by Chloe Taylor
Zoey stared at Priti. She was dressed from top to toe in black, just like she’d been every day since school started.
“Um . . . so . . .” Zoey looked pointedly at Priti’s black ensemble.
“Oh . . . yeah. Well, I’ve been bringing the clothes I want to wear in my backpack and changing in the bathroom when I get to school,” Priti said sheepishly. “My parents are making all the other decisions in my life without giving me a say, so shouldn’t I at least be able to pick what I get to wear?”
Zoey didn’t like the idea of disobeying her parents, but on the other hand, her dad hadn’t ever forbidden her from wearing the clothes she wanted to wear. And she’d never had to go through her parents getting divorced. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like.
“Seems fair to me, but what happens if they find out?”
“I’ll worry about that if they do,” Priti said. “But I know Libby and Kate feel the same way about my look as Mom and Dad, so I’m extra-specially grateful that you’re being so supportive.”
“Hey, I’m all about experimenting with new ideas and looks. After the first-day-of-school outfit, I’m learning how to deal with what happens when I don’t pull them off,” Zoey said.
Priti laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Thanks, but it wasn’t my most successful look either,” Zoey said. “But that’s okay. Not everyone’s going to like everything I design. I’m just glad you like this!”
At lunch, Kate told her friends that whatever excitement she’d felt about taking piano lessons was well and truly gone. She hated the piano.
“I seriously wish I’d broken my fingers instead of hurt my elbow,” she complained. “Then I wouldn’t have to take lessons anymore.”
“Why don’t you just tell your mom how much you hate it?” Priti suggested. “Tell her you want to stop taking lessons.”
“I tried that.” Kate sighed. “She just insists I stick with it because no one learns how to play an instrument overnight. Even worse, she starts telling me how disappointed she is that I would want to give up so quickly, because I’ve never shown signs of being a quitter on the sports field.”
“But you love sports,” Libby said. “Maybe you just don’t love piano.”
“I know!” Kate said. “I tried telling her that sports are my thing and that’s why I love them. But Mom says that piano talent runs in our family, so she’s sure I have musical talent hidden inside.” She sighed again. “All I can say is that it must be hidden very deep inside, because I don’t see any sign of it. Neither does my piano teacher, from what I can tell.”
“Maybe if you keep at it for a little longer and you’re still miserable, you can try talking to her again,” Zoey suggested.
“I just hope the doctor says I can go back to playing sports soon,” Kate said. “Because it stinks not being able to do what I really enjoy.”
Zoey could understand that. She hoped Kate could get back to sports again soon, too.
Ever since the photo session with Gabe on Wednesday, Zoey had been looking forward to meeting up with him again on Sunday to pose for his photography project. They met at the public library.
“My idea was to shoot you in interesting poses by the statues in the courtyard,” Gabe said.
“Um . . . what do you mean by interesting poses?” Zoey asked.
“Just have fun with it, Zoey,” Gabe said. “You’re always interesting!”
Zoey smiled. Being interesting was a good thing, right?
Once again, Zoey had a great time hanging out with Gabe. They made each other laugh, and Gabe encouraged Zoey to be dramatic and then silly, so he could get different looks and facial expressions.
“You’re a great subject,” Gabe said when they were finished and waiting to be picked up. “I’ll have to use you for another photo project.”
Marcus pulled up then.
“Any time. It was fun,” Zoey said. “See you in school tomorrow!”
When Zoey did see Gabe in school later that week, she mentioned getting together again on Thursday.
“Oh, yeah. I can’t. I’m . . . um . . . really busy this week,” he said, blushing slightly.
“Okay,” Zoey said. “Maybe next week, then.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Gabe said.
“When’s good for you?” Zoey asked.
“I don’t know yet. Let’s see how it goes.” He didn’t quite meet her eyes.
Zoey was confused. She really enjoyed hanging out with Gabe, and she thought he enjoyed hanging out with her. She’d also thought he’d had a crush on her, especially after what he’d written in her yearbook at the end of last year.
