Your Life, but Cooler

by Crystal Velasquez

  But you just shake your head as if you pity them. “No, you blew it. No one bosses me around. But your boss looks pretty mad,” you say, nodding at Mona, whose porcelain face is red with rage. “She already hated me before, so it’s no biggie. But you guys probably have a rough year ahead, am I right?”

  The two of them look in Mona’s direction and wilt in their seats. “Great,” Lisa says miserably.

  Yes, it is pretty great.

  When you finally find your friends in the midst of the crowd of kids who are still milling around, congratulating Jasmine and all the others who made it into the choir, you aren’t sure if they’re going to hug you or bite your head off.

  “Um, hey, guys,” you say uncertainly. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Of course!” Jessie shouts, pulling you in for a tight squeeze.

  “Wait…you’re not mad?” you ask her. “I thought for sure you’d hate me forever for voting for Jasmine over you.”

  Jess curls her fists and plants them on her hips. It’s her classic “You’re being a blockhead” move. “Come on, gimme a little credit, will ya? Even I can see that Jasmine totally deserved it. Who knew that beneath that teacher’s-pet surface lurked a musical genius?”

  You breathe out in relief, releasing all the tension you’ve been holding in for the past few hours.

  “I know, right? And did you see Mona’s face? I think her head might explode!” you say.

  Your friends giggle a little. “If she thinks this was bad,” Lena says, “just wait until she reads about it all over again in our blog!”

  Charlie beams proudly. “It’s our best work yet, if I do say so myself.”

  Just then you see Melanie and Kevin coming toward you. Both of them used to be good friends of yours when you were little. But over the years you’ve ended up on different sides of the social fence. “Hey,” Melanie cuts in, patting you on the back. Kevin is right behind her, looking at you with what you think is respect in his eyes. “I just wanted to say it was really cool what you did up there, not automatically voting for Mona. A little birdie told me there was some pressure for you to do that.” (Your guess? A little birdie = Amy Choi. Somehow that girl knows all!)

  “Yeah,” Kevin adds. “I’m not sure I would have had the guts.”

  “Thanks, guys,” you say, feeling truly proud of yourself for the first time today. Not only did you hand the victory to the right person, but by standing up to Mona’s crew, you have taken a brick out of the wall that is separating the cliques. Feeling like you’re on a roll, you decide to see if you can take out a few more.

  “Listen, if you guys aren’t doing anything now, would you want to go see an awesome art exhibit at the community center? Our very own Jimmy Morehouse is showing his paintings and it’s sure to be even cooler than this audition was.”

  You know they wouldn’t normally go to anything that wasn’t clique-approved, but right now they’re open to it. Melanie shrugs. “Sure, sounds like fun. Mind if I invite people?”

  “Not at all!” you exclaim. “In fact, invite everybody. No one will want to miss this.”

  When Melanie and Kevin disappear back into the crowd to start spreading the word, Jessie warns, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Jimmy looked pretty stressed out about his show. He might not love it if a million people show up.”

  You slide your arm around her shoulders, smiling confidently. “He won’t mind if all those people are friends.”

  Hooray! At last, something good happened to a good person (Jasmine took the solo spot), justice was served (Mona didn’t), and you stood up to a set of bullies who thought you would be easy to push around (not a chance). Jessie may not have exactly rocked the house, but she gave a respectable performance and even scored a few votes! The mood is so positive that even the cliques are starting to disintegrate all on their own. Might as well keep the good vibes going and invite everyone out to an event that will strengthen your new bonds—and make your heart beat a little faster.

  QUIZ TIME!

  No time for quizzes now. Your favorite artist awaits! Head over to Chapter 20.

  You are one laid-back lady! You don’t mind not having control over the whole world. To you, it’s much more fun to just let things happen. And since you enjoy your own freedom, you never try to boss other people around. But be careful not to relinquish all control. (Your wreck of a backpack, for example, could probably use a little management!)

  You take your seat next to Charlie and Lena in the auditorium, where the auditions are taking place, having absolutely no idea what to expect. You haven’t really gotten to talk to Jessie since gym class, so you have no clue how your BFF is feeling, which is unusual for the two of you. Then again, nothing about today has been usual. You’re not even sure if she is still your BFF or if she’ll forget all about you and Lena and upgrade to Shawna and Dionne.

  “Have you talked to Jessie?” you whisper to Lena as the auditions begin. “I mean, where is she? And is she ready for this?”

  “Shh,” Lena whispers back, holding her caramel-colored index finger over her full lips. “We’re trying to listen. This is the big finale for the blog.”

  You stop talking for a minute, then anxiously lean over again. “But seriously, what’s going on with her?”

  “Shh,” Lena repeats. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Ugh. You hate it when Lena is cryptic. That means something is going on and everybody knows it but you. You can barely sit still through the barrage of hopefuls grabbing the mike. But finally something happens to take your mind off Jessie temporarily.

  Mona Winston takes the stage, looking Gossip Girl stylish, of course, in her black leggings, wrap dress, and matching headband. Each strand of her long black hair seems to have been placed there by a professional. Given Mona’s modeling connections, maybe they were!

