Read Online Stitches and Stones by Chloe Taylor - Free Book Online Page B

be . . .”
    They were singing “Be Yourself” by Las Chicas!
    â€œOh my gosh,” Zoey whispered to Kate, Priti, and Libby. “They’re singing our song!”
    Libby’s lip began to quiver. “Everyone’s going to think we’re copying them!” she said.
    â€œI don’t get it,” Kate whispered back. “They’re not really about ‘being yourself,’ you know? Why would they pick that song?”
    â€œHold on.” Zoey thought back to gym class earlier in the week. “I heard them say they were going to sing “Get Your Cool On.” Why would they switch songs?”
    â€œI’m sorry to say this, but maybe they knew we chose that song and wanted to mess with us,” Priti said in a hushed voice. “But how did they know?”
    Kate shrugged.
    â€œOh no!” Zoey said. “I think . . . I think I wrote about it in my blog.”
    For a moment, all four girls were quiet.
    Then Libby asked, “What are we going to do?”
    Priti sat up straighter and put on her best pep-talk voice. “We’re going to go out there and give it our best. I refuse to let them win!”
    Zoey smiled. That was so very Priti. The girls nodded in agreement and waited for the song to end.
    Zoey wanted to hate Ivy, Bree, and Shannon’s performance, but she had to admit they did pretty well, and they certainly got a decent amount of applause from the crowd. As the clapping petered out, Ms. Austen spoke again.
    â€œNice singing, girls. Okay, next up, we’ve got Priti Holbrooke, Libby Flynn, Kate Mackey, and Zoey Webber!” Ms. Austen said. “And . . . oh . . . it looks like they’re also singing ‘Be Yourself.’ Great minds think alike!”
    Zoey heard whispers coming from the audience as they walked up to the stage.
    â€œQuiet, everyone,” Ms. Austen said.
    It’s going to be fine , Zoey told herself as got into position. If I can handle Fashion Showdown , I can totally handle this .
    But when the music started, Zoey stood frozen in place for what felt like an eternity. When she saw the familiar faces in the crowd—particularly Lorenzo’s face—her mind went completely blank.She looked over at Priti, Libby, and Kate: They were getting into the music and seemed to be actually having fun. Maybe I can just sneak offstage and no one will notice, Zoey thought.
    She wished the floor would open up and make her disappear—until she caught sight of both Gabe and Ms. Austen smiling and nodding at her encouragingly, as if to say, Come on, Zoey, you can do this!
    That was enough to make her snap out of it.
    Glancing at Priti, she was able to pick up exactly where they were in the dance, and she rocked the rest of the song and the dance routine.
    What’s more, she actually had fun!
    When the music stopped, the whole auditorium jumped to their feet and started to clap wildly.
    â€œNice job,” Ms. Austen said as they walked off the stage.
    Gabe smiled at Zoey and gave her a high five as she walked by.
    When they reached their seats and sat down, Kate, Priti, and Libby looked visibly relieved. Zoey was still reeling from her episode of stage fright.
    â€œI can’t believe I froze like that,” Zoey said. “Did it totally ruin everything?”
    â€œPeople barely noticed,” Priti said. “It was only for, like, two seconds.”
    â€œTwo seconds!” Zoey exclaimed. “It felt like an hour!”
    â€œIt might have felt like an hour, but it wasn’t,” Libby said. “It just looked like you hesitated for a second or two.”
    â€œWhew! So I didn’t look like a complete dork.” Zoey sighed in relief. “And I think they liked us a little better than Ivy’s group.”
    â€œAbsolutely,” Priti said.
    â€œGood job, guys!” Kate added. “We showed them!”
    It still wasn’t enough to win the