by Nancy Zhang
“That’s what I keep telling her,” said Mrs. Flynn.
Suddenly, Zoey noticed something odd about Mrs. Flynn.
“Um, Mrs. Flynn?” she said tentatively. “One of your earrings is missing!”
Mrs. Flynn’s hand shot up to feel each of her ears. Then she started laughing when she realized she was only wearing one gold, dangly chandelier earring.
“I was looking for the match this morning and couldn’t find it. And then I had to rush Libby off to ballet camp! I meant to change my earrings when I got home, but I got busy doing other things. How does it look with just the one? Stylish?”
Zoey laughed and nodded her head. “I think you’re going to start a new trend.”
“Speaking of trends,” Libby said. “Since you’re already here, Zoey, would you come up to my room for a minute and look at the new skirt my mom just bought me for school? I need your opinion on what to wear with it.”
Zoey grinned. “Of course! I’d love to see it.”
“Can I come too?” Sophie asked hopefully.
Libby frowned slightly, and Mrs. Flynn noticed, because she said, very gently, “Sophie, stay down here with me and let the big girls have a minute, okay?”
Sophie nodded, and watched mournfully as Zoey and Libby headed upstairs. Zoey heard the phone ring, and Mrs. Flynn headed to the kitchen to answer it.
It’s not easy being a little sister, Zoey thought.
On Thursday evening Zoey was at home in the dining room–sewing office when there was a knock at the door. She was about to get up and answer it when she heard Marcus’s feet thundering up the basement steps and racing to the foyer. She heard him open the door and listened hard to hear who was there.
She heard a few mumbled hellos, and then Allie’s voice saying, “Congratulations! I’m so happy the Space Invaders made it!”
Made it? The Space Invaders?
Zoey hopped up and ran to the front door herself, not caring at all that she was interrupting her brother as he was hugging his girlfriend.
“Marcus,” she said breathlessly. “Your band made the cut? You’re doing the Camp of Rock?”
Marcus’s cheeks were red, and he looked happy, but he shook his head. “Not quite,” he explained. “We made the first cut, which was the paper application, and now we have to do a live audition.”
“But you’re halfway there!” Zoey couldn’t help squealing a little, just as she had at the Cody Calloway concert. Good news was good news, even if he still had one more hurdle to jump. “How come you didn’t tell me right away?”
Marcus put up his hands and looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know—I had to call the band and Dad and Allie, and I just forgot. I’m sorry. You know how distracted I’ve been.”
Zoey frowned. Yes, she did know, but she’d been sitting right upstairs in the dining room and he hadn’t told her. Could her brother really be that spacey?
And then Zoey remembered something—her letter to Daphne Shaw. Marcus had mailed it nearly a week ago and she hadn’t heard anything in response. Had Marcus actually mailed it? How could she know for sure? He’d obviously mailed his band application, but he’d also taken a call from Allie when he was talking to the mailman and had gotten locked out of the house. What if he’d dropped the letter or put it in his pocket by mistake?
You’re letting your imagination get carried away, Zoey told herself, before she almost opened her mouth to accuse her brother right in front of Allie. It’s very possible he mailed it and Daphne just hasn’t had a chance to respond yet. Or maybe she’s writing back a nice, long, snail-mail letter, instead of an e-mail. It could be anything.
While Zoey was mulling over her letter, Marcus said, “I’ve got to go practice. I’ve got a live audition next week! Allie, come downstairs and listen.”
Allie smiled at him sweetly. “I will, but first let me catch up with Zoey for a few minutes, and then I’ll be right down. Okay?”
Marcus agreed reluctantly and left the girls alone. Zoey was pleased Allie wanted to hang out with just her for a few minutes. After all, Allie had been her friend first—not to mention her former business partner.
Zoey gestured to the sofa and said, “Sit! I’ve got an awesome bag of samples to show you for some projects I’m working on. I’m even designing a bedroom for a friend of mine!”
Allie sat down, and Zoey went to the dining room to retrieve her bag of swatches. She dumped everything out on the coffee table in front of Allie. She outlined the design concept for Priti’s room and showed Allie the fabrics she was thinking of using. It was nice to have another designer to discuss her ideas with.
