Mixed Messages Read online

  “More than a thousand,” Jasper told him.

  “More than a thousand?” Zee, Chloe, and Ally asked at once.

  “That’s incredible,” Mr. P said. “I just hope you’re working as hard on your music and your schoolwork as you are on the site.”

  Jasper looked at his feet. “Uh, yes, sir.”

  Mr. P glanced at the clock in the hall. “I’ve got to get going. You guys should go to the auditorium for class today. Ms. Vardolis wants you to rehearse on a stage.” With a wave, he rounded the corner.

  “Are you working as hard on your schoolwork and music as you are on Bluetopia?” Zee asked Jasper once Mr. P was out of sight.

  “Yes . . .” Jasper hesitated. “From this moment on.”

  As the group headed to the auditorium, Zee was relieved that Landon was too busy laughing with Conrad and Marcus to notice her. Then as they entered the room, she breathed a sigh of relief when Landon walked to the far side of the seats. It’s not that she wanted to avoid him, exactly, but it always seemed so hard to think of something to say when he was around.

  Kathi and Jen were sitting close together, whispering. They looked up, and Zee could feel the heat of Kathi’s eyes burn her.

  “Look for a Bluetopia doodle in the Dish Club after rehearsal,” Kathi told Jen.

  “Is that some kind of code?” Ms. Vardolis asked.

  “No,” Jen explained. “Bluetopia is a website that Jasper created. A doodle is like a posting. And the Dish is just a section where you can talk about anything.”

  Ms. Vardolis nodded. “Wow, Jasper! You’re not only a talented musician but also a technical wizard.”

  Jasper blushed and looked down. “Not exactly.”

  Kathi quickly changed the subject. “Roxy,” she began, rushing toward her cousin. “I’d love for you to look at my song. I really trust your judgment.”

  Ms. Vardolis looked at the sheet music. “This is really inspired,” she began. “I can see that you put a great deal of work into it.”

  “Yay!” Kathi gave a little cheer. “So you want The Beans to perform it?”

  Ms. Vardolis frowned a little. “Unfortunately, I’m really tied up right now working out the details for Saturday’s show. I don’t have time to arrange it for the group.”

  “I could arrange it,” Kathi said enthusiastically.

  The assistant teacher shook her head. “Have you ever arranged music before?”

  Kathi shifted uncomfortably. “No,” she said quietly.

  “Maybe another time.”

  By now, everyone had stopped talking and was staring right at Kathi, who wasn’t used to being told no. Kathi’s lips twitched, and Zee realized that Kathi wasn’t angry. She was embarrassed—and trying not to cry.

  “Everyone, get your instruments out and find your place on the stage,” Ms. Vardolis instructed, not noticing her cousin’s reaction. “We’ll start off with the song we worked on yesterday, then rehearse a new one.” She waved a piece of paper above her head. “The other song written by Mackenzie.”

  Kathi rolled her eyes and picked up her violin.

  Once everyone was ready to play, Ms. Vardolis suggested, “Why don’t you count off, Mackenzie?”

  Zee looked at the other musicians. “One, two, three, four!” she shouted, then began strumming her guitar. “If you’ve got a problem . . . solve it,” she sang. “You don’t have a reason . . . to quit.”

  Zee’s heart swelled as she listened to The Beans play behind her. Everyone hit the right notes, and Ms. Vardolis had arranged it so that Landon’s drums sounded like a beating heart.

  Even Kathi seemed to be making her best effort on the violin, soaring up the strings with Missy, who also played violin, at just the right parts.

  And when Chloe and Jen sang backup behind Zee, they harmonized so well they sounded like one person.

  “Incredible!” Ms. Vardolis applauded when the song was over. “You guys are definitely ready to perform that one. Nice work, everyone, especially the backup singers.”

  “Yes!” Jen cheered.

  “Whatev,” Kathi mumbled.

  “It’s better to sing backup than nothing at all,” Jen pointed out cheerfully.

  “You’re happy to be just the backup. That’s the difference between you and me,” Kathi moped.

  Jen’s smile melted into a frown. “One of them,” she responded. She turned to Marcus. “That chord progression in the middle was awesome!”

