Beacon Street Girls: Fashion Frenzy Part 13

Hey, want to see the coolest part of my job?" Maeve looked up, startled. It was Mich.e.l.le. Her eyes were blazing with fury.

"Mich.e.l.le, what's going on?" Maeve asked. She wondered what she had done to get Mich.e.l.le mad.

"Just watch," Mich.e.l.le said as she patted Maeve's arm encouragingly. Maeve crept behind a curtain backstage and peered around the edge. Meanwhile, Mich.e.l.le, notebook in hand, marched straight up to the two models who had made fun of Maeve just a moment ago.

"Excuse me," said Mich.e.l.le.

The two models, towering over Mich.e.l.le, sneered at her. They did not seem happy that she was interrupting their conversation. And from the way they were rolling their eyes, Maeve realized they had no idea who Mich.e.l.le was.

"Could I have your names, please?" Mich.e.l.le asked.

"We don't do autographs before the show," one of them snapped haughtily.

Mich.e.l.le smiled smartly. "Oh, don't worry. I'm with the show," she said. "Names?"

"Kaloren Kraus," said the first, tilting her chin into the air.

"Jamie Finkle," said the second, also tilting her chin.

"Great. Okay, Kaloren, Jamie, the good news is you still get to work in the show today. The bad news is, you will never model in a Teen Beat fashion show again."

Both girls looked stunned. And furious. "Are you kidding me?" Kaloren gasped. "Why?"

"News spread quickly about your immature comments backstage. Your words were very hurtful. At Teen Beat we try to make teens and kids feel happy and good about being themselves. We don't care for att.i.tudes like yours and won't support them." Maeve couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Unfortunately for you, your att.i.tudes just don't fit in here. But you have been paid for the day and I expect you to go out there and be professional!" Mich.e.l.le gave them a stern look and walked away from the stunned models.

"My agent is going to flip!" Kaloren wailed over the music the DJ just started blaring. "I've just got to learn to keep my mouth shut."

When Mich.e.l.le returned, she gave Maeve a satisfied smile. "Well that was fun! Hey Maeve, the show is just about to start. Why don't you try to get a seat in the first row? You'll get to see everyone up close...including Katani! And don't worry about those two girls-they will get other jobs, just not at Teen Beat. We don't want models with mean, negative att.i.tudes. It reflects badly on what Teen Beat is trying to do."

"Okay. Gee...thanks, Mich.e.l.le," Maeve said. Mich.e.l.le really did have a cool job. She couldn't believe Katani's cousin had stuck up for her like that. It made her feel a lot better.

On her way to the front, Maeve glimpsed a young model standing still while a bevy of a.s.sistants buzzed around her like flies. Maeve almost fainted when she recognized the face. It was Katani, and she looked fantastic. She was wearing a clingy gold sweater, a matching knee-length swishy skirt, and high-heeled brown leather boots. Katani is always beautiful, Maeve thought, but today she really looks like a top model.

Maeve wondered how that outfit would look on her. Probably not as good. Then again, gold really isn't my color, she thought as she flung back her luxurious, good-for-shampoo-commercials hair.

Just then, someone tapped Maeve on the shoulder. "Excuse me, miss."

When she turned around and saw who it was, she almost fainted for the second time in a minute. It was Isabel's favorite Latina singer, Dina B! "You are the aspiring actress, yes? The one who came here from Boston?"

"I...I..." Maeve was tongue-tied. She had always prided herself on her star-quality speaking skills and here she was...completely star-stuck! Not only was Maeve talking to Dina B, but Dina B had stopped to talk to her! She must have seen the news report, and now she knew Maeve wanted to be an actress.

Then Maeve remembered that Dina B was launching her own line of teen clothes that day. She must be doing the launch right here at the show, Maeve thought in amazement. I can't believe I'm talking to her. Isabel is going to be so jealous!

Dina had warm, caramel skin, almond-shaped dark eyes, brown hair pulled smoothly into a bun behind her head, and a soft, bright smile. She looked a little worried. "I heard your interview with the reporter from New York 1. You did such a wonderful job! And then when Mimi..." Dina glanced in the direction of the kind, blond model, "...told me about those nasty models, I was so upset! A girl as smart as you, you probably know how silly it is to say who can and who can't be models! Besides," Dina added with a wink, "from what I hear, you have other plans."

Maeve couldn't believe how glamorous Dina was in person. She wore a full, flaring printed skirt with a wonderful glistening white cap-sleeved blouse tucked into it. She had a marvelous suede belt laced around her waist and a gorgeous amber choker around her neck.

Maeve also noticed that Dina B was not towering over her. In fact, she was only a few inches taller than Maeve. In her full skirt and lacy blouse, Dina reminded Maeve of an old-time movie star, like Vivien Leigh. Maeve thought she looked fantastic.