Allie gushed over everything. “Look at these buttons! You’re going to use these on some bed pillows?”
The buttons were round and silver and reflective, like little mirrors. They were very Priti. “Yes,” said Zoey. “Those will go on two big pillows on the bed, and I’m going to trim the pillows with this ribbon.”
“I love that, too!” Allie said. “Wow. Those go together so well. I have just the project for these buttons—they’re fabulous.” She held two of the buttons in her hands, watching as they reflected back the light.
Zoey was pleased her choices were such a hit. She still hadn’t shown them to Priti yet, so it was great to get all this positive feedback from someone with such good taste!
“I got them all at A Stitch in Time,” Zoey said. “Although they didn’t have many of those mirror buttons left, so if you want some, you should go soon.”
Allie nodded. “I will.”
Zoey started to pack all her stuff back into the bag, and Allie helped.
When they were almost finished, Allie turned to Zoey and said, “I want to ask you something.”
“Um, okay.” Zoey sat back down, nervous, unsure why Allie sounded so serious. Was something wrong?
Allie took a deep breath. “I want to make something really special for Marcus’s band’s audition, but I don’t know what. Some kind of accessory. Do you have any ideas?”
Zoey immediately felt guilty that she hadn’t thought to do that first. After all, Marcus was her brother! But then again, she’d only found out about the audition a few minutes ago, and Marcus had completely forgotten to even tell her about it.
Zoey shook her head. “No, not really, but I can try to think of some. Although, I’m sure Marcus would love whatever you made him!”
Allie smiled tightly. Sighing, she said, “Well, he’s been a little, um, annoyed with me, because I’ve been so busy lately making items for my Etsy site. I wasn’t able to help with his camp application, but you know how it is, Zoey. School’s starting soon, and I’ve got to stock up on some of my hard-to-make stuff, so that I’ll be able to keep up after classes begin.”
Zoey nodded, understanding, even though she didn’t have much demand for her own store yet. “Totally! And I’m sure Marcus knows that. He’s so proud of you! He talks about your site all the time and how awesome your designs are.”
“Well, I just want to make sure he knows I support him and his band,” Allie said. She looked at Zoey and smiled ruefully. “I really like him,” she added quietly.
“I know,” said Zoey. “He likes you, too. We’ll think of something great you can make for him, okay? But right now, you should probably go down and listen to him practice. He loves an audience.”
Zoey giggled, and Allie relaxed and laughed also. “Thanks, Zoey,” she said. “You’re a great sister.”
CHAPTER 6
Fun in the Sun!
I’ve been doing tons of design and planning for the two big projects I’m working on right now, plus the occasional Etsy order, and now I think I’m ready for a day off! Work hard, play hard, right? I’m heading to the beach today with two of my best friends for swimming, sunning, and girl talk. And probably—definitely—some ice cream . . .
I still haven’t heard back from the person I think is Fashionsista. I’m starting to worry that maybe I have the wrong person . . . or that the letter never arrived
. Waiting to hear from her is even harder than deciding whether or not to mail the letter! So, Fashionsista, if you got my letter, please send me a quick e-mail that says, “You’ve got me!” or something.
Anyhoo, I made myself this cute wrap to wear as a cover-up to the beach today. . . . Do you like it? It’s a little different from the usual tunic or T-shirt that most people wear. Hopefully, it’ll be a big hit! Maybe I’ll even add this as an item to my Etsy store. . . . They’re fun to make and easy to size!
Mrs. Mackey pulled up in front of the Webbers’ house and beeped her horn. Zoey’s dad was at work, and her brother was already at the pool, starting his shift as a lifeguard, so Zoey carefully locked the door and then stumbled down the front walk to the car, weighed down by two large tote bags.
As Zoey climbed into the car, Mrs. Mackey said, “Zoey, what on Earth did you bring with you? I thought I was just taking you girls to the beach for the day!”
