by Tina Wells
Zee’s stomach zoomed back up to her throat as she thought about seeing Jasper. Calm down, she told herself. Obviously, what happened at Brookdale Day was not a big deal. Chloe doesn’t think so, and Jasper probably doesn’t think so, either.
After all, Jasper was incredibly shy. If he really thought Zee like liked him, he probably wouldn’t want to ride to school with her. Convinced that she was making a big deal out of nothing, she texted back:
>Great!
Zee pedaled faster to make up for lost time, sure that everything would be the same as it always had been. But as she got closer to the corner and her friends, she realized she was wrong.
3
Somebody That I Used to Know
From down the street on her bike, Zee could see Jasper squinting hard to bring her into focus. Jasper usually wore silver wire-rimmed glasses, but he wasn’t wearing them. When Zee got closer, Jasper stopped squinting, and a smile spread across his face.
Jasper waved wildly. “Hi, Zee, isn’t this a rahther funny coincidence that I’m riding my bike today, too?” he asked in his British accent.
“Yeah, pretty amazing,” Zee mumbled.
“I’ve been telling Jasper all about the Baby Blast,” Chloe put in.
Jasper nodded. “I’m sure Mr. P will agree that it’s a brilliant idea for The Beans to perform at your mother’s shower.”
“What happened to your glasses?” Zee asked.
“I’m trying out contacts. I’ve had them for a while but I’ve never worn them before.”
“Do they help you see better?”
“I suppose they take some getting used to,” Jasper explained. “They keep moving around, which makes it hard to focus.”
The missing glasses weren’t the only thing that made typically neat Jasper look different. His white shirttail hung out of his uniform pants, his tie was loose around his neck, and a baseball cap was perched on top of his head. Although it was against Brookdale’s dress code, some of the boys dressed that way and got away with it. One of those boys was Landon.
As they biked toward the school, Chloe and Jasper acted as though everything were perfectly normal. So Zee tried to do the same. Unfortunately, she wasn’t very successful.
“So . . . um . . . what do you think the . . . um . . . you know . . . the band teacher—,” Zee stammered. Ohmylanta! Zee thought. Her head was spinning so much, she couldn’t even remember his name!
“Mr. P?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah!” Zee said, relieved that Chloe came to her rescue. “I wonder what Mr. P is going to say about . . . uh . . . um . . .”
“The Beans playing at the Baby Blast?” Chloe said. “Did you get enough sleep last night, Zee?”
“Yes, Zee,” Jasper agreed. “You don’t seem quite yourself.”
I don’t seem quite myself? Zee screamed in her head. You seem like a completely different person!
“I’m fine,” Zee said. But I think I’ll stop talking now.
“Did you watch any soccer matches yesterday?” Chloe asked Jasper.
“After what happened at Brookdale Day, I mostly worked on reprogramming Bluetopia,” Jasper said.
“Oh, how did it go?” Chloe asked.
“It’s ready for everyone to start testing again,” Jasper said. “Just The Beans and a few other people at first this time, though.”
“That’s awesome!” Chloe cheered. “Isn’t it, Zee?”
Zee wasn’t convinced. Now that all of Brookdale and Ally’s friends in Europe knew Zee’s secrets, she wasn’t eager to “test” Jasper’s site again. “Sure,” she said halfheartedly.
“From now on, whenever I do any fixes, I’ll be sure everything is running properly before I make the site live. Will you two help me test it?”
“Absolutely!” Chloe said.
“Brilliant!” Jasper said. “I’ve sent you and the rest of The Beans invitations. This time, I will be the only one who can invite people. That way, things won’t go out of control.” He paused. “I hope.”
“Can’t you watch soccer and work on the computer at the same time?” Chloe asked. “I try to watch the LA Galaxy whenever they’re playing.”
Zee didn’t say anything. Since she wasn’t an athlete like Chloe, or a huge fan like Jasper, she didn’t always have much to add to their conversations about soccer.