  Kathi’s jaw dropped open. Zee was just as shocked. Jen rarely challenged Kathi.

  “If you guys play Mackenzie’s other song as well as you did that one, I wouldn’t be surprised if a big label tried to buy it,” Ms. Vardolis interrupted the girls.

  Landon gave Zee a thumbs-up from behind his drum kit, and Zee could feel . . . nothing. Nothing special for Landon, at least. Although she was excited that The Beans had done such a great job with her song.

  Ms. Vardolis handed each student the next song. “Mackenzie, since you are my assistant and the songwriter,” she began, “why don’t you start us off again?”

  Zee swelled with pride. Ms Vardolis was really giving her a chance to lead. And she was going to show her teacher that she could do it. “We’ll try it a little slow at first, then work up to the regular tempo,” Zee told the band.

  As the group played, Ms. Vardolis weaved her way across the stage, offering suggestions to the musicians and making adjustments to her arrangement.

  “Try playing this part a little softer, then build up to the chorus,” the teacher told Ally.

  Ally smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Ms. Vardolis leaned over to Chloe, who was playing her cello. “Add a little vibrato here to make the sound fuller,” she said, pointing to the page.

  Chloe nodded and started wiggling her fingers on the strings.

  Then Ms. Vardolis moved over to Kathi and laid her hand on her right shoulder. “If you loosen your grip on the neck of the violin, it will be easier to hit some of these high notes.”

  Kathi didn’t say anything to her cousin, but after that, Zee noticed that she was having an easier time playing the high notes in tune.

  “Bravo!” Ms. Vardolis applauded when they came to the end. “With just a little more practice, you should be ready to perform this song, too.”

  “Should we play it again now?” Zee asked.

  Ms. Vardolis nodded. “I just want to make one change.” Kathi smirked, pleased that Zee’s song wasn’t perfect. “I’d like Landon to sing with you on the third verse, Zee. The words are so romantic, it needs a male voice, too.” She pointed to a spot on the floor next to Zee. “Please stand here, Landon.”

  Zee’s heart decided to play a drum solo as Landon came to stand next to her. Was the old feeling coming back? How was she going to sing when she could barely swallow?

  “Landon, I want you to join in on the part that goes, ‘It’s love. It’s love. That’s how I’m feeling. It’s great. It’s great. My heart is reeling.’ Okay?”

  Behind her, Zee heard a loud crash. Jasper’s music stand had fallen to the floor.

  “So sorry,” Jasper said, bending down to collect the scattered papers. “I must have knocked it with my bow.”

  Jasper wasn’t the only one out of sorts. Just the thought of singing those words with Landon made Zee’s head spin—until they started singing. The song was definitely romantic, but Landon sang like a robot. And Zee wasn’t much better. She expected to be nervous about the duet, but she wasn’t. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the words into feelings.

  To make matters worse, Jasper kept losing his place—and hitting the wrong notes.

  Ms. Vardolis threw her arms in the air. “Wow!” she said when they finished. She wore a concerned expression.

  “Did you like it?” Conrad asked.

  “I don’t think that’s what she’s saying,” Missy told him.

  “You’ll need to practice that one extra-hard on your own, or it will definitely not be ready by Sa
turday,” Ms. Vardolis explained.

  “I have an idea!” Kathi blurted out. “Everyone can come to my house tonight to practice. We can order pizza for dinner.”

  Ms. Vardolis smiled for the first time since they’d started the song. “What a great idea, Kathi. I’m sure knowing how you’re helping out would make your parents very proud.”

  Kathi turned to Zee and smirked.

  Zee ignored her. She couldn’t worry about Kathi at that moment. She grabbed her guitar and walked offstage before Landon could say anything to her about the romantic duet. A jumble of thoughts bounced around in her head. Instead of being excited about singing with Landon, she wasn’t sure she wanted to at all. Before Ms. Vardolis suggested their duet, The Beans sounded fantastic. But now the song was closer to being a disaster.

  Chapter 9

  Baby. Proof.

  Ican’t wait to see how you fixed Bluetopia last night,” Zee told Jasper as they entered the Carmichaels’ house that afternoon. Ally was with them.

  “First, we eat, then we go on Bluetopia,” Jasper insisted.