Zoey giggled as Kate looked back at her with a grin on her face from the front seat. Zoey knew Kate could guess what Zoey had with her. One bag was her beach bag, with sunscreen, magazines, sunglasses, a hat, a towel, water, and snacks. The other was her work bag, with her sketchbook, her sewing kit “essentials”, and all the samples and swatches to show Priti for her new room.
“I like to be prepared,” Zoey said. “You never know when you might have a few minutes to get some sewing or sketching done! And of course I have some samples to show Priti.”
“Well, I hope you have a first-aid kit in there, too,” said Mrs. Mackey. “My poor Kate seems to be on a run of bad luck.”
“What do you mean?” asked Zoey, immediately concerned. She scooted forward in her seat and leaned to the right, so she could see Kate better. To her surprise, Kate was wearing a sling on her arm, the same arm she’d hurt last spring during a soccer game.
“Kate!” Zoey exclaimed. “What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kate grimaced. “I haven’t told anyone yet. Nothing happened—specifically. I’ve got swimmer’s shoulder from overtraining. Normally, you can just rest it and ice it, but my coach wants me to be extra careful and keep it in a sling for a while, and take a temporary break from swimming. She thinks it’ll heal better that way.”
“Oh, Kate, I’m so sorry,” Zoey said.
“It’s all right,” Kate replied. “Really. I’ll be fine soon.”
Kate was trying her best to sound cheerful, but Zoey knew how much Kate loved swimming. Having just been voted team captain must have made her enforced rest particularly hard to bear.
They picked up Priti and then headed for the beach—Libby was in ballet camp all day and couldn’t make it.
Kate relayed the same story about her shoulder to Priti, who was equally sympathetic. Priti and Zoey exchanged a look in the backseat that said they knew Kate had more to say about her injury, but she probably didn’t want to say it in front of her mother, who tended to worry.
When they arrived at the beach, Mrs. Mackey parked and then told the girls she planned to do some shopping and have a nice lunch somewhere. “I’ll let you girls lie on the beach and catch up. But call or text if you need me or want me to bring you anything, okay? Does everyone have water? And money for food from the Snack Shack?”
The girls all nodded, and then, weighed down by their bags and towels, walked out to the beach. It was a beautiful summer day, warm and breezy, which kept the sun from feeling too hot. Since it was a weekday, the beach wasn’t too crowded. They were able to find a spot to spread out with no one else nearby.
Once they were comfortably settled on their towels and covered in sunscreen, Zoey said, “We’re sorry about your shoulder, Kate. Do you want to talk about it? Does it hurt?”
Kate shook her head. “It’s not too bad. Well, sometimes it hurts. But not if I just lay still on my back like this. I can’t sleep on my side or my stomach for a while.”
“Are you bummed?” Priti asked. “It’s so unfair that you’re injured again so soon!”
“Well, I’m more upset I might not get to be team captain now. I know my shoulder will get better if I let it rest for a while. But will the team still want me as captain? When I can’t even swim or compete this fall?”
“What?” asked Zoey. “The whole fall? That’s not what you said in the car!”
“Coach isn’t sure yet,” Kate replied. “I might be ready in six weeks, she says, but that sounds like forever to me. I’ll miss the first few meets, for sure. What will I do if I can’t swim all season?” She sighed mournfully, showing the girls for the first time how truly upset she was about the injury.
“You’ll rest and be ready to swim again in just a few weeks, Kate—I know you will!” Zoey said. “And in the meantime I’m going to make you some more sling covers. We can’t have you start school wearing that frumpy thing. . . .”
Kate smiled at Zoey’s attempted joke and then said, “Thanks, I’d love that. If I can’t swim, I guess I can at least be fashionable. Or, you know, fashionable for me.”
The girls laughed.
“Speaking of fashionable, I almost forgot!” said Zoey. “I’ve got some awesome stuff to show you guys. . . .”
She grabbed her work tote and opened it. She began pulling out swatches and buttons and ribbons, laying them out on her towel to show the girls how she envisioned Priti’s room coming together.
“Oh gosh, I LOVE them!” Priti shouted. “Look at these! And those!” She picked up several ribbons, a few swatches, and one of the mirrored buttons, and suddenly, a gust of wind sent them all flying down the beach. Zoey sprang up to retrieve everything and ended up zigzagging all over the place, trying to pick them up.
