Ariella paced backstage of the auditorium, her head throbbing. She weaved between stage crew members who moved back and forth to make sure everything was in place. She could hear the crowd murmuring and the chairs creaking as the audience took their seats. The show was about to start any moment. "This is a nightmare. My models still aren't here yet, my parents are definitely going to figure out that the science fair is a fake, and my Teen Dream is so not antiperspirant. There's no way we're going to be able to pull this off."
Mae grabbed Ariella by the shoulders and shook her. "Ariella, breathe. Your models are probably on their way, Caleb's all set in the science lab, and your clothes look better than ever. Calm down."
Ariella breathed in, catching a whiff of her Tropical Beach Blend balm, then blew out. She had to pull herself together. Hyperventilating wasn't going to solve anything. The only way she was going to get through this was if she kept her composure.
"Are you calm?"
Ariella hesitantly nodded. "I think so."
"Good. Now it's my turn." Mae let go of Ariella and began pacing where Ariella left off. NOT helping!
Just then, Danny entered backstage. "Danny!" Ariella was surprised to see him there and even more pleasantly surprised to see him in a navy blue suit. Very nice. "Are you in the show too?"
Danny laughed while straightening his cuffs. "What, are you crazy? My head is way too valuable. I'm the host. Something else to put on my resume." He winked.
"Danny, you're on," the stage manager called from the wings.
"Have fun out there." Danny gripped Ariella's shoulder. "You're a brave girl." He walked out onto the stage, welcomed by a roaring crowd.
Ariella's heart ricocheted against her chest like a ping pong ball. The auditorium sounded packed. She imagined the dozens of faces out there picking apart her designs stitch by stitch with their unforgiving eyes, harshly pointing out her flaws. This was all too much, too fast. Why didn't she just back out when she had the chance. She wasn't ready for this.
"Step back, losers." Brandishing three silver juggling clubs, Torin walked in wearing a glamorous, violet ringmaster's outfit adorned with a tiny top hat angled to one side of her head. She looked spectacular and fearless, like she wasn't afraid of anything. Not even the tiger it looked like she was about to tame. She dove into leg lunges with her clubs high in the air. "The people are waiting for me. Emphasis on me." She glared at Ariella.
"Give it up for Torin the Extraordinaire!" Danny's voice boomed backstage.
"Break a leg," Mae said.
"Don't tempt me," Torin singsonged as she sashayed onto the stage smiling for the people.
She stood in the center of the spotlight, basking in the cheers. Then she looked over to stage left. "Hit it." A circusy EDM beat throbbed to life and Torin began her juggling act. After she performed a variety of impressive tricks, one of which involved chin balancing, she caught all three clubs and curtsied. The applause was deafening. She tossed her clubs offstage and wagged her finger. That was only the beginning. A baton flew from the wings landing perfectly in her hands, and she jumped right into her tap dancing routine.
***
In the science room, Caleb watched the clock on the wall. They would be there any second...
Right on time, the door opened and the Clarke family entered. It was showtime. Caleb clapped his hands together. "Hello and welcome to the Crestview Science Fair."
Mrs. Clarke looked around the vacant room. Rows of empty blacktop lab tables stood in the middle of the room surrounded by counters and cabinets holding microscopes and a clutter of vials and beacons. There was a safety case of goggles and gloves in the back and sciency posters hung on the walls that distracted Caleb during class when he should have been paying attention to the teacher's important instructions. The only thing missing were the other students. And the teacher. And everything else that made up a science fair. It was "fair" to say, this was not what the Clarke's were expecting. "Where is everyone?"
"They're in the other room waiting their turn," Caleb explained. "Mr. Rigg is very strict on cheating." He also probably wouldn't approve of them using his lab room without permission, but since there wouldn't be any erupting volcanoes—thankfully none of them were dedicated enough to build one—he would never even know they were there.
The parents nodded their understanding, but Ren continued to give him that weird look she gave when he arrived at her doorstep. Filled with a mix of suspicion, confusion, and shock, her eyes roamed his hot red, giraffe print jeans and black shirt with red, puffy C's all over it. He was used to the stares, and the laughs, whenever he sported his self-made threads. Especially from his "trendy", unoriginal peers. He didn't let it get to him, though. They were just peeved they hadn't thought of it first.