  Ally giggled. “I guess you need your energy to type,” she said.

  “No problemo.” Zee zoomed across the foyer and into the kitchen, expecting to see her mother and a platter of snacks.

  Instead, her mother was leaning over the open cabinet door under the sink. A tall man with gray hair stood next to her.

  “Uh . . . hi,” Zee said to her mother, but she was looking at the stranger.

  Mrs. Carmichael said hello to Zee and her friends. “This is Mr. Sterling,” she continued. “He’s helping me baby-proof the house.”

  Jasper looked confused. “You want to keep the babies out of the house?” he asked.

  Mrs. Carmichael laughed. “To keep them safe,” she explained. “I had no idea that our home was so full of dangers.”

  “But you’ve already had two babies,” Zee reminded her. “What did you do about us?”

  Zee’s mom laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I looked out for you,” she assured her. “But now I’ll have two babies at once. I’ll need to be doubly safe.”

  Zee didn’t even bother to ask about snacks this time. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a pack of popcorn and put it in the microwave. “We have to be at Kathi’s house at four o’clock,” Zee reminded her mother as she pushed the buttons.

  A rush of panic rose in Mrs. Carmichael’s face. “Oh no!” she said.

  “I texted you at lunch, and you said you would drive us,” Zee reminded her. “Did you forget?”

  “I’m afraid so, and Mr. Sterling is not even halfway done here.”

  “But we can’t miss the rehearsal!” Zee told her.

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Carmichael,” Jasper told her, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. “My mother can take us.”

  “Thank you, Jasper. Please tell her I’ll pick everyone up.”

  Really? Zee thought.

  “I promise,” Mrs. Carmichael said, reading Zee’s mind.

  Beep. Beep. Beep. The microwave signaled that the popcorn was ready.

  Zee poured the snack into a giant bowl, then lifted it off the counter with two hands. “We’re going up to my room until Mrs. Chapman gets us.”

  As Zee moved up the steps to the second floor, she turned to her friends. “I’m going to change my clothes,” she said, passing the bowl off to Ally. She pulled her arms out of her navy blue cardigan. “I picked out the coolest skirt and leggings for the rehearsal this afternoon.”

  “I’m checking out my Bluetopia page. I sent a ton of people bunnies this morning,” Ally explained. “I hope I get some back.”

  “I’ll send you one,” Zee said, dashing up the steps in front of her friends. She grabbed her change of clothes from her dresser drawers, then went into her bathroom to put on her new outfit.

  When Zee came out, she held a different bead earring up to each earlobe. “Which looks better—the glass beads or the wooden ones?” she asked.

  “Wooden,” Ally said.

  Zee slipped the earrings in, grabbed her laptop off of her desk, and then sat down on her bed. Ally dropped beside her. Jasper began typing on his own computer that he pulled out of his backpack.

  “Can I go first?” Zee said.

  “Sure,” Ally agreed. “If I can watch.”

  With Ally beside her, Zee wouldn’t be able to write a blog entry, but she could still do a lot on Bluetopia.

  “Oh my gosh!” Zee said as her first notice popped up. A bunny wearing a smiley-face T-shirt danced in a box on the screen. “Missy sent me a Smile Bunny. It’s so cute.”

  “Send her a bunny back,” Ally suggested.

  “I’m going to give her the exact same one.”

  “Why?” Ally asked.

  “It will be like we’re twins,” Zee told her. “Get it?”

  “Awesome!” Ally said.

  After Zee sent the bunny to Missy, she checked out her buds’ updates.

  “Look what Jen wrote,” Ally said to Zee. “‘Jen Calverez needs a ride to tonight’s rehearsal with The Beans. Come see us play at Brookdale Day on Saturday!’ We should all advertise the show in our page updates and notebook doodles.”

  “Jasper!” Zee called to him. “Did you hear what Ally said?”

  Jasper’s fingers clacked the keyboard. “Yes, it’s a brilliant idea,” he said without taking his eyes off of the computer screen. “I’ll have to do it later, though. I’m still making a few adjustments to the site’s programming.” He typed some more.