When she returned, Kate and Priti were both laughing hysterically while anchoring down the remaining items with sunscreen bottles, magazines, and flip-flops.
“That was so funny, Zoey!” Priti said, still cracking up. “Watching you run after those tiny swatches and ribbons flying everywhere!”
“I’ve never seen you move so fast!” Kate joked. “You’d beat any track team’s best sprinter!”
“Glad I’m entertaining everyone!” Zoey said with a grin. She plopped back down and tried to reorganize her things so she could show Priti her ideas for the room. To her right were the fancy mirrored buttons, but there were only two of them. She was certain she’d bought three at the store. Could the other one still be somewhere on the beach? Zoey got up and did a quick scan, but she didn’t see the third shiny, mirrored button. She returned to her towel and sat down. Maybe she’d left one back at home on her worktable, or maybe it had fallen on the floor. She was sure it was somewhere.
She gave Priti a quick overview of the room’s scheme, and Priti appeared delighted.
“I love every fabric and every accessory!” Priti said. “The only thing I would say is, don’t be shy with the bling! ’Cause you know how I love it.”
Zoey smiled. She knew Priti’s taste like the back of her hand. She would make the room as beautiful and blingy as Priti could dream it.
“So you’re excited about your new room at your dad’s now?” Kate asked. “I know you were kind of, um, uncertain about it before.”
Priti groaned slightly and rolled over onto her stomach. She was wearing a really cute tankini in a bright neon green that looked gorgeous against her brown skin and dark hair.
“I feel better about it,” said Priti. “I guess. But it’s hard getting used to shuttling back and forth between my mom’s and dad’s places. I have to pack a huge bag each time, because I need certain stuff. And when I’m with one parent, I miss the other one! But I feel like I’m not supposed to say that.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry, Priti,” Kate said sympathetically.
“Me too,” said Zoey. “You know you can always stay with me! I’ll take permanent custody of you.”
Priti laughed in spite of herself. “Thanks, Zoey. I’ll think about it.” She took a long swig from her water bottle. “There is one thing that’s gotten easier, thoug
h—both houses are so calm now! There’s no more tension or fighting. I don’t miss that at all, that’s for sure.”
“It’s going to get even easier,” Kate said. “You’ll all get used to the new routine, and it’ll start to feel more normal. Especially when Zoey finishes your gorgeous room!”
“The pressure’s on, Zoey,” Priti joked. “I hope you can deliver.”
Zoey grinned and wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “You know me, Priti, I’m always up for a challenge. Now, I’m burning up out here. Let’s go jump in the ocean!”
“I can’t swim with my sling!” Kate reminded them.
Zoey shrugged good-naturedly. “So let’s wade in the ocean. That’s more fun than swimming, anyway. And I don’t want to get my hair wet—I spent a lot of time on it this morning.”
Zoey pointed to her hair, which was wound into a messy bun at the top of her head. Kate and Priti both laughed, and the three girls walked down to the water’s edge together, hand in hand.
Zoey woke the next morning with something weighing heavily on her mind. It was Saturday, which meant it had been a full week since she’d mailed her letter to Daphne Shaw. Zoey knew mail sent from her town to New York City usually only took two days—three days, max—so why hadn’t she heard from Daphne? There was so much evidence that proved Daphne was Fashionsista that all fingers really did point to the letter having not gotten mailed.
With a worried mind and a heavy heart, Zoey trudged downstairs and found Marcus eating cereal in the kitchen. Even though she knew she probably shouldn’t say anything, she couldn’t help herself.
“Uhhh, Marcus?” she said tentatively.
With his mouth full and his eyes on a sheet of music, Marcus mumbled, “Whaaa?”
“Did you definitely mail that letter I gave you last weekend, when you were running to meet the postman? Because I haven’t gotten a response yet, and it’s very strange that I haven’t.”
Marcus looked up at her, his eyes slightly unfocused, as if she were pulling him out of a trance. He chewed hard for a second, then swallowed. “Uh, yeah. I did.”