by Tina Wells
“Well, I certainly do not want to do that!” Jasper said in a way that sounded as though someone had just asked him to commit a crime.
Zee didn’t know what to do. Clearly, Jasper and Chloe had decided to be partners when Zee was daydreaming. So they should be partners. On the other hand, with all that Zee needed to accomplish over the next six weeks, she did need a partner, preferably one who was good at science—which meant Jasper, Chloe, or Kathi. And there was no way it was going to be Kathi.
Zee looked from Jasper to Chloe, hoping the answer would jump out at her. It did—right out of Chloe’s mouth. “You two should go ahead and be partners since Jasper and I were partners at the beginning of the year. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” Zee asked. Sometimes it was really hard having two best friends in your classes—and having a ton of work to get done.
Chloe nodded and Zee breathed a secret sigh of relief. Then the reality of what was ahead struck her. Zee had forgotten to think about how awkward it might be to be Jasper’s science partner.
Or maybe it wouldn’t be awkward at all, she thought. We work together on stuff all the time. And that’s not awkward. Usually.
Zee felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, Landon was standing there. “Yikes,” Zee said, surprised.
“Huh?” Landon asked, pushing his blond bangs off his forehead.
“Oh, sorry,” Zee said. “It’s nothing. I mean—I was a little surprised. Even though you tapped my shoulder and I turned around and I should have expected someone to be there . . . I didn’t. Expect someone to be there.” Zee took a deep breath and wished for someone to hit the “Off” button. “That’s all.”
Landon ignored Zee’s rambling. “I was just wondering if you want to be my science partner,” he said.
Zee’s mouth opened in surprise. “You’re not still mad about this morning? About the TV show?”
“Nah. I was kind of mad at first, but it’s not your fault people think you’re amazing.” Landon smiled.
“Uh . . . ,” Zee stammered some more.
Chloe spoke up. “Zee is going to be Jasper’s partner.”
“Oh, OK,” Landon said, turning to head back over to Marcus and Conrad—who were high-fiving each other as if they had just paired up.
“I’ll be your partner if you want, though, Landon,” Chloe said.
Landon turned back around and smiled. “Really? Awesome!”
Just then, Zee saw Kathi eye her, Jasper, Chloe, and Landon from across the room and start walking over to them. Zee was certain that Kathi would ask Landon to be her partner. Now that Landon might have a crush on Zee, Kathi would be more interested than ever in working on a project with him.
But Kathi didn’t stop, and moved right past Landon—to Jasper. “Do you want to be my partner?” she asked. “Chloe and Zee won’t have to fight over you. And you’ll be a lot more likely to get an A and go to regionals.”
Now it was Jasper’s turn to stammer. “Why . . . uh . . . I’m . . . uh . . .” He stared down at his feet.
“Jasper is going to be my partner, and Landon is going to be Chloe’s,” Zee explained.
Kathi looked at Zee, then turned on her heel so that her long brown hair rose up and down like a wave. “Whatev,” she said, then she called out, “Hey, Jen! I changed my mind!”
Zee’s eyes followed Kathi as she walked back toward her seat, and she noticed that Missy was sitting in her usual spot at her lab table by herself, writing something in her notebook. Zee grabbed Chloe by the arm and pulled her in Missy’s direction.
“What’s up?” Zee asked Missy. “Did you get a partner?”
Before Zee could suggest another kid in the class to partner with, Missy shook her head and leaned closer. “I was so scared someone would ask me.”
“You don’t want to work with someone else?” Chloe asked.
“Not on this project,” Missy said. “I started a science project at my other school and never got to finish it.”
“What is it?” Zee asked.
“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Missy asked.
“Not hardly,” Chloe said.
“Is it legal?” Zee asked.
“Definitely,” Missy said. “It’s just that it would ruin the test subjects if they knew what I am testing for.”
“Test subjects?” Zee practically shouted.
“Shhhh!” Chloe and Missy said.
“Sorry!” Zee said.