  But along with all the fashion-forward clothes, Mona is wearing a smug grin that makes you want to boo her off the stage. If there is any justice in the world, her singing voice will be as sour as her attitude.

  Mona grabs the mike and launches into the first stanza of Miley’s “Party in the USA,” and that seals it. There is no justice in the world. As much as it kills you to admit it, Mona has some skills. Not only does she have a decent voice, she knows how to work the crowd, getting them to wave their arms back and forth with her when she sings “I put my hands up, they’re playing my sooong.” You want to hate on her performance, but you just can’t—she’s good. Bummer.

  When she finishes, you begrudgingly clap along with everyone else. Even though she isn’t your favorite person, you believe in giving credit where credit is due.

  But if you thought Mona was good, you haven’t heard anything yet. Jasmine Viera is next to hit the stage, and her version of “Apologize” by One Republic stuns the whole room into silence. Even Mona’s conceited grin falters when faced with Jasmine’s downright angelic voice. Who knew that a girl who spent so much time being the teacher’s pet could sing like that? Like you mentioned before: Today has been anything but usual. She gets even more applause than Mona did. (As you can imagine, Mona isn’t pleased.)

  As thrilled as you are that Jasmine just smoked Mona’s performance, you are now twice as nervous for Jessie. How is she supposed to follow those two and survive? If it were you, you’d be tempted to back out. But you know Jessie has too much backbone to do that. It’s one of the things you admire most about her. Even if she has defected to the popular clique, you’re still rooting for your friend. But where is she?

  Just when you are about to ask Lena again, fully prepared to get shushed for the third time, Jessie Miller enters the room. There are gasps all over the auditorium as she bravely walks up to the microphone. Sometime between when you saw her during gym and right now, Jessie transformed into a total goddess. Her golden blond wavy hair, which she usually keeps bound up in a high ponytail, is cascading down around her shoulders like a lion’s mane. And instead of the jeans and turtleneck she was wearing earlier, she
is wearing a sparkly purple tank top, a flowing purple chiffon skirt, and matching knee-high boots. The only part of her outfit that you recognize from before are the signature bangles jangling around her wrists. For a second there, you thought Taylor Swift had shown up to audition!

  “Wha…?” you gasp. “When did all this happen?”

  But Jessie’s new glammed-up appearance isn’t the only surprise. Her actual performance ends up being the biggest shock of all. She is still singing the song you picked out for her, Miley’s “7 Things,” but it’s the way she’s singing it. She may not have the best voice in the room, but she’s got real stage presence! Even without any stage lights on, Jessie seems to be glowing. And she’s kind of acting out the lyrics, really leaning into some of the notes and giving them life. By the middle of the song, all the kids (and some of the teachers) are up on their feet, cheering for her as if this is a real concert instead of a school audition. Wow. Just…wow!

  Needless to say, the applause she gets when she leaves the stage is deafening, and you aren’t the only one to give her a standing ovation. There are even some cries of “Encore! Encore!”

  Well, if Jessie wasn’t part of the popular crowd before, she certainly will be a candidate now.

  After Mr. Parker gives the judges a few minutes to vote, he asks each judge to name their choice for soloist. Jasmine and Mona each get a few votes, but Jessie wins by a landslide! It is the upset of the year! The crowd goes wild, and Jessie is immediately surrounded by what seems like a thousand kids all wanting to congratulate her.

  “Yes!” Lena yells, jumping to her feet and throwing her journalistic objectivity right out the window. “Woooohoooo! Go, Jessie!”

  You are just as excited, but you doubt Jessie is going to come celebrate with you. Look at her. She’s practically a celebrity now! Shawna, Dionne, and Adam even push through the crowd to hug her. You figure Jess will probably go off with her new friends afterward to celebrate, so you hang back, feeling…well, you’re not sure how you feel. Is it possible to be extremely happy and extremely sad at the same time? ’Cause you’re so there.

  You tell Lena you have to go and start heading for the door. You’re almost at the exit when you get tackled from behind.

  “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Jessie yells, squeezing you so hard you can’t breathe. “Can you believe it? I won. I won!” She swings you from side to side with a strength that can only come from a huge rush of adrenaline, and you squeal and laugh.

  “I know! It’s awesome,” you finally gasp. “But would you mind letting go now? My face is turning blue.”

  “Oh!” Jessie lets go right away and then swings you around so that you’re facing her. “Sorry, I’m just so excited! I can’t believe I won. But I guess between you picking out the perfect song, and Shawna, Dionne, and Adam helping me out with—”

  “Wait—they helped you with the audition?”

  “Totally!” Jessie gushes. “I wasn’t sure they were allowed to, since they’re judges and all. But they didn’t promise to vote for me or anything. And I think Lisa and some of the other girls actually wanted me to fail. They kept telling me to sing that Taylor Swift song, which I know now was all wrong for me. But Shawna and Dionne told me not to listen to them. They gave me some great performance tips, and then Adam remembered that there was this purple outfit left over from the production of Xanadu that might fit me. Letting my hair down was my idea. What do you think?”

