Mackenzie Blue

by Tina Wells

  Zee was really impressed and decided to tell Jasper and Chloe—even though now neither one of them was speaking to her.

  As soon as the bell rang, Zee went right up to Chloe. “Wow! That was a great presentation,” Zee told her, trying to sound casual but enthusiastic.

  “Thanks,” Chloe said politely.

  Chloe had actually answered Zee! Filled with hope, Zee went on, “I mean, I had no idea how important compost was until today.”

  “Good to know,” Jasper responded.

  “If you want to—”

  “I have to go,” Chloe said, breaking away and moving toward the door.

  Jasper followed. “Me, too,” he said and left Zee standing by herself.

  With her shirt hanging out of her uniform skirt and her hair going every which way, Zee stumbled downstairs to the kitchen the next morning. She hadn’t had time to put herself completely together yet, but she wanted to ask her father to drop her off early at school. She’d fix herself in the SUV on the way there.

  “Whoa!” Adam said. “Did you have a run-in with the undead last night, Bride of Frankenstein?”

  Zee poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Funny stuff,” she said, but she had to admit she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the way she looked—or felt—either. She had tossed and turned all night long. She’d finally fallen asleep, but by then she was so exhausted, she didn’t hear her alarm go off a few hours later.

  “Were you worried about the Teen Sing rehearsal, honey?” Mrs. Carmichael asked.

  Zee nodded as she took a gulp of her drink. It would have been bad enough to have to sing in front of the entire school. Or to have her friends mad at her. But Zee had both problems. At least her mother had forgiven her.

  “You’ll feel better once you’ve performed your song today,” Mrs. Carmichael said, placing a bowl on the table. “Have some oatmeal.”

  “No thanks, Mom,” Zee said. She grabbed a breakfast bar from the cabinet and shoved it into her book bag. “I’m going to get a ride with Dad today. I need to get to school as early as I can.” She had decided to talk to the only person she knew who could understand how she was feeling—Mr. P. Zee was sure he had had to perform even when he didn’t feel like it.

  Mrs. Carmichael handed Zee a banana. “You need your energy.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Zee said, taking the fruit and sprinting out of the kitchen. “I’ve gotta go tell Dad to hurry up.”

  As Zee approached the music room, she wondered if Mr. P would be willing to help her after what had happened at the concert. She’d soon find out. She was just steps away from the room—close enough to hear her teacher’s voice. “I underst—,” he said. There was a long pause. “I think th—.” Mr. P was on the phone, and whoever was on the other end kept interrupting him. Zee leaned against the wall outside and listened. There was a long silence, and for a minute Zee thought that maybe Mr. P had ended his phone call, until he finally said, “Yes, I know Mrs. Bradley was a wonderful teacher, but we all have different styles.” Another pause. “Yes, I think I do have a style.”

  He must be talking to someone’s parent! Zee thought. I bet it’s Kathi’s. She was always complaining.

  One thing was certain—this was not a good time to ask for help. Zee would have to solve her problem on her own.

  Zee’s Teen Sing rehearsal was at 4:25. That gave her time to change into the clothes she’d picked out especially for the occasion—a navy blue halter dress with a black camisole underneath. (It was hard to feel like a star in a school uniform.) And she would still have time to warm up. By the time she got to the auditorium, the room was full of Teen Sing competitors, their fan clubs, and other curious students. A microphone in one hand, Marcus gave her a thumbs-up with the other one. He was part of the stage crew.

  Jasper and Chloe sat together in a corner of the room. If they saw Zee, they didn’t let on. As much as she wanted to talk to them, it was obvious they didn’t feel the same way. She had her rehearsal to think about anyway. She pulled out her guitar and began tuning it—just as the next act began to sing.

  It was a familiar voice. Kathi’s. “‘Jump in the water—it’s cooler, baby. Dive in the water—it’s better, baby.’” And a familiar song! Zee’s! Kathi was singing the song Zee had written in her diary. The tune was different, but the words were definitely hers. Zee had never sung that song for anyone except Mr. P and Chloe.

  Kathi had stolen Zee’s diary! Zee raced over to the stage stairs. She could see Jen waiting backstage.