Missy laughed and started whispering again. “That’s OK. They’re just psychological experiments. You know that my mom’s a brain surgeon, right?” Zee and Chloe nodded. “Well, I thought it would be cool to do a project that really shows how the brain works.”
“You’re going to do that all by yourself?” Chloe asked.
“My mom has a lot of cool books, so she said she’d help me with figuring out my methods.”
“Cool beans!” Zee said. But Zee was not feeling so cool. Putting together an awesome project was definitely going to take time. With everything going on in her life, Zee wasn’t sure she had very much of it.
Zee and Jasper made plans to meet at the library after school to brainstorm ideas.
As usual, I was making a big deal out of nothing, Zee told herself when she remembered how worried she had been that things would be weird with Jasper. She was beginning to wonder if Jasper had even wanted to impress her when he wore his contacts and baseball cap the other day. Maybe he just felt like trying something different. He hadn’t done it again.
I’m always trying out new styles and looks, Zee reminded herself. Why shouldn’t Jasper?
When the dismissal bell rang at the end of the day, Zee hurried to her locker to grab her books. After she dropped them in her messenger bag, her phone buzzed with a text from her dad:
>I’m outside. We have an appointment with a photographer to get headshots to show an agent.
The door of Zee’s locker closed with a soft thud. Then she headed down the main hall and out the school’s front door. She needed to find Jasper right away so she could reschedule their brainstorming session for later. Luckily, as she stepped outside, she saw him—with Kathi.
Kathi was playing with her hair and laughing as Jasper talked. Ohmylanta! Zee silently groaned. She’s flirting with him!
Was Jasper flirting back? Zee looked for clues that he was nervous. But Jasper wasn’t looking awkwardly at the ground or pushing his glasses up onto his nose.
Phew! He wasn’t as interested in Kathi as Kathi seemed to be in him all of a sudden.
But Zee wasn’t sure what was really bothering her. Was she jealous? Or was she just sick of Kathi always trying to cause trouble?
“Hi,” Zee said, breaking into their conversation.
“Oh, Zee,” Kathi said, a hand on her hip. “We didn’t see you there. It’s kind of like you’re invisible sometimes.”
Zee decided to ignore Kathi. “My dad made an appointment for me,” she explained to Jasper, pointing to where her dad was sitting in the pickup line. “I have to go with him, I think.”
Jasper looked disappointed. “Oh, OK. We’ll meet later.”
“I promise I’ll call you as soon as I’m done so we can figure out another time to brainstorm.”
“It’s not too late to switch partners!” Kathi loudly whispered to Jasper, as though Zee really wasn’t there anymore.
Jasper stared at the ground and pushed his glasses up his nose.
Oh, no! Would Jasper really rather be Kathi’s partner than be stuck with her? Zee would have to figure out a way to make up for bailing on him soon.
Zee walked toward her father’s SUV. Even from so far away, she could see the wide smile on her dad’s face. Which made her feel even worse. It was awful to feel as though she had to choose between her father and her best friend.
Zee climbed into Mr. Carmichael’s SUV and smiled up at him. “Hey, Dad. Thanks for taking me to see the photographer.”
This time, Zee had chosen her father. But
she wondered for just one second if her dad liked his new role as stage father even more than she liked the idea of becoming a star one day.
Zee pulled out a notebook and began writing.
* * *
Hi, Diary.
The males in my life are making me crazy. Actually, only two males, but they are two of the most important ones. (And Adam is usually the male making me crazy, so that just shows you how amazingly mixed up everything is now.)
My dad keeps surprising me with appointments. He’s acting like it’s no big deal for me to change my plans. But it is. I have to think about my friends.
And Jasper now might like Kathi. What’s so amazing about her? Except that she’s kind of perfect. Perfect hair. Perfect teeth. Perfect face. And she’d probably be the perfect science partner for him. Unlike me.
* * *
“I’m really proud to see you so hard at work on your homework,” Mr. Carmichael said, interrupting Zee’s diary entry.
