Bead-Dazzled Read Free Page A

her in the flesh. Allegra Biscotti was everywhere and nowhere.
    Allegra Biscotti was an imaginary name that Emma had impulsively made up to hide that she was really just a kid. Was she Emma Rose or Allegra Biscotti? Could she be both and still keep her secret? Some days it was hard to know.
    “So what’s your resolution?” Holly asked.
    “Someday I want Allegra to be part of events like that Goin’ Green benefit. I want people to be inspired by my fashion.” Emma bit her lip. “Is that too much?”
    “Never,” Charlie insisted. “Got to dream big, right?”
    “Right.” Emma grinned. She glanced over at Charlie’s phone. “One minute left.”
    “We need to make a toast at midnight.” Holly gazed helplessly around Ms. Levine’s office. “But with what?”
    Emma’s eye landed on the latest issue of Madison on the desk. She picked up the famous fashion bible. Her thumb rubbed the glossy cover. She so wanted more photos of her designs, her ideas, her fashions in this magazine. She so wanted to be a bigger part of the fashion world. “Let’s toast on Madison .” It seemed fitting since Allegra had started with Madison . She held the magazine out. Charlie and Holly each grabbed onto a side.
    They raised their arms and tossed the magazine in the air, as the clock hit midnight.
    “To dreams,” Holly said.
    “To a mind-blowing new year,” Charlie said.
    “To something bigger,” Emma said. “Together!”

 
CHAPTER 2
    THE FASHION GODS LISTEN
    E mma couldn’t wrap her mind around school.
    First day back after Christmas break, and she should’ve been trying to dig out the middle-school geometry and biology factoids that had retreated to the far back corners of her brain. Instead, Emma was focused on the amazing houndstooth coat with the flared hem the woman next to her on the subway wore. Could she narrow the silhouette and belt it to turn it into a dress? Add a thick zipper?

    “Earth to Emma!” Charlie called from behind her. “Are you listening to me?”
    “Kind of.” Emma blinked and stared into her locker. She forced her eyes past the green-and-white graphic flowers of the Marimekko fabric lining the interior and toward the pile of forgotten textbooks and binders. “Actually no. Sorry.”
    “Well, listen up. I have something—” The bell for classes cut Charlie off.
    Emma shook the fashion daze from her eyes. What did she have first period? A new semester meant a new schedule. Western Civilization, that was it. She’d been lucky enough to test into the honors class.
    “So here’s the deal—” Charlie started again.
    “Not now.” Emma scanned the nearly empty hallway. “Talk later, okay?” She slammed her locker closed and took off for room 404. Her mother would launch into one of her famous rants if she found out Emma had been late on the first day. And her mom would know. Not only because she taught English to Downtown Day’s high school juniors and seniors, but also because her mom’s best friend, Betsy Ling, taught Western Civ. Knowing Betsy—Ms. Ling, Emma reminded herself—Emma suspected that she’d be extra hard on her to help her mother in her quest to get her to live up to what she called “her academic potential.” Her mom thought nothing was more important than schoolwork. Emma’s deal with her parents was that she had to keep her grades high or it was bye-bye Allegra Biscotti.
    Emma slipped into the last remaining seat as the final bell sounded.
    She glanced at the desk directly to her left. A short, twitchy boy nervously chewed a pencil. Marco something. She cringed as flecks of yellow paint gathered on his desk. She turned to her right. Lexie met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. No smile. Then she crossed her long legs, tan from a tropical holiday vacation, and turned her attention to the teacher.
    This is going to be fun, Emma thought.

    Ms. Ling began outlining the course on the whiteboard. Emma noted her simple, starched white button-down shirt and crisp,