by Coco Simon
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: A Middle School Miracle?
Chapter 2: The Shoes of My Dreams
Chapter 3: The New Girl
Chapter 4: My New “Roommate”
Chapter 5: Sporty but Suave?
Chapter 6: I’m Not Sure What to Think
Chapter 7: Katie Vents
Chapter 8: Sushi . . . and a Surprise
Chapter 9: Olivia’s Not-So-Sweet Side
Chapter 10: Trying to Find the Right Mix
Chapter 11: How Could You Forget a Whole Kid?
Chapter 12: My First Design Client
Chapter 13: The Monster at the Museum
Chapter 14: Thank Goodness for Katie
Chapter 15: Losing My Patience
Chapter 16: From Good to Bad Again
Chapter 17: Did She Really Do That?
Chapter 18: The Real Olivia
Chapter 19: The Cupcaketeers: Together Again
“Emma, Smile and Say, ‘Cupcake’” Excerpt
About Coco Simon
CHAPTER 1
A Middle School Miracle?
Oh my gosh, it’s a cupcake plunger!” my friend Katie squealed.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Katie so excited. We were in a shop in the mall called Baker’s Hollow. They sell baking supplies, and inside are all these fake trees with built-in shelves and the supplies are displayed on them.
Katie and I were at the cupcake tree, which has pretty, fake pink cupcakes “growing” in its fake branches. The shelves are filled with cupcake baking pans, cupcake decorations, and tons of different kinds of cupcake liners.
Katie was holding up a metal tube with a purple top on it. She pulled on the top, and it moved up and down, like a plunger.
“This is so cool!” she cried. “You stick this in the top of the cupcake and plunge down halfway, and a perfect little tube of cake comes out. Then you fill the hole with stuff and then put the cake back on top and frost it. Just imagine what you could put in here! Whipped cream! Pudding!”
She turned to me, and her brown eyes were shining with excitement. “You could even do ice cream! Can you imagine biting into a cupcake and there’s ice cream inside? How awesome would that be?”
“Totally awesome,” I agreed. “Plus, it’s purple. Your favorite color.”
Katie dug into her pocket, took out some crumpled bills, and started to count.
“It’s only six dollars. I could get it and still have enough left over for a smoothie,” she said, and then she sighed. “I am so glad they opened this store, but I am going to go broke spending all my money on cupcake supplies. I’m obsessed!”
“I know how you feel,” I said. “I am totally obsessed with shoes lately. I’m trying to find the perfect pair of neutral heels. I want them dressy, but not too dressy—maybe a shiny patent leather, with a high heel. But not too high. I don’t want to fall flat on my face! I can picture them in my mind, but I haven’t seen them anywhere for real yet.”
Katie looked down at her sneakers, which were decorated with rainbows drawn on with Magic Marker. “I don’t think I’ll ever wear heels. They’re too uncomfortable.”
That’s the difference between Katie and me—she doesn’t care about fashion at all, and I pretty much live for it. Today, for instance, Katie was wearing a purple hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Which is perfectly adorable on her, but not dressed up enough for me. You never know who you could run into at the mall! So I had on skinny black jeans, my furry black boots, a white lace cami, and a sky-blue cardigan on top. The beads in my hoop earrings matched my cardigan, and the boho style of the earrings worked perfectly with my boots.
But even though Katie doesn’t care much about fashion, she’s my best friend here in Maple Grove. I moved here a year ago after my parents got divorced. Katie was the first friend I met.
“Okay, I’d better get on line before I buy something else,” she told me.
A few minutes later we left the shop, and Katie was happily holding an adorable little paper shopping bag with a picture of a cupcake tree on it.
“That’s such a great logo,” I said. “I wish I had thought of that for the Cupcake Club.”
“I bet you could think of an even better logo if you wanted to,” Katie said.
That made me feel pretty good. I love to draw and would love to be a fashion designer or maybe a graphic designer one day. Or maybe one of those designers who does displays in store windows in Manhattan. How cool would that be?
