Read Online Runway Ready by Sheryl Berk - Free Book Online

real New York Fashion Week show before. The excitement in the air was electric as everyone filed through the doors of the enormous Lincoln Center tent. Inside were rows and rows of seats for invited guests, and the press and their cameras were set up behind them to capture every moment.
    â€œAnd I thought the runway was big at FAB,” Mickey’s mom, Jordana, said. “It’s a mile long. Those poor models!”
    â€œThey’re used to it,” Mickey assured them. “Wait till you see the high heels they have to walk in.”
    JC and Mr. Kaye were already in their seats and waved from across the floor.
    Mickey led her family to where they were seated and noticed that a group of front-row seats were labeled with her name on them. They read “Reserved for Mickey Williams, Kenzie Wills Designs.”
    â€œI feel like a celeb!” she exclaimed, sitting down next to JC.
    â€œNot so fast,” JC said, pointing to the group of seats next to them. “Check out who’s sitting with us.” Mickey looked at the paper taped to the chair that read “Kim Kardashian.”
    â€œI’m going to faint,” Mickey said, fanning herself with the program.
    â€œNot if I beat you to it,” JC insisted. A yelp from inside his bag seconded that.
    â€œYou brought Madonna?” Mickey whispered. “To New York Fashion Week?”
    â€œHey, where I go, she goes,” JC insisted. “Besides, Madonna is a celebrity in her own right. Isn’t that so, pup?” The Chihuahua yapped back approvingly.
    Mickey scanned the tent as the seats began to fill up. “Have you seen Cordy?” she asked.
    â€œNope. So far, so good,” JC reported. “Not a food fight, blackout, or fashion catastrophe in sight. I think you really got through to her.”
    Mickey noticed Mars, South, Gabriel, and the rest of her Apparel Arts classmates a few rows behind them. She waved.
    â€œWasn’t it supposed to start at four o’clock?” Olive asked Mr. Kaye. “These fashion people aren’t very punctual, are they?”
    â€œYou know the expression ‘fashionably late’?” he asked her. “Well, that certainly applies to the runway.”
    But Mickey didn’t mind. She could have sat there all day and night and just absorbed the buzz. Being in this tent gave her such a rush. This was where she belonged, where she always dreamed she would be. Today, she was in the audience. But one day, she would be up there on that runway, sending her models to strut down it wearing her own designs. She knew it. She felt it in every bone in her body.
    Her mom read her mind and squeezed her hand. “One day, this will be your show, Mickey Mouse,” she said. “I believe in you.”
    Suddenly, the lights dimmed.
    â€œIt’s about time!” Olive sniffed. She took a container of kale juice out of her bag and offered it to Mr. Kaye.
    â€œDon’t mind if I do,” he said.
    A hush fell over the room as Victoria walked out onto the stage to welcome her guests. “This collection was inspired by my love for my granddaughter,” she told the audience. “It’s called ‘Youthful Exuberance,’ and I hope you enjoy it.”

As the music began pumping through the speakers, a cloud of pink fog rolled onto the stage.
    â€œWhoa, this is awesome,” JC said, perching himself on the edge of his seat.
    The first model came strutting out, dressed in a pale-pink velvet kimono wrap dress. Her eyeshadow and lipstick were both silver, and she looked like she had fairy dust in her long, wild curls.
    â€œVery ethereal,” Mr. Kaye whispered to Olive. “Don’t you agree?”
    â€œIt reminds me of one of the fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream ,” Olive whispered.
    Mr. Kaye nodded, impressed. “A very keen observation!”
    Next up was a pantsuit look: white trousers with a white tuxedo jacket.