Take the Stage

by JoJo Siwa

  “Thanks for squeezing me in,” Kyra replied as she sat on the chair opposite Grace. “Can I talk while you do this, or do I need to sit still?”

  “You can talk if you want to,” Grace replied. “I pretty much know what you look like, since we’ve spent so much time together.”

  “Yeah, not that it’s been nice times, though . . . ,” Kyra said. She cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. “I wanted to apologize again. I am so sorry that I was so mean to you. You never did anything to me, and you definitely did not deserve it.”

  “Thank you.” Grace looked up for a moment to meet Kyra’s eyes. “I really do appreciate the apology,” she said as she began sketching again. “I’m glad to know I didn’t do anything . . . but can you tell me why? I mean, why don’t you like me?”

  Kyra took a deep breath. She knew that if she told Grace that she’d been jealous of her, she might risk Grace never wanting to be her friend. But then she remembered what JoJo had told her about apologizing because it was the right thing to do and not just to be forgiven. Kyra knew JoJo was right. Grace deserved the truth.

  “I do like you!” Kyra said firmly. “Especially now that I’ve gotten to know you a little better today. You’re so nice,” she added sincerely. “I just . . . I . . . I was jealous,” she said finally.

  “Jealous? Of me?” Grace couldn’t believe it. “Why?”

  “When I moved here last year, I didn’t really make any friends at school. When I found out about the block party, I knew it would be a great opportunity to get to know Miley and Jacob and JoJo.” Kyra fidgeted on her chair as she spoke. “I knew who Miley was from school—she was in a different class than me, so I didn’t know her that well—but she’s so cool and nice . . . everyone likes her. And I knew she was best friends with JoJo, and I was so excited to meet her. I wanted to be their new friend.” She put her head down and then, remembering that Grace was drawing her portrait, looked back up. “And then you showed up, and they had already decided to be friends with you, and I . . . I was jealous that you’d met them first. I was afraid they wouldn’t have room in their lives for another new friend.”

  Grace stopped sketching for a moment. “Wow, I never thought about that . . . ,” she said slowly. “I just thought you didn’t like me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I like you?” Kyra asked. “I mean, you’re nice and fun and funny . . . and a really great artist! I thought you must have known I was jealous all along . . .”

  “Nope, not at all.” Grace shook her head. “You know, we have something in common. I had a hard time making friends at my old school, and I was super nervous about moving here. I was so excited when I met JoJo. Not because of how famous she is, just because she was so nice and wanted to be my friend. I kind of couldn’t believe it!”

  “It is pretty amazing how nice she is!” Kyra agreed. “But, seriously—you are really great. It’s no wonder JoJo, Miley, and Jacob chose you to be their friend.”

  Grace smiled as she started sketching again. “Here’s the thing, Kyra.” She looked up briefly to meet Kyra’s eyes again. “It’s not like JoJo and her friends can only have one new friend. I think they want to be friends with you too.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Kyra replied, her cheeks coloring. “JoJo actually said the same thing, but, I mean, after the way I acted . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  Grace could tell that Kyra was really and truly sorry for how she’d behaved. And she knew right then that she could forgive her.

  “You can take my word for it,” Grace said after a moment. “One thing I know about my new friends is that they always have room for another friend. You can count on that!”

  Grace’s pencil finally stopped moving on the paper. She held the portrait out in front of her to give it a good look and then, deciding it was done, turned it around to show Kyra.

  Kyra’s face lit up with the warmest smile Grace had ever seen.

  “I absolutely love it,” she exclaimed. “Will you sign the bottom?”

  “Oh, sure.” Grace blushed. No one had ever asked her to sign one of her portraits. She took the picture back and wrote:

  To my new friend Kyra. xoxo, Grace.

  CHAPTER 11

  “I think I’m going to see if I can use this portrait as my class picture,” Jacob was saying. He held out his portrait for Miley and JoJo to see. “I mean, look at how good I look! Grace somehow made my hair look even cooler than it does in real life. And she captured my braces perfectly!”

  “Wow, that’s so good!” Miley agreed.

