When they finished playing, there was a brief moment of silence.

Then thunderous applause!

The friends could not stop grinning even after they were backstage.

“We did it!” said Bella, jumping up and down.

•  •  •

That night, even though it had been a long and exhausting day, Bella couldn’t seem to fall asleep. She picked up her homemade guitar and plucked its strings, remembering how it felt to perform in front of the whole school with her best friends. It was funny how they’d started with nothing, not even an idea. Then they’d lost everything to a leaky roof. But they didn’t give up. They had worked together and—Bella stood on her bed, strummed a chord, and struck a pose—the Craftastic Crew had totally rocked the talent show!