Chapter 2
Kenzie:
Of course Ms. Abby put Maddie ahead of me on the pyramid, even though Maddie made several mistakes in the group dance. Nobody ever recognizes what I do. Well, that would change once I started my plan. Which I would begin, right when class was over. We went over our new group dance, a lyrical themed piece called Stargazers.
I got a duet with Nia, which was good. We work well together. Maddie, of course, had another solo, although she would miss two classes with filming the video. Or if my plan worked, it would be me in Sia's production, instead of my sister.
Ms. Abby yelled at me twice-but that was less than usual. She must be in a good mood, probably from her extra McDonalds. The evidence, a crumpled white plastic bag with the sunny yellow M on it, was stuffed into the trashcan.
Dance was over and time to get my plan on track. While Maddie changed in the dressing room and chatted with Chloe her best friend, I headed outside to where we'd left our bikes. We bike home because the studio's so close to our neighborhood, and it's quite nice in the summer to tell the truth.
I punch holes in the tires so air can slowly seep out. There. When she rides, she'll get a little scrape or bruise or something and then not be able to film. It's nothing major and could easily be labeled as an accident. Maybe she had ridden over some particularly sharp gravel that punctured a tire. Nobody would suspect me, helpless little Mackenzie Ziegler.
"Maddie and her sister love each other", the public obsesses with moony eyes, and it's true, I do love Maddie. But sometimes-well, usually is a better word choice-her perfectness gets to me.
Maddie comes out and we chat while we load our dance bags into the little bike baskets and set off. So far so good. But by the time we reach Main Street, nothing has happened and I'm worried. What if my plan didn't work? What if Maddie somehow knows what I've done?
We have to cross Main Street to get home. As we cross, I fail to see the car turning towards us in a red light. I fail to see that my sister has slowed down behind me to look for something. There's a screech of metal, rubber tires squealing, and a scream. A terrible sound as something clatters to the ground.
I look back, horrified of what I might see. It's Maddie. She's been hit by a car.