  “Maybe you should take the picture to the hairdresser,” JoJo teased. Jacob pretended to look wounded. “I’m kidding,” JoJo assured her friend. “You know I love you . . . and your funky hair.”

  Jacob grinned as he ran a hand through his shaggy mop. “By this time next month, my hair will be all grown out, and you guys will see my creative vision.”

  “If you say so, Jacob,” Miley joked.

  JoJo and her friends were hanging out in the backstage area. JoJo and BowBow were due to perform in a few minutes. JoJo had just decided moments before that she was going to perform “Kid in a Candy Store.” It had been a hard call to make—she loved all her hit songs so much.

  “JoJo, Grace and Kyra are here and wanted to say a quick hello before you go onstage,” her mom said, walking toward them.

  For the hundredth time that hour, JoJo wondered how things had gone between Kyra and Grace. She’d been dying to know if Grace was okay, but she also knew she had to give the two girls some space to talk things out on their own. She’d kept a close eye on her phone the whole time, just in case Grace had texted to say she needed her.

  As JoJo caught sight of Grace and Kyra, she felt a rush of relief. They were both smiling as they approached the group.

  “Hey, guys,” JoJo said.

  Before she could continue, Kyra spoke up.

  “I wanted to apologize to all of you,” she began. “I am so sorry that I’ve been difficult to deal with. I already explained this to Grace, but I was really jealous of her. I wanted to be friends with you guys so much that I got jealous of Grace for meeting you first and getting to be your friend.” She stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “Now that I’ve gotten to know Grace a little bit today, I can totally see why you all want to be friends with her—she’s amazing! She helped me out today even after I was horrible to her. She’s a really good friend, and you guys are all lucky to have each other. So I just wanted to say I’m sorry and to let you know I won’t act so mean anymore.”

  Miley, Jacob, and JoJo were silent as Kyra’s words sank in. JoJo looked at Grace and could tell that she had forgiven Kyra. If Grace could forgive Kyra, then JoJo knew she could too.

  “Um, I guess I’ll be going now, but I can’t wait for your performance, JoJo,” Kyra added. She started to walk away, but JoJo called her back.

  “So, I was telling Kyra earlier . . . ,” JoJo said, looking at the faces of her friends, new and old, “that there’s always room for new friends, right?”

  “That’s right,” Grace cheered.

  “Definitely,” Miley agreed, her arms outstretched.

  “Ugh, are we all going to hug now?” Jacob joked.

  “JoJo, time to go!” Jessalynn called.

  “One second!” JoJo called back. She scooped up BowBow so she could be part of the group hug with her friends. Just as they were pulling apart, Miley put her hand in the center of the circle, and the rest of the friends did the same. “What’s going on?” JoJo asked. Then she realized. She placed her hand in the center of the circle and beamed with excitement as her friends all cheered, “Go, JoJo and BowBow!”

  JoJo and BowBow waited just offstage. Kyra’s mom, the head of the block party committee, was onstage introducing JoJo.

  “Before we bring out the biggest star of our neighborhood, I wanted to thank my daughter, Kyra, for organizing the entertainment for this block party. Kyra, can you come up here for a moment?”

  JoJo
cheered as Kyra slowly made her way onstage. She looked really nervous. JoJo got it; the first time you stared out at a sea of faces from a stage was a moment you never forgot!

  Borrowing the microphone from her mom, Kyra cleared her throat and spoke slowly and carefully. “My mom put me in charge of the entertainment, but the truth is, I never could have done any of it without the help of my friends,” Kyra said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. “So I’d like to thank JoJo, Miley, Jacob, and Grace. Especially Grace—she’s the one who drew all those amazing portraits!” Kyra paused as the crowd cheered for Grace. The cheers kept going until Grace finally came up onstage too. She linked arms with Kyra, and the two friends took a bow together.

  JoJo clapped from her spot offstage, and BowBow barked her approval.

  “And now, without further ado . . . ,” Kyra’s mom said. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for . . .”

  JoJo felt the electric buzz of excitement ripple through her. She couldn’t wait to perform. And, as she ran onstage, she had an amazing idea. In that exact moment she knew for sure which song she wanted to perform, and it wasn’t “Kid in a Candy Store” after all.

