Kate Angelella, of course this last book at Canterwood was always going to be for you. It exists because of you.
ILYSMYSB. xxoo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Wow, I can’t believe this is the last CC book (in sequence) before the holiday super special! Writing Sasha and transitioning to Lauren has been an amazing journey. Spending the holidays with them will be so much fun!
VIPs with an invite to Canterwood:
Fiona Simpson, Bethany Buck, Alyson Heller, Mara Anastas, Craig Adams, Valerie Shea, Jessica Handelman, Annie Berger, Katherine Devendorf, Stephanie Voros, Nicole Russo, Molly McGuire-Woods.
Stars in Canterwood’s Hall of Fame:
Monica Stevenson, Alexis, Abril, Kyra, Aliyah, Dayton, Chelsey, Macey.
Author’s Choice Award goes to:
The two best kittens—one-eyed Bella and Bliss. (Adopt a pet from your local Humane Society!) Every member of Team Canterwood from South Africa to California. Brianna Ahearn. Lauren Barnholdt. Alex Penfold. Ross Angelella. Joey Carson.
Golden Horseshoe Winner:
Kate Angelella. You’ve won the Golden Horseshoe for your stellar work on Famous from start to finish and your parfait line edits. As an editor, you grew this series from four books to twenty. Each piece of fan mail the author received should have been addressed to you—your hard work is spilled over every page of this novel.
And to all those who wrote thanking me for including Cole—you are so welcome. Please know that you are not alone if you are being bullied and TELL someone. Visit www.ItGetsBetter.org or www.StopBullying.gov for help.
TELL ME EVERYTHING
EVERYONE—MOM, DAD, BECCA, AND Brielle—grinned at me. They all stared, waiting for my reaction to Brielle’s sudden proclamation. But I stood frozen in the Canterwood Crest parking lot. Brielle’s words from seconds earlier rang through my head: Now your bestie from home is here!
Brielle didn’t live in Union anymore.
She wasn’t a student at Yates.
She didn’t take riding lessons at Briar Creek.
As of today, Brielle Monaco was an official Canterwood Crest Academy student.
Blond Brielle, who’d just released me from a hug, put both hands on my upper arms and gently shook me.
“Laaaureeen? Hello?! Omigod, are you speechless or what?!” Brielle asked.
I nodded, furiously trying to form words. “I—oh my God—Bri—” I stopped and took a deep breath. Everything was finally starting to sink in. “Brielle Monaco, you go here now! This is the biggest surprise ever!”
Brielle laughed. “I can’t believe I pulled it off. There’s no way I would have without your parents and Becca.”
“So many things make sense now,” I said. “I couldn’t figure out how you’d really gotten on campus for a family-only day. Or why you seemed so off at times. I can’t believe two of my Union friends are here now.”
Brielle frowned a little at my last sentence. I remembered her earlier fight with Taylor, my ex-boyfriend who was also from Union, and felt bad for bringing him up.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” I said, slinging my arm over Bri’s shoulder. I wiggled my fingers into my fleece jacket—the late November air was cold, and I wondered if we’d see snow at the Connecticut boarding school soon.
“We’re going to leave you girls to catch up,” Mom said from the passenger seat in our SUV.
“Have fun, you two!” Becca, my older sister, called from the backseat.
Dad waved, backed up the SUV, and guided the vehicle out of the parking lot and down Canterwood’s driveway.
I hugged Bri, laughing. I tugged on her coat and pulled her in the direction of the dorms.
“Let’s go inside before we freeze, and you are going to tell me everything,” I said.
“Lead the way,” Bri said.
Giggling, we made our way through the mass of students and parents who were headed for the parking lot and walked back to Hawthorne—my dorm hall.
“Take it all in,” I said, breathing deeply. “Looking at this campus never gets any less exciting.”
Bri’s eyes were wide as she nodded. “I had a feeling that was true. Even though I was here all day, I don’t really think I saw the campus for what it is.”