  When Kathi was done performing, hoots, cheers, and applause roared through the auditorium. As she left the stage, she waved and blew kisses to the crowd. “You sounded soooooo great!” Jen gushed. Neither girl noticed Zee—until Kathi bumped right into her.

  At first, Kathi looked stunned, then she started laughing. “Did you like my big surprise?” she asked.

  “Not really—since it was my song!” Zee growled between clenched teeth.

  “Congratulations, Detective Obvious,” Kathi taunted. “Unfortunately you don’t have any evidence.”

  “Mr. P and Chloe heard me sing it.”

  Kathi rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think a substitute teacher wants to go up against my family with the head of school, do you?” She paused to let her words sink in. “And as for Chloe, do you really think she’ll want to stick up for you?” She didn’t wait for a response. “Without the diary, you’ll never be able to prove you wrote the song.”

  “But you took my diary.”

  “Technically I didn’t take it. Someone might have given it to me though.” Kathi slowly turned to Jen, then grabbed her friend and walked off. Jen couldn’t look at Zee. Instead she guiltily turned her eyes to the ground.

  Zee was confused. Had Jen taken her diary? When? That first day, they had been together—in French and science—but Zee hadn’t left Jen with her bag.

  With a sinking feeling in her heart, Zee watched Kathi and Jen meet Landon across the auditorium. He handed Kathi her book bag.

  “That’s it!” Zee shouted, then immediately slapped her hand across her mouth. Everything had spilled out of her book bag the first day of school when she’d bumped into Landon. Jen must have picked up the diary—and kept it!

  “Mackenzie Carmichael!” a woman shouted from the stage. “You’re up next!”

  What should she do? No matter how well Zee sang, it would look like she was the one who stole Kathi’s song.

  “Mackenzie Carmichael!” the voice called out again.

  “Ummmm…” Mackenzie called up to the woman. “I’m good. I don’t need to rehearse.”

  “Are you sure? You won’t get another chance until the real deal.”

  Zee nodded. “I’m sure.”

  Only she wasn’t. Ohmylanta! She had to figure out what to do. Of course, she was going to need Ally’s help.

  E-ZEE: I can’t believe I trusted Kathi and Jen.

  At home that night, Zee told Ally all about what had happened that day, then waited for Ally’s reply. She wouldn’t have blamed her if she had said, “I told you so.”

  SPARKLEGRRL: Every 1 makes mistakes. U just want 2 have friends.

  E-ZEE: So how did I end up w NO friends?

  SPARKLEGRRL: I’m ur friend.?

  E-ZEE: BFF!!! But I don’t think Jasper and Chloe will ever want 2 b my friends again.

  SPARKLEGRRL: Don’t b so sure. Think about all the little fights we’ve had. All we had 2 do was say, “I’m sorry,” and everything was OK.

  E-ZEE: OMG!!!!

  SPARKLEGRRL: What??!!

  E-ZEE: I never said I was sorry 4 accusing them.

  SPARKLEGRRL: U should.

  E-ZEE: I will!!! But 1st tell me what ur mother did when she found out u wore those high heels.

  SPARKLEGRRL: Nothing. She said my sore butt was probably a good enuf reason 4 me NOT to do it again.

  E-ZEE: LOL!

  SPARKLEGRRL: And I met a boy. He says he likes my trés Americaine look—even my sneakers! We’re goin
g 2 go 2 the Eiffel Tower—très touristy—and get pizza. It’s his favorite American food. Mine 2!

  Before Zee could shut down her computer for the night, she had an email to write.

  Hi, Chloe and Jasper,

  I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but I need to tell you that I’m sorry. I know you would never take my diary. I kind of went crazy and wasn’t thinking. You are great friends. And even though I wouldn’t blame you if you never spoke to me again, I hope you will. (Please.)

  Zee

  Then she turned out the lights and crawled into bed.

  15

  The Apology

  The next morning, Zee had another apology to make. She headed straight for the music room.