"Please follow me this way." Caleb led them to a lab table where a large object sat covered by his cactus covered bed sheet. "I give you Mouse Versus Maze!" He yanked off the sheet to reveal a stuffed, basketball sized mouse in a maze crafted out of a large cardboard box. At the end of the maze lay a slice of Swiss cheese. Clearly, the giant mouse was way too big to fit through the pathways, but it was the best he could come up with in so little time. The project didn't need to be A worthy. It just needed to be convincing enough so the Clarkes wouldn't catch onto the fact that the science fair they were now attending didn't exist. Seeing the baffled looks on their faces, he probably should have aimed for at least a D-.
Mr. Clarke opened his mouth to speak.
"Shh!" Caleb homed in on his experiment. "He's concentrating."
Ren's weird look intensified. "You're a strange dude."
***
Backstage, Ariella added a ribbon tied bracelet set to Mae's outfit. The outfit that was supposed to be worn by one of her models, but since there weren't any models present, she had to improvise. That was the last time she would hire random strangers to work for her again. "Thanks for doing this, Mae. What would I do without you?"
Mae began to speak then snapped her mouth shut. "KITY."
Ariella already knew what she was thinking because she was thinking it too. She was just glad Mae was gracious enough not to say it out loud. "Are you ready?"
"If ready means on the verge of losing my last meal, then yup." Mae nodded. "I'm all set."
Ariella felt bad for putting her on the spot like this, but she was the only person she could get on short notice. If it weren't for her wanting to look like a professional, she would have pulled people out from the crowd. She owed Mae one big time. "I believe in you. You can do this."
Mae took a deep breath and lifted her chin. "I can do this."
"No you can't." Torin strutted off the stage twirling a flaming baton. It was too bad she wasn't a magician too. Then she could accidentally make herself disappear.
Ariella looked out to the auditorium. At the edge of the stage, a catwalk had been built out of desks pushed together in a row and veiled by a stretch of purple fabric. It was time for Ariella's clothing line debut.
Danny stood behind a podium holding note cards. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for our first ever fashion show. Feast your eyes on the original styles and designs of Ariella Clarke."
Purple and blue lights glowed and techno music pounded through the speakers as Mae appeared onstage. Ooh's and ahh's rippled through the crowd as they observed the simple, yet stunning patchwork jeans, and the royally gorgeous jeweled denim vest. Mae strutted to the beat like a pro and posed at the end of the runway. Ariella couldn't have been prouder.
Danny read off the cards. "This brilliant ensemble is embellished with gems that will have heads turning and eyes twinkling. It is also one hundred percent made out of recycled denim. Go Green!"
Mae lifted a thumb approvingly.
***
Back in the science lab, Caleb stared intensely at the stuffed mouse while the Clarkes stared strangely at him. A bing from his pocket broke the silence. He smiled apologetically at his guests then pivoted to check his new message. It was from Ariella.
He pivoted back around then purposely bumped his hip against the table. The mouse tilted over the maze's cardboard borders and planted face first into the slice of cheese. "Now he's just showing off," Caleb laughed as he moved backward toward the door. "Our next presenter will be right with you. In the meantime, help yourself to the cheese." He raced out of the room.
***
Caleb rushed backstage to a frantic Ariella. "I got your text. I couldn't make out what 'pamuc' meant, but it sounded like an emergency."
"Panic!" Ariella said. Even her autocorrect was against her. Her heart was racing. Her hands were sweating. Is this how it felt to be a contestant on Mission Catwalk? "I'm starting to panic. Mae had to show off one of my designs because none of my models have shown up. What am I going to do? We're running out of time."
"Just relax," Caleb soothed. While she was quickly sinking into hot mess territory, Caleb remained calm and stress-free. "Have a little confidence. Confidence makes everything work."
Ariella's phone binged in her hand. She checked the message. "My models just canceled!" Now even Caleb looked pamucked. "Everything but that."
***
What do you think of Ariella's fashion show so far? Would you rock any of her designs?
-Love, Charly