nerves about tonight?”
“Or maybe she thinks she really is a princess,” I said.
“Come on,” Caroline said. “Sophie doesn’t think she really is a princess.”
“Then why was she telling me what to do with my own costume?” I asked. “And why did she say she hated me?”
“Well,” Caroline said, “maybe taking the afternoon off will give her a chance to cool down.”
Maybe it would. But maybe it would also be too late for her to get the part of Princess Penelope back.
Because maybe it was mine now.
What if Mom invited Lynn Martinez from Good News! to the show tonight to see me? They were such good friends now, on account of sharing that tip about false eyelashes, she probably would.
And if Lynn saw me as Princess Penelope, she would probably ask me to come on her show so she could interview me. And then a talent scout from Hollywood would see me and ask me to star in my own reality show about a fourth-grade animal lover with two pesky little brothers whose mother is also a TV star.
The only problem with this plan was, when we got back to school, Cheyenne was going around saying Mrs. Hunter planned to ask her to play Princess Penelope.
“Naturally,” Cheyenne said, loud enough for all of us to hear her over by the swings, where we were standing. “I mean, who else would she ask at the last minute, but the one semiprofessional actress she has in her class?”
“But what about your fairy queen costume?” Dominique asked her. “You said your mom spent over two hundred dollars on it.”
“It can easily be converted to a princess costume,” Cheyenne said. “Simply by removing the wings.”
“Oh!” Erica said when she overheard all this. “Do you believe them? Talking about taking over Sophie’s part like she’s dead or something. You know, Mrs. Hunter would probably still give the part back to Sophie if she’d just apologize to Allie.”
I didn’t want to tell Erica she was wrong straight to her face. First of all, I for one didn’t plan on forgiving Sophie that easily. And second of all, I didn’t want to get her hopes up, either.
“Well, it’s good to make alternative plans,” I said. “I mean, just in case Sophie doesn’t come back.”
“But you don’t really think Mrs. Hunter would give the part of Princess Penelope to Cheyenne, do you?” Erica looked worried.
“Probably not,” I said. “I think Mrs. Hunter would probably give the part to the next-best person who auditioned for it.”
Erica thought about that. “Well, Marianne and Dominique weren’t very good. And I can’t imagine her giving it to Elizabeth or one of the other elves…and Caroline, you wouldn’t want it, would you?”
“No way. I love being a unicorn. But who else…” Then I caught Caroline looking at me. “Allie. Would you want it?”
Erica’s eyes widened. “Allie? Really? Do you know all of Sophie’s lines?”
“Sure,” I said, shrugging modestly. “Memorizing lines is easy.”
“But then…” Erica looked stunned. “Who would play the evil queen?”
“Mrs. Hunter, I guess,” I said with another shrug.
“But you’re so good as the evil queen,” Erica cried. “We love you as the evil queen. You make us laugh!”
I stared at her. “Really?” I knew I made Mrs. Hunter laugh. And my little brother. And the boys. But not the rest of the class.
“Really,” Erica said. “Oh, you can’t not play the evil queen. You’re so good at playing her! The play won’t be as good without you!”
I had never considered this before—that I was so good at playing the evil queen, the play might not be as good if I played Princess Penelope instead. I had wanted to play Princess Penelope so badly, that was all I had ever really thought about.
“It really would be a shame,” Caroline said. “I don’t think Mrs. Hunter would be as good as you are at playing the evil queen.”
“Well,” I said. I looked down at my feet. I was still wearing my red high-tops. It had been too
“Or maybe she thinks she really is a princess,” I said.
“Come on,” Caroline said. “Sophie doesn’t think she really is a princess.”
“Then why was she telling me what to do with my own costume?” I asked. “And why did she say she hated me?”
“Well,” Caroline said, “maybe taking the afternoon off will give her a chance to cool down.”
Maybe it would. But maybe it would also be too late for her to get the part of Princess Penelope back.
Because maybe it was mine now.
What if Mom invited Lynn Martinez from Good News! to the show tonight to see me? They were such good friends now, on account of sharing that tip about false eyelashes, she probably would.
And if Lynn saw me as Princess Penelope, she would probably ask me to come on her show so she could interview me. And then a talent scout from Hollywood would see me and ask me to star in my own reality show about a fourth-grade animal lover with two pesky little brothers whose mother is also a TV star.
The only problem with this plan was, when we got back to school, Cheyenne was going around saying Mrs. Hunter planned to ask her to play Princess Penelope.
“Naturally,” Cheyenne said, loud enough for all of us to hear her over by the swings, where we were standing. “I mean, who else would she ask at the last minute, but the one semiprofessional actress she has in her class?”
“But what about your fairy queen costume?” Dominique asked her. “You said your mom spent over two hundred dollars on it.”
“It can easily be converted to a princess costume,” Cheyenne said. “Simply by removing the wings.”
“Oh!” Erica said when she overheard all this. “Do you believe them? Talking about taking over Sophie’s part like she’s dead or something. You know, Mrs. Hunter would probably still give the part back to Sophie if she’d just apologize to Allie.”
I didn’t want to tell Erica she was wrong straight to her face. First of all, I for one didn’t plan on forgiving Sophie that easily. And second of all, I didn’t want to get her hopes up, either.
“Well, it’s good to make alternative plans,” I said. “I mean, just in case Sophie doesn’t come back.”
“But you don’t really think Mrs. Hunter would give the part of Princess Penelope to Cheyenne, do you?” Erica looked worried.
“Probably not,” I said. “I think Mrs. Hunter would probably give the part to the next-best person who auditioned for it.”
Erica thought about that. “Well, Marianne and Dominique weren’t very good. And I can’t imagine her giving it to Elizabeth or one of the other elves…and Caroline, you wouldn’t want it, would you?”
“No way. I love being a unicorn. But who else…” Then I caught Caroline looking at me. “Allie. Would you want it?”
Erica’s eyes widened. “Allie? Really? Do you know all of Sophie’s lines?”
“Sure,” I said, shrugging modestly. “Memorizing lines is easy.”
“But then…” Erica looked stunned. “Who would play the evil queen?”
“Mrs. Hunter, I guess,” I said with another shrug.
“But you’re so good as the evil queen,” Erica cried. “We love you as the evil queen. You make us laugh!”
I stared at her. “Really?” I knew I made Mrs. Hunter laugh. And my little brother. And the boys. But not the rest of the class.
“Really,” Erica said. “Oh, you can’t not play the evil queen. You’re so good at playing her! The play won’t be as good without you!”
I had never considered this before—that I was so good at playing the evil queen, the play might not be as good if I played Princess Penelope instead. I had wanted to play Princess Penelope so badly, that was all I had ever really thought about.
“It really would be a shame,” Caroline said. “I don’t think Mrs. Hunter would be as good as you are at playing the evil queen.”
“Well,” I said. I looked down at my feet. I was still wearing my red high-tops. It had been too
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