"What is your name again?" asked Dina B.

"Maeve," she answered.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Maeve. I'm Dina. Today is actually my first runway show. I'm kind of nervous," Dina admitted.

"Oh yes! My friend Isabel and me...we are really big fans! We read that you had a new line of clothes and that no one had seen them yet. We've been wondering what they would look like," Maeve found herself suddenly gushing.

Dina laughed. "Well, my models are right over there wearing them if you want to check out the new line."

She pointed at a table surrounded by a rainbow of colors. The models swirled around like a kaleidoscope in folds of glitter and silk. Some even had feathered boas! And the most amazing part was that Dina's central color theme was a vibrant, raspberry pink. The models all looked fabulous and whimsical. It's like Legally Blonde meets The Princess Bride, Maeve thought. This is my dream wardrobe!

"What do you think?" Dina asked with her eyebrows scrunched together. She seemed genuinely interested in Maeve's opinion.

"Wow! I love it!" Maeve breathed. "Really, these clothes are..." Maeve laughed as she looked down at her own dazzling pink ensemble. "They're just my style!"

"I thought you might like them!" Dina B exclaimed. "When I saw you on the news, you were so funny and cute. And I then I saw your outfit and I thought to myself, bravo! There's a girl after my own heart."

"Thanks!" said Maeve, turning a little pink herself.

Maeve could pick out Dina B's models in the crowd. They were all curvy, healthy-looking girls, wearing beautifully cut print clothes in bright colors, along with unusual jewelry. They were also the only ones eating. Maeve noticed two of them eating good-sized portions of delicious-looking fruit salad and big gla.s.ses of milk. Another one was eating a chicken Caesar salad. It all looked wonderful. Maeve was suddenly really hungry.

"Your models seem to be enjoying the food," Maeve commented to Dina.

The singer/designer nodded. "Of course. That's the way it should be. And I encourage them to. They're growing girls; why shouldn't they eat? The fashion world is changing, you know. WE want to design clothes that make all types of women feel beautiful."

Maeve realized that Dina had very definite ideas on this subject. And it gave her a sense of tremendous relief to hear what Dina was saying. She could see that Dina's models were curvier than the other models in the show, but they looked terrific. And the clothes they wore were striking. In fact, Maeve could imagine herself wearing them. She mentioned that to Dina.

Dina smiled and patted her arm again. "You'd better get out front before they start the show. But you know something? I can see you wearing my clothes, too. Listen, let's make a deal. When you go to the premiere of your first movie, call me and I will make you a dress, okay? It'll be my gift," said Dina. She reached into her purse and handed Maeve a card. "Here. This is my personal designer line. Stay in touch, Maeve!" Dina gave Maeve a big smile and waved as she turned to go organize her models.

"Gee, thanks," Maeve managed to squeak out. Dina B asked her-Maeve Kaplan-Taylor-to stay in touch. The BSG would never believe this day. To think, all morning long she had thought her clothes were babyish and that she was not good enough to model clothes. Now Maeve was on top of the world. She couldn't believe that in a city like New York, she'd managed to stand out from the crowd just by being herself. Maeve cast a glance at her reflection in a mirror as she headed for the front. Ah, she thought blissfully, there's no business like show business!

Maeve wanted to get her seat before the show started. She walked down the steps on the side of the stage and looked around. The runway itself was surrounded with hundreds of chairs. Behind that first row, chairs stretched out in all directions, and every single chair seemed to be taken. She looked around for Mich.e.l.le, but Mich.e.l.le was nowhere to be found. I'm too late, Maeve thought. If I can even get a seat, it'll probably be too far back to see Katani.

The lights began to dim, and Maeve looked around frantically. Then she thought she heard someone say her name.

She squinted through the crowd, but it had become too dark to see anything.

"Maeve! Over here!" called a deep British voice. Maeve caught her breath as she realized the man standing and waving from the first row, right in the middle of the runway, was Simon! And there was no doubt about it-he was waving at her!

She waved back, trying to seem as cool as possible, and weaved her way through the crowd to him and Bea. They had saved her the seat between them. "Mich.e.l.le asked us to look after you," Simon whispered as she finally sank down in the chair. "After all, we did a pretty good job last time."

Maeve could hardly speak. She was so overwhelmed by the amazing view and the fantastic company, she felt like laughing out loud. Could this really be happening? Could she, Maeve Kaplan-Taylor, be sitting next to a movie star in the front row of a major fashion show in New York? Wait until Avery, Charlotte, and Isabel heard about this!

"Oh, Maeve, I want you to meet my friend," said Bea. "Rini, this is Maeve. And Maeve, you're from Boston, right?"