“Chloe, I suspect we are boring Zee with our talk about football—I mean, soccer,” Jasper said.
“Since when are you so worried about Zee being bored by soccer? We always talk about soccer.”
Zee shrugged. “It’s OK, Jasper. I’m sure you must get pretty bored by some of the stuff Chloe and I talk about.”
“Like crafts, fashion, and manicures,” Chloe put in.
“Not at all!” Jasper protested. “Actually, I find it all quite interesting.”
“Really?” Chloe and Zee said together.
Jasper nodded in a way that didn’t really convince Zee.
“It’s no biggie,” Zee assured him. “Music is the only thing we all really have totally in common. I guess it’s something everyone shares. I mean, everyone likes some kind of music. It makes us happy. It makes us sad. It—”
Just as Zee realized she was rambling, the trio pulled up to the school grounds. Relieved, Zee rode up to the bike rack.
“Hi, Zee,” someone called out behind her. Zee nearly ran right into the bike rack when she recognized Landon’s voice. Slamming on the brakes, she stopped suddenly and turned around. Next to Landon stood his best friends, Marcus Montgomery and Conrad Mitori.
“Awk-ward,” Conrad pretended to mumble.
“Really?” Marcus asked, looking around. “What’s so awkward? I don’t get it.”
Chloe waved to Marcus and, once she parked her bike, walked over to him. Zee wasn’t sure if she was walking toward him to explain what was awkward or to talk to him about something else. With Chloe going off, that left Zee with Landon and Jasper—and Conrad, who was having fun with Zee’s embarrassment.
Landon pulled the huge backpack from his shoulders, and it landed on the ground with a thud. For the first time, Zee noticed the books in Landon’s arms.
Jasper noticed them, too. “What are those?” he asked.
“Books,” Landon said. “For reading.”
“Yes, I know what books are for,” Jasper said. “I just didn’t realize you did.” Before Landon could respond, Jasper added, “You know, if you had a Kindle or Nook, you wouldn’t have to carry so many books.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Landon said. “I love books!”
“You do?” Zee asked. She had meant to say it in her head, but it accidentally popped out of her mouth.
Jasper laughed. “That’s what I was going to say.”
Landon nodded and looked right at Jasper. “Totally. And since I surf, I’m strong enough to handle a few heavy books.”
“Hey, Jasper!” Conrad interrupted. “Looking good without the glasses.”
“Why, thank you,” Jasper said.
“But what’s up with the untucked shirt and loose tie?” Conrad continued. “I thought that was Landon’s thing.”
Landon stood up a little straighter. Jasper pulled on the bottom of his shirt.
Zee looked from one boy to the other. Jasper was trying to be more like Landon, and Landon was trying to be more like Jasper!
Ohmylanta! Zee thought. It was as if Jasper thought that he could turn Zee’s sort-of crush into a certain crush by being more like the boy she had been crushing on for years. And Landon thought he could make Zee like him again if he was more like the boy she was crushing on now!
As if all of that weren’t bad enough, Kathi Barney and her best friend, Jen Calvarez, walked over to them.
Kathi stood right next to Zee. Zee didn’t like to stand next to Kathi for lots of reasons. Kathi was really competitive and liked Landon, too—sometimes—so she was usually trying to embarrass Zee in front of him.
“Hi, guys!” Kathi said cheerfully.
Ug
h! Zee thought, taking a deep breath. Here it comes. Behind her smile, Kathi always had an insult ready for Zee, Jasper, and Chloe. Even though Zee thought Jasper had gone overboard trying to change himself, she couldn’t stand the thought of Kathi commenting on it.
“I was just on Bluetopia,” Kathi said.
“Me too,” Jen put in.
“And . . . ,” Landon prompted them. From the eager look on his face, Zee thought that Landon expected the girls to say something obnoxious about what a disaster Bluetopia had been on Brookdale Day.
“Well, I just can’t believe how quickly you fixed it,” Kathi said, turning to Jasper.
Zee imagined what Kathi would say next. Too bad you messed it up so badly the first time.