As we walked toward the smoothie shop, the smell of chocolate distracted us. Katie and I didn’t even need to discuss it. We walked right into Adele’s Chocolates and headed for the counter.
This is a “must-go-to” shop at the mall. Adele makes all the chocolates herself, and the flavors are amazing.
“Mmm, look,” I said, pointing to a glistening morsel of chocolate in a gold paper cup. “Salted caramel. That sounds so good.”
Katie pointed to a piece of dark chocolate sitting in a pale purple cup. “Dark chocolate infused with lavender. I wonder what that tastes like?”
“That would make a good cupcake,” I said, and Katie nodded. We talk about cupcakes a lot because we’re in the Cupcake Club with our friends Alexis and Emma. It’s a real business. People hire us to bake for their parties and other events.
Katie had a pained look on her face. “Soooo tempting. But I think I really need some smoothie energy right about now. Mom says chocolate makes me loopy.”
I grabbed Katie’s arm and pretended to drag her out of the store. “Resist! Resist!” I said, and we both started laughing like crazy.
“We should go right to the smoothie place,” I said when we calmed down. “No more distractions.”
“Right,” Katie said. She stood up straight, like a soldier, and saluted. “To the smoothie place!”
It was Saturday, so the mall was pretty crowded as we made our way to Smoothie Paradise. I used to hate the mall when I first moved here, because I was so used to shopping in New York City. But now I like it. It’s never too hot or too cold, and when I’m done shopping I just have to carry the bags outside to Mom’s car. It’s definitely a lot easier than toting things home on the subway.
Even though the mall was full of people, the line at Smoothie Paradise was pretty short. Katie and I each ordered the same thing—a smoothie with mango and passion fruit—and then sat down at a small round table in the corner.
“This is my favorite kind of day,” Katie said after taking a long slurp from her straw. “I got all my homework done last night, so I don’t have anything to worry about.”
I nodded. “Me too.”
Katie sat back in her chair. “You know, middle school isn’t so bad so far. I mean, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s easier this year.”
“Definitely,” I agreed. “It’s, like, we know our way around. And besides school, other things are easier too. Like living with Eddie and Dan. That’s not so weird anymore.”
Eddie is my stepdad, and Dan is my stepbrother. They’re both pretty nice.
“Is it getting any easier living in two different apartments?” Katie asked.
I thought about it for a minute. “Yeah, kind of,” I admitted. “But mostly when I go to my dad’s, I feel like I’m visiting.” I basically go out to New York to see my dad every other weekend.
“You must miss him,” Katie said.
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Katie’s parents are divorced too, and she never sees her dad. He remarried, and I think he even has a whole new family. So as tough as my situation is, I think Katie’s is even tougher.
I decided to be honest. “Sometimes I miss him,” I said. “But he texts me and Skypes me and stuff during the week. So he’s there if I need him.”
Katie got a little quiet after I said that, so I changed the subject.
“We should go to Icon after this,” I said. Katie knows that’s my favorite clothing store. “They sell shoes there, too. Maybe they have my perfect heels.”
We left the shop and headed for Icon. It’s easy to find because you can hear techno music blasting from it even when the mall is noisy. The decor is really sleek and clean, with white walls and gleaming silver racks. I like it that way because the clothes are really highlighted.
That day I walked right past the clothes and headed straight for the shoes, which were displayed on white blocks sticking out of the back wall. They had chunky heels, wedge heels, and spike heels, but the perfect shoe, the one I could picture in my head, wasn’t there.
While I was looking at all the shoes, Katie was giggling and wobbling in a pair of superhigh silver heels. I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind us.
“Hi, Mia. Hi, Katie.”
It was Callie Wilson, Katie’s former best friend and the leader of the Best Friends Club, which used to be the Popular Girls Club. Things have always been pretty tense between the Cupcake Club and the BFC. A lot of it had to do with Katie and Callie’s broken friendship. But recently, they kind of patched things up, and so today Callie was smiling and friendly.