Maeve nodded. "Yes, well, actually I live in Brookline. It's one of the suburbs-" Maeve stopped short when she saw the young woman sitting on the other side of Bea. The "Rini" she was about to meet was none other than the Rini Miller, one of her favorite teen stars! Could this day get any crazier?

Bea smiled. "Fabulous! Well I'd like you to meet Rini Miller. Rini is going to Boston to shoot a music video next month. Since you are from Boston, I thought maybe you could show her around a little when she gets there. Being a kid in a new city is hard if you don't have a fun person around who knows all the hot places!"

"Of course!" Maeve said. "I'd be happy to! Nice to meet you, Rini."

"Nice to meet you too," said Rini in a quiet voice. "Do you really live near Boston?" she asked Maeve. Rini looked every bit the teen star, with layered blonde hair and a few freckles scattered over a b.u.t.ton nose. But when she smiled at Maeve, she seemed really sincere. Maeve liked her on the spot.

"Yup," Maeve said. "I've lived there a long time."

"Wow, that's so cool! I've traveled around a lot, but I've never really lived outside of Idaho. I'm a little nervous about going to Boston. Big cities still kind of scare me!"

"Don't be nervous! Boston is a piece of cake once you get used to it. I think you'll like it!" Maeve said, her natural warmth returning. "My friends in Boston are really nice and we always do lots of fun things. Maybe we could all get together and hang out while you're in the city? We could take you to Montoya's Bakery. They have the yummiest hot chocolate in the world."

"Oh, I'd love that!" Rini cried. "I just hate hanging around in hotel rooms with all the grownups that manage my career. It's so boring. I was worried about feeling like a stranger in Boston. Look, do you mind if I take your number? I'll call you as soon as I know for sure when I'm coming."

Bea smiled and supplied a sheet of paper from a notepad in her purse, and Maeve wrote down her number and email address for Rini. "There's so much to see and do, not only in Boston but in Brookline," she said. "If you're interested, we can take you on a tour of our favorite places when you're done shooting."

"Thanks, I can't wait," Rini said, and she stuffed the paper into her tiny sparkly purse.

"Shh," Bea said. "I think it's showtime."

Techno music began pulsating from the DJ's speakers next to the stage. The room went completely black for a moment, and then the stage became a multicolored light show. The DJ cranked up the volume and as he did, a shower of glitter confetti fluttered down. The curtains slid open and the first model strutted down the runway.

The letters B-L-A-Z-E glowed in a purple light on the backdrop of the stage. Maeve tried not to grin when she saw Kaloren and Jamie, the two models who'd been so rude to her, parading down the catwalk. They moved beautifully and did everything they were supposed to do to show off the clothes they wore, but each had a tight, angry expression. Maeve sighed and thought to herself, I guess there will always be Queens of Mean wherever I go.

Since she was right in the front row, both models saw her as they did their slow, graceful saunter down the runway. Kaloren pressed her lips tightly together and shot her a nasty look. Maeve, eager to see Katani, didn't care one bit.

Simon looked bewildered. "I like it when models smile on the runway. Those two look like they've each swallowed a lemon, or something. Blagh!"

Maeve started to giggle and for a minute, she couldn't stop. If Kaloren and Jamie had any idea what they were missing, they'd want to be in the audience too, laughing with movie stars.

There was a rustling next to her, and Maeve turned to see Rini slipping into Bea's seat. "Hope you don't mind," she whispered. "I just have a feeling we'll have a lot to talk about, and Bea didn't mind switching."

Maeve mouthed a thank-you at Bea, who smiled at her, while Rini stared, also perplexed, at Jamie and Kaloren as they turned and started back. "I wouldn't buy those outfits for anything," she declared. "If they make your face all sour like that, why would you want to wear them?"

Maeve laughed out loud. She had a feeling that Rini and all the BSG were going to get along great!

The music picked up and more confetti fell to introduce the final Blaze model, who was wearing the masterpiece outfit of his line. Wild applause erupted at the sight of the stunning young model in sparkling gold fabric. There was Katani, standing frozen on the stage. As Katani took her first steps on the catwalk, Maeve noticed that she seemed a little stiffer than usual. Katani seemed to be looking for someone in the dark sea of the audience. Maeve, sitting front and center, held up her hand and cheered louder than anyone. "Yeah Kgirl! Work it! Work it!"

Katani's uptight expression instantly melted into radiant relief. She was familiar enough with that loud voice to pick it out of any crowd. Katani's steps grew a little more fluid and soon her walk had the mark of regal confidence that the Kgirl was famous for. Katani looked fantastic, and as she got closer and closer to Maeve, her att.i.tude became more and more fantastic as well.

