Everybody tells me that it's wrong what I'm feeling,

I shouldn't believe in,

The dreams that I'm dreamin'

I hear it every day,

I hear it all the time

I'm never gonna amount to much

But you're never gonna change my mind.

Tell me, tell me, tell me,

Something I don't know.

Something I don't know

Something I don't kn-

--------------

Just then, my cell rang. & I stopped dancing & got out of my dream. I picked it up, & it was Shannon. Big surprise.

"what are you doing, Nina?" Shannon asked me over the phone. "where are my daughters' dresses? You were supposed to bring them back from the dry cleaners an hour ago!"

"sorry, Shannon. Things are just slow at the dinner. That's all." I said. "I'm leaving right now." I hung up then I left the dinner to get Jonnie & Jenny's dresses. Ever since the incident where I sang in front of my stepsisters, I felt very attached to the world of music. every time I was working at the dinner, I'd go into my happy place. A place where nobody could get to. Not Nat, Jenny, Jonnie, or even Shannon. Why am I picking up dry cleaning for my stepsisters? Because the annual fall beauty pageant was this weekend. Jenny & Jonnie were really excided for this year's pageant. Because the winner will receive a singing contract & a college scholarshi[. I, on the other hand, don't want to enter. Even though I'm a fan of music now. Why you may ask?

Because beauty pageants are nothing but a contest where girls' manners turn ugly because they want to win. & because my stepfamily thinks I don't belong in a beauty pageant.

Once I returned to my house with my stepsisters' dresses, I had to very careful with them. Shannon would ground me if I even let one of the dresses get torn a little. "it's about time!" Jonnie exclaimed to me as she swiped her dress away from my left hand. "yeah, Nina. Where were you? You know the fall beauty pageant is this weekend." Jenny complained as she swiped her dress away from my other hand. "I'm sorry, guys. But my work at your mom's dinner slowed me down & I almost forgot about your dresses." I said. "well, just be sure to not forget anything next time." Jonnie said. She & Jenny ran upstairs to try on their dresses. The fall beauty pageant was only 2 days away. & they're already wearing me down more than usual.

The next day at school, half of the girls at my school were getting ready for the fall pageant. "wow." Molly exclaimed as she saw the girls readying themselves. "this pageant must be some deal here."

"Molly. You should see what Jonnie & Jenny are like about this pageant compared to all the other girls in our school." I said. "it's animals in the desert about raining there." just then, Eddie came up to us. "Nina, Molly." he said. "hey, Ed." we said to him. "what's going on around here? These ladies haven't been this excided since they heard that I was coming to this school." Eddie said. "it's the fall beauty pageant this weekend." I said to him. "& if you think these girls are excided, just wait until you see how my stepsisters are reacting."

"wow. They sure must be excided." Eddie said amazed. "I know." I agreed. "I mean, they already stuck me with the laundry, the cooking--------" I said as we all went to our class. When we got out, I was still talking about how much work my stepfamily makes me do.

"-------the washing, the vacuuming, the dusting, the scrubbing, & they already stuck me with working at Shannon's dinner. Which was my dad's." I continued. "wow. That's a lot of extra chores." Eddie said. "extra?! Eddie. That's like, all the chores in the house plus, my job at the dinner. & my stepsisters also stuck me with doing their homework & their homework assignments." I said, breathing heavily. "thank goodness. Nat's touring France with Robert & Fiona. Or I'd be stuck with readying her for the pageant too." Robert is Nat's older brother who is in college already & can pack a huge punch. & Fiona is Nat's mom. Who Shannon is terribly afraid of. But you'll read about it in a future story.

Anyway, I talked with my friends about the pageant up until Jenny & Jonnie approached me. "Nina. Why aren't you at the dinner?" Jonnie asked me. I turned around & I replied, "because I'm at school like you. I can't leave In the middle of a school day." Jenny sighed & said, "look, Nina. People go to school to get smarter so they can get a job." Jonnie chimed in. "& you already have not one, but two jobs. So it's like skipping a step." she said. "well." I said, nervously. "I don't know how I can argue with that."

"then it's settled." Jenny & Jonnie said. "& Nina. Before you get to the dinner, stop by the house & take out the trash." Jenny said.

"& mom needs you to iron her new dress. She wants to wear it to the pageant." Jonnie said. "Shannon wants to enter?" I said. "no, stupid. She wants to look her very best before she goes somewhere public-y." Jenny said. "ok. Jenny & Jonnie." I said as I walked off. Jonnie got to Eddie & said to him, "seriously, think about dating Nat." I heard it, but I didn't even bother saying anything.

I got home to take out the trash & to iron Shannon's dress. "Nina. Do you think I'll look just as beautiful as my daughters in my new dress?" Shannon asked me. I didn't really care about it much, but if I told Shannon what I really thought, I'd be grounded forever. "uh, yeah. Shannon. You'd look so beautiful, they'd ask you to become one of the contestants." I said. "thank you, Nina. But that was a little too much." Shannon said. I rolled my eyes & continued to iron her dress.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: despite the fact that book 1 said it was 2001, it's a typo. It's actually supposed to be 2010.

- idreamofcomedy