  She grabbed the microphone and instead of immediately bursting into song, she cleared her throat and waved to the audience. The crowd went wild.

  “Wow, thank you!” JoJo grinned. She could see her friends and family in the front row.

  “It feels amazing to be out here, ready to perform at home. Thank you so much for coming!”

  The crowed exploded with applause. It was so loud, it sounded like thunder! “And before I begin, I want to dedicate this song to my two newest friends—Grace and Kyra. Guys, this one’s for you!”

  And then JoJo broke into “Boomerang,” because she had realized while she watched her friends from backstage, both girls had done a pretty amazing job of coming back . . . just like a boomerang!

  As JoJo sang, it became clear that the crowd was not going to be finished dancing after just one song, so she kept going. She broke into “Kid in a Candy Store” and pulled Miley, Grace, Kyra, Jayden, and several of the kids from the dance class onstage. Even Jacob, who didn’t really like to dance, hopped onstage and danced around. After “Kid in a Candy Store,” JoJo kept going. She performed “Hold the Drama,” “Every Girl’s a Super Girl,” and then ended with an encore of “Boomerang.” The whole block was dancing and laughing and singing, and JoJo never wanted it to end. She’d always thought that nothing could top the rush she got from performing. But doing it at home, with her friends, family, and fans onstage with her—that was the best feeling in the world.

  Read on for a sneak peek from

  CHAPTER 1

  “I’ve got to try the special of the day—the heart-shaped pancakes,” JoJo Siwa said, grinning at the waitress as she scribbled away on her notepad. “With strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate sauce.” The waitress nodded, giving JoJo a smile. “Oh, and a glass of orange juice, please!”

  “I’ll have a cup of coffee and the stuffed French toast,” Jessalyn Siwa said, closing her menu and placing it on the table.

  “Mom, how can you pass up the chance to have heart-shaped pancakes? I mean, they only come around once a year!” JoJo exclaimed as the waitress walked away. “It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Heart-shaped foods should be eaten as often as possible!”

  “Well, technically, Valentine’s Day is still almost a month away,” Jess replied, laughing. “Plus, I figured I’d just have a bite of yours.”

  “If I let you.” JoJo wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ll probably want it all to myself. . . .”

  “No problem,” Jess said. “That’s sort of how I’m feeling about my French toast. Remember French toast? Your favorite breakfast when heart-shaped pancakes aren’t on the menu? Don’t worry, I’m sure I can handle it on my own.”

  “Correction: French toast is my favorite when heart-shaped pancakes and donuts aren’t on the menu! But fine. You win. We’ll share.” It was a game they always played—but they both always wound up sharing. JoJo knew the real reason her mom had ordered the stuffed French toast was because she knew how much JoJo loved it and she planned on sharing it with her all along. It was just one of the many things JoJo loved about her mom.

  Speaking of love . . . JoJo loved Valentine’s Day. It was one of her favorite holidays, right up there with Christmas, Halloween, and her birthday. And BowBow’s birthday, of course. BowBow was JoJo’s adorable teacup Yorkie.

  “We should talk about Valentine’s Day, actually,” Jessalyn said, taking a sip of her water. “Your dance workshop will be ending on Valentine’s Day, right? It’s going to be a very busy few weeks between now and then.”

  “That’s right,” JoJo replied. “You know, on second thought, I’m in no rush for it to get here. I don’t want my class to go by too quickly. I can’t believe it’s finally about to start! It feels like I auditioned a million years ago. . . .” JoJo paused as the waitress came by the table to drop off their beverages. “I’m still so excited I made it into the class!”

  “It’s definitely an honor to have gotten one of the spots,” Jessalyn agreed as she poured a little milk into her coffee. “But I’m not surprised. You’ve worked so hard for this.”