Instead Kathi said, “I think it’s better than ever.”
Jen nodded. “You must be some kind of a genius.”
“He’s definitely a computer genius,” Kathi agreed. “Maybe you can teach me some of that stuff sometime.” Kathi was actually really smart, and amazing at anything she tried. She usually didn’t ask for help from other people.
What’s happening? Zee wondered, feeling as though she had stepped into an alternate universe. Then she remembered why she had come to school early in the first place.
Zee rushed over to Chloe, who was still talking to Marcus, and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go!” Zee said, giving Chloe a little pull.
“But the bell hasn’t rung yet,” Chloe said, not moving.
“I know! But remember? We need to talk to Mr. P before it does!”
“I totally forgot!” Chloe said, starting to walk quickly toward the school.
With all the weirdness this morning, so had Zee.
4
Blast Off!
Chloe was telling Zee about Marcus’s hilarious new joke as she and Zee headed toward their lockers.
“While you were goofing around with Marcus, I was stuck with Jasper and Landon,” Zee told Chloe as she opened her locker and put some books on the top shelf. “They are acting really strange.”
Chloe rolled her eyes and nodded. “That’s why I hung out with Marcus.”
“You noticed?” Zee asked, shocked.
“Well, obviously. I’d have to have my eyes taped shut not to notice, but I’m hoping if I ignore it, it will just go away.”
“Maybe that’s what I should do, too,” Zee said.
“Is that really what you want?” Chloe asked her.
“I don’t know.”
“You could just find something else to think about,” Chloe suggested, putting her arm in Zee’s and starting to walk down the hall. “Let’s go talk to Mr. P!”
Missy Vasi was already in the classroom when Zee and Chloe arrived. She stopped playing her violin and greeted them. “Hi! I was beginning to think I would be the only one here today.”
“All of The Beans are here. They’re just hanging outside talking,” Chloe said.
“But you get to be the first to hear about our fantabsome idea!” Zee said. Then she turned to their teacher and said, “As long as Mr. P is OK with it.”
Mr. P looked up from the paperwork on his desk.
“What’s up?”
“Well, you know how my mom is going to have a baby?” Zee began.
“Two babies!” Missy, who had twin brothers, put in enthusiastically.
Mr. P nodded. “Yes! Congratulations!”
“Well, I—I mean, Chloe and I—had this idea to throw my mother an amazing baby shower.”
“But it’s going to be way better than a baby shower,” Chloe added. “It’s going to be a Baby Blast!”
Mr. P shook his head slightly. “It sounds great,” he said, “but I’m not sure where I come in.”
“I think it would make my mom really happy if The Beans could perform at the party.”
“And it would be a great opportunity for the band, too,” Chloe said.
“Yeah!” Missy cheered. “It would be so much fun to play a private party!”
Mr. P sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“What?” Zee asked. “Is it a horrible idea?”
“Not at all. That was a sigh of relief!” Mr. P told her. “The Beans don’t have any gigs scheduled, so I was going to focus on fundamentals in class until we had one booked.”
“Ugh!” Chloe said, her nose scrunching up.
“Exactly. I thought there was going to be a revolt,” Mr. P told them. As the bell that marked the beginning of the school day rang overhead, the rest of The Beans walked into the room.
“Who’s revolting?” Conrad asked.
“No one, I hope,” Mr. P responded with a laugh.
“So we can do it?” Zee asked.
Mr. P nodded, his bangs flopping on his forehead.
“I can’t wait!” Missy said. “Let me know if you need any help. I love planning this kind of stuff.”
Zee could hardly believe what she saw next—Jasper and Kathi not only walked into class together, but Kathi was talking to Jasper. And although Jasper looked confused, he seemed to be listening to whatever Kathi was saying.
That’s when Zee decided that she had not actually woken up that morning and was in the middle of a dream. She’d soon hear her alarm clock go off, wake up, have a completely normal bike ride to school, which would be followed by a completely normal day.
