Dorinda's Secret by Deborah Gregory

think so,” I tell her. “But they are gonna have a lot of judges.”
    â€œLord, I don’t know which is worse,” Mrs. Bosco says, wanting to laugh but not daring to ’cuz she might start coughing again.
    â€œThe winner of the competition gets to compete in the finals, then
that
winner gets to appear on the television show
The Grade
,” I say, talking slowly so she can follow what I’m saying.
    Mrs. Bosco nods her head. “They sure make you dance around like a monkey with a tin cup full of pennies before they give you anything, huh?”
    Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”
    â€œI left that child’s number on a piece of paper in the kitchen,” Mrs. Bosco says, looking at me like she wants me to call Tiffany.
    â€œOkay. Um, I’ll get it later,” I say, to avoid talking about it anymore. “I have to go down to Chanel’s house now for rehearsal.” I get out of that room before she starts in on me to call Tiffany.
    I’m in my bedroom, getting everything I need to go downtown with, and I’m thinking things over. I wonder why Tiffany called me. Maybe she wants to be like real sisters, calling each other all the time, getting all involved with each other’s lives.
    Well, that may be fine for her, but I don’t know if I’m really ready to let a new sister into my life. I’ve already got all these kids in the house with me who I love, and take care of. And I’ve got my crew—which brings me to the other thing. How are they gonna react when they hear I have a white sister? Would they accept her if she started hanging around with us?
    See, Galleria’s an only child, Aqua and Angie don’t have any other brothers and sisters, and Chanel’s only got her little brother Pucci, who just turned nine. It would be way different if Tiffany were there at our rehearsals—she’s almost my age!
    Which is another thing—Tiffany knows how old I really am! What if she told my crew? Would they still even want to be friends with me, let alone let me stay in The Cheetah Girls?
    And what if Tiffany decides she wants to be
part
of the group? I don’t think my crew is gonna be down with taking on any new members, let alone Tiffany!
    So I’m standing there, fretting about all this stuff, when Twinkie runs over and hands me a cookie. “Thank you,” I say, giving her a big hug.
    â€œCan I come with you?” she pleads.
    â€œIt’s just a boring old rehearsal,” I say, so she won’t feel bad. “Guess what—when I come home later, we are gonna do our own Cheetah Girls rehearsal! Would you like that?”
    â€œYeah!”
    I hug Twinkie again. One day, I want her and all my brothers and sisters to come to a big stadium, sit in the front row, and watch the Cheetah Girls perform. But not yet—not while we’re still divettes!
    When I walk into Chanel’s house, her little brother, Pucci, practically grabs my arm out of its socket. “You gotta see Mr. Cuckoo!” he exclaims.
    Pucci is so cute—he’s got that big gap in between his two front teeth, and the Cupid’s bow on his upper lip—and that same jumping-bean energy like Chanel. You can’t help smiling at him all the time.
    â€œCome on, I’ll show you,” he says, dragging me into his bedroom, which is inhabited by a tribe of Whacky Babies stuffed animals, who look like they’re ready to pounce off the shelves!
    â€œ
There
he is!” Pucci says, pointing to the cage in the corner of his room, where I see the African pygmy hedgehog I helped Chanel pick out at the exotic pet store for Pucci’s birthday.
    I bend down to check out Mr. Cuckoo. “Wow, Pucci, you hooked him up—Cuckoo is definitely chillin’ in his new crib!”
    Pucci grins. I see a book peeking out from under the bedspread on his bed. Dragging it on the floor, I read the title:
Harry