Zee looked up, startled. “What?” she asked. Then she closed the notebook. “Oh, yeah. I . . . uh . . . guess I’ll finish this later.”
“OK. I wanted to tell you a little bit about the photographer before you meet her, anyway. Veronica’s done a dozen covers for Gala,” Mr. Carmichael explained. “Three of them were our biggest sellers ever.”
Zee couldn’t help but feel herself growing more and more excited. “Are you serious?” Zee asked, amazed. “This is going to be so fantabsome!”
As Zee and her dad traveled down the freeway toward Los Angeles, any concerns about whether she really wanted to be a star—and whether her dad was going overboard—disappeared.
7
Say “Cheese”
Zee’s hand shook a little as she pressed the elevator button for the twelfth floor, where the photographer’s studio was.
“What are you so nervous about, Zee?” Mr. Carmichael asked.
Zee hid her hand behind her back. “I don’t know,” she answered. She looked into her reflection in the elevator door. “Maybe it’s because my hair is doing some sticky-out-y and springy-doodle things.”
“You’ll be great,” Zee’s dad reassured her. “Remember, the photographer’s job is to make you look your best—but also to help you look like yourself.”
Zee smiled, then remembered she was still wearing her school uniform. “Ohmylanta!” she cried, tugging on the bottom of the skirt. “I totally forgot I haven’t changed!”
Before Mr. Carmichael could answer, the elevator suddenly dinged, then stopped. The doors opened and, to Zee’s amazement, Dakota Morning stepped inside. After the doors closed again, Zee wondered if it would be more embarrassing to faint or vomit. Vomit would definitely be more embarrassing. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she felt like doing.
Don’t stare, don’t stare, don’t stare, Zee silently reminded herself. She reached up to the corner of her mouth and felt something wet. Gross! Was that actual drool? The best plan, Zee decided, was looking at her feet.
“I wish I had had style like yours when I was your age,” Zee heard a female voice say.
Is that in my head—or in this elevator? Zee wondered.
“Then I wouldn’t have minded wearing my uniform so much,” the voice continued.
Zee looked up. Dakota Morning was looking right at Zee! The Dakota Morning was actually talking to Zee!
Zee opened her mouth and tried her hardest to get some words out, but nothing would come.
“I think I wore the most hideous brown loafers ever known to humankind,” Dakota said.
Zee couldn’t believe that the girl standing in front of her in high black boots and a stylish cashmere sweaterdress had ever worn hideous brown anything—or a uniform.
“Thanks! At least this is better than what I had to wear last year,” Zee finally managed to say. “The lower school uniform is a jumper.”
“I’m sure you rocked it,” Dakota said, winking at Zee. Then the elevator doors opened. “Oh, I think this is your floor.”
“Uh-huh,” Zee responded in a daze, her eyes fixed on Dakota.
Mr. Carmichael placed his hands on Zee’s shoulders and gently guided her off the elevator. By the time she turned around to say good-bye, the doors had already closed.
“That was exciting!” Mr. Carmichael said, pointing down the hall. “We’re this way.”
Zee groaned. “If only. Humiliating was the word I was going to use.”
Mr. Carmichael put his arm around Zee’s shoulders and laughed. “Or you could just think about all of the nice compliments you just received and that a movie star likes your style.”
Zee walked with her dad into a reception area and saw a younger girl with curly blond hair waiting with her mother. The mother was flipping through a large portfolio. Photos of her daughter covered the pages. Even from where Zee stood, she could see that the girl had appeared as a clothing model and in ads for amusement parks and restaurants.
Zee couldn’t believe she was even allowed to be in the same room as a real professional.
“I was just wondering if you would sign my book.” The younger girl held an autograph book out to Zee. Taylor Swift’s, Daniel Radcliffe’s, and Miranda Cosgrove’s names leaped off the page.
Zee was sure the girl was confused. “Really? You want me to sign your autograph book?”
The little girl nodded so that her curls boinged a little. “I saw The Beans at Brookdale Day. I’m in lower school at Brookdale. You are my favorite band ever! And you’re Mackenzie Blue Carmichael. I thought you were amazing!”