Katie, on the other hand, looked a little startled. She quickly slipped out of the silver heels, embarrassed.
“Oh, hey, Callie,” Katie said.
“Hi,” I added.
Maggie and Bella, the other two girls in the BFC, walked up behind Callie. Maggie has wild hair and can be pretty funny when she wants to be—and pretty mean, too. Bella is the quietest of the three. She’s super into those vampire movies—like, so into them that she changed her name from Brenda to Bella, and she straightens her auburn hair to look just like the girl who loves the vampire.
“Shopping for shoes?” Callie asked, even though it was pretty obvious. I guess she was trying to make conversation.
“I’m trying to find the perfect pair of heels,” I said. “But I think they only exist in my head.”
“Ooh, I saw this adorable pair online,” Maggie said. She whipped out her smartphone and started typing on the keyboard. Then she shoved the screen in front of my face. “See?”
“Those are totally cute, but the ones I’m dreaming of have a pointier toe,” I told her. “But thanks!”
“Did you guys see those new wrap dresses they got in?” Callie asked. “Katie, there’s a purple one that would look so cute on you.”
“We’ll definitely check them out,” I replied.
“Yeah,” Katie added.
Callie gave a little wave and then flipped her long, blond hair over her shoulder. “Okay, we’ve got to go. Later.”
She walked away, and Bella and Maggie followed her. Katie and I stared at each other in shock.
“Did that just actually happen?” Katie asked.
“You mean, did we actually just have a normal conversation with the BFC, with no name-calling or teasing? Yes!” I replied.
Katie grinned. “It’s a middle school miracle!”
CHAPTER 2
The Shoes of My Dreams
On Sunday morning when I woke up, the house smelled like bacon. As far as I’m concerned, that is the absolute best way to wake up.
I got dressed and went downstairs to find Mom and Eddie in the kitchen. There was a big plate of bacon on the table, and Eddie was flipping pancakes at the stove.
“She’s alive!” Eddie said, teasing me. I looked at the clock, and it was ten thirty.
“Hey, it’s still morning,” I said. “Besides, I don’t see Dan.”
Dan is in high school, and he sleeps way more than I do. I was pretty sure Dan must still be asleep.
I was right. “He’s still sleeping,” Mom said. She had her long, black hair pulled back with a big barrette. People say I look like my mom, but it’s mostly my hair; I definitely have my dad’s nose, and our faces are both oval. Mom’s is more heart shaped.
“Too bad! That means more bacon for us,” Eddie said cheerfully.
“Ed, that’s not nice. We should save him some,” Mom scolded.
Eddie put a platter of pancakes on the table and gave my mom a kiss. (Gross.) “Of course I will, mi amore. You know I have a soft heart.”
“That’s why I married you,” Mom said, and I made a loud coughing noise.
“Excuse me! Child present!” I reminded them.
Eddie hugged my mom. “You’ll understand one day, Mia, when you’re in love.”
“Okay, now I am seriously losing my appetite,” I said. I like Eddie and everything, but deep down I still wish my mom and dad were together. So I don’t need to see Mom and Eddie all lovey-dovey.
Mom gave Eddie a look, and he stopped hugging her and sat down at the table. “Pancakes, anyone?”
“Me, please,” I said. “And bacon.”
While Eddie piled the food onto my plate, Mom said, “Mia, I know I’ve been working a lot lately, so I was thinking maybe we could have a girls’ day out today. Unless you have other plans with your friends.”
I put down my fork. “Can we go to the city? Hang out in SoHo? And get Thai food? And go window shopping? When can we leave?”
Even though I stay with my dad in Manhattan every other weekend, I hardly ever get to go with my mom. I miss the things we used to do there together.
Mom smiled. “I don’t see why not. We should leave after breakfast. We can take the ferry.”
