Catie Conrad: Faith, Friendship and Fashion Disasters Read online

  Dad: I’m so impressed with you, sweetie. I think I know someone who’s growing up. See how God works everything out?

  Mom: I only have one question—how are you going to get that dress to Miranda without her knowing it’s from you?

  Me: Sophie and I have a plan. We are pros when it comes to

  Friday, April 16

  Once again, I could not sleep because of the Germ. Even though we’d been home for six days, his snoring was just as bad as it had been at the rez. At least he was in his own room now. BUT. I. STILL. HEARD. HIM.

  Me: Hey, over there! You’re snorting in your sleep like one of those weird animals on Animal Planet! Give it a rest!

  Germ: Well, it doesn’t bother Rosey, so it shouldn’t bother you!

  Me: Okay, so you’re comparing me to a SKUNK? You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!

  I couldn’t wait to get to school and see Sophie. We were also eager to see Miranda and Emily . . . just to see what would happen next.

  Get this. Emily told Josh, Josh told Tyler, and Tyler told me: Miranda was now going to the dance.

  IMAGINE THAT!!!

  Miranda never mentioned why suddenly the dance was back on, but that was okay. Sophie and I knew the reason, and that was enough.

  Then something SUPER SURPRISING happened. At the end of the day, while I was putting my books back into my locker, Tyler came up and started talking to me.

  WEIRD.

  WEIRD.

  WEIRD.

  Tyler: Uh, hi Catie. I haven’t had time to ask you about your trip. Was it cool out there?

  Me: Hey Tyler. Yeah, uh, it was fun.

  Tyler: I tried to text you before your mission trip, but it didn’t go thru or something.

  Me: Oh, well, my phone doesn’t text, so . . . what were you going to say? I know it’s old news, but—

  Tyler: No, uh . . . I . . . Well, I . . . thought I’d see if you’re going to the dance tonight?

  Me: I’m not sure about the dance. I don’t actually have a dress.

  Tyler: Oh . . . okay . . . Well, if you change your mind . . . maybe we could meet at the gym or something? I’m going with Matt.

  Me: Hmmm . . . okay . . . maybe—sure, I’ll go. Sophie and I will meet you guys there. But remember, we’re just friends—right?

  Tyler: Duh. See ya tonight!

  OH. MY. GOSH!!!!!!

  I flew home and called Sophie. I didn’t have time to just message her on the computer. I needed to talk to her ASAP!

  EXCITED Me: Sophie, YOU MUST COME OVER . . . LIKE, RIGHT NOW!!!! I am GOING TO THE DANCE!!!!!

  Sophie: I ALREADY HEARD! Tyler texted Matt, and Matt told me. THIS IS GREAT NEWS. There’s only one small problem —WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR?

  Me: DUH! Why do you think I need you to come over? Oh, and I know I might sound bonkers, but maybe you should text Emily and ask if she wants to meet us there too? Maybe she felt the same way as I did about going to the dance.

  Sophie: GREAT IDEA! It’s worth a shot, but I’m not holding my breath. I’ll text her on the way to your house. Be over in FIVE minutes!

  Sophie flew through the door, and Mom wanted to know what all the drama was about. When I told her about Tyler talking to me at my locker, she was glad I had decided to say yes.

  She said: “I’m sure you have something in your closet to wear. After all, you are my little fashion designer.”

  THAT’S WHEN I REMEMBERED MY très CHIC DRESS!!!! It wasn’t perfect, but I’d finished hemming it before I left for the mission trip.

  YES! YES!! YES!!!

  I hurried into my room and opened my closet. Only the WORST THING HAPPENED: I. COULDN’T. FIND. THE. DRESS.

  IT

  WAS

  GONE.

  Maybe it had fallen off the hanger? I looked in the floor of my closet, under my bed, and in my pile of dirty clothes. But it was nowhere to be found.

  There was only one explanation: that crazy skunk had stolen my dress! I KNEW that stink bomb Rosey was nothing but trouble! This made me 100 percent sure!

  I marched into the Germ’s room and started looking everywhere: under his bed, in his closet, and even in Rosey’s goofy little pet house. But I didn’t even find a single sequin.

