Katie and the Cupcake War (13 page)

“Mmm, look,” I said, pointing to a glistening morsel of chocolate in a gold wrapper. “Salted caramel. That sounds so good.”

Katie pointed to a piece of dark chocolate nestled in a pale purple wrapper. “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 crowded, 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 of my homework done last night, so I don't have anything to worry about.”

Mia nodded. “Me too.”

Katie sat back in her chair. “You know, the second year of middle school isn't so bad so far. I mean, it's not perfect, but I think it's easier than last year was.”

“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 homes?” 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 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 miracle!”

Coco Simon
always dreamed of opening a cupcake bakery but was afraid she would eat all of the profits. When she's not daydreaming about cupcakes, Coco edits children's books and has written close to one hundred books for children, tweens, and young adults, which is a lot less than the number of cupcakes she's eaten. Cupcake Diaries is the first time Coco has mixed her love of cupcakes with writing.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

SIMON SPOTLIGHT
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 2012 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

SIMON SPOTLIGHT and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Text by Tracey West

Chapter header illustrations by Ana Benaroya

Designed by Laura Roode

Cover illustrations by Abigail Halpin

Cover design by Laura Roode

ISBN 978-1-4424-5373-9

ISBN 978-1-4424-5374-6 (eBook)

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2012936360