Fame (3 page)

‘Who's he?' asked Zeke.

‘No idea. Let's just get to the studio before anyone else sees us!' said Aaron.

At last they ran into the Dance Studio, gasping for breath, with sweat dripping from their wild pink hair, and streaks running through their thick make-up.

Inside the studio something was wrong. There were no other students waiting to audition. The only people in there were Miss Walker, the Gang-Stars, a TV
crew
and a man with a microphone. And they were all staring at Aaron and Zeke.

‘What's going on?' asked Zeke. ‘Did we get the time wrong?'

‘They must have already finished,' said Aaron, still gasping for breath.

The man with the microphone came up to them.

‘Zeke and Aaron,' he said. ‘SMILE! You're on …'

‘TRICKED YOU!'
shouted the whole room of people.

Zeke looked blank but Aaron said, ‘No way!
Tricked You!
is my favourite TV show! They set people up to do stupid things and use a hidden camera to film them.'

‘You mean this is all a joke? There is no dance show?' asked Zeke. He was disappointed. He had really wanted to go on a TV dance show.

‘No, there is no dance show,' said Miss Walker.
‘ Tricked You!
thought it would be fun to do something at All Star High and your friends told me that you two could take a joke. The
Tricked You!
crew have been following you everywhere.'

The rest of the gang were laughing and giving each other high fives. Zeke and Aaron had been tricked by them all day.

‘So that's who gave you our phone numbers,' said Aaron.

‘Yes. We sent you the text messages,' said the man with the microphone. ‘And we've filmed everything that happened today. Your friends helped us to set up the tricks with the gym and the chairs and the hair and make-up, too. It was one of the best
Tricked You!
jokes we've ever done! So don't worry, you'll be on television after all.'

‘I guess being on
Tricked You!
isn't all that bad,' said Zeke. ‘It still gives us a chance to be on TV.'

‘It's not the type of fame I was hoping for!' said Aaron. ‘But it's a start.'

‘Let's get all of you on camera,' said the man with the microphone. The gang all hugged, but stopped when they saw that Zeke and Aaron's make-up had rubbed off on them.

‘Ewwww!' wailed Jacki and Natalie.

‘Not so funny now, are you?' said Zeke, as he and Aaron started to wipe the make-up on to their hands and grab them. The gang screamed as Zeke and Aaron started to chase them around the studio.

‘Now that's what I call good TV,' said Miss Walker.

April Fool's Day
– 1st April, a day when people play practical jokes

audition
– a test performance to try to get a part in a show

competition
– ‘the competition' are the people you need to beat in order to win something

courtyard
– an outdoor space enclosed by walls or buildings

crew
– the technical staff who record and make a TV programme or film

detention
– being kept in late after school as a punishment

dye
– colour that won't come out

martial arts
– sports based on Asian combat skills

scruffy
– untidy

solo
– performing alone

streaks
– untidy marks or stripes of colour