  Upset Me: WHERE did you put my dress? I know you or Rosey have it!

  Annoying Germ: I don’t have your dumb dress! And neither does Rosey! Why would she want your goofy dress? Duh! She has FUR—AND she happens to have excellent taste!

  ACK!!! How does a dress just DISAPPEAR? Where did I put it?? I was totally freaking out. I had FINALLY decided to go to the dance, and now I would have to wear pajamas.

  Thankfully, Sophie is great under pressure. She came up with a plan: get out my sewing machine and create a Catie Conrad Original dress!

  Mom agreed with her.

  WERE THEY INSANE??? Who could sew at a time like this?

  Then Mom said to use that vintage dress I’d bought at Goodwill and finish the makeover I’d been working on.

  With Mom and Sophie’s help, I started cutting and sewing. I was sooo glad to have my fast new sewing machine for the job! Mom ironed, and Sophie handed me the sequins.

  Sophie kept reminding me of Philippians 4:13: “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

  Then she had to rush home and get ready herself! I don’t know what on earth I’d do without my BFF.

  More Later. . .

  IF I SURVIVE!!!!

  Saturday, April 17

  THE DANCE WAS AWESOME!!!!

  Soooooo here’s what happened:

  Matt and Tyler waited outside of the gym for Sophie and me.

  Sophie looked gorgeous in her dress. Coral was definitely her color. And believe it or not, I had JUST ENOUGH time to finish my C.C.O. dress!

  I had to take a needle and thread in the car with me, and I sewed the last sequin on the bottom of the skirt just as Mom pulled into the parking lot to drop me off. WHEW!

  The black sequins really gave it a little sparkle, even though I had had to chase Rosey down to get the last few. She’d run through the house acting crazy and slobbering all over the sequin packet. By the time the Germ caught up with her, she sparkled more than my dress.

  I wore Kai’s beaded bracelets on each wrist, and they were the PERFECT accessory!

  I was sure that Miranda would laugh me off the face of the planet when she saw my homemade dress.

  But she didn’t.

  And I didn’t care if she did.

  Anyway, she was too wrapped up in Josh to even notice. TYPICAL MIRANDA. But I’ll admit it: my turquoise dress looked beautiful on her.

  Catie: Hi, Miranda! Your dress is awesome.

  Miranda: Oh, thanks, Catie. I love it myself! Turquoise IS my color isn’t it? I just HAD to have it when I saw it in the window! Luckily the store had it in just my size!

  Catie: HUH? Oh . . . uh . . . well, you look very nice. See ya ’round.

  I couldn’t believe it! Miranda LIED! How DARE she act like that! UGH. I SO wanted to call her out on it.

  But I didn’t. I asked myself how Jesus would act about the whole thing, and I already knew the answer: He wouldn’t say anything. He’d pray for her, so that’s what I did.

  BUT IT WAS SO HARD.

  I tried to forget about it and just have fun hanging out with Matt, Sophie, and Tyler. Even Josh was nice enough to walk over and tell me that he liked my dress!

  Unfortunately, he knew I’d made it myself. Sophie was so proud of it that she’d told Matt, Matt had told Tyler, and Tyler had told Josh.

  SHEESH!!!

  But I tried to remember what Dad had said on the rez—that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my gifts, like sewing and drawing. After all, God gave them to me!

  I even tried to be happy for Miranda when
she was crowned Princess of the Spring Dance. OF COURSE SHE WAS—she was MIRANDA MARONI, after all: the most popular girl in middle school.

  So that’s what happened, and now I GOTTA GO TO SLEEP! Dressing up and going to a dance is EXHAUSTING!

  TTYL!

  Sunday, April 18

  Even though I’d had fun at the dance, I was glad it was over. It was all enough to drive a girl bonkers!

  When I got to church, Josh, Tyler, and Sophie looked like they were still tired too. Josh even admitted that he wished he’d hung out with us at the dance. I wondered if that meant that he wished he’d asked me to go, but I tried not to think about it. He said that all Miranda wanted to do was talk about her dress, her hair, her shoes, and on and on and on.

