Authors: Nancy Krulik

Bad Rap (6 page)

BOOK: Bad Rap

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Katie might have known which suite the Bayside Boys were staying in, but that didn’t mean she and Suzanne would be able to get inside to talk to them. The big, burly guard was standing outside their room. He wasn’t letting anyone in.

“But we just want to ask them to stay together,” Katie pleaded with the tall, strong guard.

“You and every other kid in town,” the guard replied. “Look, I don’t know how you found out where the Bayside Boys were . . .”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Suzanne agreed.

“But they’re packing up,” the guard continued. “They have to leave in a few minutes. They don’t have time to talk to fans. Why don’t you two go home?”

“But . . .” Katie began.

“I said, ‘Go home!’ ” the guard shouted.

“Yes, sir,” Suzanne said. She ran toward the elevator.

Katie followed right behind her. That guy was scary!

As soon as they got in the elevator, Suzanne pushed the button marked
L
for Lobby. “Let’s get out of here,” she shuddered.

“But we haven’t spoken to the Bayside Boys yet,” Katie argued.

“Didn’t you hear that guard? We’re not
going
to talk to them,” Suzanne sighed heavily. “It’s all over.”

Just then, the elevator door opened up on the third floor. As a man and a woman got on, Katie looked out the open door. A room-service cart was sitting in the hallway.

Suddenly, Katie got another one of her great ideas.

“Come on, Suzanne,” she said, pulling her friend out of the elevator. “It’s not over yet!”

Chapter 9

“Katie, this is never going to work,” Suzanne said a few minutes later. “That guard will never let us past the door. He’ll never believe we work at the hotel.”

“He won’t
know
it’s you,” Katie said. She pulled a white jacket out from under the cart. It looked like someone had spilled some grape juice all over it. The waiter must have gone to get a clean jacket and left his cart in the hallway. “You’ll be wearing this disguise.”

Suzanne made a face. “It looks disgusting. I would
never
wear something like that.”

“Just put it on,” Katie demanded. “This is an emergency, not a fashion show!”

Katie had never ordered Suzanne around before. Suzanne was in such shock, she did what she was told without an argument. Then she looked down at the name tag and shook her head. “It says Tom,” she told Katie. “Who’s going to believe my name is Tom?”

“Just tuck your ponytail under this hat,” Katie said, handing Suzanne the white waiter’s cap that had been placed under the cart with the jacket. “And keep your head down, so the guard can’t see your face.”

“And where will you be through all this?” Suzanne demanded.

Katie lifted up the tablecloth on the cart and crawled underneath. Then she pulled the cloth back down to make sure she was hidden. “I’ll be right here the whole time,” she assured her friend.

“This will never work,” Suzanne sighed as she pushed the elevator button.

The big guard was talking on his cell phone when Suzanne pushed the cart up to the Bayside Boys’ hotel suite. His back was turned away from her. Quickly, she snuck past him and knocked on the door.

“Room service,” she shouted loudly.

The guard spun around quickly. “Don’t you listen?” he shouted at Suzanne. “I told you to leave before.”

“That wasn’t me,” Suzanne murmured nervously.

“Sure it was, kid. You think I can’t tell it’s you under that hat?” the guard answered.

Before Suzanne could reply, the door swung open.

“Oh, cool,” Fizzy said. “Eats.”

“I tried to get rid of her,” the guard assured Fizzy. “But . . .”

“Why would you try to get rid of room service?” Fizzy asked. He stepped aside and let Suzanne push the cart inside.

Before the guard could do anything, Fizzy slammed the door shut. Suzanne’s mouth dropped open. The Bayside Boys were all there, in the living room of the suite. She was so shocked, she couldn’t even speak.

But Katie sure could. She popped out from beneath the cart. “Hi!” she greeted Ace, Fizzy, Spike, and T-Jon.

“You again?” T-Jon asked.

Ace looked at him strangely. “You know this kid?”

T-Jon nodded. “She was here the other day. You know, when we had the big fight.”

“No, she wasn’t,” Ace told him. “I didn’t see her.”

“I didn’t see her, either,” Spike agreed.

T-Jon looked really confused. “But, I . . . she . . . oh, I don’t know,” he sighed.

“It doesn’t matter when T-Jon met me,” Katie interrupted. “The important thing is that I’m here
now
. And my friend and I really need to talk to you. We don’t think you should break up. Do we, Suzanne?”

Suzanne didn’t say anything. She was too busy staring.

“Listen, kid,” Ace began.

“Katie,” she corrected him.

“Okay,
Katie
. It’s time for us to break up. I want a solo career.”

“We all do,” Spike added.

Katie shook her head. “It won’t work,” she told them. “When you’re singing as the Bayside Boys, you’re awesome. But you guys don’t sound nearly as good apart as you do together.”

“How would
you
know that?” Fizzy asked her. “No one’s ever heard us sing apart, except us.”

“Then
listen
to yourselves,” Katie insisted. She looked straight at Fizzy. “Go ahead. Sing something.”

Fizzy smiled. “Prepare to be amazed,” he told the girls. He opened his mouth and sang in his high voice.

Suzanne’s eyes popped open even wider as he sang. She made a face. “You don’t sound like that!” she blurted out.

“What?” Fizzy asked her.

Spike laughed. “I think she means your voice is too high to make it as a solo singer,” he said. “Now
this
is the voice of a star.” He began to sing one of his low harmony parts.

Suzanne shook her head again. “That’s too low. Most people’s voices don’t go down that far. How could anyone sing along with you on the radio?”

Now it was Ace’s turn to chuckle. “That’s why I’m the only one who’s going to make it big on his own. I sing lead.”

“Yeah, but without us, it’s a boring lead,” T-Jon said. “Which is why
I’m
the only one who has a shot at making it big on his own. My rhymes are what have made the Bayside Boys stand out.”

“That’s not true,” Katie told him.

T-Jon stared at her angrily. “What do you mean?” he demanded.

“The Bayside Boys are great because your styles all mix together perfectly,” Katie explained. “
That’s
what makes you special.”

“Katie’s right,” Suzanne agreed. “I wouldn’t buy an album by any one of you. But I’d buy a new Bayside Boys CD.”

“I wonder how many other girls would agree with her,” Spike admitted.

“You’re going to listen to a kid?” Ace asked him.

“No,” Spike answered quickly. “It’s just something to think about, that’s all.”

“Well,
I’m
not thinking about it,” T-Jon told him.

“Me either,” Fizzy agreed. “I’m ready to break out on my own.”

“Yeah, but if these two girls feel like this . . .” Spike began.

“Oh, please. They’re just kids,” Ace told him. “They don’t know anything.”

“Well, if you’re not going to listen to a kid, would you listen to a writer?” Katie suggested. “A really
famous
one?”

“What writer?” Ace asked. “Is he a music critic?”

Katie shook her head. “Actually he wrote fables. His name was Aesop. One of his most famous lessons was, ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’ ”

“That’s right,” Suzanne agreed. “If you guys break up, none of you will ever be really big stars. But as the Bayside Boys ...”

“As the Bayside Boys we sell out concerts,” Ace said, interrupting her. “Whoa.” He looked at his bandmates. “Maybe we better think about this some more.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” Spike replied.

“That Aesop was one smart dude,” Fizzy added.

T-Jon smiled at Katie. “And
you’re
one smart kid. You just saved our careers.”

“If there’s anything we can do for you,” Spike said. “Just tell us.”

“Yeah,” Fizzy agreed. “We owe you.”

“Well . . .” Katie said slowly. “There is one thing you can do.”