fashionsista sent me when I was getting nasty comments on Sew Zoey!” Zoey exclaimed.