  Sophie and I couldn’t help but look at each other and smile. We knew the real story and the real Miranda.

  Before we went home, everyone agreed that next year, we ALL were gonna go as FRIENDS and not worry about getting asked OR asking someone to the dance. THANK GOODNESS. That would make things SOOOO much easier!

  After church I decided to write Eleni and Kai a letter and send them a pic of me wearing the bracelets at the dance. I also decided to send each of them a fashion accessory that I’d made myself. Since I’d cleaned my room and could actually see my sewing machine, I planned on spending the rest of the day designing each of them a belt. Maybe they could wear them at their next powwow!

  LOTS OF DESIGNING TO DO!

  Prayer List:

  1.Thank God for giving me so many great friends who understand me.

  2.Thank Him for allowing everyone to have such a great time at the dance!!

  Monday, April 19

  TODAY WAS THE DAY: THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ART SHOW.

  But all that everyone wanted to talk about was the dance.

  Some of us had printed off pics and put them up in our lockers. Just looking at the pics of me and my friends acting silly caused me to count my blessings. I SO overreacted about things.

  I wish Emily had shown up at the dance, but she didn’t. Maybe we’ll talk her into it when the next dance rolls around. After all, it does take a little nerve.

  Today she was too wrapped up in listening to Miranda tell EVERYONE about the dance and her being crowned Princess. Miranda had even worn the tiara to school. UGH. Some things never change.

  But the only thing I could think of was my très chic dress drawing. What if the judges thought it STUNK? I’d worked so hard on it, but everyone has different tastes when it comes to fashion. Just ask Miranda.

  After lunch, everyone in school had to gather in the gym to attend the art show. I WAS SOOO NERVOUS!

  Sophie seemed just as excited as me. She’d entered the photography category and turned in a collage of different dessert pictures. It looked good enough to eat.

  But when I walked through the gym door, I instantly noticed the most AWESOME, AMAzING, INCREDIBLE THING EVER:

  IT WAS MY REAL

  TRèS CHIC DRESS . . . ON A MANNEQUIN!!!

  HUH? HOW DID IT GET THERE??

  And that’s not the only thing:

  MY DRESS WON BEST IN SHOW!!!!!

  I was SO EXCITED!!

  . . . and SO CONFUSED.

  I also noticed that Mrs. Gibson and Sophie were smiling from ear to ear.

  “Congratulations, Catie Conrad,” said Mrs. Gibson, hugging me. “I knew you could do it. It’s a masterpiece. Van Gogh would be proud.”

  “But how did you get my dress? How?” I was happy yet still didn’t understand.

  But Sophie did. “Remember how I promised you guys that I’d feed Rosey while you were on the mission trip? I sorta sneaked into your closet and turned in your dress to

  Mrs. Gibson. I knew it could win, and I was right!”

  I couldn’t help but cry. I had the most awesome best friend in the universe.

  I asked Mrs. Gibson to take a pic of me and Sophie with my award. I couldn’t wait to put it up in my locker tomorrow.

  When I got home, I gave Mom the $25 prize money to send to the mission in Arizona. I knew that Eleni’s and Kai’s families could use the money.

  I also decided to get back to work on some new dress sketches. Sophie had talked me into creating a dress for her too. Since we were brave enough to wear my shirt designs to school, we decided to wear our C.C.O. dresses next!

  So there you have it. THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! Miranda still drives me crazy, but I won’t stop praying for her . . . and for Emily.

  I think I’ll invite them to church next week.

  Oh, and I also apologized to Jeremy . . . and to Rosey. My brother actually seemed excited that I’d won the art show. Even that crazy skunk seemed happy.

  I can’t believe I’ve used up every single page in this crazy diary.

  WEIRD!

  Luckily, Dad bought two for the price of one and then went back for extras.

  After all, a fashion diva needs LOTS of paper.

  Coming Soon!

  Since Dad gave me more diaries to fill up, I’d better get started now. . . .

  Here’s a sneak peek at my next adventures!

  Saturday, January 17

  I CANNOT believe that I’ve already filled up an entire diary and I’m starting on the second!