So less than two hours later we were standing on the top deck of a ferry crossing the Hudson River. It was a pretty chilly out, but I didn’t mind because I got to wear a new fall jacket that one of my mom’s designer friends had given her. It’s cobalt blue, and it has a vintage-style collar that looks like two petals, and three big buttons in the front, and it’s fitted around the waist, with a belt and a big buckle.
I wore it with black knit tights and this navy shirtdress I have, which was from another one of my mom’s friends. Mom’s a fashion stylist, so I am superlucky and can get great clothes for free.
Mom was going for the all-black look, which she does a lot. Black sweater, black knee-length skirt, black tights, black boots, black trench coat. I call it her spy outfit.
“Yes, but I can always accessorize,” Mom loves to say, and she can make it look different every time with a bright red scarf or a big silver necklace or a belt or something. She’s good at that.
When the ferry docked we took a cab to SoHo, a neighborhood in Manhattan that stands for “south of Houston,” which is Houston Street (only people pronounce it “how-ston” instead of “hyoo-ston,” like the city in Texas). There are other places to shop in New York City, like great department stores, but I think SoHo is fun because the streets are narrow and lots of designers have little shops there. New stores are always springing up, so you never know what you’ll see.
We were extremely full from the pancakes and bacon, so we went window shopping first. A lot of the clothing boutiques had winter coats on display already. We admired a shop with some pretty cool faux-fur jackets and then moved on to the next store.
I froze. The window was filled with the most amazing shoes I had ever seen. The sign above the door read KARA KAREN.
“She must have just opened up the boutique,” Mom said. “Everyone’s saying great things about her.”
I grabbed Mom by the arm. “We are going inside!” I informed her.
Mom didn’t argue. A bell jingled as we walked inside the store, a clean, well-lit space with polished wood floors. The shoes were displayed on a round table in the center of the shop with different tiers, like a layer cake. My eyes scanned the display from the bottom, to the middle, to the very top layer, and that’s when I saw them—my dream shoes.
The heel was high, but not too high. And it wasn’t chunky, but not too spiky, either. The toe was nice and pointy, just like I wanted. The shoe itself was black, but kind of sparkly. Delicate straps crisscrossed the to
p of the shoe.
Mom must have noticed my wide-eyed look. Or maybe I was drooling.
“Those are great shoes,” she said. “Impractical, but gorgeous.”
I immediately started to appeal to Mom’s fashion sense. “Mom, you know I need heels for special occasions. This is the perfect pair! They’ll go with just about anything. And the heel’s not too high.”
Mom reached up and took the sample shoe off the stand. Then she looked at the price tag.
“How much?” I asked nervously.
“Too much,” Mom said. The tag said: $212.
I was so disappointed! “I knew they were too good to be true,” I said with a sigh. “I guess when I imagined my dream shoes, I should have imagined a cheaper price.”
Mom was turning the shoe over in her hand, examining it with a thoughtful look on her face.
“I’ll tell you what, Mia,” she said. “If you can raise money for your half of the shoes, I’ll pay for the other half.” She laughed. “You buy one shoe and I’ll buy the other!”
I immediately felt much better. “You mean we can get them now and I’ll owe you?”
Mom shook her head. “No, you have to earn the money first. Then you’ll appreciate them more.”
I did some quick calculations in my head. I had some money saved from the Cupcake business, and I get allowance for helping around the house. I could see if maybe I could do some extra chores, and I knew the Cupcake Club had a big job coming up. It wouldn’t take long . . . but just thinking about the wait was unbearable!
I took the shoe from my mom and hugged it dramatically. “I’ll miss you! But I will come back for you, I promise!”
Mom laughed again. “Well, before you get carried away, we should at least try them on.”
The saleswoman in the shop got the shoes in my size, and I put them on. They looked fabulous! I was a little wobbly when I walked in them, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly.
“It’s that extra-pointy toe,” Mom said. “But I have to admit, you’re pretty good in them.”
“It’s in my genes,” I said. When Mom walks in high heels, she’s as graceful as a ballet dancer.
“We should get lunch soon,” Mom said.