Catwalk (79 page)

The judges clap loudly.

“And I want you to remember this: the experience you have shared together as a team over the course of this school year is essential to your success in the fashion industry. There is no question you all have bright futures. And they were made even brighter by the invaluable insider peek you were given preparing for your fashion show. You cannot be a member of the fashion industry—a fashion, jewelry, or accessory designer, a model, photographer, or buyer—if you do not believe in working together as a team. Fashion is a collaborative effort, and no one person creates the vision that ultimately drives the commerce of the six-hundred-billion-dollar fashion industry. Remember that—and thanks to your experience in the Catwalk competition, you probably always will. Congratulations. This was the chance of a lifetime, and you won. Enjoy it. And we’re
going to have the experience of a lifetime in Firenze, Italy—I guarantee you!”

We clap loudly. Nole, who is standing closest to me, whispers, “The first round of gelato is on you, Miss Purr. I won the bet.”

“What bet?” I ask, confused.

“You’re always reneging, Miss Purr,” Nole says, shaking his head. “Always reneging.”

“I beg to differ,” I retort.

“Oh, really?” Nole says, waiting to hear.

“Really. I told you we would win the Catwalk competition if you stuck with me!” I squeal proudly.

“Yeah, you sure did. But I told you if I guessed the color of your bloomers, you’d have to buy the first round of gelato! Now, if you don’t mind getting unstuck, I’d appreciate it,” says Nole, sweating and pulling away.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to guess—you saw them at the first fitting!” I protest.

“Whatever!” squeals Nole.

Fifi moves in closer and so does Angora. “The competition may be over, but we’re going to be a team forever. Promise?”

I kiss Angora and Fifi, my best friend since kindergarten, even though she swears it’s the first grade, and I make a promise I plan on keeping: “You two are stuck with me for life, like it or not.”

Adorable Hair:
New York’s premier locale for purchasing human hair sold by the ounce, used for weaves and extensions. Everyone from Naomi Campbell’s hairstylist to Jessica Simpson’s has been spotted at Adorable’s.

Aka:
Also known as. As in “Did you see Shalimar Jackson, aka the Shallow One, posing on the school steps this morning like she was Michelle Obama at a press conference?”

Awky gawkster:
A boy who is awkward and prone to gawking. As in “Why would I go out with Panda and his crew? They’re just a bunch of awky gawksters.”

Babble flow:
Talking in a stream-of-consciousness style that doesn’t quite connect all the dots. As in “I don’t mean to interrupt your babble flow, but I gotta catch the train to get home and clean my room before my mother has a meltdown.”

Basta
with the pasta:
Enough already. As in “
Basta
with the pasta. You have to help us come up with a Wild Card Challenge that will knock Shalimar out of the running!”

Brujería:
Spanish for “witchcraft, sorcery.” As in “Come on, Fifi—isn’t there a
brujería
spell you can place on the judges so we can win the Catwalk competition?”

Cara:
Italian for “sweetheart, dear.” As in “Hang in there,
cara
! You’re
furbulous
!”

Catmare:
A vividly horror-frying dream in Technicolor, involving scary creatures.

Chérie
(or
chéri
for a boy):
French for “sweetie, dear, precious, darling.” Pronounced “sher
ee.
” As in “Oh,
chérie
, I wish I was tall like you so I could be a model, but I hear the circus is always hiring—so don’t worry about me!”

Chill to the maximus:
Relax; act like a veggie. As in “Win or lose, after the Catwalk competition is over, I intend to chill to the maximus.”

Code Pink:
To call an urgent meeting with your crew in order to remedy a time-sensitive problem or strategize a future course of action. Aka Code Blue, for crews who prefer a less girly hue.

Coinky dinky:
A coincidence of the highest order. As in “How is it possible that Shalimar happens to be at the same club where I was meeting Zeus? That’s quite a coinky dinky, don’t ya think?”

Connecs:
Connections; hookups. As in “Do you have any connecs for woven metallic leather? All I need is a yard—and I’d appreciate your assisterance,
mucho!
”

Dribble-drabble:
Blather; babble. As in “Stop with the dribble-drabble about Zeus. We know you’re hooked, lined, and
sinking
!”

