Free Wishing on a Star by Deborah Gregory

chocolates for us to munch. She is being so nice to us. I poke Aqua, who excitedly takes a piece of chocolate and smiles. “Thank you, Mrs. Garibaldi. I mean, Miss Dorothea!”
    Mom has told them more than once, “Call me Miss Dorothea, but just don’t call me Heavy D!”
    Aqua and Angie are so used to being formal around grown-ups, sometimes you can tell they don’t know how to act normal.
    I thought again about Chanel calling me a “chocolate-covered cannoli.” I wouldn’t tell Mom or she would make Chanel eat a whole box of them.

Chapter
9
    The beauty mark Do’ Re Mi paints right above her upper lip looks less fake than mine. I decided to try painting one smack-dab in the middle of my cheek.
    “She’s a faker Do’ Re Mi hums. I rub off the cheesy dot of brown liquid liner and try it her way.
    “Pa-dow! That’s the dopiest dope one,” Do’ Re Mi says after I’m finished. She has dimples for days. I didn’t think there was anyone cuter than Chuchie. I didn’t think it was possible. But Do’ is running a close second.
    We have each painted on a beauty mark and put Glitterella sparkles around our eyes. Theme is everything, I keep repeating to myself. We are starting to be very meow-looking. (Even Aqua and Angie. It’s amazing what a little makeup can do.) “Harmony check!” yells Aqua.
    “
Welcome to the Glitterdome.

It’s any place you call home.
    Give me props, I’ll give you cash
,
then show you where my sparkles stashed.
    Glitter, glitter. Don’t be bitter!

Glitter, glitter. Don’t be bitter!

Glitter, glitter. Don’t be bitter!
”
    We were on point and almost finished “beating our faces,” as Mom calls it. She says she thinks we may have a future. She came to one of the rehearsals at Chuchie’s and watched.
    “Dag on, Galleria. You should just give me this lipstick,” Angie says, outlining her full smackers with my lipstick. Actually, we were splitting the one tube of S.N.A.P.S. lipstick in Flack between the five of us, but I was holding on to it.
    “That’s enough!” Chuchie yells. Flack is this metallic purple-blue color that may give mad effects under the Cheetah-Rama’s strobe lights when we are onstage.
    “It’s not blue, Galleria. It looks more purple in the light,” Aqua says, holding up the tube.
    “If you get hot sauce on it, it’ll be red!” Chanel blurts out, then snatches Aqua’s backpack. “Let me check your bag! You can’t carry a bottle of hot sauce in your bag anymore. It could break and ruin everything. Just carry packets!” Do’ Re Mi giggles.
    “That’s a Cheetah Girls rule!” I yell out. “Now, come on. We’ve got one hour to get to the club before show time.”
    “Do’ Re Mi, you sure your cat suit isn’t too tight?” Chanel asks, poking Do’ Re Mi’s butt and pulling her tail.
    “No. I’m fine!” Do’ Re Mi growls. “You think we’ll be able to see onstage with these masks on?”
    “We just ain’t gonna move too close to the edge so we don’t fall off!” says Angie.
    Truth or dare be told, Angie and Aqua are lookin’ more relaxed than the rest of us. They have more experience singing. And, besides, anyone who could get those church ladies to fall out in the aisles has serious skills. The only experience we had was talent shows and vocal lessons.
    “Maybe we should just let Angie and Aqua sing for real, and we lip-synch into the mikes,” I turn and say to Do’ Re Mi and Chanel, ’cause I’m getting cold feet fast.
    “Last dance. No chance,” Do’ Re Mi says, wiggling her matchstick butt.
    We are gonna sing four songs—two of mine, and two of Kahlua’s—“Don’t Lox Me out the Box” and “The Toyz Is Mine.” In the end, we decided to use tracks from all house music tapes to perform to, and sing the lyrics over them.
    I can’t believe this is happening. Not the performing part. I can believe that. Me and Chanel have been singing long enough into plastic hairbrushes to win the unofficial Wanna-be Stars in the Jiggy