The Belle of the Ball

Melanie Cheats

That Saturday, Sophia and her friends were getting ready to make their costumes. But Melanie was having a hard time getting started on hers. "Oh, Sophia is right," she said, looking in the manual. "Making a costume can't be that hard." She tried to thread a needle, but she failed to get the thread through and threw the thread and needle aside.

Just then, Sophia came in. "Melanie, is everything okay?" she asked.

"Oh, why wouldn't it be?" asked Melanie.

"If you need helping sewing your costume, I could show you," said Sophia, threading the needle carefully.

"Oh, so the thread goes in that end," Melanie whispered to herself. "Well, thank you, but I'm doing just fine," she said to Sophia.

"Okay," said Sophia. "Well, let me know if you need any help." She took off to make her own costume.

As soon as Sophia was gone, Melanie picked up a piece of green fabric. "Okay, let's get started," she said. She stuck the needle through the fabric but wound up pricking her finger. She through the needle and fabric aside and sucked on her finger. Even reading the manual didn't help, and Melanie was having a hard time making her costume.

Dodie and Marcy came in.

"How is your costume coming, Melanie?" asked Dodie.

"Just fine," said Melanie.

Just then, the girls heard Sophia's mother, Ariel, say, "Oh, that's a beautiful dress, Sophia. It's definitely something a princess would wear."

"Thanks, Mom," said Sophia. "Do you like the safari hat I made?"

"It's beautiful," said Ariel.

The three girls went over to Sophia's bedroom.

"She finished her costume already?" asked Marcy.

"Is that a swizzle stitch?" Ariel asked. "Where did you learn that?"

"A swizzle stitch?" asked Melanie.

"What's that?" asked Dodie.

"Mom, you taught me how to do a swizzle stitch when I was four," said Sophia.

Dodie, Marcy, and Melanie came in.

"Where's your costume, Sophia?" asked Dodie.

"Under this cloth," said Sophia.

"Can we see it?" asked Marcy.

Sophia wasn't sure.

"Please?" Melanie asked. "You can trust us."

"Well, alright," said Sophia.

Sophia removed the cloth and showed a very beautiful safari princess costume.

"Sophia, you made that?" Melanie gasped.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ariel asked.

"It's even better than my fairy dress," said Dodie.

"And my Aurora costume," said Marcy.

Melanie was starting to get anxious.

"How's your costume coming, Melanie?" asked Sophia.

"Oh, I'm still working on it," said Melanie, walking out.

Melanie realized that Sophia's costume is so beautiful that she herself will win the costume contest for sure—and that meant Melanie would lose the trophy for the first time. Melanie was getting really jealous.

"If Sophia wins that contest, then that means I won't win for the third time in a row," Melanie said to herself. "And the worst part is that I can't even make a costume. What am I going to do?" She really wanted to win the contest more than anything in the world.

"I wish I didn't have to make my costume," Melanie sighed.

Suddenly, Marcy said, "It's a magically beautiful dress, Sophia."

"Thanks," said Sophia. "I'm glad I didn't actually use magic to make my costume."

Melanie wished she could do magic to make her own costume, but it didn't seem possible. Then she had an idea.

Melanie went to Party City to find her costume, and she saw the most amazing peacock dress ever.

"This dress is perfect," Melanie said. "I'll win that costume contest for sure."