We went up a winding sidewalk away from the stable. As we walked, we passed a pasture with turned-out horses. Two horses, blanketed, lay down next to each other.
“Aw, nap time,” I said, smiling.
Bri asked me to point out buildings to her—even ones I’d told her about this morning when I’d given her the tour with my family.
“Of course,” I said. “It would be insane to think you’d remember where everything is after an afternoon. It took me days of getting turned around to finally be able to stop sending SOS texts to Khloe that I was lost.”
We passed the media center, administration, tennis courts, and finally reached Hawthorne Hall.
The three-story building was home to dozens of seventh-grade girls. Bri’s eyes were wide as she stared up at the building. I could tell the realization was hitting her that this was her home now.
“As if this dorm isn’t awesome enough, it also happens to be adjacent to Orchard Hall,” I said. Goose bumps ran up and down my arms, but they weren’t from the cold.
“What’s the big deal about Orchard?” Bri asked.
“Sasha Silver lives there.”
Bri’s mouth formed an O.
Inside my dorm hall, I shook off shivers and stopped when we reached Christina’s door.
“This is Christina’s office,” I explained. “She’s our dorm monitor. Looks like she’s gone right now, but I know you’ll like Christina once you get to meet her.”
“She sent me a few welcome e-mails,” Brielle said. “It’s so weird to be living without my parents. That part hasn’t hit me yet.”
“Oh, it will,” I said as we made our way down Hawthorne’s hall. “You’ll miss them a lot, but being on your own is pretty cool. Except the stuff like laundry!”
Brielle and I walked into the common room, kicked off our shoes, and plunked down on the couch, facing each other.
“I almost texted all my friends, but I want some alone time with you first,” I said. “Then we’ll tell Khloe, and Clare, and everyone.”
Brielle’s brown eyes were wide. “Hopefully, they’ll be as happy as you are that I’m staying.”
“Of course they will be,” I said. “They barely had five seconds with you, but I could tell they loved you.”
Today had been the definition of insanity. Parents who had decided to go out on their own had wandered around with lost looks on their faces. Some had reminded me of what my mom and dad had taught me to do when I was little. The parents had sat on a bench, not moving, just waiting for their kid to find them. It was like I’d been taught—stay where you are and Mom and Dad will find you.
I’d barely seen any of my friends today, and we’d all had a lot less time together than we’d planned. It seemed like parents took over as priority, and everyone had a different way of handling their family.
I stood, unzipped my coat, and tossed it onto a nearby recliner. I was happy that the common room was empty. Brielle and I could openly talk in private.
“Before we start talking,” I said, “want a cup of tea?”
“There’s my LT!” Brielle said. “I’d love a cup of whatever you’re having.”
With a smile, I made us both one of my fall favorites—apple spice.
“Okay,” I said. I pulled an orange throw blanket over my legs and raised my mug to my lips. “Start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
HOW’D YOU DO IT?
BRIELLE SIPPED THE TEA I’D made her and gave me an appreciative smile.
“I missed this,” she said. “
You making tea for us. I tried to make a cup after you left, and it was so gross! I mean, I don’t know how you mess up tea, but I did!”
This I had to hear more about. “How’d you make it exactly?” I asked.
Brielle rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Um, poured water into a mug. Dropped in my tea bag. Put it in the microwave for a minute and a half. Took it out and added a pack of Splenda.”
“Oh, sweetie,” I said, reaching over from my end of the couch to pat her leg. “No tea bags in the microwave, remember?”
Bri smacked her forehead with her hand. “Duh! Ugh! No wonder the tea tasted like burned rubber. Ick.”
“Well, I’m here now, so I can service all of your tea-making needs,” I said. “Now tell me, how did you get here?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Brielle said. “But I talked to my parents a lot about what I wanted for myself. What they wanted for me. You know my parents—they’ve always been concerned that I don’t take school seriously enough. At first, they were convinced I only wanted to go to boarding school so that I could goof off more and get out from under their roof.”
“That does sound like your parents,” I said. “Have to admit, though; you don’t have the, erm, best track record with grades.”