But now that she wanted to hang out with him, he didn’t seem to want to hang out with her so much. She liked Gabe the more she got to know him, but maybe he didn’t feel the same way. Did Gabe like the idea of Zoey more than actual Zoey?
CHAPTER 7
Got Goth?
Even though I’m still not 100 percent used to seeing Priti, the queen of color and sparkle, dressing in black every day, I want to support her the way she always supports me. So I designed her a superfab lace-and-rivets outfit of her very own. I threw in a few black sparkles around the neckline just for fun—and because I believe that somewhere inside, Colorful and Sparkly Priti is still there under all the dark clothing. Maybe I’ll convince her to accessorize with a splash of color on the outside, too, once in a while. Or maybe we can go to the Perfect Ten for a mani-pedi, and she can get colorful fingers and toes. I mean, we all need a little bit of color in our lives, don’t we?
Am I being too critical for wanting to see a little color on Priti’s fingers and toes when she’s totally into the all-black thing? I want to be a good friend. It’s just weird to see her looking so different from the Priti we know and love. But we’ll get used to it, I’m sure.
Zoey was feeling a little glum the following week when she got home from school. Gabe was still being evasive about getting together. She’d noticed he was spending a lot of time with Josie. But maybe that was just because he wanted to practice speaking French. She’d even seen them sitting together at lunch, though there were other people at the table too.
She quickly scanned her Sew Zoey comments and then checked her e-mail before starting on her homework. One name in her in-box leaped out at her.
Bryn Allen!
Bryn Allen was the teenage star of So Chill, one of Zoey’s favorite sitcoms. When she opened the e-mail and read it, Zoey forgot that she’d been feeling down.
Hey, Sew Zoey,
Hope you don’t mind me e-mailing you out of the blue, but I saw the sketch you did of that adorable goth outfit, and I was wondering if you could make me one for an event I’m going to in a few weeks. Is it too much of a rush job, or can you handle it?
Let me know,
Bryn Allen
I can’t believe it! Zoey thought. A TV star wants to wear one of my designs!
But then she realized that to get the outfit ready for Bryn Allen to wear in a few weeks, she’d have to put off the work on the outfit she was making for Priti. Her friend was having such a tough time lately, having to face the disappointment that her parents weren’t going to get back together and having to get used to her new life of shuttling back and forth between their two houses. Zoey didn’t want to add any more disappointment to Priti’s list. But how could she possibly refuse a request from Bryn Allen? Making something for her would be amazing exposure for Sew Zoey and also just plain exciting.
She waited until lunch the next day to tell her friends.
“I need your help with something,” she said. “I got an e-mail last night from Bryn Allen.”
“Wait . . . you mean THE BRYN ALLEN? The actress?” Priti exclaimed.
Zoey nodded.
“The star of So Chill?” Libby asked.
“That’s the one,” Zoey confirmed.
“Wow!” Kate exclaimed. “What does she want?”
“She saw the outfit I designed for Priti on my b
log, and she wants me to make her one just like it for an event she’s going to,” Zoey said.
“That’s incredible!” Libby said. “Think of all the publicity you’ll get if some magazine prints a picture of her wearing your outfit!”
“I know,” Zoey said. “It’s just . . . the event is in a few weeks, and, Priti, I promised you that I’d make yours. I’d have to put yours on hold to get the one for Bryn done in time.”
“Have you gone totally cray?” Priti said. “Of course you should do the one for Bryn!”
“Are you sure?” Zoey asked.
“Totally sure,” Priti said. “I mean, sure, I was looking forward to wearing the outfit, but you can just make mine as soon as you can after you finish the one for Bryn, right?”
“Definitely,” Zoey assured her. “And I’ll make hers as fast as I can—so I’m hoping it won’t take too long.”
“Now Priti can say that Bryn Allen copied her look,” Kate said with a laugh.
