On Pins and Needles Read online

  “Check it out.” Zoey put her arm across Kate’s shoulders. “Smile, Kate,” she said. “Jacob, have you seen Kate without her braces yet? Doesn’t she look great?”

  He sighed and looked up finally—but Kate had already shrunk down.

  “Sit down, you!” said Kate, pulling Zoey down beside her and shaking her head. She rolled her eyes, smiling. “Promise me something.”

  “Anything,” said Zoey. “What?”

  “Promise me you that you won’t make a big deal about my getting my braces off when we get to school.”

  Zoey nodded. She could tell Kate was serious. She had raised her I-mean-business eyebrows.

  “I’ll do my best . . . ,” said Zoey, shrugging. Then she squeezed Kate’s hand and grinned. “No, really, I promise. I get it. It’s not a big deal at all.”

  “Good! So what’s in the bag?” Kate asked, glancing down at the plastic shopping bag next to Zoey’s feet. The shopping bag that held the surprise Zoey and Priti had planned for Kate!

  “This? Oh, nothing,” Zoey said quickly, moving her legs to cover the bag. “Stuff . . . you know . . .” She smiled innocently. “No big deal at all!”

  “Kate!”

  Kate hadn’t even left the lunch line before Priti was shouting her name.

  “Kate! I hardly recognize you! You look amazing!” she cried, running up. “Seriously! I am so jealous. I can’t wait till my braces come off now!”

  Priti hugged Kate as best she could around Kate’s loaded tray. As Priti did, she looked over Kate’s shoulder at Zoey. Do you have the bag? she mouthed.

  Zoey nodded and held up the shopping bag, and Priti released Kate with a squeal.

  Zoey and Priti had met quickly between English and gym to assemble Kate’s surprise. They’d decided that lunch was the best time to give it to her, considering what was inside.

  “Kate!” said Priti. “Why are you keeping your mouth closed? You’ve got to smile and show off those pearly whites!”

  Kate, meanwhile, had shrunk about two inches and turned a bright shade of pink. She took a deep breath and marched toward their usual table, eyes down and shaking her head.

  Priti turned to Zoey. “What did I do?”

  “Too much attention, I think,” said Zoey. “You know how Kate is. She likes to be in the background, not the star of the show.”

  “I know,” said Priti. “But I can’t help it! She looks so pretty, don’t you think?”

  Zoey nodded. “Yeah! So pretty! I told her, too. And don’t think she really minds it so much from you or from me. But after four periods of people staring at her, she’s kind of overwhelmed, you know? You haven’t had a class with her yet, but you should have seen the kids in English. It was like she’d suddenly come back from getting a total face transplant.”

  Zoey had been faithful in keeping her promise to Kate all morning long. She hadn’t said another word about how great Kate looked or pointed out her perfect smile to anyone else. But the instant they walked through the front doors of school, Kate’s teeth advertised themselves.

  It started with Ms. Austen, their new principal, who greeted the students every day.

  “Good morning, Zoey . . . Kate,” she said warmly, as always.

  “Good morning, Ms. Austen,” they replied. They both smiled as they passed by her, then all of a sudden the principal’s eyes got wide.

  Honestly, Zoey thought at first Ms. Austen had noticed her harem pants and was about to exclaim that she once had some just like them. But it was Kate’s smile the principal honed in on.

  “You got your braces off, Kate. Congratulations. You look lovely!” she remarked.

  Kate turned a little pink but was also clearly pleased. But that, it turned out, was just the beginning. Before they knew it, students were stopping to talk to Kate as she hurried down the hall.

  “You got your braces off!”

  “You look great, Kate!”

  “Hello, gorgeous!” one boy even said.

  Zoey turned to stare as he walked away. “Kate! Did you hear what he said?”

  Kate linked her arm with Zoey’s and kept going. “That’s Kevin Malouf,” she told Zoey, impatiently shaking her head. “He was on my Little League team for two years. He’s just teasing . . . .”

  Zoey wasn’t so sure, though. He looked pretty serious. So did a lot of other boys that suddenly paused by Kate’s locker to “chat.”