Brielle raised her tea mug. “I take total responsibility for that and accept it. I wasn’t a model student at Yates. I did the bare minimum to get by and used you and Ana a lot for help. I fessed up to my parents that I hadn’t been doing my best.” Bri took a sip of tea. “I told them I wanted a fresh start at a school that I already knew had a stellar reputation—Canterwood.”
“Were they blindsided by the idea of boarding school? I am. It’s something we never talked about. I mean, did Ana know? Why Canterwood, really? Why even boarding school?” I had so many questions for Brielle. We might be in the common room all day.
“I want to let you know, first, that I didn’t choose Canterwood to come and step on your toes. I know you’ve got a new life here. New friends, new riding circle—new everything.”
I shook my head. “Please. I wasn’t worried about that, and I don’t care about stuff like that. You know it.”
Brielle smiled. “I know. But it’s just something I wanted to say. Boarding school has been in the back of my mind since you got accepted to Canterwood. I never brought it up to anyone because it seemed like such an out-there idea for me. My grades weren’t that great at my current school, so why would I transfer to a harder school?”
I nodded, listening.
“Well, it’s because of you, actually. You inspired me, Lauren. You were a model student at Yates and obviously a much better candidate for Canterwood than me, but you pushed me to want to try. I felt like I wouldn’t get a fair shot at Yates because my teachers know me as ‘Bri the kind of ditzy girl’ and the boys know me as ‘Bri the girl who is guy crazy.’ Everyone has an opinion of me that I felt would be hard to change.”
“I know all about that,” I said. “Reputations aren’t easy to change. I hate hearing you say that teachers think you’re ‘ditzy,’ though. You’re not, Brielle. I don’t think any of our teachers ever thought that.”
Brielle raised her eyes to mine. “If not that, then they definitely thought I wasn’t working up to my potential. It was a repeat note I got on all of my report cards.”
“I’ll give you that as long as you acknowledge that you know you’re capable of doing the work and getting great grades.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Brielle said. “No one has any preconceived notions of me. The teachers will view me like a new student, and I’m going to work my butt off to impress them. I want a good reputation in the classroom. It just kind of . . . clicked for me over the summer that I was wasting a lot of time focusing on boys. They’re just so not worth it right now!”
“Whoa!” I said, putting up a hand in a stop motion. “Who are you and what did you do with Brielle Monaco?”
Bri laughed. “I’m serious! Guys are great, okay, fine, but I was sooo obsessed with flirting and getting a guy that if I’d put half of that work into school and riding, I would have been getting awesome grades and would have been a stronger rider.”
“Oh! I have to interrupt! It’s killing me,” I said. “Are you riding a stable horse? Which horse is it?”
Brielle’s face morphed into a giant grin. “Nope. I’m not riding a stable horse. Laur, my parents bought Zane from Kim! He’s coming today! I have my very own horse!”
“Omigod!” I squealed. “BRI!”
The albino gelding had been a school horse at Briar Creek for years. Brielle had been the one to ride him the most, and she loved him.
“I know! Mom and Dad said if I got bad grades at any point, though, the first thing to stop is my riding. There’s no way I’m letting anyone take that from me, so you know I’m going to work hard.”
“When did you apply?” I asked. I stretched my legs out on the couch so my left foot rested on top of Brielle’s knee.
“I wrote a letter to the headmistress and asked if I could submit myself for consideration in August,” Bri said. “It was so late in the year that I was sure she’d say no. I got an e-mail back, though, with the go-ahead to submit my transcripts and stuff.”
“Did you tell anyone then?” I asked. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep that to myself.”
“I told Ana,” Brielle said. “She told Taylor, but they were the only people who knew.”
Students passed by the common room, laughing. Thankfully, the door didn’t open and no one came inside. I wanted every second of one-on-one time with Bri that I could get.
“How did Taylor respond to your news?”
Brielle stared into her tea mug, then back at me. “He was totally fine with it from what Ana said. We still weren’t speaking after the voice-mail fiasco. Ana said Taylor told her that he didn’t care that we’d both applied.”