In flagrante:
Latin phrase meaning “caught red-handed.” As in “Yesterday, my nose was twitching, so I picked it and Caterina and her crew caught me
in flagrante
! Nowhere is safe in this shantytown—not even the school stairwell!”

Faux pas:
From French for “false step.” A social boo-boo. Pronounced “foe pah.” As in “You were supposed to meet me at Dingoes Diner at eight. I can’t believe you left me standing there with the hoodrats. That was a major faux pas!”

Ferocious feline:
A fierce female. A ferocious feline is a force of nature to be reckoned with.

Gagulating:
To be super upset. As in “Did you see Zeus canoodling with Alyjah Jade in the corner booth at the Lipstick Lounge after she performed? I was gagulating!”

Goospitate:
To break out in goose bumps; to swoon over someone; to become breathless or hypnotized by someone. As in “Benny Madina is cute—but Zeus is the one who makes me goospitate. Too bad he has a girlfriend already!”

Kaflammatory:
Inflammatory squared; inciting drama. As in “It’s not a good idea to yell ‘Fat girls need love too!’ outside a Jenny Craig center. That’s
très
kaflammatory, don’t ya think?”

Keep it moving:
To avoid getting caught up in drama and kaflamma. As in “Someone just told me they saw Ice Très with Shalimar at Googies Diner. I don’t know why he stood me up, but I’m gonna keep it moving.”

Kibitzing:
An affectionate Yiddish term for “yakking, schmoozing, joking, shooting the breeze.” As in “Would you stop kibitzing already with Ms. Lynx? She’s not gonna let you slide on the Design Challenge—and we gotta get to Mood Fabrics before they close!”

Kvetching:
A yiddish term for complaining or whining. As in “Stop kvetching about how hard your day was in school. My feet are killing me from waiting on customers all day so I can pay the bills around here!”

LV:
Louis Vuitton—considered pretentious by some, prestigious by others, but the most knocked-off design house around the globe. As in “When your own initials are not enough, strive for status strokes by toting real instead of Chinatown fake LV.”

Modelpreneur:
An enterprising model like Heidi Klum or Kimora Lee Simmons who builds a fashion empire.

Moi:
French for “me.” Pronounced “mwah.” As in “Are you going to Bloomingdale’s
sans moi
? How could you?”

Not cute:
Catwalk code for appearing out of place; being caught in an embarrassing, uncomfortable, awkward situation. As in “Did you see Shalimar trying to get in the mix with Ice Très at the Lipstick Lounge? Not cute!”

Peep:
To uncover intel or clues. Also
Bo Peep:
to uncover clues or intel—big-time. As in “Did you Bo Peep that situation with, ahem, Curtis Clyde and Benny Ninja in the auditorium? I couldn’t believe it!”

Pinkizzily:
Catwalk code used to express the power and influence of the shade of pink. As in “I’ve got a date with Ice Très—time to get pinkizzily!”

Schmooze:
A Yiddish word for sucking up, cheesing. As in “Shalimar is always schmoozing with Mr. Confardi, just to keep the extra Kibbles ’n Bits coming her way!”

Serving it cutely:
To wear something furbulously; to be decorated beautifully. As in “I just saw the new Betsey Johnson pink floppy sun hat. I could serve that cutely!”

Sham-o-rama:
The one place that’s always open for “bizness” in the urban jungle; everywhere you turn, someone is trying to pull the acrylic over someone else’s eyes in the name of getting ahead. Don’t fall for it!

Spill the refried beans:
To kiss and tell; to gossip. As in “I saw you hanging out with Zeus. Were you getting smoochy? Come on—spill the refried beans, already!”

Très:
French for “very.” Pronounced “tray.” As in “You look
très
tasty today in the go-go boots!”

Vampira Sisterella:
A perpetual early riser who awakens at the crack of dawn to shower—sucking up all the hot water—scarf down the leftover lemon meringue pie, and snag the choicest items at designer sample sales.