  JoJo had auditioned for the dance workshop back in November. There were only ten spots available in the four-week class, which was an immersive multidisciplinary workshop being taught by one of the most famous retired choreographers in the world. Dancers of all ages, from all over the country, had auditioned to be accepted into the workshop. The spots were all awarded on a scholarship basis, which meant the workshop was free to anyone who made it in. JoJo had been ecstatic when she’d received word that she’d earned one of the coveted spots in the workshop and had been counting down the days until it all began. She’d even circled the day in fluorescent-pink marker on her calendar and drawn a bunch of hearts around it. And now the big day was finally here!

  “I can’t wait to see who else will be in the program,” JoJo said, drumming her fingers on the table excitedly. “And what kind of dancers they will be. I remember there were a bunch of classically trained ballerinas at the audition when I was there. I hope some of them made it in—it would be so cool to be dancing alongside professional ballerinas!”

  JoJo had plenty of experience with dance classes, since she’d been performing pretty much her whole life—first for fun, and now professionally. She’d gotten an extra-early start, dancing on stage for the first time when she was just two years old! JoJo always felt right at home in dance class. She couldn’t wait to meet the other dancers in the workshop and experience what she was sure was going to be one of the most exciting and challenging opportunities of her life.

  “I would imagine there will be dancers from all disciplines,” Jessalyn said, sipping her coffee. “And I also wouldn’t be surprised if you are one of the youngest dancers in the workshop, if not the youngest.” Her mom put her mug down. “It’s a good thing you’re used to being the youngest dancer surrounded by older ones.”

  “True,” JoJo nodded. “I’m always up for making new friends and adding some big sisters to my dance family.” Her eyes twinkled, and she bounced in her seat. She was so excited it was hard to sit still!

  Just then, the waitress appeared at the table and plunked down two heavy plates. Jessalyn’s plate held two giant pieces of French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar and oozing maple syrup; but JoJo’s plate was nothing short of spectacular. JoJo inhaled the wonderful, sweet scent of pancakes and admired the perfect heart-shaped stack loaded with strawberries and fudge sauce. Her stomach growled just looking at it.

  “I have to take a picture of these to send to Miley,” she said. The pancakes smelled even better than they looked, which was really saying something. A couple of the strawberries had been cut so they fanned out and formed little rose-shaped garnishes. JoJo snapped a picture of her beautiful breakfast and quickly sent it off to her BFF with some heart emojis. Miley was in school, so JoJo kne
w she wouldn’t be able to reply to the text for a while, but she also knew Miley would be happy to have a text waiting for her later. Unable to wait even one more second, JoJo took an enormous bite.

  “Well, are they as good as they look?” her mom asked while JoJo chewed.

  JoJo nodded and widened her eyes to show her appreciation. “They. Are. Amazing,” she said once she finally swallowed. “Give me your plate.”

  “Only if you’ll take a piece of this ridiculously amazing French toast,” her mom said, cutting off a generous wedge. “Today we’re celebrating.”

  “Deal,” JoJo giggled, trading her mom a wedge of her pancakes for the syrupy French toast. “I’m going to need all the energy I can get today!”

  “BowBow, any last words of wisdom before I leave for class?” JoJo asked.

  A few hours later, JoJo was relaxing with BowBow in her pink-and-teal bedroom. It was almost time to leave for dance class. The morning had seemed to crawl by after breakfast. JoJo had completed all of her homeschool assignments for the day, then changed into her favorite sparkly dancing gear for class. After debating back and forth about which bow gave her the perfect “first day of dance workshop” look, JoJo had finally settled on black with clear rhinestones. It was one of her favorites, and it looked really cute with her black leggings and hot-pink, sequined top.

  “Um, excuse me. BowBow! I asked you a question. . . .”

  As if on cue, BowBow yipped.

  “That’s excellent advice!” JoJo cried, scooping up her little dog up and giving her a kiss on the head. “I will definitely make sure to have the best time!”

  JoJo placed BowBow back on the ground and took one last look around her room to make sure she had everything she needed. She triple-checked her backpack, making sure her lucky water bottle was there, along with her favorite hair ties. She was pretty sure she had everything. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that rested over her dresser and gave it a smile. “Let’s do this,” she told her reflection. She looked sparkly. She looked good. She looked like a dancer who was ready for anything.