Practically Ever After

by Isabel Bandeira

  Copyright © 2019 by Isabel Bandeira

  First Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher, except in cases of a reviewer quoting brief passages in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Use of any copyrighted, trademarked, or brand names in this work of fiction does not imply endorsement of that brand.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Bandeira, Isabel, author, illustrator.

  Title: Practically ever after / Isabel Bandeira.

  Description: First edition. | New York : Spencer Hill Press, [2019] |Series: Ever after ; book 3 | Audience: Ages 13+. | Audience: Grades 7-9. | Summary: To high school senior Grace, life is an equation where everything can be perfectly calculated to ensure maximum success and the perfect future, including having the perfect girlfriend and being accepted into a first-choice university, but life has a funny way of getting in the way of plans.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019028347 (print) | LCCN 2019028348 (ebook) | ISBN 9781633921092 (v. 3 ; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781633921108 (v. 3 ; epub)

  Subjects: CYAC: High schools--Fiction. | Schools--Fiction. | Perfectionism (Personality trait)--Fiction. | Dating (Social customs)--Fiction. | Lesbians--Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.B3644 Pr 2019 (print) | LCC

  PZ7.1.B3644 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]--dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028347

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019028348

  Published in the United States by Spencer Hill Press

  www.SpencerHillPress.com

  Distributed by Midpoint Trade Books, a Division of Independent Publishers Group

  www.midpointtrade.com

  www.ipgbook.com

  This edition ISBN:

  9781633921092 paperback

  9781633921108 ebook

  Printed in the United States of America

  Design by Mark Karis

  Cover by Jenny Zemanek

  EVER AFTER SERIES

  BOOK ONE: Bookishly Ever After

  BOOK TWO: Dramatically Ever After

  BOOK THREE: Practically Ever After

  To the young dreamers who love physics, writing, math, and art growing up in a world that loves to tell people it’s impossible to love both the arts and STEM:

  The world needs your creative science and logical art. It needs your structure, and the beauty you bring to books, calculations, or anything you choose to create. You are more than a label or a “type.” Don’t let anyone ever make you believe you can’t be all you’re meant to be.

  And with love to Mom and Dad, for instilling in me a love of words, a love of engineering, and a big dose of Bandeira stubbornness that has allowed me to chase both.

  April–May

  WEEK 18 FOCUS: Pass AP Exams

  Chapter 1

  “Can you believe we only have two months left? I know I’m supposed to be excited, but it’s just so weird to think we’re almost done.” Alec was the first to drop onto the grass and the rest of us followed. We weren’t the only ones with that idea—all around us, other groups of Pine Central’s finest seniors were in clumps on the football field, taking advantage of the time outside after our senior class panoramic portrait before any of the teachers decided it was time for us to head back to class.

  Judging by the look on Mr. Hayashi’s face when he tilted his head up to the sunshine, or how Ms. Lancaster had kicked off her flats to dig her toes into the grass, that wasn’t going to be any time soon.

  “Almost isn’t weird, it’s scary,” Phoebe said, pushing her long brown hair out of her eyes. She had stuck her messenger bag under her butt to keep off the grass and was leaning on her boyfriend, Dev, to keep her balance. I didn’t blame her—pink jeans and a white tunic top weren’t exactly grass-stain friendly.

  Em, on the other hand, was on her back, yellow cardigan discarded, bare feet propped on top of Phoebe’s legs and ignoring any potential danger to her bright green tank top from the dirt. She waved one hand nonchalantly.

  “Two months is still a long time.” Em reached out as her boyfriend, Kris, passed, pulling him away from his conversation with a teacher and down onto the ground next to her. “Come socialize with people your own age,” she said to him, ignoring the look of faux-annoyance he threw her way.