“That’s right!” Zoey said. “Priti Holbrooke, trendsetter.”
Priti preened. “That’s me, girlfriends! Just follow my fashion lead.”
Kate and Libby exchanged dubious glances. They definitely weren’t ready to follow Priti’s lead of wearing all black. Not yet. Maybe not ever!
“I can’t wait to go home and e-mail Bryn Allen back,” Zoey told Libby as they walked to class after lunch.
“I know,” Libby said. “It’s so exciting that she even reads your blog, let alone wants you to make her an outfit.”
“Maybe I’ll get to meet her,” Zoey said. “I mean for fittings and stuff, and—”
She broke off, distracted by the sight of Gabe and Josie walking down the hallway, holding hands and smiling at each other. Zoey felt her heart contract as she suddenly realized the reason why Gabe never seemed to be available anymore. Then she realized that she was jealous, and the force of it surprised her.
“I can’t believe Gabe is holding hands with Josie,” she complained to Libby. “We’ve had so much fun hanging out together recently. I thought he liked me.”
“Zo, you never admitted to like liking Gabe until now, when you’ve suddenly seen him with someone else,” Libby said. “Are you sure it’s not just that you’re suddenly liking him because he’s taken?”
“What?” Zoey said. “I don’t think so. I mean . . .”
She’d have to think about that. She’d always liked Gabe as a friend, but was it just because he was always there to help out or because she really liked liked him?
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Think about it,” Libby suggested. “Hopefully, you didn’t figure out you like him just as he figured out he likes Josie. Because that would stink.”
Later in the day, Zoey caught up with Gabe between classes—this time, he was alone.
“Hi, Gabe,” she said.
“Oh, hi, Zoey!” he said, greeting her with a warm, friendly smile. “How’s it going? Everything good with the website?”
“I’ve noticed an increase in page views since I put up the new pictures,” Zoey said. “But it’s the early days.”
“Great!” he said. “I was pretty sure new pictures would help.”
“How did the project go?”
“I got an A,” Gabe said with a grin. “I’m pretty sure that’s because I had such an awesome subject.”
He was being so adorable and friendly that Zoey wondered if maybe he did like her after all. But then she remembered the hand holding with Josie in the hallway. She decided to just be straightforward and ask him.
“So . . . what’s going on with you and Josie?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going out or something?”
“Not really—she’s a nice girl, though,” Gabe said. “It’s interesting to hear about living in Paris.”
Zoey didn’t understand why he’d be holding hands with Josie if they weren’t going out. And Gabe’s eyes lit up when he spoke about Josie. Zoey went to her next class feeling even more insecure about the whole thing. Boys could be so confusing!
It turned out Zoey wasn’t the only one feeling confused and insecure. When she finally got together with Kate over the weekend, her friend expressed similar feelings.
“You never seem to have time to get together anymore. You’re spending a lot of time with Shannon, and when you do, you don’t want me to hang out with you. Or else you’re hanging out with Gabe, and then it’s the same thing,” Kate complained.
“I’m sorry,” Zoey said. “It’s just that . . .”
Ack! Problem. She couldn’t tell Kate why she wasn’t able to invite her to join her and Shannon because she’d promised to keep it a secret. That promise was getting to be seriously annoying!
“It’s just that I’ve been busy,” she continued, realizing that it sounded like she was making excuses again. But at least she could be honest with Kate about Gabe.
“And to tell you the truth, the reason I didn’t invite you to join in when I hung out with Gabe is because, well, I thought I was starting to get a crush on him. Well, I am kind of getting a crush on him. But now I think he has a crush on Josie.”
“Oh, Zoey,” Kate said, immediately sympathetic.
“The thing is, I like Josie. She’s really nice. And I like Gabe. And I’m not sure if the reason I’m so upset is just because he suddenly likes someone else or because I really like him.”
“Guys are so confusing,” Kate said. “That’s why I like sports. The rules are the rules, so you know what’s what.”