  WEIRD.

  If anyone had ever told me (especially DAD) that I’d write my most PRIVATE secrets in a crazy diary, I’d think that:

  A.They’d totally lost it.

  B.Their elevator didn’t go all the way to the top.

  C.They must have me mixed up with some kind of brainiac kid.

  D.All of the above.

  But Dad was right. This diary thing is kinda cool—ESPECIALLY when I’ve had a horrible day at school . . . LIKE TODAY.

  Or when I need to come home, forget about Miranda Maroni, and just design stuff in my sketchbook . . .

  LIKE TODAY.

  It all started in P.E. . . .

  Did I mention that I do NOT like P.E. class? Well I don’t, and neither does my best friend, Sophie. Maybe it’s because Coach Calloway treats us like we’re in the army. One minute he’s saying “drop and do me 25 push ups!” and the next he’s yelling, “the next kid who complains is going to do 1,000 laps around the gym!” Well, maybe he didn’t say 1,000 laps, but it was something like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he blows that whistle one of these days and makes us scrub the toilets with a toothbrush.

  But today it wasn’t Coach Calloway that put me in a bad mood—it was Miranda.

  OF COURSE.

  Miranda Maroni is the one girl in sixth grade who knows exactly how to get on my LAST NERVE. Whether it’s rolling her eyes when I wear one of my fashions to school, or her NONSTOP bragging about the “the latest accessory to die for,” she drives me INSANE!

  Miranda may not have been driving me crazy today, but she was being a total pain to Sophie.

  I guess I should mention that Sophie is captain of the middle school academic team. And if you ask me, the Clairemont Crusaders are LUCKY to have her.

  She not only scores more points than anyone else, she’s also the smartest and most organized girl I know. The exact OPPOSITE of me. I can’t remember the dates of boring old wars (why do we need to know that kind of stuff anyway?), and I can barely remember to study for those crazy algebra quizzes. (Who on earth needs to know the value of X+Y?!)

  But Sophie never forgets a single thing. She even messages me at home to remind me of our homework assignments. THANK YOU, SOPHIE!

  But after Coach Calloway made us sprint up and down the gym today (I almost passed out twice), Sophie decided to get out her study questions and prepare for the next academic meet. Naturally, since I’m her BFF, I offered to quiz her until the bell rang. Sophie recited names of classical music composers one minute, and the next she rattled off science defi
nitions word for word! I don’t know how that girl does it.

  AND for some reason that makes NO SENSE to me, Miranda decided to be her typical bully self. “Why are you wasting your time on that stupid academic team, Sophie?” she asked. “Talk about BOR-ING! Why don’t you forget about that junk and try out for the volleyball team—a group that actually KNOWS how to WIN!”

  Yeah, she actually said that. Of course I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s Miranda Maroni: the RUDEST girl in class.

  You could have heard a pin drop in the gym after Miranda blurted out her two cents. I was almost sure that my mouth dropped open. Everyone in class waited to see what Sophie would say back to her.

  “Whatever, Miranda,” Sophie said. “Thanks, but I’ll stick with the academic team. Good luck on your volleyball match against the Lions, though.”

  HUH?? I couldn’t believe it. Sophie was actually NICE to her.

  I don’t know if I could have acted like Sophie. I’d want to say “Thanks but NO THANKS, Miranda! Why would I want to be on a volleyball team with YOU? I’m WAY smarter than you’ll ever be!”

  But I’d only say that in my head. Even though I sometimes totally stink at it, I try to remind myself of Psalm 34:13: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”

  So yeah, I try to keep my mouth shut. But it’s SO HARD with M.M.!!!

  I practically pray for her every week since she drives me bonkers on a daily basis. Of course, I pray for myself, too, since I need a double dose of patience with her. Scratch that—TRIPLE DOSE!

  Sophie and I were never so glad to leave P.E. class today. Once again, Miranda and Coach Calloway had ruined a perfectly good morning. . . .

  I could hardly wait to get home and vent about it in my diary. At least I can write down my feelings and talk to God about it. Of course, I can also get my mind off things by drawing in my sketchbook.