Whoa! Zee thought. Maybe Brookdale Day was more popular than she’d realized. With a huge smile, Zee scribbled her signature.
Mr. Carmichael grinned and spoke to the girl’s mother. “Looks as though you have a real pro here!” he said.
The girl’s mother studied Zee and her dad as if she was deciding how much time she actually wanted to invest in a conversation with them.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been taking Jenna Rae to auditions since she was a baby,” the woman responded. “She’s always been so beautiful and well-behaved that she’s gotten a lot of modeling work.”
“Oh?” Zee’s father said. “Has she done any TV work?”
“Not yet. We’ve gone on a few auditions but we’ve never gotten a part.”
We? Zee thought.
Jenna Rae’s mother nodded her head in Zee’s direction. “How about your daughter?”
“Well, we’ve been very lucky,” Mr. Carmichael responded.
“You have?” the woman asked.
“We have?” Zee added.
“I mean, because we haven’t had to audition. My daughter was discovered.”
Jenna Rae’s mother scanned Zee again and raised an eyebrow in a way that said, “Discovered under what?” But when she actually spoke, she said, “You certainly are lucky. Auditions are a full-time job. I’m sure we’ll be seeing your daughter’s name in lights one day soon.”
“Oh, you will. It’s Mackenzie Blue Carmichael,” Zee’s father said.
The woman’s expression didn’t change. “I know,” she told him, then she looked away.
Zee was relieved when the receptionist put down her phone and said, “Jenna Rae, Ms. Chiang is ready. You can go right in.”
“Dad! What was that about?” Zee asked, turning to her father, once Jenna Rae and her mom had left the reception area. Zee imagined Mr. Carmichael challenging every other young actress and her parents to a duel.
Mr. Carmichael jerked his head around to look at his daughter. “You noticed it, too? Talk about a stage parent!”
“No, I meant—”
“J. P.!” A woman with long black hair interrupted them as she rushed in their direction. She was wearing brown cowboy boots with a miniskirt and a leopard-print blouse over a black camisole.
“Veronica!” he said, standing, and giving the woman a kiss on each cheek. “Thanks so much for doing this for me—and for Mackenzie.” He gestured toward his daughter.
Zee smile
d at the photographer. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, extending her hand. “Most people call me Zee.”
“It’s my pleasure!” Veronica said, shaking Zee’s hand. “I love meeting new young actors.” She leaned in closer to Zee and whispered, “They aren’t as difficult as the big-name celebrities.” Then she straightened up and started walking. “Come on. Let’s go into the studio.”
Zee followed close behind. “Thank you so much for doing my headshots. I know it was pretty last-minute.”
“Well, when your dad told me what a huge deal this was and what a star you were going to be, how could I say no?”
The three of them entered a huge space with high ceilings and tall lights. Ladders leaned against the walls, and sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything was white.
Veronica pointed to a high chair near a huge white backdrop that unrolled from the ceiling. “Why don’t you take a seat there, Zee, while I get a few things set up?”
“Isn’t this exciting, Dad?” Zee turned to her father.
But Mr. Carmichael was looking down, his thumbs pounding out a message on his iPhone. He held up a single finger. “Sorry, Zee, I’ve got to get this one email out, or we could lose our April cover story.”
There sure was a lot of waiting around in this business. With nothing else to do, Zee pulled out her notebook.
* * *
When you came along
I couldn’t believe
That I’d fall in love.
I’m head over heels.
But now that you’re here,
Whatever was true
Is now just a lie.
I was waiting for you.
* * *
“What are you working on?” Mr. Carmichael peered over at what Zee was writing.
Zee closed her notebook. “Just some song lyrics.”
“Oh! For the auditions?”
“Probably,” Zee said, shrugging.
“Well, I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”
“Hi, Zee,” one of Veronica’s assistants interrupted the conversation. “I’m Nicole. I’m going to take you to makeup and wardrobe.”