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“Adios, my cheetah ninas! I gotta go!” said Chanel as she hurried off, exiting the school premises. Galleria and Dorinda called their farewells after her, but it fell on deaf ears. The two then whipped their heads toward the speakers which was perched in the corners of the school hallways, it blared to life as it announced the winner of the raffle.
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“Thank you for shopping at Toto in New York...Fun in Diva Sizes. ¡Que tengas un gran día!” said Chanel as she rang up the register and waved goodbye to the customer. She watched the customer ride down the escalator, then a huge grin spread across her face when she saw Galleria riding up the escalator on the right side. Chanel giggled when she and Galleria made eye contact. She saw Galleria mouthing, “Cuchie, we need to chat. ASAP.”
Chanel stifled her teehee and nodded, then jerked her head to the left. Galleria understood exactly what her bestie was signalling. Before Chanel walked over to the lounge area, she placed a plaque on the counter that read, “Out on break. Use the next counter.” After that, she headed toward the lounges with Galleria right behind her. The two sat down at the same time and turned to face each other.
“They announced the winner right after you left,” Galleria said, slipping off her cheetah‑print backpack and settling it beside her.
“Winner? ¿Qué ganador?” Chanel asked, looking at her in confusion.
“The Kats and Kittys raffle tickets,” Galleria reminded.
El Prada. It finally clicked in Chanel’s head. She squealed in excitement.
“Does this mean I won?! Si?!” Chanel asked, brimming with hope. “I got Prada in the bolsa?” She giggled at the intended pun.
Galleria looked at her solemnly and shook her head. “No, girlita.”
Chanel’s face dropped. Galleria averted her gaze and stared off into the distance as a scowl gradually formed. She rolled her eyes.
“That hambone bozo, Derek. He won the raffle,” she spat venomously.
Upon hearing that, Chanel’s mind shattered. She sat there, staring at nothing for a few seconds before she began quietly mumbling to herself, still staring blankly.
“Prada… nada,” Chanel whispered repeatedly.
After Galleria delivered the news, she kept right on yapping—as she usually did—about her day or relaying everything Chanel had missed. But Chanel wasn’t listening. She stayed blanked out, still muttering “Prada… nada” under her breath.
After a while, Galleria finally noticed the silence between them. Her attention settled on Chanel, who was still staring into nothing. Galleria’s features pinched, and she asked hesitantly, “Cuchie?”
Chanel didn’t answer. She stayed frozen, still spaced-out.
Ooohooeeh, Galleria grimaced internally. Chanel was not taking the news well. Galleria cursed herself; she should’ve waited before telling her, especially not right after Chanel wasn’t the lucky caller and lost her chance to win a date with Krusher.
Galleria remembered it like it was yesterday, because it was yesterday. All the Cheetah Girls had been hanging out at Chanel’s place, watching TV, waiting to see who the lucky caller would be. Galleria remembered how Chanel looked then. She looked exactly like she did now.
Galleria wondered how long Chanel had been in this state, and whether it wasn’t too late to reel her bestie back in before she devolved into another breakdown like yesterday.
As Galleria watched Chanel with bated breath, her dog Toto wandered over. When he reached them, he nuzzled into his owner’s hand—Galleria’s—which made her snap her head down to him. And that’s when an idea formulated. She’d guide Toto over to Chanel to calm her down, anchor her a little.
So, she did just that, watching Toto trot toward Chanel. Galleria, still holding her breath, leaned forward and said, “Cuchie? Cuchifrita? Listen, Just take a deep bre—”
But she was cut off by Chanel screaming. Screaming out of nowhere. The sudden shriek spooked Toto so badly he scampered away in a blink.
Galleria slapped her hands over her ears and winced as her bestie screamed at the top of her lungs. This scream was even louder and shriller than yesterday’s, Galleria thought, loud enough to be heard throughout the store, down the whole street the store was on, maybe even across all of New York City.
Galleria unclasped her ears when she noticed Chanel had stopped screaming for a minute. Then she watched Chanel go limp and collapse onto the floor.
“CUCHIE!” Galleria cried out.