Chanel Hastings & The Treasures of Aphrodite Book 1: The Magic Girdle

Chapter 2: Some Dog-Headed Dudes Stalk Me

OOTD: Same as last time!

Makeup: Same as last time.

Hairstyle: Same as last time...

Fragrance: Same as — never mind. You get the point.

Dear Diary,

Whew! What a weird start, huh? I mean, it's not everyday a bird tries to pick a fight with you. I bet you're just dying to know what that encounter was all about. I'm gonna tell you, but first, I have to finish describing the rest of the day because trust me, it gets even weirder.

Where were we? Oh yeah: the ride to school. So anyway, me and the g̶o̶b̶l̶i̶n̶s̶ Gemma and Troy got dressed for school and headed to the lobby so that our chauffeur, Nigel, could drive us to school in the family Escalade. Gemma and Troy took seats in the middle while I sat away from them in the rear. While they spent most of the ride gossiping about their friends at school, I found myself constantly checking the sky to see if Angry Bird had decided to follow me. Luckily, the bird was nowhere to be seen.

Gemma and I got dropped off first since we started our classes earlier. Without a word to me, Gemma strolled off into the front garden of St. Thomas Academy. Even though I thought it was kind of rude, I had gotten used to Gemma pretty much ignoring me at school. After all, she was one of the cool, popular girls, and she had a reputation to keep up without her lame future-stepsister getting in her way. I hiked my backpack straps further on my shoulder and walked silently behind her.

As we reached the front steps, I spotted Vanessa Nunez and Julian St. Croix as they came down the school's massive front steps in their designer winter coats.

"Hey, peach!" Julian called out. He and Vanessa greeted Gemma with big hugs and friendly smiles. When they noticed me, their smiles lost all their warmth. "Hastings," Julian said tightly, in a way that made it seem like greeting me was the lamest thing he'd ever had to do.

"Hello," I said back, with as much politeness I could muster.

Vanessa ignored me and suddenly grabbed both of Gemma's arms. "Anyways, O-M-G, Gemma. You will not believe what just happened this morning! We were walking past the studio when we overheard Madame Chassé saying that she wants to give you the lead in Swan Lake next semester!"

Gemma went wide-eyed. "Stop. No way. For real?" When Vanessa started nodding frantically, Gemma's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God. Ohmygod. OHMYGOD!" She grabbed Vanessa back. "You're joking, right? Are you sure that's what you heard!? Jules, are you sure that's what she heard!?"

Julian smiled proudly. "Yep, she heard right! Madame was talking to the other dance teachers about how much she likes you. And she thinks you have the best skills. You're totally gonna be a shoe-in for Odette!"

Vanessa squealed and gave Gemma a tight hug. "Yay! Our best friend is gonna get the lead!"

"I can't believe it," Gemma laughed in disbelief. "I can't believe it. I've always wanted to be Odette, but I didn't think..."

"Well, sounds like it's happening, peach, so you'd better believe it!" exclaimed Julian. "But really, I don't know why you're so surprised, You're literally the best dancer in our troupe. Who else would get the part but you?"

I didn't join in on the conversation, but I silently agreed with Julian. Though I'd never been to one of Gemma's ballet performances, I'd watched her practice a couple times at home at her barre. She was an extremely graceful dancer and she always made every move look effortless. It didn't shock me one bit that Madame Chassé, our school's ballet director, was already considering Gemma for the lead long before auditions.