  “Em’s right,” I said as I joined them. The morning sun still hadn’t been up long enough to dry the dew, and I could feel it seeping through my jeans, but I could dry my butt with the bathroom hand-dryers later. “About all the time we still have, I mean. Besides, it isn’t ‘almost’ until all our tests and projects are over,” I pointed out. “I still have AP Physics this afternoon and you two,” I pointed a long blade of grass at Phoebe and Dev, “have AP English on Wednesday.”

  My stomach churned at the thought. I really should have been memorizing equations in this extra time instead of hanging out on the football field, but I just couldn’t drag myself to standing. I bit my cheek and mentally checked my schedule—if I hid out in the library at lunch, I could still get a little more studying in before the test.

  “Don’t remind me,” Dev said. “I don’t even know how to study for this one.”

  Kris nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. “I still have US government and Politics tomorrow. Thank God US History was last week, right, Em?” He shifted uncomfortably, like he’d rather be standing. The guy was probably worried about wrinkling his perfectly ironed slacks before the individual portraits. How our completely laid-back Em had ended up falling for someone like him was beyond us all.

  “You are all a bunch of nerds,” Alec said with a snort.

  “Says the guy who built his own computer because he could ‘stuff the heck out of this thing with more RAM and SSDs than stinkin’ Pixar and Activision Blizzard combined,’” Em shot back.

  “You remember everything, don’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at her amused expression before heaving a fake sigh. “Okay, we’re all a bunch of nerds.” He made a show of pushing his thick, hipster-ish glasses back into place. I’d teased him about them earlier, but after an annoyed comment about how he wasn’t trying to look cool, I bit back the urge to remind him again that he seemed to be loving his accessory.

  Em looked from Alec to me and said, in a teasing tone, “Grace is the biggest nerd out of all of us. I only took AP History because my mom would have killed me otherwise. Well, that, and it’s four less credits I have to pay for if I don’t fail.” On that last sentence, her tone grew heavier and Kris squeezed her hand, whispering something in her ear that seemed to comfort her. She visibly relaxed instead of going into an over-dramatic fit of “what-if’s.” Maybe he wasn’t so bad for her, after all.

  To break the cloud of test fear that had fallen over us, I took one of the clover flower crowns Phoebe had been twisting together while we were talking and put it on my head. “A kingdom of nerdiness and it looks like I’m the queen.”

  Phoebe’s lips hovered between a smile and the slightest hint of a pout. “But seriously, everything’s going to change soon. It really is scary,” she said, her fingers wrapping tight around the other chain of clovers she was making, crushing the delicate flowers and all of our moods.

  “Please. We’re all going to be together for a long time. Nerd friendships don’t have expiration dates.” Em’s words were so confident
and directed right at her best friend. “It’ll be fine, Fee.”

  “I thought you just tried to argue you weren’t a nerd,” Dev pointed out with a wide grin.

  “Nerd and incredibly smart-non-nerds,” Kris corrected with a confident grin. Technically, he wasn’t really a part of our inner circle, but I tolerated his butting in for Em’s sake.

  I couldn’t help but play devil’s advocate, even though the thought of change added to the tightening feeling in my throat. “Our friendship might be fine, but you know the chances of high school romances surviving are pretty low, right? The statistics are against staying together.”

  Phoebe hmphed and settled deeper into Dev’s arms. “You’re just jaded. If people really love each other and it’s meant to be, they can make it work. It’s not impossible.”

  I shook my head. Phoebe lived in fairytales. “And the books you read always end while the characters are still teens. ‘Happily ever after’ usually doesn’t make it through college.”

  Em looked from Phoebe to me, and back to Phoebe again. “If anyone can make it work, it’ll be you and Dev and Grace and Leia. And I already know what I want to wear to both of your weddings, so don’t screw it up.” Ignoring Phoebe’s now bright red face, Em barreled on, patting her boyfriend’s knee. “Now, Kris and I…”

  “Doomed from the start,” he chimed in with a grin.

