Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright (7 page)
Read Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright Online
Authors: Meg Cabot
Sophie was in her nightgown in her canopy bed, rereading a Little House on the Prairie book, one of her favorite comfort books. When we barged into her room without knocking, her cheeks got a little pink, but all she said was, “Oh, hey, you guys,” in a weak voice. She was still pretending to be sick. I knew she was pretending because nobody gets sick as much as Sophie.
“Sophie,” I said, getting right down to business. Because that’s how queens do it. “We need you to come back to the play. It’s an emergency. Cheyenne got the part of Princess Penelope in your place.”
Sophie’s dark eyes flashed a little at that. But then she controlled herself and looked back down at her book.
“Well,” she said softly, “there’s nothing I can do about that. Mrs. Hunter kicked me out of the play.”
“Only because you wouldn’t apologize to Allie,” Erica cried. “Just apologize, and she’ll let you back in. I’m sure of it!”
“Yes,” Caroline said. “I’m sure Mrs. Hunter doesn’t want Cheyenne to play Princess Penelope. She wants
you
to play her. That’s why she picked you and not Cheyenne in the first place. All you have to do is apologize. Just say you’re sorry.”
When Sophie looked back up at us again, her eyes were filled with tears.
“Oh, but how can I?” she wailed. “I want to. You have no idea how much! I feel terrible for the way I acted. I let being the star of the play go to my head. I know I did. I was horrible to you, Allie. You don’t know how sorry I am. But it’s too late now! I know it is.”
“It’s never too late, Sophie,” I said, going over to the bed and sitting beside her. “Have your mother call the school. I’m sure Mrs. Hunter is still there, getting ready for the open house. You can talk to her, and then when we go to school for the play tonight, you can apologize to me in front of her, I’ll forgive you, and everything will be all right.”
“You don’t think Cheyenne will be upset?” Sophie asked worriedly. “I mean, about getting my part and then me showing up and taking it away again?”
“Of course she’ll be upset,” I said. “But who cares? Cheyenne is always upset about something.”
Sophie bit her lip. Then she closed her book and threw back her comforter.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll do it. Because it’s true. I really am so, so sorry for the way I acted toward you, Allie.”
“That’s all right,” I said. “I forgive you. That’s what friends are for.”
And we all hugged Sophie…
…even though, if you ask me, she didn’t totally deserve our forgiveness. But, being a queen, I forgave her, anyway, because it was the queenly thing to do.
Besides, it was for the good of the play, so that’s all that mattered.
- Never eat anything red.
- Don’t chew with your mouth open.
- Swallow what’s in your mouth before speaking.
- It’s important to try to make your friends feel good about themselves as often as possible. Then they’ll like you better.
- Popularity isn’t important. Being a kind and thoughtful person is.
- Cheyenne is officially boring.
- There’s no kissing in fourth grade.
- You should always tell people they look nice, even when they don’t. This makes people feel good, so they’ll like you better.
- It’s rude to tell someone they’re only going to get something because no one else wants it, not because they earned it.
- Don’t play tackle football in the hallway.
- Don’t slam doors in people’s faces.
- Whenever possible, try to be born into a family with no little brothers.
- May the best man—or woman—win.
- It’s wrong to hate people.
- Practice makes perfect.
- It’s always better to have things out in the open than to let them fester.
- The best way to keep a person from getting mad at you is to compliment them. Even if you don’t think it’s true.
- If you want to get anywhere, you can’t play by the rules.
- Always answer the phone at home, saying, “This is (your name) speaking” to be polite.
- Friends try to make friends feel better.
- Friends don’t try to make friends feel bad on purpose.
- No one likes a sore loser.
- No one likes a sore winner, either.
- It’s important to accept victory modestly. (Then you can celebrate all you want in private, where the losers can’t see you.)
- There are no small parts, only small actors.
- It’s rude to interrupt people.
- If you whine about it, you’ll get sent to your room and also have your TV privileges suspended and maybe also no dessert and possibly also your Nintendo DS taken away for a week.
- Best friends rescue each other when someone’s evil sister has them trapped.
- You can’t make someone with a bad attitude about something change her mind and have a good one.
- It’s okay to lie if the lie makes someone else feel better.
- Make the best of it.
- Treat people the way you yourself would like to be treated.
- When you know the right thing to do, you have to do it.
- No one would ever say shut up to Mrs. Hunter. Not if they wanted to live to see tomorrow.
- Don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you without asking first.
- Nothing is impossible, if you put your mind to it. Nothing at all.
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls Book Five: Glitter Girls and the Great Fake Out
Here’s a sneak peek at
You Can’t Do Something to Make the Birthday Girl Unhappy on Purpose on Her Birthday
Glitterati was just the way it had looked in all the pictures I’d seen. It was huge and sparkly and filled with loud, up-tempo music that seemed to fill my whole body and drum against the inside of my chest in a happy, boppy beat.
It was exactly what I’d hoped it would be, and more.
I was so excited I thought I was going to explode.
And not just from all the Coke and M&Ms I’d had in the limo.