  “Oh, and post a doodle telling Jen my mum can take her since she lives near us,” Jasper continued. “I’ll text Mum and let her know.” He kept one hand on the computer while he texted on his cell phone with his other hand.

  Ding! Zee’s laptop announced that someone wanted to chat with her.

  “Oh, look!” Ally said. “It’s from Landon.”

  Landon says: Hi appeared in a box on the screen.

  Zee looked over at Jasper and noticed that he stopped typing. But he didn’t turn around. “Uh . . . yeah,” she said.

  “What are you going to say?” Ally asked.

  Zee shrugged. “I guess I’ll say hi back,” Zee said as she typed.

  Landon says: Do u want a ride 2 Kathi’s?

  “That’s awesome!” Ally exclaimed when she saw the question.

  “I already have a ride,” Zee said. “With Jasper’s mom.”

  “Jasper!” Ally called to him.

  Jasper finally turned around. “What?”

  “Do you care if Zee gets a ride with Landon to Kathi’s?” Ally asked. “I’ll still go with you.”

  “That’s—”

  “I’m not going with Landon,” Zee interrupted Jasper.

  “You don’t want to go with Landon?” Ally asked.

  “It’s not that,” Zee defended herself.

  “So what is it?”

  “I’d just rather ride with you guys,” Zee explained.

  “We’re going to leave soon,” Ally reminded Zee. “Can I log onto Bluetopia now?”

  Zee signed off and slid the computer to Ally. “It’s all yours.”

  Ally entered her screen name and password.

  “Ohmylanta!” Zee said. Ally had a long list of notices telling her that people had posted in her notebook, sent her gifts, and labeled her in photos. “You’re popular!”

  “Oh, most of these are from Missy,” Ally pointed out. “I think she sent me ten bunnies.”

  “Really?” Zee leaned in to get a closer look. Ally was right. Missy had sent Ally lots of bunnies, a couple of private messages, three notebook doodles, and one group invitation.

  Zee felt a tug of jealousy. She had thought that she and Missy were getting to be better friends because of the twins, but now she realized Missy was much closer to Ally. It was weird to see the proof right on the screen.

  “Hey, Zee, look!” Ally said. “The Fashionista Club has seventy-three members.”

  “Cool beans!” Zee
exclaimed. “More of your French friends signed up.”

  Jasper suddenly pivoted in his chair and wiped his forehead with his palm. “Seventy-three members? For a fashion club?”

  “I know. Isn’t it cool?” Ally said.

  “Everyone loves Bluetopia,” Zee cheered.

  “Most of the ideas were yours,” Jasper reminded her. “I just did the programming. Now, unfortunately, I’m still doing the programming to make sure it doesn’t crash. I had no idea that Bluetopia would take up so much time. I’ve hardly been able to think about anything else.”

  “What else is there?” Ally joked.

  “Brookdale Day, for one,” Jasper said. “If I mess that up, it could hurt my music grade.” He looked at the computer screen. “But if Bluetopia crashes, it could be an international disaster.”

  “You worry way too much,” Zee told him. “It’s not going to crash. It’s perfect.” Then she turned to Ally. “We should upload those pictures of the stuff we got at the thrift shop the other day.”

  “Everyone can suggest how we should mix and match all the different clothes,” Ally added.

  “Then we can vote,” Zee agreed.

  Jasper’s phone buzzed with a text. “My mum is here to pick us up,” he told the girls.

  “Rehearsal time!” Zee announced, grabbing her guitar.

  Ally logged off, and the three of them hurried downstairs.

  Zee found her mother and Mr. Sterling at the bottom of the steps. Mrs. Carmichael wore a serious expression as Mr. Sterling explained, “You’ll need a gate that locks.”

  “We’re going to Kathi’s now,” Zee told her mom.

  “All right, honey,” Mrs. Carmichael said without looking at her.

  Chapter 10

  Karaoke Dokey

  Mrs. Chapman had already picked up Chloe from soccer practice on the way to rehearsal. Jen was sitting next to her in the minivan.

  “You’ll never guess what my mom was doing when I got home this afternoon,” Zee blurted out as she fastened her seat belt.

  “Taking a nap?” Chloe asked.

  “Not this time,” Zee told her. “She was talking to someone about baby-proofing the house.”