“What about Ana? I feel bad for her! She’s the only one of us left.”
“I feel the same way. She was supersupportive of my applying and thought it would be really good for me. I could tell, though, that she was sad and hiding it. I’m just glad she has Jeremy. It’s not the same as having a best friend, but they’re close.”
Almost two hours later, Brielle finished her story. I’d interjected every so often with questions. In front of us were two empty tea mugs—we’d drained two cups each—and napkins with crumbs from the kitchen’s brownies.
This was a new side to Brielle. An academic-minded Bri who wanted to be a better student and rider.
“After you see all of the cute boys on campus,” I teased, “I give you three days before you’re gaga for them.”
We giggled.
“Nooo!” Brielle said, her tone a half whine. “Don’t do that to me. I’m still . . . weak. You can’t tell me about cuties this early in my detox.”
I laughed so hard I felt my face turn red. “Okay, okay,” I managed to get out between laughs. “No boy talk.”
“Except about your boy,” Bri said. She raised an eyebrow. “I never said I couldn’t talk about my bestie’s boyfriend.”
The warm blush didn’t fade from my face. I hadn’t had much time during Family Day to talk to Brielle about Drew. Now I could talk to her all day about Drew! Maybe not all day, but . . .
“Look,” I said. I woke up my BlackBerry, went to my “Drew” album, and set it on slide show. I held my phone between us, and Bri oohed and aahed at the pics. A lot were candids that I’d snapped of Drew swimming or riding. Some were of us that we’d gotten friends to snap of us together.
“Asking about Drew is dangerous,” I added. “You’ll have to slip me Sleepytime tea to make me be quiet after I tell you the fiftieth story about us.”
“Um, I’m still the same Brielle,” she said, a wicked grin on her face. “I want to hear boy stories!”
“You asked for it.” With that, I snuggled back into the couch pillow and told my best friend all about my boyfriend.
B + L = BFFS 4EVER
BRIELLE AND I STRETCHED ON the couch, then stood. My phone had been buzzing with texts and BBMs—probably Khloe, Lex, or Clare—wondering where I was.
“I’m so glad we got to talk,” I said. “I’m really, really happy you’re here, Bri.”
She nodded, sending her newly blond hair flying. “Me too! It still feels like a dream.”
I took our cups to the sink, rinsed them, and stuck them in the dishwasher. “That’s a feeling that won’t go away for a very long time.”
“I hope Clare likes me,” Brielle said. “I did take away her extra room now that I’m her roommate.”
“Oh, don’t worry at all,” I assured her. “Clare will love you. She’s a sweet girl, and she’s probably glad to have a roomie again. You guys are a good match.”
We left the common room and stopped in the hallway.
“I love you like crazy, LT,” Bri said. She leaned forward, hugging me hard.
“Love you, too, B,” I said, hugging her back. “We’re going to have an awesome time together.” We pulled back, still holding hands. “Do you want me to walk you to your room?”
Brielle shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. You go find your friends. I’ve got to unpack. Hopefully, Clare will be there, and we can get to know each other better.”
With a wave, we split up. I checked my phone to read the BBMs.
Khloe:
Where r u? Everything OK?
Khloe:
L? I just heard from Clare that BRIELLE is her new roommate! Is that true?! Are u w Bri?
Lexa:
L!! Omigod, is it true abt Brielle?
Clare:
Whoa! I can’t believe I’ve got your other BFF from home as my roomie! Did u know she was coming?! U didn’t say anything so I’m guessing not. Like, SURPRISE, huh?
I locked my phone and opened the door to my room. Khloe, on her stomach reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, righted herself onto her knees in a flash.
“Lauren! Omigod! Where were you?” Khloe’s blond hair swirled around her shoulders.
I kicked off my shoes. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your BBMs. I was with Brielle in the common room.” I flopped onto my back on my bed. “Talk about shocker. She enrolled at Canterwood. Two of my Union friends go here now.”
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