  She could tell Kate felt self-conscious and was longing for all the attention to stop. So then why, Zoey suddenly wondered, was she starting to feel—what was it? Could it be?—jealous of her best friend?

  It was just the teeniest, tiniest feeling, but it was there, like a snag in an otherwise perfectly great pair of tights. It wasn’t as if Zoey didn’t get attention herself these days, but it was for her clothes, and that felt very different from getting attention for her looks.

  Zoey was just glad the feeling subsided and that by lunchtime it was gone. Instead, she was focused on giving Kate her one-of-a-kind surprise.

  “Come on!” she told Priti, nodding toward their lunch table. “What are we waiting for? Hurry up!”

  They sat down just as Kate was coming out of the lunch line, fielding a compliment from the lunch lady by trying to smile with her mouth closed. Zoey and Priti watched from afar as Kate picked up her lunch tray and, flustered, walked right into Ivy Wallace and Bree Sharpe.

  “Hey, watch it, Brace Face!” Ivy snapped. She gave a pointed look to Bree.

  “Yeah,” added Bree. “Looks like you need glasses, too.”

  Kate didn’t say a word. She just smiled for real this time, teeth and all.

  “Oh, uh, um,” Ivy stuttered, then paused for what seemed like an eternity. “Big deal. You got your braces off. I didn’t even have to have braces.”

  “Yeah, Ivy’s teeth are perfect,” Bree agreed on cue, but her cheeks turned red as she said it.

  Kate shrugged it off and ignored them, walking proudly to the table where Zoey and Priti were sitting and watching in awe.

  “Nicely done!” Priti said, giving Kate a high five.

  “Thanks,” Kate replied, smiling a little.

  Just then, Libby arrived and sat down.

  “Oh good!” said Zoey. “You’re just in time!”

  “For what?” Libby and Kate both asked.

  Zoey shared a smile with Priti. “Well, as you know, this is a very big day . . . .”

  “Right!” Libby turned to Kate. “You got your braces off! How does it feel?”

  Kate smiled shyly, half-showing her perfect teeth, and shrugged again. “Good,” she answered self-consciously. “Weird . . . but good, I guess.”

  “Well, you look great,” said Libby, smiling back.

  “I know!” said Priti. “That’s just what I said!”

  “Anyway . . .” Zoey cleared her throat. “After two long, gummy-bear-free years, we thought this was the best way to say ‘bye-bye, braces!’ ”

  With that, Zoey lifted her shopping bag onto her lap and pulled out the oversized lunch bag she’d sewn, setting it down with a thump on the table in front of Kate’s lunch tray.

  “Go ahead! Open it!” Zoey said.

  “You guys!” Kate couldn’t even hope to hide her teeth then, her smile was so huge. She reached for the bag. “I love it! It’s so cute!”

  Then she saw what was inside, and her mouth formed a giant O. She pulled out an apple, a jar of peanut butter, a box of toffee-covered popcorn, three packs of bubble gum, and chocolate chews.

  “Yes! I missed these so much!” she exclaimed. Then she dug back into the bag. “Oh wow! Swedish Fish! You guys! Yum! And gummy frogs! And worms!”

  Finally, Kate pulled out a tube-shaped object wrapped in shiny foil. “Is this what I think it is?” she asked.

  Priti nodded. “If you’re thinking corn on the cob,” she said, “then yes, I think it is!”

  Kate unwrapped it and took a bite. “Yum,” she said, licking her lips. “It’s even good cold.”

&
nbsp; “Did the butter get hard?” asked Zoey.

  “A little. But who cares!” Kate grinned. She picked up the bag of gummy frogs and passed it around. “Here, you guys, have some!”

  “Thanks!” Libby took one.

  Zoey did as well.

  Priti, though, had to sigh and shake her head sadly. “I forgot how much torture this would be for me,” she said, settling for a spoonful of applesauce.

  Kate put her arm across Priti’s shoulders. “Poor Priti,” she said. “Sure you don’t want one anyway?”

  Priti thought about it for a second, then shook her head again. “Better not. I don’t want to run around school with braces full of green goo. But promise me you’ll remember to do this when my braces come off. Okay?”

  “Are you kidding?” said Zoey. “I’ve already got the bag made!”

