Mackenzie Blue (14 page)

Zee felt incredibly bad for Ally, but after all that had happened that day, it was great to have a friend whom Zee trusted so much—and who trusted her.

But Zee didn't bother to play along. Her dreams of becoming a star seemed as far away as her best friend.

Jasper and Chloe presented their science project that Wednesday.

“It took a lot of people and money to turn Brookdale Academy into a green school,” Jasper began.

“But there are lots of environmentally friendly things students and staff can do to help the Earth,” Chloe continued.

Jasper and Chloe revealed their secret plan how Brookdale Academy could do more to become even greener. They showed how easy it would be for students and teachers to begin composting paper, leaves, and cafeteria scraps.

“The compost can go into garden beds around campus, and students can tend the gardens,” Jasper said. He pointed to a miniature model of Brookdale Academy. Tiny gardens dotted the lawn. “One day, we might grow the vegetables that end up on the lunch tray.”

Jen actually got excited about the idea. “From the cafeteria to the garden and back to the cafeteria,” she summarized.

“Precisely,” Jasper said, pleased that other students were interested. “It's a brilliant plan, really!” Then he blushed and said, “I mean, it would be a good idea.”

Chloe talked about how important animals were to growing plants. “Putting worms in compost bins really
speeds up the process, and manure is full of nutrients for the soil,” she explained.

Jen's enthusiasm disappeared. “Nasty!” she protested. “I think I'll just get my food from the grocery store.”

Jasper and Chloe's Power-Point presentation included charts and drawings. When an illustration of hungry worms wearing school uniforms and munching on leaves appeared on the screen, the whole class laughed.

Zee was really impressed and decided to tell Jasper and Chloe—even though now neither one of them was speaking to her.

As soon as the bell rang, Zee went right up to Chloe. “Wow! That was a great presentation,” Zee told her, trying to sound casual but enthusiastic.

“Thanks,” Chloe said politely.

Chloe had actually answered Zee! Filled with hope, Zee went on, “I mean, I had no idea how important compost was until today.”

“Good to know,” Jasper responded.

“If you want to—”

“I have to go,” Chloe said, breaking away and moving toward the door.

Jasper followed. “Me, too,” he said and left Zee standing by herself.

 

With her shirt hanging out of her uniform skirt and her hair going every which way, Zee stumbled downstairs to the kitchen the next morning. She hadn't had time to put herself completely together yet, but she wanted to ask her father to drop her off early at school. She'd fix herself in the SUV on the way there.

“Whoa!” Adam said. “Did you have a run-in with the undead last night, Bride of Frankenstein?”

Zee poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Funny stuff,” she said, but she had to admit she wasn't exactly thrilled about the way she looked—or felt—either. She had tossed and turned all night long. She'd finally fallen asleep, but by then she was so exhausted, she didn't hear her alarm go off a few hours later.

“Were you worried about the
Teen Sing
rehearsal, honey?” Mrs. Carmichael asked.

Zee nodded as she took a gulp of her drink. It would
have been bad enough to have to sing in front of the entire school. Or to have her friends mad at her. But Zee had both problems. At least her mother had forgiven her.

“You'll feel better once you've performed your song today,” Mrs. Carmichael said, placing a bowl on the table. “Have some oatmeal.”

“No thanks, Mom,” Zee said. She grabbed a breakfast bar from the cabinet and shoved it into her book bag. “I'm going to get a ride with Dad today. I need to get to school as early as I can.” She had decided to talk to the only person
she knew who could understand how she was feeling—Mr. P. Zee was sure he had had to perform even when he didn't feel like it.

Mrs. Carmichael handed Zee a banana. “You need your energy.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Zee said, taking the fruit and sprinting out of the kitchen. “I've gotta go tell Dad to hurry up.”

 

As Zee approached the music room, she wondered if Mr. P would be willing to help her after what had happened at the concert. She'd soon find out. She was just steps away from the room—close enough to hear her teacher's voice. “I underst—,” he said. There was a long pause. “I think th—.” Mr. P was on the phone, and whoever was on the other end kept interrupting him. Zee leaned against the wall outside and listened. There was a long silence, and for a minute Zee thought that maybe Mr. P had ended his phone call, until he finally said, “Yes, I know Mrs. Bradley was a wonderful teacher, but we all have different styles.” Another pause. “Yes, I think I
do
have a style.”

He must be talking to someone's parent!
Zee thought.
I bet it's Kathi's.
She was always complaining.

One thing was certain—this was not a good time to ask for help. Zee would have to solve her problem on her own.

 

Zee's
Teen Sing
rehearsal was at 4:25. That gave her time to change into the clothes she'd picked out especially for the occasion—a navy blue halter dress with a black camisole underneath. (It was hard to feel like a star in a school uniform.) And she would still have time to warm up. By the time she got to the auditorium, the room was full of
Teen Sing
competitors, their fan clubs, and other curious students. A microphone in one hand, Marcus gave her a thumbs-up with the other one. He was part of the stage crew.

Jasper and Chloe sat together in a corner of the room. If they saw Zee, they didn't let on. As much as she wanted to talk to them, it was obvious they didn't feel the same way. She had her rehearsal to think about anyway. She pulled out her guitar and began tuning it—just as the next act began to sing.

It was a familiar voice. Kathi's.
“‘Jump in the water—it's cooler, baby. Dive in the water—it's better, baby.'”
And a familiar song! Zee's! Kathi was singing the song Zee had written in her diary. The tune was different, but the words were definitely hers. Zee had never sung that song for anyone except Mr. P and Chloe.

Kathi had stolen Zee's diary! Zee raced over to the stage stairs. She could see Jen waiting backstage.

When Kathi was done performing, hoots, cheers, and applause roared through the auditorium. As she left the stage, she waved and blew kisses to the crowd. “You sounded soooooo great!” Jen gushed. Neither girl noticed Zee—until Kathi bumped right into her.

At first, Kathi looked stunned, then she started laughing. “Did you like my
big surprise
?” she asked.

“Not really—since it was my song!” Zee growled between clenched teeth.

“Congratulations, Detective Obvious,” Kathi taunted. “Unfortunately you don't have any evidence.”

“Mr. P and Chloe heard me sing it.”

Kathi rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don't think a substitute teacher wants to go up against my family with the head of school, do you?” She paused to let her words sink in. “And as for Chloe, do you really think she'll want to stick up for you?” She didn't wait for a response. “Without the diary, you'll never be able to prove you wrote the song.”

“But you
took
my diary.”

“
Technically
I didn't take it. Someone might have given it to me though.” Kathi slowly turned to Jen, then grabbed her friend and walked off. Jen couldn't look at Zee. Instead she guiltily turned her eyes to the ground.

Zee was confused. Had Jen taken her diary? When? That first day, they had been together—in French and science—but Zee hadn't left Jen with her bag.

With a sinking feeling in her heart, Zee watched Kathi and Jen meet Landon across the auditorium. He handed Kathi her book bag.

“That's it!” Zee shouted, then immediately slapped her hand across her mouth. Everything had spilled out of her book bag the first day of school when she'd bumped into Landon. Jen must have picked up the diary—and kept it!

“Mackenzie Carmichael!” a woman shouted from the stage. “You're up next!”

What should she do? No matter how well Zee sang, it would look like she was the one who stole Kathi's song.

“Mackenzie Carmichael!” the voice called out again.

“Ummmm…” Mackenzie called up to the woman. “I'm good. I don't need to rehearse.”

“Are you sure? You won't get another chance until the real deal.”

Zee nodded. “I'm sure.”

Only she wasn't.
Ohmylanta!
She had to figure out what to do. Of course, she was going to need Ally's help.