  It was still pretty early, so Mr. P was alone in the room. But he barely looked like the eager new teacher from the first day. Or the cool international rock-and-roll star from his concert. Dark circles hung under his eyes. His hair was sticking up all over the place. And his shirt was misbuttoned. Mr. P must have felt as bad as he looked. He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

  “I’m sorry,” Zee blurted out.

  Mr. P looked up. “For what?”

  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you at your concert.”

  Mr. P looked confused. “You didn’t embarrass me. Actually I was very happy to see some friendly faces. The whole night was outrageously nerve-racking.”

  Zee wasn’t going to let herself off that easy. “Maybe we shouldn’t have brought up that you’re a teacher—you know, since you used to be such a big rock star.”

  Mr. P laughed, stood up, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, I’d say I was a medium rock star.” He paused and looked at Zee. “But it was my choice to leave. All the touring and recording just weren’t fun anymore. When work isn’t fun, it’s time to try something new. And being a teacher is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

  Zee examined his exhausted expression and wondered if it was still something he wanted to do. “Is teaching fun?” she asked carefully.

  Mr. P’s face lit up for the first time all morning. “Teaching is fun, but…challenging…sometimes.” His smile disappeared as he said, “I hope I can meet those challenges—before it’s too late.”

  “Too late for what?” Zee asked.

  Mr. P sighed. “It’s just an expression.” Then he perked up a little again. “How did rehearsal go yesterday?”

  “Ohmylanta!” Zee said. She’d been so focused on apologizing to Mr. P, she’d forgotten about her song crisis.

  “What?”

  “It’s just an expression, too,” Zee said, shrugging. Then she told Mr. P that her diary and song were stolen. She didn’t mention Kathi’s name. He’d figure it out when he heard Kathi sing. “Since I don’t have a song, I may not audition for Teen Sing after all.”

  “You’re just going to quit?” When Mr. P put it that way, it sounded so awful. Zee’s teacher laid a hand on her shoulder and looked at her seriously. “At some point, you have to stand up to those people.”

  “Did anything like this ever happen to you?” Zee asked.

  Mr. P nodded. “The first professional band I was in, one of the other guys got a solo deal and stole my song.”

  “What did you do?”

  “After I finished yelling at him and calling him names, there was nothing I could do. Then I realized that only musicians who are afraid they don’t have talent steal from other people.”

  “He wasn’t talented?”

  “He was. But he wasn’t cut out to be a soloist.” Mr. P gave a sly smile. “Of course, it made me kind of happy that that song was the only hit he ever had.”

  Zee thought about what Mr. P had told her. “I’m still not sure what to do about Teen Sing.”

  “Pick a new song. There are lots of them out there.”

  “But I want to write my own. I want to be a singer and a songwriter. I want to stand out.”

  “So do it.” He moved over to the piano and sat down on the bench. “What have you been working on?”

  Zee followed her teacher across the room. “It’s a song about my favorite nail polish—Miami Sunset. But I’m stuck on a rhyme for orange.”

  “I see.” Thinking, Mr. P moved his lips from side to side. He laid his fingers on the piano keys. “It’s great to write about what you know, but it’s really cool when you take a risk and are honest about your feelings.”

  “I’m so scared of being honest,” Zee sighed. “I’m tired of having everyone know my secrets.”

  Mr. P played the piano and sang, “I’m so scared of being honest, so tired of all my secrets.”

  Zee’s eyes grew wide. “Did you just write that?”

  Mr. P smiled. “No, you did. Write the next line.”

  Zee took a deep breath. “There’s a place I used to put them, all the things I was afraid of,” she sang as Mr. P joined in on the piano. She opened her eyes and smiled. “You’re a really good teacher!”

  “Thanks!”

  16

  True Friends

  As soon as class began, Mr. P called Jasper up to be class leader. With a serious expression on his face, Jasper stood very straight and tapped the beat on a music stand with his baton.

  The group was starting to sound better, and Zee played along, but she could barely focus on the music. Had Chloe and Jasper gotten her email? Did they want to be friends? Zee couldn’t tell.

  When the bell finally rang, Jasper and Chloe gathered their instruments and books and left without Zee. I guess they really don’t like me anymore, Zee thought. Maybe we won’t ever be friends again.