  She scrunched up her nose and winked at him before continuing. “See, chances are my career splitting time between Broadway and Hollywood will be totally incompatible with Kris’ time on campaign trails and hanging out in places like Kennebunkport and New Hampshire. We’ll break up, despite our deep feelings for each other. Heartbreaking, but it’ll be the best for our careers. Years will pass, and then, when he’s President, I’ll come to the White House and sing Happy Birthday to him. And then we’ll start a torrid affair… even though neither of us would be married, so it really wouldn’t be an affair…”

  Now, that sounded like a twist on the familiar. “So: You’re saying that you’re Marilyn Monroe and Kris is an unmarried JFK?”

  “Except it’ll end up more like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. She and I have a lot in common, like being actresses and fantastic at public appearances.” Em nudged Kris. “You need to work on inheriting a throne.”

  I could tell Kris was trying his hardest not to break into a laugh. “Won’t work. I’m for republics with elected heads of state. The monarchy is the antithesis of that.”

  Em heaved a dramatic sigh. “Then I guess we’re doomed.” She popped onto her knees to kiss him and the rest of our group started complaining about getting a room, Phoebe the loudest about PDA and detentions.

  I covered my giggle by checking my phone. “And, with that, this nerd queen needs to go study so she can pass her exams and get the hell away from all of you next fall.” I stood and wiped any stray grass off my Dulce and Gabriello jeans.

  Alec popped up, swinging his backpack onto his back. “I’ll come with you. There’s no way I want to be a fifth wheel in this love-fest.”

  “And here I thought you were leaving because you’re jealous.”

  Alec bumped me with his shoulder. “Nah, dating is overrated. You’re right, it’s not like most high school relationships survive, anyway.” He glanced over at me and added, quickly, “You and Leia don’t count in that, you know. You’ve been together practically forever.”

  “Yeah.” I twisted my backpack strap around my fingers and ignored the leather as it dug into my skin. The tightness in my throat wouldn’t let me say anything else and I chalked it up to pre-test nerves. Alec was right. Leia and I had been together forever—definitely above average for high school. What was a little distance to a relationship like ours?

  “So?” Leia’s voice came over my phone at exactly 2:20, five minutes after the last bell and ten minutes before I had to cheer. I didn’t even have to look at my screen to know it was her when my phone vibrated in my hand, just hit answer.

  I dropped my physics notebook into my locker and slammed the door shut before leaning against it and smiling. Around me, crowds of students were rushing to catch busses or hanging out before a random after school activity, but I was in a happy bubble. Like everyone else was on mute.

  “I think I did okay.”

  “Just okay? Or are you trying to be humble?” I could picture her arching her eyebrow in the adorable way she always did when she was teasing me.

  “Cute, really cute. Mechanics was easy, but you know I don’t like the electricity stuff. I think I messed up the Biot-Savart law.” Phoebe came hurrying up the hallway, Em in tow, but I pointed at the phone and mouthed “Leia,” and she nodded, slowing to a stop far enough away to give us some privacy. “I have to get at least a four.” Penn State wouldn’t even bother crediting me for less than that, which would have made getting ready for the test a giant waste of my time for the past few months.

  “You were so ready for this. Your teacher knew you were ready. Beeyo-Savant or whatever.” She giggled at her own deliberate mispronunciation. “I know you kicked test butt. And, you know, no matter how you do on these two stupid tests, it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re a math and science genius.” Leia was my touchstone. Everyone else thought I always had it all together, but Leia saw through the unruffled face I showed the world. Just talking with her centered me.

  “Plus, you like that physics stuff. What’s the worst that can happen, you’d actually have to take it again at Penn State? What a terrible sacrifice.” She drew out “terrible” in a way that nearly broke my sarcasm meter.

  “Thanks being so comforting and for feeding my fragile ego.”

  “Anytime,” she said, punctuating it with another laugh. Through the phone, I could hear a car horn and the sound of shuffling. “My mom’s here, so I’ve gotta go. See you later?”

