Their club had actually made good progress by setting up dates for the recent homecoming dance. But, as they all knew, their work had only just begun. And part of their agreement as DG members was to maintain their appearances. Not that Bryn needed any encouragement in this arena. Some might call her shallow, but she didn’t care, because fashion was a big part of her life.

  As Bryn pulled on her most recent favorite pair of jeans, she wondered what kind of plan Devon could possibly have come up with regarding their costumes for the masquerade ball. After all, they hadn’t even decided which characters they were going to dress as. Oh, everyone had ideas and there’d been lots of discussions during the last few days, but so far no one had committed.

  However, they had a bigger concern than not knowing how they would dress. They still hadn’t lined up their dates yet. And not just regular dates either. These had to be “blind” dates for the masquerade ball. Bryn hadn’t been too keen on this idea when Devon suggested it, but the rest of the DG had jumped on board. How this feat was to be accomplished remained a mystery. And so far the DG had no practical plan in place, or even any idea which guys they’d go after. There had been some hints and good-natured teasing, but as Bryn had reminded everyone today, the dance was only two weeks off and that didn’t leave much wiggle room. Their goal had been to get everything nailed down at tomorrow’s meeting, but apparently tomorrow was not soon enough. That was fine by her. To be honest, Bryn didn’t even know how to set up a blind date. According to her mom, a blind date meant you shouldn’t know the guy you were going out with. But how was that possible in a school where they knew almost everyone?

  Bryn was just brushing out her long blonde hair when she heard the sound of Cassidy’s car horn in the driveway. She grabbed her purse and jotted a quick note to her parents, even though she felt certain she’d be home before they returned, then hurried outside and hopped into the backseat of Cassidy’s car.

  “Hey, remember the last time all five of us were in Cassidy’s car?” Abby asked as Cassidy backed up.

  “After the homecoming dance,” Emma said from in front.

  “Yeah, when we had to rescue you!” Bryn said, pointing at Devon. “What a night!”

  “Don’t remind me.” Devon groaned. “And while we’re on that nasty subject, whoever ends up setting up my blind date better not try to stick me with the likes of Jason Levine, or I will—”

  “Like Jason would even go out with you again anyway.” Bryn laughed.

  “Like I care,” Devon shot back.

  “We should all agree that no one in the DG will set any member up with Jason,” Cassidy said in a serious tone. “Jason Levine should be officially blackballed from all Dating Games. Don’t you think?”

  “Absolutely,” Emma said.

  “So are we already having our meeting?” Bryn asked.

  “Cassidy can’t take notes and drive,” Emma pointed out. “We’d better wait until we get to the mall.”

  “Why are we going to the mall anyway?” Abby asked. “We could’ve just met at Costello’s.”

  “We’re going to plan our costumes,” Devon explained. “And I thought the mall was a good place to do it. We might want to look at clothes or shoes or jewelry, you know, for inspiration.”

  “I completely agree,” Bryn added. “Nothing wrong with getting some fashion inspiration.”

  “Maybe we’ll get some inspiration for our blind dates too.” Devon giggled like she’d really given this some thought. “Who knows what guys might be hanging at the mall on a rainy night—especially since the football game is clear over in Brenton. What if the perfect blind date is wandering around, just waiting for the right girl to approach him?”

  Bryn grinned at Devon. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  Before long the five girls were striding through the mall. Since several of them were hungry, they decided to start their meeting in the food court. “Besides, that’s where we’re most likely to see the guys,” Devon pointed out. “You know they’re always eating.”

  The girls split up to get their food, then met back at a round table right in the center of the eating area. “What’s that for?” Bryn pointed to the iPad on the table as she sat down.

  “Cassidy wants us all to go over the rules again,” Emma explained.

  “It’s because of me,” Devon told her with a sly smile. “Cass thinks I need a reminder.”

  “It’s for everyone,” Cassidy clarified. “Kind of like a refresher course. I’ll go ahead and read them while we eat.” Cassidy opened a file on the iPad and read:

  Dating Game Club Rules

  We will honor the secret membership of the DG.