  “I think Taylor Swift better make way for you! You were amazing! I’m so proud of you.”

  Jessie bounces up and down excitedly and claps her hands like a little girl. Same old Jessie. So the popular kids really did help her. Maybe they aren’t all the monsters you make them out to be.

  “Thanks!”

  While Charlie goes to interview the other new choir members (Lizette, Jasmine, and Kevin all got in; Mark, not so much), Lena joins you and Taylor—uh, that is, Jessie—for your lovefest. “So did you tell her yet?” Lena asks Jessie.

  “What, about Shawna and those guys helping her with the audition? Yeah.”

  “No, not that. The other thing.”

  There’s another thing? You’re not sure you can take any more surprises.

  “Not yet,” Jessie answers with a smile. She claps her hands again and bounces so that her skirt swirls out like a small purple cream puff. “You know Adam, right?” she says to you.

  “Duh,” you deadpan. “Everybody knows who Adam is.”

  “Right, well, the reason I ran off after gym wasn’t only because I wanted to go practice. Adam wanted to talk to me alone because…he likes you! He wants to ask you out to a movie.”

  Jess is talking so fast right now that you don’t catch what she’s saying. “Wait, slow down,” you beg her. “I can’t understand you. To me it sounded like you said ‘Adam likes you.’ But that can’t be right.”

  Jessie squeals again, her blue eyes rounding into saucers. “It is! He said he thought the fact that you told me the truth and picked out a better song was really cool. He’s wanted to meet you ever since. I’m not sure if you’ll like him or not, but he was even checking you out in gym class. Didn’t you notice?”

  “Um, no.” You were too busy thinking your friendship was ending to realize that Jessie would never do that to you. You turn to Lena. “And you knew about this?”

  “I did…and it’s been killing me to keep it in! But I was sworn to secrecy, and a good journalist knows how to be discreet.”

  “So, what should I tell him? Do you want to go see a movie with him tonight?” While your friends stare at you, waiting for your answer, Adam himself comes sauntering over.

  “Uhh…Lena, let’s go find Charlie,” Jessie spits out quickly. In a flash, they’re gone and you’re left alone with Adam.

  “Hi there,” Adam says smoothly, running his hand through his silky blond hair.

  “Hi.” And there you have it, folks. The first conversation between you and superpopular Adam.

  “So, I guess Jessie told you that I’ll be taking you to the movies.”

  “Well, nooo. Jessie told me you’d be asking me to the movies.”

  Adam looks confused for a second. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.” He fixes the swoop in his hair again with one hand and taps his fingers against his jeans. “So I heard what you did for Jessie. Good looking out.”

  “Oh, thanks. It’s just what any good friend would do.”

  “It’s too bad I didn’t know you and her were so cool this whole time. I would have rescued you from your side of the lunchroom a lot sooner.”

  “Rescued?” you ask, watching him fix his hair yet again.

  “Well, yeah, I just mean, most of the kids who sit on your side of the caf are kind of…”

  “They’re kind of awesome,” you finish for him. And there you have it, folks! What might be the last conversation between you and superpopular Adam. The kids on your side of the cafeteria might be indefinable misfits, but they’re also your friends.

  Is it really possible to have a heart attack from too many surprises? If so, someone really ought to get you to a hospital, STAT! First Mona, Jasmine, and of course Jessie blow you away with unexpectedly great auditions. Then you find out that some of the popular girls are not so mean after all. And now you hear that Adam has a thing for you, and Lena knew about it all along? It’s too much! You were definitely interested in getting to know Adam better until you realized that he’s still a little stuck-up. Hopefully he’ll grow out of that. For now, you’d rather spend time with someone who really understands you.

  QUIZ TIME!

  No need for a quiz. Anybody who knows you (and that should include you by now) knows where you’re heading next. So fly over to Chapter 20.

  Crystal Velasquez is the author of four books in the Maya & Miguel series—My Twin Brother/My Twin Sister, Neighborhood Friends, The Valentine Machine, and Paint the Town—and Your Life, but Better!, her first book for older readers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in creativ
e writing from Pennsylvania State University and is a graduate of the New York University Summer Publishing Institute. Currently a production editor and a freelance proofreader, she lives in Flushing, Queens, in New York City. Visit the author’s Web site at www.crystalvelasquez.com.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2010 by Crystal Velasquez

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

  Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Velasquez, Crystal.

  Your life, but cooler / by Crystal Velasquez. —1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: As a middle school girl trying to decide whether to audition for the choir which might perform at Carnegie Hall, the reader determines the outcome of the story by taking personality quizzes interspersed throughout the text.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89671-2

  1. Plot-your-own-stories. [1. Auditions —Fiction. 2. Singing —Fiction.

  3. Interpersonal relations —Fiction. 4. Middle schools —Fiction. 5. Schools —

  Fiction. 6. Plot-your-own-stories.] I. Title.

  PZ7.V4877Yp 2010

  [Fic]—dc22

  2009050522

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v3.0