L.A. // mackenzie ziegler

Chapter 5 <surprises & secrets>

-september 6th, 2016-

Mackenzie watched as a gorgeous girl walked down the hall, her turquoise nail polish glinting in the rays of LA sun.

Her eyes locked on Mackenzie and a smile appeared. She made a bee line for her.

"Hello! I'm Amanda, Amanda Ryder. You're new, right?"

Amanda Ryder smacked her gum, and a raspberry scent wafted into Mackenzie's face- a smell she'd learn to get used to.

"Yeah, I just moved here from Pittsburgh. I'm Mackenzie Ziegler, but you can call me Kenzie."

"Sure thing, Kenzie," she winked and giggled, linking arms with her. Mackenzie didn't question it.

"Hey, who's your home room teacher?"

Mackenzie shrugged and pulled out her school diary.

She looked at her timetable.

"Miss Aldridge." She shrugged, hoping the teacher was nice.

Amanda grinned widely.

"That's perfect. I've got her too!" she traced the rest of Mackenzie's timetable with her finger. "And you've got the next three subjects with me too."

Mackenzie's brain gave a sigh of relief, and she gave herself a mental high-five.

Not only had she, Mackenzie, made a new friend in the first ten minutes of attending her new school in LA, but judging by the envious stares of the girls and the lustful ones of the boys, Mackenzie had made a popular friend too.

"You were on Dance Moms, weren't you?" asked Amanda, snapping Mackenzie out of her reverie.

"Yeah," she said, cringing internally at the thought of the ALDC.

"Don't worry. It's a performing arts school. Everyone here does something like that, or is just really good at what they do."

"Well, I dance. And sing, I guess."

"Duh," says Amanda, "you were on Dance Moms."

They laughed together, and the stares intensified.

"So what about you? What's your 'something'?"

"I'm a model. Not a high fashion model, a child clothing model. I do shoots for stores for people like, our age."

"That's so cool," said Mackenzie, realising why she was so pretty and petite.

"I 'spose so," shrugged Amanda, "it's paying me well!"

-present time-june 12, 2019-

I flick through the radio stations as Maddie drives. We've just been to see our new clothing line, which is to die for- and we've already got some for our wardrobes.

It's been about a month since we've signed the deal, and since then, we've been extra busy after school.

We're on the way to school now.

I finally settle on a gossip station, barely listening until I catch our names.

"This just in! The two girls everyone wants to be- Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler, of course- have finally gone and done it; it's just been announced that the two will have their own reality show!"

The lady hollers on about us, but I don't listen, because takes about two seconds for Maddie and I phone's to start beeping like mad, drowning her out.

The first call Maddie gets is from Jade.

"It's been announced," she said sheepishly.

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," Maddie says sarcastically, a sigh escaping her dark-coloured lips.