  We will be loyal to our fellow DG members.

  We will help fellow DG members to find dates with good guys.

  We will report back to the DG regarding our dates.

  We will not be jealous over a fellow DG member’s boyfriend.

  We will never steal a fellow DG member’s boyfriend.

  We will abstain from sex on our DG dates.

  We will not lie to the DG about what happens on our dates.

  We will never let a boyfriend come between fellow DG members.

  We will admit new DG members only by unanimous vote.

  As soon as Cass set down her iPad, Devon eagerly started to explain her “big idea.”

  “I suppose it could’ve waited until tomorrow,” she admitted as she picked up her slice of cheese pizza, “but it’s such a fabulous idea, I couldn’t wait to tell you guys.”

  “So tell us,” Abby urged.

  Devon nodded eagerly. “Okay . . . So I was in the drama department talking to Mr. Ramsay about trying out for the spring play. He hasn’t announced what it’s going to be yet, but I wanted him to know that I played the lead at my old school—although it wasn’t a musical and I heard Northwood’s spring play might be a musical and—”

  “What does this have to do with—”

  “Hey!” Devon shook her finger at Cassidy. “I was talking.”

  “Sorry.” Cassidy looked down at the iPad where she was taking notes and, unless Bryn was mistaken, looked slightly contrite—which was unusual.

  “Anyway,” Devon continued, “I noticed someone pushing this rack of costumes past the stage and I went over to check them out and found the most gorgeous gown ever. The guy told me it was from a Shakespeare production from a year or two ago. And it turns out it was for Juliet—and let me tell you the dress is absolutely beautiful. It’s purple velvet and magenta satin and this luscious brocade skirt—it’s amazing!”

  “That’s the dress my sister Tara wore,” Bryn exclaimed. “She played Juliet in her junior year.”

  “Oh, yeah, I remember,” Abby said. “She made such a beautiful Juliet.”

  “Yeah, except for that horrid black wig that Mr. Ramsay insisted she wear.”

  “Well, a blonde Juliet would’ve been—”

  “Excuse me,” Devon said loudly. “I was trying to explain my plan.”

  “Go ahead,” Bryn said a bit indignantly. “I only wanted to point out that my sister wore that dress and my grandmother sewed that dress. Just in case anyone cares to know.”

  “Oh.” Devon nodded. “Well, it’s a very nice gown and it looked well made—a lot more substantial than a lot of costumes. So anyway, I took it over to Mr. Ramsay and asked him if the drama department ever loans out costumes.”

  “Loans out costumes?” Bryn frowned. “You mean to just anyone?”

  “Mr. Ramsay said that there was not any kind of loan policy,” Devon continued. “So I asked him, what about renting out costumes? I mean, couldn’t the drama department use a little extra money to put toward the next production or to buy new costumes? I reminded him about how we’re always hearing about budget cuts and how something has got to go. So what if they rented costumes and made some money for the drama department? You know, to use for future costumes.” Devon beamed at them. “And Mr. Ramsay liked my idea. In fact, he liked it so much that he agreed to let me rent the Juliet costume.”

  “But I thought we’re supposed to go as book characters—isn’t Romeo and Juliet a play?” Abby asked.

  “That doesn’t matter,” Devon told her.

  “We’re supposed to dress up like literary characters,” Cassidy explained. “Anyone from literature—well, as long as they’re not evil Halloween monsters. That’s the whole point, to keep kids from dressing like vampires and werewolves and witches and things.”

  “But all those are literary characters,” Devon protested.

  “Yes,” Cassidy agreed. “But it’s still not allowed.”

  For a while they argued over what defined a literary character—finally deciding that literature could be in the form of a play or a book or a poem or a fairy tale. “Even Dr. Seuss books could be literary,” Emma claimed. “Anyone want to go as the Cat in the Hat?”