“That’s why I like sewing,” Zoey said. “Because if I make a mistake, I can just rip out the stitches and do it over. It’s harder to do it over with people.”
“I’m glad you’re not ripping me out of your life,” Kate said.
“No way,” Zoey said. “We’re BFFs. And when I say best friends forever, I really mean forever!”
CHAPTER 8
Which Way, Weather Vane?
Do you ever feel torn in lots of different directions? That’s the feeling that inspired today’s designs. Some of the directions are exciting—like when someone famous (!!!) sees a design on your website and wants you to make it for her (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ), but then you feel bad because you’re not working on the one for your friend and you aren’t spending enough time with your other friends and soooo . . . you end up feeling like you don’t know which way to turn first.
Even though it’s all good, sometimes I wish the weather vane would stop spinning for a day or two, so I could just chill. Is this part of growing up? If so, I’m not sure I’m ready.
When Zoey e-mailed back Bryn Allen, Bryn’s response was really enthusiastic. She wrote:
I’m so psyched you’re on board to make my outfit. I can’t wait to wear it! I look forward to meeting you in person when I come for the fitting.
Cheers, Bryn
Bryn included her measurements in the e-mail too.
Come for the fitting?! Bryn Allen come to her house? A real-life TV star? Zoey had only imagined that possibility. But now she had an e-mail from Bryn saying it was really going to happen!
“Dad! Dad! Guess what!” she shouted, racing downstairs to the kitchen where her father was making dinner.
“Well, judging by the excited shouting, I’m guessing either we won the lottery or that it’s something exciting to do with Sew Zoey,” her dad said.
“The second one!” Zoey said. “Bryn Allen liked the outfit I designed for Priti, and she wants me to make her one to wear to some event, and she’s going to come to our house for a fitting!”
“Wait, you mean Bryn Allen from So Chill?” Marcus asked.
“Yes!” Zoey exclaimed.
“Wow,” Marcus said. “She’s famous. Like having her picture in Celebrity magazine famous.”
“Well, I can tell you one thing,” Dad said, “and that’s that we’re all going to do some major cleaning before any famous TV star sets foot in this house. We’ve got to make a good impression.
”
“Between sewing and housecleaning, I’m going to be working nonstop!” Zoey complained.
But work nonstop she did. She came straight home from school every day, did her homework, then focused on Bryn’s outfit, so she could get it ready in time for the fitting appointment she’d arranged with Bryn that weekend.
Of course, Bryn’s imminent arrival at Casa Webber meant Zoey, Marcus, and Dad spent part of every evening cleaning, too, so that the house looked spotless before she arrived.
“I don’t think the house has been this clean before, ever,” Marcus said.
“Maybe not since the day we moved in,” Dad joked.
“She’s going to think we’re freaks,” Zoey said. “The whole house smells like cleaning products.”
“I know. It’s unnatural,” Marcus complained. “We need to get Aunt Lulu to bring Buttons over, so at least there’s something normal about our house, like dog hair on the carpet.”
“No way!” Dad exclaimed. “Not after I just vacuumed! No dog hair till after the star visits!”
Zoey and Marcus exchanged looks.
“Who knew Dad was such a Martha Stewart?” Marcus sighed. “It’s a good thing we don’t have TV stars visiting every day. He’d be totally impossible to live with!”
On the day of the fitting, Zoey was beside herself with excitement. Marcus’s girlfriend, Allie, came over because she was a huge fan of Bryn’s, and she was as excited as Zoey.
“Do you think she’s as funny in person as she is on TV?” Allie asked.
“Who knows?” Marcus said. “When she’s on TV, she’s just performing from a script.”
“I bet she’s funny,” Zoey said. “That can’t all be acting.”
“But that’s why it’s called acting, Zo!” Marcus pointed out. “Because you’re being something you’re not.”
“I still think she’s funny in real life, too,” Zoey said. “She has to be.”