  “I’ll be home by 5 if they don’t go into extra time. Do you want to go to the diner or hang out at my house?”

  “Diner. I really need some disco fries after today.” She didn’t elaborate and I didn’t push it. Leia would tell me about whatever was bothering her when she was ready.

  I nodded at empty air. “Okay, diner it is. 5:30; I’ll buy the fries.”

  “Oooh, big spender,” she joked, then said, “I’ll see you then. Love you.”

  “Love you more,” I said, hanging up and smiling at my phone for the few seconds before my friends could make it down the hallway. Leia always made things better.

  Phoebe was the first to get to me, her fifties-style teal skirt flaring out as she stopped and dropped her bag next to the lockers. With a black three-quarter sleeve sweater and black ballet flats, my little style protégé actually looked very pulled together, like a stylistic mix of modern and classic, couture instead of costumey. I tugged at her sleeve.

  “You changed out of your jeans.”

  She made a little twirl, ending in a model pose. “I had my ‘Quietest’ yearbook picture and all the club pictures. I didn’t have my stylist okay it at lunch, but…”

  “It looks cute. It’s not exactly what I would have picked for pictures, but my little girl is growing up.” I wiped away a fake tear and straightened the neckline of her sweater. I almost suggested adding a teal scarf as a finishing touch to perfectly balance the look but bit back my comment. Perfect was the enemy of good, as Leia liked to always remind me, and Phoebe couldn’t exactly go back in time and re-take her pictures, anyway.

  Em leaned on me, crossing her arms and stage-whispered, in a faux-conspiratorial tone, “Whoever voted her for ‘Quietest’ never got dragged to a book signing thing with her.”

  “An-y-way,” Phoebe said, wrinkling her nose at Em, “you aced the exam, right?”

  I looked from Phoebe’s eager face to Em’s smile and took a deep breath, straightening my spine into my most confident pose and pushing back all the doubts I’d shared with Leia. “Of course. Did you expect anything less?”

  Em took my question at face value. “No. You’re
Pine Central’s science genius, after all.” She then added, “If you hadn’t quit being a sciencelete to become a cheerleader, a team with you and Alec would have kicked ass.”

  “But the squad would have had one less person with acro and dance experience. We ‘kicked ass,’ too.” I pulled my cheer duffle out of my locker and jammed my phone into the side pocket with the muskrat mascot logo. “Speaking of, I have to warm up to cheer our girls’ soccer team on to victory in a little bit.” I also needed to change back into my uniform, but that only took a minute. My hair was already up in a high ponytail with our school’s red and orange ribbons thanks to the yearbook pictures earlier.

  “Go. Cheer,” Em said with a grin, pushing me in the direction of the gym and starting to walk with me. “We just wanted to see how you did. I’ve gotta go help break down the sets from the spring play and Phoebe promised she’d help.”

  “That’s only because her boyfriend is in the theater club,” I said, looking over at Phoebe, who shrugged at my teasing tone. “Bet you’ll catch them making out in the costume closet.” It was so easy to make Phoebe turn bright red, it wasn’t even worth trying sometimes.

  “Bet you not, because they’re boring,” Em said, then ducked the paper Phoebe swatted at her. “Still, it’s better than my boyfriend, who won’t even go even though his best friend and I are in the club. I’ll take a reluctant bookworm.”

  “Aww, trouble in paradise with our illustrious class president?” I teased.

  “That’s impossible with Em, especially this close to the prom,” Phoebe finally found her voice and shot back at Em.

  “It’s just the cross I have to bear from dating someone as hot as he is.” Em fake-swooned, then recovered with a grin. “Look, the one thing I learned about dating is that you pick your battles. Cleaning up backstage and cleaning out the closets aren’t worth a fight. Figuring out train schedules for next year between Columbia and Rutgers so we see each other all the time, totally worth it. I’m sure you and Leia have everything planned out, too, right?”