“Hi, I’m Summer,” yelled the pretty girl with the spiky hair who met us at the door (she had to yell to be heard over the music). “I’ll be your Glitterati guide for the day. I’m here to make sure your Glitterati experience is everything that it can be. I want to get you
pumped
!”
Summer didn’t need to worry. I was already pumped. So was everybody else. Except maybe Mrs. Hauser. She looked like her head hurt a little from all the music.
“The first thing we need to do,” Summer yelled, “is explain that Glitterati isn’t just a store. It’s a way of life. At Glitterati, we encourage kids to use their imaginations and creativity to envision their future and themselves exactly the way they’ve always wanted to, without limitations!”
When Summer said the word “limitations,” she threw something at us. It turned out to be gold sparkles. It got all over us…our hair, our clothes…everywhere. Mrs. Hauser backed out of the way so it wouldn’t get on her and the fur trim of her coat.
“There!” Summer yelled. “Now you’ve been Glitteratied!”
This was awesome. I had always wanted to be Glitteratied.
“Today, as long as you wear your Glitterati dust,” Summer went on, “all your dreams will come true. If you’ve always wanted to be an undercover rock star, at Glitterati we can help make you an undercover rock star. If you’ve always wanted to be an urban fairy, like me, we can make that dream come true, too. Glitterati is about expressing your individuality while promoting a unique shopping experience that makes every kid feel special!”
Whoa. Maybe it was because I’d been Glitteratied, but I was ready to feel special. Also, unique.
I could tell Summer was unique because she had some sparkly star stickers right next to her eyes.
I wanted some sparkly star stickers next to my eyes, too. This, I felt sure, would make me be as special and unique as Summer.
“So,” Summer yelled at us. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” we all yelled back. Even Mary Kay, who never yelled.
“Then let’s go express our individuality!” Summer yelled.
We all ran screaming into the costume racks, where Summer said we could decide on what looks we wanted to use to express our individuality.
“I’m going to be an urban fairy, like Summer,” Paige yelled. She was pawing through the fairy costumes, looking for one exactly like Summer’s, which was tight jeans and a black sparkle halter top.
“No,” Lauren said. “
I’m
going to be an urban fairy!”
“You guys.” Mary Kay looked like she was about to burst into tears. “
I’m
going to be an urban fairy! We can’t all be urban fairies. You have to be something else.”
I couldn’t believe it. They all wanted to be urban fairies.
And it was probably just because Summer had been dressed like one.
Which wasn’t really all that unique or individual, if you thought about it.
It was true I’d wanted to get shooting star stickers next to my eyes like Summer. But I still wanted to dress as an actress slash veterinarian for my photo shoot.
I shook my head in disgust over the other girls, then went to the rack marked superstar. There were lots of fake leather jackets and tight short skirts. Also, knee-high zip-up high-heeled boots. In just about every color you could imagine.
This was
exactly
what I would imagine an actress slash veterinarian would wear. You know, for doing her important acting and animal healing work. It was amazing, but the Glitterati dust was already working! It was helping me to envision my future career. Well, what I was going to wear while I was doing it, anyway.
“None of you can be urban fairies,” Brittany yelled. “Because
I’m
going to be an urban fairy. And it’s
my
birthday. I’ll figure out something else for you to be.”
Paige and Lauren looked super disappointed. Mary Kay started to cry. Courtney, who hadn’t joined in with any of them, anyway, just rolled her eyes and shrugged.
I guess Summer could see some of Brittany’s party guests were having trouble envisioning their futures and expressing their individuality (only not me. Because I had already picked out a purple zebra-striped fake leather jacket, a black mini sparkle skirt, red shirt, and black zip-up high-heeled boots), since she came up to us and went, “So, ladies. What have we decided?”
“Well, I’m going to be an urban fairy,” Brittany said. “Since it’s my birthday.” Then she started pointing at each of us. “She,” she said, pointing at Paige, “is going to be an undercover rock star, and she,” pointing at Mary Kay, “is going to be a prep school princess. And she,” pointing at Lauren, “is going to be a teen superstar, and she,” pointing to Courtney, “is going to be a teen goth vampire, and she,” pointing at me, “is going to be a pirate.”
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls #1:
Moving Day
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls #2:
The New Girl
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls #3:
Best Friends and Drama Queens
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls #4:
Stage Fright
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls #5:
Glitter Girls and the Great Fake Out
FOR TEENS
Airhead
Being Nikki
All-American Girl
Ready or Not
Teen Idol
How to Be Popular
Pants on Fire
Jinx
Nicola and the Viscount
Victoria and the Rogue
The Princess Diaries series
The Mediator series
I-800-Where-R-You series
Avalon High series
For a complete list of Meg Cabot’s books, please visit www.megcabot.com
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This book was originally published in hardcover by Scholastic Press in 2009.
Copyright © 2009 by Meg Cabot, LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
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eISBN 978-0-545-22987-6
Cover photograph by Michael Frost
Background illustration by Lisa Henderling
Decorative panel © iStockphoto
Cover design by Elizabeth B. Parisi