Zee waited. And waited. And waited some more.
“Would you like to tell the class what you told me?” a voice in Zee’s dream asked.
There was a long a pause. Then Chloe elbowed Zee.
“Huh?” Zee asked, startled.
“Mr. P wants you to tell the class about the Baby Blast performance,” Chloe whispered.
Zee looked around. All of the morning’s weirdness was no dream at all. It was her life. “Ohmylanta,” she mumbled before beginning to explain the Baby Blast. She told everyone about how she didn’t want the twins’ baby shower to be the usual baby shower and that one of the things that would make it really special would be if The Beans performed.
“The Beans? Perform at a baby shower?” Conrad asked.
“No way!” Marcus said, shaking his head furiously. “I am not going to be in the band at someone’s baby shower.”
“Are boys even allowed to go to baby showers?” Landon wondered aloud.
Zee had thought it was such a great idea, she had never even considered the fact that others might not agree.
“It’s not going to be like a normal baby shower!” Chloe jumped in to save Zee. “This one is going to be way more awesome.”
“Is it going to be a lot of moms sitting around and talking about how cute babies are?” Conrad asked.
“Probably,” Zee said quietly.
“I’m out!” Marcus shouted.
“Why?” Jen asked. “I think it sounds like fun. I love babies.”
“Exactly!” Marcus said. “Baby showers are for girls.”
“But we can’t play without all of The Beans,” Missy said.
“I think you are going to have to,” Conrad told her.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Jasper said.
“Of course you would say that,” Landon said.
Jasper glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Soon everyone had something to say—all at the same time.
Mr. P waved his hands in the air to quiet the class. “OK, everyone, quiet down. I’ll give you a choice. We can use class time to prepare for Zee’s Baby Blast—or we can go with my original plan of working on music fundamentals.”
“You mean, like scales and stuff like that?” Conrad asked.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Marcus looked around the room. “Where do I sign up for the Baby Blast?”
5
The Big Break
Zee turned her phone on at the end of the school day. There was a text from her father:
>Waiting outside.
Zee hated for her father to pick her up in his SUV. Brookdale Academy was a LEED school, w
hich meant they tried to do everything in an environmentally friendly way. In the mornings, she usually convinced him to drop her off a block away from the school. But as she walked out Brookdale’s front doors, she immediately spotted her dad at the front of the car line.
Zee grabbed her bike from the bike rack and pushed it over to where her father was waiting.
“Why aren’t you at work?” Zee asked. Mr. Carmichael was editorial director for Gala magazine and usually wasn’t home until later.
“I wanted to pick you up from school,” Mr. Carmichael said.
“For no reason?”
Mr. Carmichael smiled. “Of course I have a reason.”
“What is it?” Zee was having a hard time reading her father’s expression.
“Get in and I’ll tell you.”
“But I rode my bike to school today, remember?” Zee pointed at her bike.
Mr. Carmichael jumped out of his SUV and went around to open the back door. “I’ll load it in here. You can climb in the front.”
As Mr. Carmichael pulled away from the school with Zee and her bike inside, Zee turned to her father. “This morning you didn’t say anything about picking me up,” she began. “What happened between then and now?” Then a rush of panic crashed over her like a wave. “Oh my gosh! Is everything OK with Mom and—?”
“Yes, yes, Zee! Your mom and the twins are fine,” Mr. Carmichael interrupted her before she could finish.
“Adam?” Zee asked.
“Your brother is fine, too. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t realize getting you from school would be such a big deal. I guess I should tell you what’s going on before you jump to a crazy conclusion.”
Zee waited anxiously but silently as her father turned at a traffic light. “I got a phone call from a TV show talent scout,” he finally said. “He saw The Beans at Brookdale Day and really liked your performance.”
Zee finally spoke. “He did?”
“And he wants you to audition for a TV pilot about a girl who sings in a local band and wants to be a rock star.”
“That’s like . . . the story of my life! I don’t believe it!” Zee exclaimed.