  “Yeah, right.” Bryn pointed at Devon. “Let’s get back to your idea about renting the drama department costumes. Are you saying that you decided to rent the Juliet dress for yourself?” She didn’t want to admit it, but she felt more than a little cheated. If anyone went as Juliet, shouldn’t it be Bryn? After all, her grandma had not only sewn the gown, she had designed it too. And just for Tara—who happened to be the same size as Bryn. But now Bryn wouldn’t even get the chance to wear it. This seemed all wrong, and she was determined not to take it lying down.

  Devon’s nod seemed a bit smug. “Yep. I’m going as Juliet. And for only twenty bucks too. It would’ve cost me a lot more to get a dress that pretty. So it’s settled. I’ll be Juliet and I’d like to know which of you guys is going to find me my Romeo.”

  Suddenly they were all talking and arguing at once, and Cassidy had to slap her hand on the table to get them to slow down and take turns. “Remember, this is supposed to be a meeting,” Cass declared. “One at a time, please.”

  “I don’t think it’s fair that Devon has run ahead like this,” Bryn protested. “I thought we were in this together. We were going to meet to decide which characters we’d go as and Devon just took off—”

  “Hey, I thought I was doing the whole group a favor,” Devon said indignantly. “You guys can rent a costume from the drama department now—all because I thought to ask. And there are some great getups available. I checked out the storage room. There are kimonos from The Mikado. Fairy costumes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Kilts from Brigadoon and—”

  “Okay, okay, we get it,” Bryn said in an aggravated tone. “They have costumes. Duh.”

  “Fine. So what are you going to dress as?” Devon pointedly asked her.

  “I have absolutely no idea.” Bryn glared at her.

  “How about you?” Devon pointed to Emma.

  “I—uh—I was thinking about Raggedy Ann.”

  “Raggedy Ann?” Devon made a disgusted face. “That’s great if you’re a five-year-old. You can’t possibly be serious.”

  “They make Raggedy Ann costumes for grown-ups too,” Emma protested. “I was thinking I could make a wig from red yarn and—”

  “Fine if you want to look like you’re going to a children’s party,” Devon declared.

  “I think she’d make a cute Raggedy Ann,” Cassidy argued.

  As aggravated as Bryn felt toward Devon, she could sort of see her point. The DG shouldn’t dress up in kiddie costumes. “I kind of agree with Devon,” she said slowly. “Raggedy Ann does seem a bit juvenile, Emma.”

  Emma bit into her lip like she was thinking hard. “Okay, how about if I go as Emma.”

  “Right.” Bryn rolled her eyes. “Go as yourself. That’s clever.”

  “I mean Jane Austen’s Emma. Emma Woodhouse.” Emma turned back to Devon. “Do you think the drama department would have a costume like that? The Austen books were written in, like, the eighteenth century.”

  “I saw a nice selection of long gowns in there,” Devon assured her. “Someone said they were from My Fair Lady a few years back. Lots of lace and frills and ribbons and bows.”

  “Oh, I don’t think Emma Woodhouse would wear anything too frilly,” Emma told her. “I see her in a more sensible dress.”

  “Well, I’m sure we can find something that would work.”

  “My mom has the video of Emma, the one with Gwyneth Paltrow in it,” Cassidy told Emma. “We can watch it and get some ideas. Seems like her dresses were pretty simple. And maybe we can find you a bonnet somewhere.”

  “And maybe a Mr. Knightley too,” Emma said a bit glumly.

  “Who’s Mr. Knightley?” Devon asked.

  “The romantic interest for Emma,” Emma explained. “Like your Romeo.”

  “Well, let’s decide on our characters first,” Bryn suggested. “Then we can figure out how to get our dates.”

  “Okay, what are you dressing as?” Devon asked her.

  “Well . . . maybe I’ll go as Daisy Buchanan,” Bryn told them. She wasn’t even sure if she really wanted to dress as this character. She’d seen the movie some time ago and hadn’t liked it that much, but she had recently started reading the novel since it was on the required reading list for English. And for some reason Bryn could relate to Daisy. Maybe it was because they were both into money and fashion and romance. Anyway, since she couldn’t very well be Juliet, maybe Daisy Buchanan would be fun.

  “Who’s this Daisy anyway?” Devon asked. “Sounds like a hillbilly to me.” She giggled. “Like Daisy Duke or Daisy Mae?”