  “Just look out,” said Kate, licking her fingers, “and know that getting your braces off has its downside, too.”

  “What do you mean?” Priti asked.

  “Remember how people stared at you when you got them on?”

  Priti shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Well, it’s even worse when you get them off,” Kate declared.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” said Priti. “That’s not going to bother me. When have I ever minded extra attention? Hmm?”

  “She has a good point,” said Zoey.

  “I guess you’re right,” Kate agreed. “Still, I don’t get why everyone has to make such a big deal about me. Except for my mouth, I’m exactly the same.”

  “Hey, Kate!”

  The whole table looked up to see a group of boys clustered like pigeons around Kate’s chair, though Lorenzo Romy was the only one who Zoey could focus on at first.

  “Oh, hi. What’s up?” Kate smiled—with her lips securely closed.

  “Hey. So what are you doing tomorrow?” asked Alec Burns, the tallest one.

  “Tomorrow? Oh right,” said Kate. “We have the day off. I almost forgot.”

  Zoey had too. The first teacher conference day of the year. They hadn’t made any plans for it at all, though Zoey did have a skirt she wanted to hem.

  “Are we doing anything?” Kate looked around the table.

  “Toronto. Remember?” Priti said. It was her grandparents’ fiftieth anniversary, and there was going to be a huge party where they lived. Her whole family from all over the world was coming, and they had days of activities planned, which meant that even though they had Wednesday off, Priti would miss school through to the weekend.

  “I’m visiting my grandparents too,” said Libby. “But they just live in the nursing home here in town. My mom and I are taking them to lunch.”

  “I’m free,” Zoey said, shrugging, as if boys asked what she was doing every day. She didn’t even realize she was staring right at Lorenzo until his eyes caught her and it was too late.

  “Oh no, that’s okay,” said Alec. “We just need Kate.”

  Oh . . . Zoey instantly bent down her head. She bit the head off a gummy frog. She forgot all about the chewing part, though, and let it sink to the back of her throat. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn. Her neck was heating up too. She lowered her head even farther, hoping she didn’t explode.

  “Why me?” she heard Kate ask.

  “ ’Cause you’re on the soccer team,” Lorenzo explained.

  “Yeah, we had this idea,” said another boy, Bobby. “Mapleton soccer tournament. Boys team against girls. One o’clock, out on the field.”

  “You in, Kate?” asked Lorenzo.

  Zoey peeked back up at him, at last. He wasn’t looking at her anymore.

  “Are you kidding?” said Kate. Her smile widened. “You all are so going down!”

  “Hey! Did you get your braces off?” Lorenzo asked, suddenly leaning closer.

  Kate’s lips automatically closed.

  “I told you she did,” Alec said.

  “You look awesome, Kate!” Lorenzo declared.

  Kate glanced down and mumbled, “Thanks” as the other boys chimed in to agree.

  That’s when Zoey felt a lump in her throat. Was it a gummy frog head stuck on the way down? Or was it her heart breaking as she remembered how special she felt when Lorenzo told her she was awesome? Whatever it was, it hurt.

  Lorenzo, meanwhile, leaned over Kate even farther. “Where’d you get all the candy?” he asked.

  “Excuse me. From my friends,” Kate said, playfully pushing him back.

  “Ooh! Can we have some?” he asked her.

  “Please!” Alec begged.

  Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. “Here.” She handed them a bag of gummy worms.

  “Thanks, Kate!” they yelled, attacking it.

  “Yeah, thanks, Kate!” said Lorenzo. “You rock!”

  “Look! Check it out!” shouted Bobby, dangling a green candy from his nose.

  With that, they trooped off, stuffing their faces, and Zoey finally raised her head. There were reasons she didn’t worry about boys too much, and that was definitely one.

  She waited for Kate to say something like “Gross! Sorry, girls!” or “Boys. They never change.”

  But instead she was actually smiling at them and returning Lorenzo’s wave.

  Boys never change, thought Zoey.

  But what about Kate?

  - - - - Chapter 5 - - - -

  All Smiles? Brace Yourself.

