Mackenzie Blue (11 page)

But the mysterious user logged off before answering Zee's question. As quickly as she could type, Zee told Ally what had happened.

 

“Who wore this one?” Zee asked her father. She modeled a red sequined dress that made swishy sounds when she walked.

“Nicole Richie,” Mr. Carmichael said. “That was for a cover.”

“I'm the same size as Nicole Richie,” Zee said to Jasper.

“Mmm-hmm,” Jasper responded.

She'd practically had to
beg
him to come when she'd called him that morning. He'd been working on the Power-Point presentation for his science project and didn't want to stop. But Zee needed backup—someone to take her side when her father said no to a dress she liked. Unfortunately
Zee's plan hadn't worked out very well. Jasper had spent the whole time telling Mr. Carmichael how to make the
Gala
offices more environmentally friendly.

Zee spun around. “So? What do you think?” she asked her father and Jasper.

Mr. Carmichael put his chin in his hand and studied the dress Zee was wearing. Then he matter-of-factly said, “No.”

“Dad! This is the tenth dress you've said no to,” Zee complained.

“It's the tenth dress that looks much too old for you,” he defended himself. “You may be the same size as Nicole Richie, but you're not the same age.”

“I'm going to be a teenager in a year.”

“Oh, good,” Mr. Carmichael said cheerfully. “That gives me twelve whole months while you're still my little girl. Try again.”

With pleading eyes that screamed, “Back me up here,” Zee turned to Jasper for help. He didn't notice.

“You could put all of the lights on a sensor so they go out if no one is in the room,” Jasper was telling Zee's father.

“I wish Mom had come to save me,” Zee mumbled as she headed back to the dress racks.

“You could give each employee a reusable coffee mug so they don't have to keep throwing away paper cups,” Zee heard Jasper explaining behind her.

“Boy, Jasper, those are great ideas, but I bet Zee could use your help picking out a dress,” Mr. Carmichael said. “Why don't you go find something with her?”

“Well…okay,” Jasper said reluctantly.

Zee giggled. Maybe she should let Jasper torture her father until he agreed to let her wear the dress she wanted.

As Zee searched through the racks of clothes, Jasper began looking around the room. “I wonder if that copier has an energy-saver mode,” he said.

“Ummm…the dresses are over here,” Zee teased.

“Huh?” Jasper turned around. “Oh, I guess I'm not the
best person for this,” he admitted. “Maybe you should have invited Chloe instead.”

Zee lifted a hanger off the rod, then looked at Jasper seriously. “I'm not sure I can trust Chloe.”

“Why not?” Jasper asked, shocked. “She always wears nice clothes.”

“That's not what I mean.” Zee took a deep breath. “I think she may have taken my diary.”

“Why would she do it?” Jasper said.

“I don't know, but all the proof says she did.” She listed the evidence that pointed right at Chloe.

Jasper was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head. “Something's not right. She barely even knew you when your diary disappeared. I'm sure we'll figure out Chloe couldn't have done it. And we'll find out who did.”

“I hope so,” Zee said. She held up a pink silk dress. “What do you think?”

Jasper studied it and nodded. “Cool.”

Zee slipped behind a screen and pulled the dress on. The flowing sleeves looked like little angel wings. One of them hung down off her shoulder. She went to show her dad.

“Wow, Zee!” Mr. Carmichael beamed. “You look like a star! I like it.”

Zee stared at herself in the mirror and had to admit—of
all the dresses she'd tried on—it was the best one.

With her new dress in hand, Zee practically skipped down the long hallway toward the elevators. Jasper and her father walked ahead, and Jasper started to recommend energy-saving lightbulbs.

Blown-up magazine covers hung in frames along the walls. Zee had passed them a million times and never paid much attention, but today she wanted to see if her dress was featured on a cover. Suddenly she stopped cold and stared. The cover headline read, “The 25 Best Bands You Don't Know.” Underneath, a familiar face stared back at Zee. She moved a little closer, then stepped back again.

“Dad!” Zee called out. “Who are these guys?”

Mr. Carmichael stopped midstride and turned around. “Oh, that's Yes No. They were a big success in Europe.”

“I've never heard of them,” Jasper said. He walked over to Zee.

“That was about ten years ago,” Mr. Carmichael explained. “Then they sort of fizzled out.”

“Do you see who I see?” Zee asked her friend.

Jasper turned to look at her with wide eyes. “Mr. P was in Yes No.”

“I can't believe it,” Zee groaned. “I humiliated an international singing sensation!”

 

Still, Zee hardly ever made such a big decision without Ally's advice.

Ally wasn't. Zee would just have to figure out what to do on her own.

 

As Zee walked across the Brookdale campus, her Sidekick buzzed. A text message from Landon!

Landon had actually meant it when he had said he wanted her help! As Zee went inside the building, she was glad he hadn't asked her in person. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she was sure anyone within ten feet could hear it.

Inside, Zee peered around the corner just enough to see Chloe at her locker placing her books on the top shelf. Zee watched Chloe hang her bag on a hook and shut the door.

Zee prepared for her next move. She had practiced talking to Chloe all night long. (Who needs sleep?) She figured she could make a how-to DVD called,
Keeping It Friendly: How to Accuse Someone of Stealing Your Most Private Thoughts
. She was just going to go up to Chloe and say,
This probably sounds weird, but I was wondering if maybe you got my diary by mistake
. Chloe could just say,
Yeah, isn't that bizarre? I have no idea how it ended up in my bag
. Zee would get her diary back, and Chloe could keep her pride.