“Oh!” Sophie repeated. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but at the same time she knew it was true. She hated when Amina or Liv or Hayley got nosy.

“Sorry for being a bad friend.” Amina began to cry again.

They stood there for a minute or so, and watched as a couple of boys walked by, staring at them, followed by a group of girls in superhero masks.

“Hey,” Sophie said. “Didn’t Brody like you before he liked me?”

Amina nodded, sniffling.

“What happened?”

Amina laughed. “Oh, you don’t even want to know.”

“No, I really do,” Sophie told her.

They walked toward the auditorium together as Amina told Sophie how Brody had come on really strong, and Amina’s parents didn’t let her go to boys’ houses, and how Brody had said that was really stupid, and after asking her a bunch of times and hearing her say no just as many times, he stopped talking to her entirely.

“Hey,” Sophie whispered to her as they neared rehearsal, “what do you think about helping me and some other girls teach Brody Dixon a lesson?”

42

EVE

WINSTON: k sorry to write you so early but I read all the stuff u sent and its amazing

EVE: oh my gosh no

WINSTON: it doesnt sound like the kind of poetry you read in class you know

EVE: thanks?

WINSTON: i mean it sounds like you’re writing in a diary or something, but in a way thats better than that. all these words that put images in your head and stuff. send me more send me all of it

EVE: haha ur so nice

WINSTON: im glad you think so

EVE: ☺

WINSTON: ☺

EVE: ready for tonight?

WINSTON: I hope so

43

SOPHIE

Break a leg, kiddo read the postcard from Seattle.

Did her dad know you didn’t say that to the hair-and-makeup person? Or did you? Really, she didn’t know. So much was new to her lately.

They’d already done their first show, and now it was time for closing night. The big event.

She’d be sad when it was over. To be honest, she really enjoyed her job. It was like everything she’d learned about dressing up as Sophie Kane could be used to dress up other characters. Why did Nessa have to be right about so much stuff?

Nessa had been helping Sophie with Spanish, and Sophie had been helping Nessa with math. And on opening night, she’d found herself applauding after Nessa’s song like a proud mother or something.

These girls surprised her. Lara was so strategic and organized and put together, and Erin was so quick and funny. She seemed to always know the perfect comeback for anything. And Amina had convinced all the Roses and Brody’s friends to come to the closing night instead of opening. Sophie asked how she did it, and Amina just answered, “Magic.” There was a lot to learn about Amina, Sophie saw. About everyone.

As Sophie packed her stuff to go to the show, her mom and Bella got dressed. Her mom took the night off to come, which was silly. It was no big deal. And she told her mom as much, but her mom said, “Nope, nope, nope, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” and made it happen. She’d come to the track meet, too. Sophie hoped that meant her dad had sent some extra money so the missed shifts didn’t hurt them too much.