  First of all, thanks for all the awesome comments on my scarf today, Sew Zoey readers. I’m glad you liked it . . . because no one at school noticed it, really. That kind of surprised me, since it’s hard to miss! Then again, it’s hard to compete with the other big news from yesterday. There’s a hint in the sketch. See the bracket pattern? Can you tell I have braces on the brain?

  My best friend Kate got her braces off and has the most perfect pearly whites! Honestly, Kate looks amazing. My aunt Lulu’s right: Smiles really are the best accessories. With that in mind, I started thinking about branching out into an accessory line, as so many designers do. Presenting the Sew Zoey Smile Line . . . (Toothbrushes not included. Braces optional! )

  Zoey finished typing and clicked publish and tried to tell herself not to mope. So what if Lorenzo didn’t say one word to her all day at school? And so what if he stared at Kate? She should never have gotten so carried away by one dumb “awesome.” After all, it was just a word.

  I will not be jealous, she told herself. But that was easier said than done. Just when Zoey thought she’d chased the feeling away, it would sneak back up on her.

  She checked her e-mail halfheartedly, just looking for something to do. That’s when she noticed a new one and nearly collapsed onto her keyboard.

  The sender was [email protected].

  Cecily Chen was writing to her!

  Zoey quickly opened the e-mail and read it. And when she was done, she read it again.

  Dear Zoey,

  It was so nice to meet you at my book signing. Thank you again for coming with your friend! And thank you for telling me about your blog. I finally got home and had a chance to read it, and I absolutely love it! Really! I wish I had half the ideas you have when I was your age. Even now, I could see several of your designs on the runway in New York. In fact, do you know that one of my favorite fabric companies, Avalon, has an amateur design and sewing contest in celebration of their one hundredth birthday going on right now? Most of the entrants will be adults, but I checked, and there are no age requirements, and I think you should go for it!

  I’m attaching a link to the contest website, in case you’re interested—which I hope you are! Let me know what you decide, but you have to do it fast! The deadline is coming up very soon. In the meantime, I plan to keep enjoying your blog. It’s the perfect thing to read as I work on a brand-new tween line for the mass market that will be coming out soon!

  Thanks for inspiring me!

  Your friend in fashion,

  Cecily

  PS Please tell Jan hello from me the next time you see h
er!

  Zoey immediately clicked on the contest link and opened the website and read through the contest rules. She couldn’t see anything about being eighteen or any age to enter—just that the design had to be original, and “one hundred percent designed and sewn by you!” The grand prize winner, she read, would have their garment reproduced—in the company’s fabric—and that wasn’t all. It would be sold throughout the country next spring . . . in H. Cashin’s department stores!

  Cecily Chen was right. It was an amazing opportunity, which Zoey would be insane to miss. But she was also right that the deadline was soon—as in photos of the garments, made and on real, live models, had to be submitted by the end of that weekend!

  The design part didn’t worry Zoey so much. That came easily to her, and she could already think of a few dresses from her sketchbook that would be perfect to work from. It was the sewing part that made Zoey chew the inside of her cheek. It wouldn’t be like following a pattern. Zoey would have to make that up too . . . something she’d tried a couple of times but was still figuring out how to do. Luckily she had a trusty helper: Marie Antoinette. That was what she’d named the adjustable dress form that her aunt Lulu had given her. At the moment, Marie wasn’t wearing much, except for a gorilla mask on her headless neck. Marcus had tossed it there as a joke, but Zoey had decided to keep it for a while because it made her laugh.

  Zoey looked at the Year of Fashion calendar on her bedroom wall. She had five days to make something—minus all the time she was in school. Was it even possible? No, wait! She had tomorrow off. That made all the difference in the world!

  Zoey went back into her e-mail and wrote a reply to Cecily Chen as fast as she could.

  Dear Cecily,

  Thank you so much for your e-mail and for liking my blog! And thank you for telling me about the sewing contest. I had no idea it was going on! I don’t know if I can design and sew a winner by the deadline . . . but I’m definitely going to try!

  Thanks again!

  Your friend in fashion too!

  Zoey

  PS I’ll be sure to tell Jan you say hi the next time I see her—which, thanks to this contest, will be very, very soon!

  “Guys! Guess what!”