Chapter 1 DESIGN TIME Finley had been counting the days till Saturday all week She loved going on playdates at her friend Olivia’s house There was a huge playroom full of games and craft stuff a tree house with a zip line a zoo’s worth of pets and tons of great hiding places for hide-and-seek Unfortunately today Olivia wanted to play fashion show Finley didn’t have anything against fashion She just had way more fun feeding Olivia’s chinchilla making up new recipes using her fancy kitchen gadgets or skateboarding on her family’s tennis courts What do you think Olivia asked spinning around in a floral dress I like the way it flares out like a bell when you twirl Finley said It’s definitely twirly Olivia agreed Maybe I’ll wear it with this sweater The yarn has tiny gold flecks that sparkle in the light She held the fabric up See Finley nodded Sparkly Check out this bracelet Olivia said pulling a small velvet-covered box out of her desk She took off the lid My Aunt Ingrid had it made just for me Finley peered inside expecting something sparkly Olivia loved sparkle Instead she saw a piece of smooth silver that was curled into a C resting on a bed of white satin It was simple and bold and different than anything Finley had ever seen Wow Finley ran a finger over the curved metal It’s like a sculpture you can wear Here Olivia said Try it on Finley slipped the bracelet over her hand and onto her wrist It felt smooth and cool
and it fit perfectly It was more than a piece of jewelry it was a piece of art As she held it up admiringly Finley got an awful feeling like she was thirsty and the only drink in the whole world was that bracelet I like it she said quickly taking it off and handing it back It’s different It’s one of a kind Olivia said I don’t know when I’ll wear it Maybe for a special occasion If it were mine Finley thought I’d wear it every day It’s really cool she said as Olivia put it away Thanks Olivia searched through the mountain of clothes on her bed Finally she pulled out a pair of purple cowboy boots What do you think of these
After Olivia finished with her fashion show the two friends went outside But the whole time they were playing trampoline circus Finley couldn’t focus Finley cheered for Olivia as she did a split jump and spun around in the air but her mind was still stuck on something smooth and shiny She remembered the previous summer when her older brother Zack had been acting extra strange Mom had said he had a crush on a girl and couldn’t stop thinking about her Great she thought as she watched Olivia bounce I have a crush on Olivia’s bracelet When Finley got home Dad was working on the computer and Evie Finley’s little sister was watching TV Evie wasn’t choosy about what she watched cartoons game shows commercials Sometimes Finley thought she might not be able to tell the difference Today Evie was watching Design Time On this episode fashion designers raced against the clock to come up with fall-themed outfits A man and woman were frantically cutting pinning and sewing A model stood beside them draped in fabric and looking bored Sew faster Evie coached No no not a pink bow She shook her head They’re never going to get done in time The camera zoomed out to show the rest of the studio A long banner that read Make a Fashion Statement hung from the ceiling Across the room another team of designers was outfitting a different model with thigh-high boots and a neon vest Wow Finley sat down next to Evie and took a swig of apple juice Nothing says fall like a reflective orange vest She looks like a crossing guard
