Read Online Wishing on a Star by Deborah Gregory - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah Gregory
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be, like, our mascot!” This gets howls of approval, and an okay from my mom. Awright!
When we leave, Toto runs to the glass door and stares at us with his begging, beady eyes. We all wave at him. “Bye, Toto!” “Bye, boo-boo.” “See you at show time, doggie-poo!”
Chapter
7
I need to resolve this music thing with Aqua and Angie, today. We have to begin practicing the songs I’ve written, now that we have the other two down.
Today, Dad drives me down to Chanel’s house for rehearsal. He is late getting to the factory, so he is lost in his own world. “How are rehearsals going?” he asks me.
“Don’t ask,” I groan.
Dad wants me to be a singer, too. I think secretly that my singing has kept him and Mom together. Whenever they fight, I always start singing, and it makes them laugh.
“
Ciao
, Dad,” I say, blowing him a kiss as I get out.
I’m glad that my parents are not coming to the bash. It’s for Kats and Kittys only, thank gooseness. Between school, rehearsals, dance classes, and vocal classes, I am about to explode like microwave popcorn.
We have two hours to rehearse our vocals before we have to do our dance moves with Drinka.
“Listen, can we just do this?” I say to Aqua and Angie. I am holding my breath because I don’t want to fight with them anymore.
Do’ Re Mi is going along with the program. She kinda likes my songs. But the “Huggy Bear Twins” (me and Chuchie’s secret nickname for them) are hard to please.
“All right,” Aqua moans.
“We’ll just start with the first verse today,” I say, “so that Chuchie and Do’ Re Mi can join in. You two listen up and try to come in where you know the words.”
We start to sing:
“
Some people walk with a panther
or strike a buffalo stance
that makes you wanna dance.
Other people flip the script
on the day of the jackal
that’ll make you cackle.
But peeps like me
got the Cheetah Girl groove
that makes your body move
like wanna-be stars in the jiggy jungle.
The jiggy jiggy jungle!
The jiggy jiggy Jungle!
So don’t make me bungle
my chance to rise for the prize
and show you who we are
in the jiggy jiggy jungle!
The jiggy jiggy jungle!
”
Why are Aqua and Angie leaning so heavy on the chorus? You can’t even hear the rest of us! I wonder if they are doing it on purpose. Sure, they are better singers, but they don’t have to sing like they’re at the Thunderdome.
“Aqua, Angie, maybe you should sing the chorus a little softer so we can hear the harmony more?” I suggest.
“Oh, okay,” they both say.
Chanel doesn’t say anything. For someone who can run her mouth like she’s doing a TV commercial on
Telemundo
, I can’t get a squeak out of her when I need her to represent me. Why do I always have to stick up for us? And why is Do’ Re Mi singing so softly?
“Do’ Re Mi—you need to sing louder after the first verse, I think, no?”
“’But peeps like me got the Cheetah Girl groove,’” Do’ Re Mi sings—this time with more gusto. “Like that?”
“Yeah,” Aqua answers.
I’m wondering if anyone will boo at us at Kats and Kittys. Could they be that cold?
After dance rehearsal, we are standing outside of Drinka’s building. By now, I’ve had about all I can take. Not only did the singing rehearsal go badly, but the dancing rehearsal went even worse. Especially Chanel—she was so busy giggling she couldn’t even get through the numbers! “Why don’t you pay attention to what you’re doing!” I scream at her now, losing my cool completely Angie, Aqua, and Do’ Re Mi get real quiet.
“What happened?” Chanel yells. “What did I do?”
“Chanel, you better not mess this up. You have to try to pay attention to what we’re all doing so we look like we’re doing the same moves.”
“I’m not the one messing it up. You are, with your big mouth!” she screams at me. Chanel never screams. Only I do. We argue right there on the street.
Angie, Aqua, and Do’ Re Mi wait on
When we leave, Toto runs to the glass door and stares at us with his begging, beady eyes. We all wave at him. “Bye, Toto!” “Bye, boo-boo.” “See you at show time, doggie-poo!”
Chapter
7
I need to resolve this music thing with Aqua and Angie, today. We have to begin practicing the songs I’ve written, now that we have the other two down.
Today, Dad drives me down to Chanel’s house for rehearsal. He is late getting to the factory, so he is lost in his own world. “How are rehearsals going?” he asks me.
“Don’t ask,” I groan.
Dad wants me to be a singer, too. I think secretly that my singing has kept him and Mom together. Whenever they fight, I always start singing, and it makes them laugh.
“
Ciao
, Dad,” I say, blowing him a kiss as I get out.
I’m glad that my parents are not coming to the bash. It’s for Kats and Kittys only, thank gooseness. Between school, rehearsals, dance classes, and vocal classes, I am about to explode like microwave popcorn.
We have two hours to rehearse our vocals before we have to do our dance moves with Drinka.
“Listen, can we just do this?” I say to Aqua and Angie. I am holding my breath because I don’t want to fight with them anymore.
Do’ Re Mi is going along with the program. She kinda likes my songs. But the “Huggy Bear Twins” (me and Chuchie’s secret nickname for them) are hard to please.
“All right,” Aqua moans.
“We’ll just start with the first verse today,” I say, “so that Chuchie and Do’ Re Mi can join in. You two listen up and try to come in where you know the words.”
We start to sing:
“
Some people walk with a panther
or strike a buffalo stance
that makes you wanna dance.
Other people flip the script
on the day of the jackal
that’ll make you cackle.
But peeps like me
got the Cheetah Girl groove
that makes your body move
like wanna-be stars in the jiggy jungle.
The jiggy jiggy jungle!
The jiggy jiggy Jungle!
So don’t make me bungle
my chance to rise for the prize
and show you who we are
in the jiggy jiggy jungle!
The jiggy jiggy jungle!
”
Why are Aqua and Angie leaning so heavy on the chorus? You can’t even hear the rest of us! I wonder if they are doing it on purpose. Sure, they are better singers, but they don’t have to sing like they’re at the Thunderdome.
“Aqua, Angie, maybe you should sing the chorus a little softer so we can hear the harmony more?” I suggest.
“Oh, okay,” they both say.
Chanel doesn’t say anything. For someone who can run her mouth like she’s doing a TV commercial on
Telemundo
, I can’t get a squeak out of her when I need her to represent me. Why do I always have to stick up for us? And why is Do’ Re Mi singing so softly?
“Do’ Re Mi—you need to sing louder after the first verse, I think, no?”
“’But peeps like me got the Cheetah Girl groove,’” Do’ Re Mi sings—this time with more gusto. “Like that?”
“Yeah,” Aqua answers.
I’m wondering if anyone will boo at us at Kats and Kittys. Could they be that cold?
After dance rehearsal, we are standing outside of Drinka’s building. By now, I’ve had about all I can take. Not only did the singing rehearsal go badly, but the dancing rehearsal went even worse. Especially Chanel—she was so busy giggling she couldn’t even get through the numbers! “Why don’t you pay attention to what you’re doing!” I scream at her now, losing my cool completely Angie, Aqua, and Do’ Re Mi get real quiet.
“What happened?” Chanel yells. “What did I do?”
“Chanel, you better not mess this up. You have to try to pay attention to what we’re all doing so we look like we’re doing the same moves.”
“I’m not the one messing it up. You are, with your big mouth!” she screams at me. Chanel never screams. Only I do. We argue right there on the street.
Angie, Aqua, and Do’ Re Mi wait on
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