âHurry up! Fran is on in five!â I say into the phone. âGet the popcorn and lemonade ready,â Mary Ann says back. âIâll be right over with pens and paper.â One of the best parts about living next door to my best friend is that it doesnât take long to get to each otherâs houses. Mary Ann is on my couch before I even get there with the snacks. Fashion Fran is about to announce the details of her fashion design contest that she has been talking about for weeks. I turn on the TV and settle in next to Mary Ann. She takes a sip of her lemonade. âI donât think I can wait another second,â she says. I shake my head. I agree completely. Fran announced the contest a few weeks ago, but it feels like it has taken months for it to officially begin. And todayâs the day. I canât wait to find out what itâs all about. As the music weâve been listening to every afternoon for as long as I can remember starts to play, Mary Ann and I squeal. Like always, we count down with the announcer as we wait for Fran to appear on the screen. âThe moment weâve been waiting for is finally here!â I say.
But before we get to enjoy it, my brother, Max, walks into the room. He grabs the remote and changes the channel. âI want to see the sports scores,â he says. Mary Ann and I both fly off the couch at the same time. So does the bowl of popcorn. My brother is usually faster than I am, but today I grab the remote out of his hand before he can stop me. âAre you crazy?!?â I shout at Max. âMary Ann and I have a V.I.S. to watch.â Max looks at me like he has no idea what Iâm talking about, so I explain. âV.I.S. is short for Very Important Show .â I tell him that Fashion Fran is having a design contest. âWeâre going to find out all of the details today!â Now Max looks at me like Iâm the one who is crazy. âAnd you and Birdbrain actually think you can win?â I wave my hand at Max to make him stop talking. A. I donât like when he calls my best friend Birdbrain. B. His question is ridiculous. We have as good a chance as anybody. C. I donât have time to answer anyway. Fran is starting to talk. Mary Ann and I both put our fingers to our lips and make a shhh! sound. But Max is already leaving. Mary Ann and I turn our attention to the TV. âFashionable viewers, welcome to a very special episode of the show.â Fran smiles at the camera. She pats down her already smooth hair. Then she twirls so viewers can see what sheâs wearing. âI love her sparkly sweater,â I say. âAnd her lace skirt,â says Mary Ann. We both shake our heads. One thing Mary Ann and I have always agreed on is that Fran is very fashionable. The camera pans over the audience. It is filled with happy faces. âCan you even imagine what it would be like to be there?â I ask Mary Ann. Mary Ann squeezes my arm. It has always been our dream to be on her show together. But it is hard to imagine that ever happening. We watch as Fran keeps talking. âIâm sure you are all anxious to hear about the design contest,â says Fran. âBut first, I want to tell you a little bit about how I started as a fashion designer.â
I turn up the volume. I know Mary Ann wants to hear this as much as I do. Fran tells viewers how she loved playing with fabrics and designing outfits when she was a little girl. The camera cuts to pictures of ten-year-old Fran using a miniature sewing machine she says her grandmother gave her. âI have been sewing and designing ever since.â Fran smiles into the camera. âNow, it is your turn.â âThe contest is simple,â says Fran. âDesign your dream outfit, your most perfect, fashionable ensemble, on one sheet of 81/2 by 11 paper. Please use pencils and colored pencils only. Send your design to my studio in New York,