Stitches and Stones by Chloe Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

Priti’s going full-on seventies disco, complete with platform shoes and as many shiny, plasticky fabrics as she can findin her house; and Kate has got the absolutely perfect outfit for herself—she found an old Jane Fonda workout video at her grandma’s house and she’s going to dress like the original eighties home exercise video queen, with a leotard and tights and big leg warmers. As for me, I’m going to dress like my mom did in high school, or so Aunt Lulu tells me—nineties grunge. Aunt Lulu says by today’s standards, it wasn’t a great look, but it’s growing on me. I’m wearing one of Mom’s designs, and Aunt Lulu loaned me her black Doc Martens, which fit if I wear really thick socks, but that’s okay because the socks kind of complete the look, anyway.
    Ooooh! GUESS WHAT?! I can’t believe I managed to get halfway through the blog post before I spilled this news! I got an e-mail yesterday from the online editor of my absolute favorite magazine, Très Chic , and they want to do a profile on me for a special “Day in the Life of a Designer” piece about young designers! Crazy, right?
    I know what you’re thinking: Is this for real? Yes, it’s for real! Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. I’m going to be in Très Chic !!
    They’re sending a reporter and a photographerto follow me around for a day, at home and at school. I’m so excited! And also a little nervous. But mostly excited!
    â€œGreat Doc Martens,” Gabe said, when Zoey sat behind him in English the next morning. “And your dress is really pretty.”
    â€œIt’s my mom’s,” Zoey said. “She made it.”
    â€œOh, so your mom is into sewing too?” he said. “I guess that’s where you get it from. I bet she’s really proud of you, huh?”
    Zoey didn’t know how to respond. Obviously, Gabe didn’t know her mom died when she was little. She thought everyone knew—that it was an accepted part of her identity, just like she was Zoey Webber, the girl who had a fashion blog.
    â€œUh, yeah,” she said, but she didn’t tell him she only knew that because her father and Aunt Lulu told her that her mom would have been. She figured it would have just made it awkward for both of them.
    But it made her feel unsettled for the rest of themorning. Libby could tell something was up as soon as she sat down at the lunch table.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Zoey?” she asked.
    Kate didn’t know about the Gabe incident, but she gave Zoey a meaningful look, urging her to tell Libby and Priti about her blog problems, as they’d talked about on the bus yesterday.
    â€œI’ve been having problems on Sew Zoey,” Zoey said. “There are a bunch of new readers, and they’ve been posting some really mean things.”
    â€œLike what?” Priti asked. “I haven’t been on the last day or two.”
    â€œSaying that I’m a fraud and I don’t even sew my own designs.”
    â€œWhat?!” Libby exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous! Everyone knows you do.”
    â€œOf course we know it,” Kate said. “Because we know Zoey. But they don’t—the people on the Internet who don’t actually know Zoey for real.”
    â€œThey’ve said lots of other horrible stuff about my designs,” Zoey said. “I finally started blocking people so they can’t add comments. Butit seems like as soon as I block one user, a new one pops up.”
    â€œDo you think it’s you know who and friends?” Priti asked.
    â€œI don’t know,” Zoey sighed. “I have no way of telling. Besides, there are a lot of new users, not just three. I’ve lost count. It feels like everyone is out to get me. Since when is there a We Hate Sew Zoey fan club?”
    â€œThere’s got to be some way of finding out who is doing it,” Libby