Wishing on a Star (10 page)

There will be a next time—that’s for sure.

“We still coulda served seconds. They were loving us!” Aqua says, lapping up the victory. “Now everybody knows the Cheetah Girls are ready to pounce.”

“
You
are, that’s for sure,” Chanel says, smirking.

Then I say what I cannot believe, but know to be true. “I want us to stay as a group, no matter what happens. Even if we don’t make any money.”

“Oh, I’m definitely buying a ranch back home,” Angie says, snarling. “I don’t know about y’all.”

“You know what I’m saying.”

“We know what you’re saying,” Do’ Re Mi says sweetly.

I spread out my hands so we can form a call-of-the-wild circle. “Let’s take a Cheetah Girls oath.”

I make up the oath right on the spot.

“
We’re the Cheetah Girls and we number five. What we do is more than live. We’ll stay together through the thin and thick. Whoever tries to leave, gets hit with a chopstick! Whatever makes us clever
—
forever !!!
”

Then we do the Cheetah Girls hand signal. Stretching out our hands, we touch each other’s fingertips, wiggling them against each other.

“None of us ain’t ever gonna drop out of the group, like Rosemary from The Spice Rack Girls, right?” Aqua jokes.

“
Riiight
,” Do’ Re Mi says with a drawl.

“And none of us are gonna burn down our boyfriends’ houses if we get famous,
riiiight
?” Chuchie yells out.

“
Riiiiight
,” we all chime in as we head out of our matchbox dressing room to get our groove on.

The music and screams are loud. Really loud. Mrs. Bugge is standing in the hallway with a tall man wearing a yellow tie and a red suit. I don’t think it’s a costume. But you never know.

“Girls, someone wants to meet you. He’s a manager, and a business associate of Mr. Hare, the owner of the club. Mr. Johnson, I want you to meet the Cheetah Girls.”

“How you doin’? I’m Aquanette and this is my sister, Anginette. Did you see us perform?”

I clear my throat so I can talk. “Hi, I’m Galleria, and this is Chanel and Dorinda,” I say to Mr. Johnson. I wonder what he thought of our performance.

“Nice to meet you,” Mr. Johnson says, shaking my hand. “Well, you girls are cute. I came down to pick up a check from Mr. Hare, and I thought I would stick around and check out your act.”

Our act.
That sounds pretty cool.

“I heard the name of the group—the Cheetah Girls, and it sounded cute. I was wrong, though,” Mr. Johnson continues.

“What do you mean?” I ask him, feeling my cheeks turn red.

“You were splendiferous. Fantastic. Marvelistic. You know what I mean?” Mr. Johnson says.

He sure has a way with words. We all laugh and get excited. A manager! I wonder what that is.

“What do you do?” I ask him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Jackal Johnson, and I have a company called Jackal Management Group. I think you girls need a good manager like me to get you a record deal. You understand?”

“We understand,” Do’ Re Mi chimes in.

“Here is my card. I’ll expect to hear from you soon. I think, with the right management and direction, the Cheetah Girls can really go places—and I’d like to take you there. We can set up a meeting for next week.”

“We’ll call you,” Chanel says, holding my arm.

“Next week,” I add.

When we head down to the party, it’s like a dream. Just the way I’ve imagined it a thousand times. Now it’s really happening!

“I have one thing to say,” says Do’ Re Mi, sashaying to the dance floor. “The Spice Rack Girls had better bounce, baby, ’cause the Cheetah Girls are ’bout to pounce!”

No diggity, no doubt!

bank:
Money, loot.

boho:
An artsy-fartsy black bohemian type.

bomb:
Cool.

bozo:
A boy who thinks he’s all that, but he’s really wack.

cheese for it:
Manipulate.

cheez whiz:
Gee whiz.

chomp-a-roni:
Trying to catch a nibble on the sneak tip.

cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs:
Going bonkers.

diva size:
Dress size fourteen and up.

divette-in-training:
A girl who can’t afford Prada or Gucci—yet.

don’t be bitter!:
Go for yours!

duckets:
Money, loot.

flossin’:
Showing off.

goospitating:
Looking at someone cute like they’re lunch.

growl power:
The brains, heart, and courage that every true Cheetah Girl possesses.

jiggy jungle:
A magical place inside of every big city where dreams really come true—and every cheetah has its day!

majordomo dope:
Legitimate talent.

nosy posy:
A person who is nosy and can’t help it.

one up, two down:
One-upmanship.

pastamuffin:
A dog with wiggly hair.

peeps:
People.

powder to the people!:
Never leave home without your compact.

raggely:
In need of beauty parlor assistance.

smirfs:
Smirks.

wack-a-doodle-do:
Very corny.

wanna-be:
Not a real player—yet!

I have to give it up to the Jump at the Sun peeps here—Andrea Pinkney, Lisa Holton, and Ken Geist—for letting the Cheetah Girls run wild. Also, Anath Garber, the one person who helped me find my Cheetah Girl powers. And, Lita Richardson, the one person who now has my back in the jiggy jungle. Primo thanks to the cover girl Cheetahs: Arike, Brandi, Imani, Jeni, and Mia. And to all the Cheetah Girls around the globe: Get diggity with the growl power, baby!

Deborah Gregory earned her growl power as a diva-about-town contributing writer for
Essence, Vibe
, and
More
magazines. She has showed her spots on several talk shows, including
Oprah, Ricki Lake,
and
Maury Povich
. She lives in New York City with her pooch, Cappuccino, who is featured as the Cheetah Girls’ mascot, Toto.

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