Don’t think I’m asking for a handout. I’ve read Starting Your Own Business for Dummies, and I know how these things work. We got investors when we opened The Doughnut Stop, and we paid them all back and they even made some money.

I know this is a lot to ask, but I just thought if you really believed what you said, you might want a chance to help us out. We have a great product. I’m attaching an article Destination Eating did on us, and our latest profit-and-loss report. We may be in the seventh grade, but we run The Doughnut Stop like a real business.

I hope I’ll hear from you but, don’t worry, it’s not as if I’m expecting anything to come from this email. Do you ever just feel like you have to try something even when it seems impossible?

Thanks for reading this.

Sincerely,

Tris Levin

Co-Owner of The Doughnut Stop

Petersville, NY

I read it through once more, then hit Send.

I was just about to close the laptop when I noticed I had a new email. It was from an address I didn’t recognize. The subject line read: Congratulations!

Finally, some good news. I clicked it open.

To: [email protected], [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Congratulations!

Tristan,

Congratulations! The Can You Cut It? team loved your audition video, and we’d like you to come in for a callback on May 14 at 10:00 a.m.

In the attachment, you’ll find detailed information about the callback, filming schedule (should you be selected), and consent forms for parental signature.

Please reply to this email as soon as possible to confirm that you will be attending the callback.

We look forward to meeting you!

All the best,

Randy Merriman

Producer

Can You Cut It?™

Was this a joke?

I opened the attachment. It was ten pages in tiny print with very long words. Definitely not a joke.

I read the email again.

That’s when I saw it, the other email address in the To box: [email protected].

“Jeanine!”

“What?” She came out of the kitchen sucking a Popsicle.

“You sent an audition tape to Can You Cut It?”

“Did we get a callback?” She crossed her fingers.

“Uh, yeah?” I was in shock. This was too much even for Jeanine.

“Yes!” She spun around spraying the room with Popsicle juice. “Tris has a callback for Can You Cut It?!” she yelled into the kitchen.

A second later, Mom and Dad were reading the email over my shoulder.

“This is so exciting!” Mom said super loud right in my ear.

“It’s not exciting because I’m not doing it.”

“I’ll do it,” Zoe said. She was sitting on the carpet with Henry in her lap trying to force-feed him a Popsicle.

“I don’t understand. Why don’t you want to do it now?” Dad said.

“Now? I never wanted to do it. Ms. NerdyandProud made the video and sent it in without asking me.”

“You should see it,” Jeanine said. “Kevin taught me how to use iMovie, and I edited together all these clips of Tris cooking, even from when he was really little. You know the one where he’s like three and naked with the apron and—”