Too Good to Be True by Laurie Friedman Page A

she had the same thought.
    That made me laugh. I probably looked like a crazy person, crying one minute and laughing the next. But I didn’t care. It was the first time I’ve laughed in a long time, and it felt good.
Tuesday, November 26, 1:44 P.M .
Study hall
    Today during lunch, I went up to Emily and asked her if we could talk. There were some things I had to say to her. I told her that I didn’t understand how she could tell everyone my secret and that I thought we were friends. Then I told her that I talked to Chloe yesterday and that she forgave me for what happened.
    But Emily just shrugged her shoulders and said she really didn’t know what I was talking about, that she never told anybody anything. Then she said she had to go.
    It’s fine. If she wants to pretend like it never happened, that’s her business.
    Brynn was definitely right on this one.
Wednesday, November 27, 4:40 P.M .
In my bathroom
About to leave for the dance show
    My hair is in a bun. My makeup bag is packed. My fingers are crossed.
    I hope tonight goes well.
11:45 P.M .
In bed
I should be tired
But I’m not
    Tonight was amazing in so many ways. I’m not even sure where to start. When I arrived in the dressing room, everyone was excited. All the older girls were helping the younger girls put the finishing touches on their makeup. One of the straps on my costume was crooked, so Mady adjusted it and safety-pinned it to the inside of my costume to make sure it didn’t move during the show. “You doing OK?” she asked. I nodded and she smiled in a big-sisterly way.
    Chloe helped me finish my makeup. While she was putting on my lipstick, she told me she never even really liked Emily. “From day one,”she said in a low voice, “she thought she was better than anyone on the team, and we’ve all been here a lot longer than she has.” Surprisingly, I didn’t care so much how Chloe felt about Emily, I was just happy to feel like part of the team again.
    Once we were all dressed, Ms. Baumann gave us what she called our final dancing orders. She said they’re like marching orders if you’re in the army and that we should perform tonight as seriously as if we were but also have fun.
    Then she sent us to the area on the side of the stage where we would be waiting before our opening number. I peeked through the curtains. The auditorium was packed. It was standing room only. Then I heard the music start and saw the stage lights go on. It was showtime.
    The opening dance was the scariest. It was a group dance, and as everyone on the team crossed the stage and took our places, I was conscious of every part of my body. All of Ms. Baumann’s orders played like a loop in my head.
Shoulders back. Toes pointed. Arms extended.
There was so much to remember, but once the music started, I relaxed into it.
    At intermission, we changed costumes backstage. “No talking!” Ms. Baumann barked at us. “And hurry!” Even though Ms. Baumann had everything organized, the area backstage was tiny. There were costumes and dancers everywhere. I don’t know how we all managed to find what we needed and get changed, but we did.
    The second half of the show flew by. The second dance I was in included the leaps I worked so hard on. I don’t know if it was the energy of performing onstage or the happiness I was feeling about being on good terms with the team again, but when I leapt, I felt like I was soaring.
    Then, before I knew it, it was time for the finale.
    When we finished our last dance, the auditorium was thundering with applause. The show was such a success! The audience cheered and clapped for a long time when we went back onstage for our final bows.
    When the curtain finally closed, everyone on the team was hugging and high-fiving. Ms. Baumann told us what a great job we had done and how proud she was. The team captains gave her a huge bouquet of flowers. I’ve never seen herso