  “Daisy Buchanan just happens to be this very classy rich girl in The Great Gatsby,” Bryn explained in a slightly arrogant tone. “She’s a gorgeous blonde—the golden girl—and Jay Gatsby is head over heels in love with her. I’m reading the novel right now. Yes, that’s definitely who I want to be.” Already Bryn was getting ideas for a costume. The book was set in the 1920s, and if she did an online search she felt certain she could find something fabulous to wear. Something that would blow the Juliet costume right out of the water. Or so she hoped. No way did she want Devon to one-up her in this. Fashion was Bryn’s thing, and no matter what it took, she intended to look absolutely stunning for this dance.

  “Are you getting all this down?” Abby asked Cassidy.

  “Uh-huh.” Cassidy nodded. “Devon is Juliet. Emma is Emma. And Bryn is Daisy.” She pointed at Abby. “How about you?”

  Abby made an uneasy smile. “I kind of wanted to come as Katniss Everdeen.”

  “Katniss from The Hunger Games?” Emma asked.

  Bryn tried to imagine her best friend as the character from the movie she’d seen. She wondered if the fact that Abby was African American would matter, then decided it wouldn’t.

  “Yeah. I really enjoyed that series,” Abby told them. “I’ve always admired Katniss for her bravery.”

  “I think that’s a cool idea,” Cassidy said. “I loved those books too. I kind of wish I’d thought of that myself.”

  “So you think that’d be okay?” Abby asked eagerly. “I mean, because I want to come dressed in the hunting outfit and carry a bow and—”

  “But you could do one of the fancy gowns,” Bryn said eagerly. “You know, those amazing outfits that Katniss wears during the ceremonies. I didn’t actually read the books, but I remember the movie. And those gowns were awesome. I think they might’ve even won an Oscar . . . or they should’ve.”

  “The costumes were incredible.” Abby nodded as she smoothed her dark, shoulder-length straightened hair. “But I’d really like to look like Katniss when she was hunting or actually in the games, you know? Do you guys think that’d be weird for a dance?”

  “I think it’s great,” Cassidy assured her. “It’s a masquerade ball. You can dress up as anything—as long as it’s a literary figure.”

  “I think Katniss is perfect for you,” Emma told her.

  Bryn was trying to think of a way to discourage Abby from the hunting outfit. She really wanted her best friend to come as something glamorous so that they’d look good together. “But it’s a dance,” she said meekly. “Don’t you want to look feminine?”

  “Katniss looked feminine,” Cassidy argued. “And so will Abby.”

  Bryn pointed at Devon. “What do you think of this?”

  “Well, I guess it’s okay. If that’s what she really wants . . .” Devon shrugged like she didn’t care.

  “Then it’s settled. Abby is Katniss.” Cassidy typed it in.

  “So what about you?” Devon asked Cassidy. “Who are you dressing like?”

  Cassidy frowned. “I’m not sure.”

  “How about Scarlett O’Hara?” Bryn suggested. “You’ve already got the dark hair, and just think of the beautiful gown you could wear.”

  “I bet we could find a good one in the drama department for you,” Devon said. “There was a pretty red satin number with—”

  “No.” Cassidy stuck her chin out. “I’m not a Scarlett type of girl. Actually I was thinking about Dorothy—you know, from The Wizard of Oz. Do you guys think that’s too juvenile?”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Emma told her. “I love Dorothy.”

  “Me too,” Abby agreed.

  “She’s not very glamorous,” Bryn said with dismay. What was up with these girls? Wanting to be Raggedy Ann and Dorothy . . . or Katniss in her hunting outfit? Why didn’t they want to dress up in something elegant and beautiful?

  “Well, Dorothy did have those ruby slippers,” Abby declared.

  “And why do we have to be glamorous anyway?” Emma asked. “I don’t plan to be glamorous as Emma Woodhouse.”

  “Well . . .” Devon sighed as she put a hand on Bryn’s shoulder. “I guess it’s up to you and me to provide the glamour for the DG.”