  When Zee walked into French class, Jen and Marcus were already there talking to each other.

  “…and my brother said, ‘Next time you burn a CD for me, could you include at least one band I’ve actually heard of?’” Marcus finished. Jen threw her head back and laughed way too hard. Zee hated the thought of having to sit right next to phony Jen, but Madame Frazier had assigned seating.

  Zee slid into her chair and looked straight ahead. “Hi, Zee,” Marcus said.

  “Hi, Marcus,” she answered, still avoiding Jen’s glance.

  Marcus looked from one girl to the other. “Is there something going on I don’t know about?” he asked.

  Jen said to Marcus, “Kinda. Can I talk to Zee in private for a sec?”

  “I’m not even here,” Marcus said, turning around and sticking an index finger in each ear. “La la la la la.”

  Jen swiveled in her seat so that she was facing Zee. Not wanting to give her the satisfaction of her full attention, Zee turned slightly in Jen’s direction. “I’m really sorry, Zee,” Jen apologized. “I thought Kathi was just going to read your diary. I didn’t know she was going to use it against you like that.”

  “But it was mine,” Zee said. “It was nobody else’s business.”

  “I know,” Jen replied, “and I feel awful about what I did. I made a huge mistake.”

  A mistake. Jen’s words echoed in Zee’s head. She knew all about mistakes. All she wanted was an apology. How could she expect Chloe and Jasper to forgive her if she didn’t accept Jen’s? “It’s okay,” she said. And she meant it.

  Zee looked up and down the seventh-grade lunch tables, searching for a place to sit. Since they’d stopped talking to Zee, Jasper and Chloe had avoided her by eating at a different table from the rest of the music class gang. And now there was no way Zee could sit by Kathi, so she’d have to eat somewhere else, too.

  Jen approached with her lunch tray. Good. Maybe she and Jen could sit together. “Hi,” Zee called out to her.

  With Kathi watching from her lunch spot, Jen quietly whispered, “Hi,” without even bothering to look at Zee.

  Unbelievable! Zee thought. Jen might have been sorry, but she was still under Kathi’s spell.

  Zee was stuck. Doomed to eat lunch all by herself for the rest of the year, she took the closest seat. As she unzipped her lunchbox, her Sidekick bu
zzed. A text message read,

  >Want 2 sit w us?

  Zee looked over at Chloe and Jasper, who were smiling at her.

  “Your project was just so awesome!” Zee said as the three friends walked down the sun-filled halls toward science together. She had so much to tell them, she was practically bursting. “You won’t believe what Kathi’s parents are doing to Mr. P. I think they’re trying to get him fired.”

  “Really?” Jasper said.

  “I mean, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even be auditioning for Teen Sing,” Zee continued. Their conversation was interrupted by loud voices coming out of the head of school’s office.

  “We chose this school for our daughter because of the excellent music program.” A woman’s voice drifted through the closed door to the hall. “They haven’t seen a note of classical music. This Mr…. P…doesn’t know what he’s doing. If you don’t fix the problem, we will have to consider withdrawing her—and we’ll expect our tuition back.”

  Then the head of school’s door flew open. A tall woman in a dark gray business suit passed through it, then suddenly stopped when she saw Chloe. “Hi, honey,” she said in a smooth Southern accent. She smiled warmly.

  Chloe looked from the woman to Zee and back to the woman. “Hi, Mom,” she answered awkwardly.

  Ohmylanta! Zee thought. That isn’t Kathi’s mother! It’s Chloe’s. Now Zee understood why Chloe couldn’t go to the amphitheater and couldn’t audition for Teen Sing. Her parents didn’t approve of Mr. P.

  “Mom, this is my friend Zee,” Chloe said.

  Mrs. Lawrence-Johnson smiled at Zee. “I’m so happy to meet you.” Zee wanted to be angry with Chloe’s mother. After all, she was trying to get her favorite teacher fired. But she couldn’t ignore this other, kinder side of Mrs. Lawrence-Johnson. Especially when she rubbed her hands together and asked, “Who wants to go to Wink! after school? I just won my case this morning, and I’m dying to celebrate.”