Maeve whispered to Rini, "That's Katani. She's one of my best friends. Blaze put her in the show at the last minute." By the time Katani reached the seats where Simon, Bea, Rini, and Maeve sat, she was walking like a pro, lightly balanced on her high boots, sure of herself and smiling from ear to ear. She looked amazing! Maeve applauded until her palms stung, and Rini did too.

"Your friend is a great model," Rini said to Maeve when Katani had made the long walk back up the runway and disappeared behind the curtain.

"I know! There's just nothing Katani can't do," Maeve said loyally. "If you think she looks good wearing those clothes, you should see the things that she designs. Katani wants to start her own fashion business someday."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" blared the loudspeakers. "There will now be a ten-minute intermission. When we return, you'll be getting the first look at the fantastic new line from the one and only, the great Dina B!"

"Ooh, I'll be right back! I'm going to go see Katani!" Maeve jumped up and stuffed her bag underneath her seat. "Rini, would you mind keeping an eye on this for me? I just have to go back and make sure she's okay."

Rini smiled, "Yeah, no problem. Tell her good job for me!"

Maeve hurried backstage and gasped. If she'd thought it was busy there before, now it was bedlam!

Beautiful clothes were haphazardly thrown everywhere. Models were being zipped, b.u.t.toned, and strapped into new outfits in a tornado of motion. The designers screamed wildly about accessories gone missing, scarves draped "all wrong," and skirts fitting improperly. Even though I'm not always neat, Maeve thought to herself, I'd hate being in the middle of all this craziness every day!

She found Katani already back in her old clothes, lacing up her sneakers. Unlike the other models, Katani had not carelessly thrown anything she'd taken off. Her skirt hung neatly on a special hanger. Maeve was certain Katani's clothes could be worn again without even being ironed!

Katani's eyes lit up when she saw Maeve. "You're here!" she cried as she gave her friend a tight hug. "How'd I do?" Katani asked.

"You were unbelievable!" Maeve told her. "Katani, I swear, you really looked like a model! I think that you could be modeling right now!"

Katani shuddered. "No, thanks! Once was fun, I guess, but it's way too stressful."

"How so?" Maeve asked.

Katani laughed and waved an arm around at all the shouting and chaos. "I would never be able to handle this! Absolutely, definitely not for me. No, I guess Kelley was right. Fashion, fashion that's my pa.s.sion. Designing fashion, that is!"

"Well, then, it was a great idea to model, wasn't it?" Maeve said practically. "Because now you know you don't want this side of the fashion business."

Katani looked at her, surprised. "You know, you're right. Mich.e.l.le did me a big favor by letting me see this. It seems like some girls get so caught up in the whole dream of becoming a model and they don't get a chance to see what it is actually like."

"Oh, no!" cried a familiar voice. Maeve turned. With her hands placed on her head in anguish, Dina B was walking around in circles, looking like she was going to cry.

"Dina!" Maeve rushed to her side and asked gently, "What happened?"

The designer just pointed. "Look-"

One of her models stood nearby, also looking tragic. She wore a pair of stunning magenta capri pants with a matching top. The only problem was the matching top was soiled with a big, wet blob of coffee from her neck to her waist. It was completely ruined. Dina B's show started in only a few minutes, and one of the models was covered in coffee!

"Oh!" Maeve said woefully. "Dina...do you have an extra shirt that would work?"

Dina shook her head. Tears rose in her eyes. "No...I planned the whole thing perfectly so the girls wouldn't get confused." Dina placed her head in her hand. "And I wanted today to be perfect," she whispered. "This is my first show."

Katani was surveying the disaster a little more hopefully. Maeve could see the sparkle of creativity in her best friend's eye. "Got it!" Katani exclaimed. "Wait just a minute-I think I can help." And with that she was off.

Dina B looked confused and overwhelmed. "Don't worry!" Maeve a.s.sured Dina, comforting the famous singer as she would any friend in need. Maeve continued, "My friend's a great designer. Katani always comes through in a pinch. Just give her a minute, okay?"

"Hey Dina?" It was Mich.e.l.le, who was also looking tense. "We have a little problem. Even if Katani can fix this, we have to put the whole show on hold. Right now, the stage is empty. It'll be dead s.p.a.ce out there! We've got to keep this crowd entertained, so they don't notice."

"Hey, I think I might have an idea!" Maeve said excitedly. "Just tell me, Mich.e.l.le-what's the deal with your music and sound system?"

"Our guy Grant is running it-he can do anything," Mich.e.l.le said, looking a little surprised at the question. "It's a sweet idea, Maeve, but I'm not sure if just music is going to cut it-"

"Perfect!" Maeve cried. "That's all I need to know!"

She sprinted away from the chaos and back into the audience again. When she reached Simon, however, she didn't return to her seat. Instead, she took a deep breath, smiled, and said sweetly, "Simon, I have a little favor to ask you..."