Bad Rap (4 page)

“Let’s just go,” Katie urged.

But Suzanne wasn’t budging. She plopped down on one of the big couches and folded her arms in front of her. “You can go if you want to. But I’m not leaving until I meet a Bayside Boy . . . or until I have to go home for dinner.”

“I promised my mom I’d finish my homework early today,” Katie told her. “I can’t stay here all afternoon . . .”

“
Our
class doesn’t have any homework today. Ms. Sweet said it was too pretty a day for us to be inside, working,” Suzanne boasted. “She’s the nicest teacher.”

There was no way Katie could argue that one. She liked Mr. Guthrie a lot. But right now it would have been nice to have been in Ms. Sweet’s class. “I gotta go,” she said.

“Whatever,” Suzanne shrugged. “Just don’t blame me when you miss the chance to meet Spike!”

Katie’s block was very quiet as she pedaled toward home. No one was around. The parents were all at work or making dinner. The kids were inside doing homework. Which was what Katie would have to do as soon as she got home.
Ugh!

Suddenly, a cool breeze began to blow. Katie shivered a little bit. It was getting kind of chilly. She pedaled faster, so she could get home before it got really cold out.

But Katie couldn’t pedal fast enough to beat
this
wind. The breeze blowing on Katie’s neck wasn’t just any wind. It was the magic wind.

Whoosh!
Within seconds, the cool breeze turned into a full-blown tornado. It was whirling just around Katie.

Quickly, she hopped off her bike . . . just before the magic wind knocked it to the ground.
Phew
. That was close.

Katie shut her eyes tightly and tried hard not to cry. All she’d wanted to do was get home and do her work. But she wasn’t going to be able to do that now. The magic wind had seen to that.

Suddenly, the tornado stopped. Everything was calm again.

The magic wind was gone. And so was Katie Carew.

Katie stood there for a moment, afraid to open her eyes. She had no idea where—
or who
—she was. It was a very scary feeling.

The one thing she knew for sure was that she wasn’t outside anymore. The smell of the trees and freshly cut grass on her block were gone. Instead, her nose picked up the scent of air conditioning and soap.

“We’re ordering in room service,” she heard someone say. “You want anything, T-Jon?”

T-Jon?! Katie’s eyes shot open. Was it possible? Could she be in the same room as the Bayside Boys?

It
was
possible. And as Katie looked in the hotel bathroom mirror, she realized she wasn’t just
with
the Bayside Boys.

She
was
one of the Bayside Boys. The face that stared back at her from the bathroom mirror had cool round sunglasses and just the slightest touch of a beard on the chin. The magic wind had turned her into T-Jon!

And the other Bayside Boys were right outside that bathroom door. Wow! Katie had to admit that this time the magic wind had done something really cool. She was going to get to meet Ace, Fizzy, and Spike!

“Yo, T-Jon, you want food or not?” someone called into the bathroom.

Slowly, Katie opened the bathroom door. As she stepped into the living room of the hotel suite, she stuck her hand into her pocket. There was nothing inside.

“I . . . um . . . I don’t have any money,” she said.

Fizzy laughed and put his hand over the phone. “Yeah, like we need cash. The record company’s picking up the bills now, remember?”

“You’re Fizzy,” Katie squealed excitedly.

Fizzy looked at her strangely. “Yeah.
And
I’m hungry. So order something, will you?”

But Katie was too excited to eat a thing. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “Spike!”

Spike looked around quickly. “What’s the matter?” he asked nervously.

“Nothing,” Katie assured him. “It’s just that I can’t believe I’m here in the same room with you . . . with
all
of you!”

Ace walked over and draped a long arm around Katie’s shoulder. “T-Jon, dude, are you all right?”

“Yeah, you’re acting kind of strange,” Spike agreed.

“Are you ready to order or not?” Fizzy demanded of Katie.

“No,” Katie quickly replied. “I’m not very hungry.”

“Okay, so that’s it,” Fizzy said into the phone. “Just have them bring up the food when it’s ready.” He hung up. “Room service should be here soon,” he told the others.

“Okay, how about we work on the new tune while we’re waiting for the eats?” Ace suggested. “I still need a little work on that second verse.”

“Yeah, and T-Jon hasn’t finished his rap for it yet,” Spike said. He turned to Katie. “Come on, man, we’ve got a radio interview tomorrow morning and the first sound check is tomorrow night.”

“Which is why we really need to work on this now,” Ace agreed.

“Okay,” Fizzy agreed. “Let’s take it from where I come in with the high part.” He opened his mouth and began to sing.
“Wherever I travel . . .”

Katie couldn’t believe her ears. Fizzy didn’t sound anything like the way he did on the CD. In fact . . . “That was awful!” she blurted out suddenly.

Fizzy stopped singing and glared in Katie’s direction. “Excuse me?” he demanded.

“It just sounded so high and squeaky,” Katie told him, scratching the little patch of red hair on her chin. “Are you sure those were the right notes?”

That made Fizzy angry. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Katie said quickly. “I just thought ...”

“Yeah, well
stop thinking
,” Fizzy shouted back.

“Hey, guys, cool it,” Ace said. He stepped between them. “How about we take it from
my
vocal?”

“Good idea,” Katie said. “You have such a nice voice. My friend Suzanne says it makes her all tingly.”

Ace shook his head. “Maybe you better sit down, dude. You’re acting all weird.”

Katie gulped. She’d been so excited about being with the Bayside Boys, she’d forgotten she was one of them. She’d have to be careful about what she said.

“Okay. From the top,” Ace said. Then he began to sing.
“When I’m traveling down that highway, with nothing but road ahead . . .”

“Is that how you’re going to sing it on Saturday?” Katie blurted out.

“You know another way?” Ace asked her.

“It’s just that it sounds so boring,” Katie said. “So plain.”

“That’s because it’s missing the harmonies,” Fizzy said. “Oh, wait, that’s right. You didn’t like my harmonies, either.”

Fizzy could be really scary when he was angry. Katie was surprised. He sure never looked that way in the magazine pictures.

“You know what?” Spike interrupted. “We haven’t heard anything from T-Jon yet.” He looked straight at Katie. “Instead of criticizing everyone else, why don’t you show us what you got?”

Uh-oh.
He expected her to rap! Right here. Right now. How was she supposed to do that?

Katie gulped. This was
so
not good.

Katie just sat there for a minute, trying to figure out a way to get out of rapping in front of the Bayside Boys. But she couldn’t be quiet forever.

“See, I told you T-Jon hadn’t written anything yet!” Fizzy announced to the others. “The guy just can’t rap anymore.”

Katie scowled. Fizzy was being very mean. “I can too!” she declared angrily. Then she gasped. Why had she said that?

“Prove it, then!” Fizzy demanded. “Let’s hear the new rap.”

There was only one thing to do. Katie had to rap. “Okay, here goes,” she said.
“It’s great to be here at the show. Rappin’ to people I don’t know. I gotta admit it’s kind of cool. To be up here instead of sitting in school. I’m tired of homework and teacher’s tricks. I’d rather be up here making musics.”

Phew
. She’d done it! She’d come up with a rap. And it was a pretty good one, if she did say so herself.