| Cute_Lil_Kiffi the Island Kacheek spun around, tossed her
head back, looked herself in the eye in the mirror and sang out, "Ooo-ooh! You
stole my heart awa-ay!" as she held her pink sparkly brush like a microphone.
Knock! Knock! Kiffi paused, and while
still holding her pop-star-like pose called out, "Come in!"
Kiffi's older sister, GlitterSky, a Faerie Uni,
came in and sat down on Kiffi's pink and white bed.
The little Kacheek sat her brush down on her
desk. "Whatcha want?"
Glitter smiled. "I just wanted to watch you
practice."
Kiffi did a few quick dance steps. "Well, you're
in for a wonderful show!" She picked her brush back up and turned on her rainbow
boom box. "You said, I'd never make it, but look how far I've come," she sang
along with the music perfectly.
She ended with a final flourish of her arms
and bowed. Glitter stood up and clapped her hooves together. "Bravo! Bravo!
Kiffi, you're going to do wonderful in that talent show!"
"It will be even better with my friends up there
with me, too!"
"You four sure do make a nice group." Glitter
stepped out the door. "Goodnight, Kiffi."
"Goodnight, Sis." Kiffi put her brush away in
the drawer and climbed into bed. She didn't fall asleep right away, though.
Thinking of tomorrow just brought too much excitement! We're gonna be so awesome!
Glitter is right! We do make a fantastic group!
***
"What do you mean you can't come?" Kiffi exclaimed as she stood in the school
hallway, looking at her friend Karen the yellow Wocky.
Karen took a few steps back. "I said I was sorry.
Can't you understand? My calendar got mixed up. I thought my family's trip was
next weekend, not this weekend. We have to leave tonight."
"Can't you just skip it?" Kiffi asked.
"Skip it!?" Karen grew angry. "My aunt is going
to be at my grandparents and I haven't seen her in years. Plus, one of her kids
will be there, a cousin I have never met. Who knows when the next chance will
come?"
The two other members of the group, Clarissa
the pink Flotsam and Starla the white Uni, came over to see what was going on.
Kiffi rolled her eyes. "But you promised!"
"I know," Karen replied. "But I promised my
family I would go on the trip with them first. I've already told you. I'm really
sorry! You three can do just fine without me."
Clarissa nodded. "She is right, Kiffi. The group
wont be the same without her, but we can manage."
"No!" Kiffi yelled. "We can't do it with only
three!"
"Chill out." Starla gave Kiffi a weird look.
"We can practice at your house this afternoon and divide out Karen's solo parts.
It wont be too hard."
Kiffi shook her head fiercely.
"Geez, Kiffi. If you're gonna be all weird like
this I'm just gonna quit," Clarissa said, standing stiffly and crossing her
fins.
"Me too! You just don't know how to treat others!"
Starla walked off and Clarissa and Karen followed close behind.
Kiffi suddenly realized what she had done. She
had gotten all worked up and had lost the group, and maybe even their friendship.
"Please! Come back!" but they just pretended to not notice her.
***
"Why so glum?" Glitter questioned as she walked beside Kiffi on the way home
from school.
Kiffi explained everything that had happened
that day in the hallway at school. "I feel really rotten about how I acted,
now."
"So what are you going to do about tonight?"
The Kacheek shrugged her shoulder. "Just not
show up, I guess."
Glitter frowned. "That doesn't sound like you,
Kiffi. You're usually no quitter."
Kiffi sighed. "But I can't go out there all
by myself!"
"Is that what this is? You felt okay with three
others out there with you, but with only two other members you felt a little
more nervous?"
"Well… I guess." Kiffi kicked at a pebble on
the sidewalk.
The two of them paused and Glitter bent down
and looked at her sister in the eye. "I watched you last night. You have real
star quality. Now go out there and dazzle them with your brilliance!"
***
Kiffi clutched her stomach, as if she were trying to stop the butterflies.
"I have more than butterflies!" she whispered to herself quietly. "I have big
seagulls in there or something!" From behind the big red curtain she could hear
the last act ending. She heard the final strum of the guitar, then the applause.
That was her cue to get to the side, and be ready to go out.
"And now, Cute_Lil_Kiffi will sing 'Best Friends
Forever."
Kiffi stepped out onto the stage. She had decided
to change her song at the last minute. The song the group had originally decided
to sing could really only be done as a group. The song she was about to sing
however, was one she had been saving to sing to her friends at a special occasion.
None of her friends were in the audience on this night, but she knew her owner,
Starfruit, was video taping it.
She smiled at the audience and waved, took her
place and soon the music began. She did a few dance steps and her nerves began
to go away.
"Best friends, best friends. Best friends 'til
the very end!" she sang out with more energy than she had ever sung with before.
"Nothing can ever make me leave them!" She danced and spun all over the stage
and performed her heart out. The audience cheered louder than she had ever heard
them cheer before. As she took her final bow her eyes twinkled under the spotlight.
She had to brush her cheek to wipe away a tear. Her sister, brother, and owner
came up and handed her a bouquet of roses.
***
The first thing Kiffi did at school on Monday was apologize to her friends.
"I'm really sorry I was acting bratty last Friday."
"I forgive you," Karen replied.
"Me too."
"Me too." Starla and Clarissa nodded in agreement.
Kiffi grinned. "Awww! You all are too nice!
Well, I have a surprise for you. I went ahead and performed by myself at the
talent show."
Karen's eyes grew wide. "You did!? Wow! What
was it like?"
Kiffi shrugged her shoulders. "You'll have to
wait and see," she said mysteriously. "All three of you are invited to my house
after school. My owner video taped it and we can all watch it together."
Clarissa jumped up and down with excitement.
"I'll be there!"
"Me too!" Karen and Starla exclaimed at the
same time.
***
When the tape was over Karen looked over at Kiffi. "You know what? I'm really
proud of you. You did soooo well!"
"Let's watch it again!" Starla pressed the rewind
button on the VCR.
Clarissa leaned back on the couch. "Kiffi, those
lyrics are so true."
"Yup! They really are!" Karen grabbed her friends'
shoulders and they all got together in a big group hug.
"Friends forever?" Kiffi asked as she looked
around at her friends waiting for a response.
"Friends 'til the end!" they all exclaimed at
the same time and then fell backwards into a fit of giggles.
The End
| 
