Free True Colors by Jill Santopolo Page A

door shut behind her, Aly called Joan. And when she started explainingwhat happened, she found herself crying a little.
    â€œI bet that was scary,” Joan said.
    â€œIt was,” Aly said, crying a little more now. “And what if Brooke’s really hurt?”
    â€œIf Brooke’s hurt, the doctors will make her better,” Joan said. “Now sit tight, and I’ll be right there to take you to school. Get Sparkly’s leash on too, so I can bring him to the salon.”

    All day long Aly worried about Brooke. She had trouble paying attention in class. She kept looking at her purple polka-dot watch to see if it was 3:07 yet, the end of the school day, when she could go to True Colors and find out if her sister was okay. But every time she checked, it wasn’t even close to 3:07. Time was moving slower than the snail that Aly and Brooke had watched crawl across the sidewalk the weekend before.
    At lunchtime Aly sat with her two best friends, Charlotte and Lily, as usual, but she was too distracted to concentrate on their conversation about the Lewis and Clark project that was due next Monday. She sat, barely touching her bagel and cream cheese, barely even drinking her orange juice, until Lily asked if there were any open appointments left at Sparkle Spa that afternoon.
    â€œUmm,” Aly said, “I don’t know if we’ll even open today.”
    â€œBut it’s Tuesday,” Charlotte said. “You’re always open on Tuesdays for the soccer team’s rainbow sparkle pedicures.”
    Aly clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh no!” she said. “You’re right. It’s Tuesday! And Brooke won’t be there! And the whole soccer team is coming! And they’re going to be in the quarterfinals this weekend! This is going to be a disaster.”
    Sparkle Spa was a business that Aly and Brooke started in the back room of their mom’s nail salon. Kids could have their nails and toes polished and not take up time or space in the busy grown-up salon. Plus, it was more fun when it was just kids. They could pretty much do whatever they wanted, and as long as they were quiet, no one really bothered them.
    It was because of the soccer team—the Auden Angels—that the spa had started in the first place. Their captain, Jenica Posner, came to True Colors one day, and Aly—not an actual salon manicurist—wound up giving Jenica a rainbow sparkle pedicure. Brooke had come up with the color combination, and Jenica thought it was really cool.
    Jenica scored so many goals in the next soccer game that the whole team wanted rainbow sparkle pedicures too. And they still came every week so thattheir “sparkle power” wouldn’t fade. So far, they were undefeated for the season and had made it all the way to the quarterfinals.
    The team insisted it was due to the sparkles. Aly was pretty sure it was because they were awesome soccer players, but she couldn’t risk not giving them sparkle power before the quarterfinals, just in case. Even with Brooke gone, Aly would have to do the Angels’ pedicures this afternoon. She didn’t want it to be her fault if they lost this week. But how would she give all those sparkle pedicures without Brooke’s help?
    Maybe if I make a list, I can figure it out, Aly thought.
    Making lists was something Aly did to organize her thoughts and help her solve problems.
    She took a sheet of paper from her notebook and began writing.
    Ways to Make Sure All the Angels Get Their Sparkle Power
    1.   Walk to True Colors as fast as possible.
    2.   Ask Jenica if some players can come on other days.
    3.   Find more manicurists.
    Aly stopped writing and looked up at Charlotte and Lily.
    â€œI know this is a ridiculous question, but is there any chance either one of you learned how to polish nails over the weekend?” Aly asked her friends.
    Both girls shook their heads. “Sorry, Aly,” Lily