The Cupcake Diaries Collection: Katie and the Cupcake Cure; Mia in the Mix; Emma on Thin Icing; Alexis and the Perfect Recipe

by Simon, Coco

  “Hey,” I said. “Where’s Maggie?”

  “She goes to ballet class on Mondays,” Sydney replied. “Her mom thinks it will make her more graceful.”

  Bella giggled. “I went to her last recital. Poor Maggie. She’s hopeless!”

  Now that’s the difference between the PGC and the Cupcake Club right there. In the Cupcake Club, nobody talks behind anybody else’s back.

  “I always wanted to take dance lessons,” Callie said. “But I was afraid I wouldn’t be good at it.”

  “I like to dance for fun,” I said. “Like when we have parties at my aunt’s house. We crank up the music and everybody dances—in the kitchen, on the porch, wherever.”

  “Did you ever go dancing in the dance clubs in New York?” Bella asked.

  “No,” I said. “You have to be older to do that.”

  Bella looked disappointed.

  “So, are you guys studying with us?” I asked Bella and Callie.

  “Mom’s taking me to the eye doctor for a follow-up,” Callie said. “And then I’m studying tonight.”

  “And I have . . . other plans,” Bella said a little nervously. Sydney was glaring at her. I got the feeling that maybe Sydney had ordered Bella not to hang out with us.

  Callie’s house was first on the walk home, and then Bella lived a few blocks away. That left me and Sydney. We talked about the new movie starring Ann Harrison that was coming out this weekend. We both think she’s gorgeous and seriously talented.

  Finally we came to a block that had a lot of old houses like the one Emma lives in. But one house on the block looked brand-new. It was twice as tall as the other houses and it was made of these pinkish-brown smooth stones. There was a big window over the front door and you could see a huge chandelier glimmering through it.

  You’ve probably guessed by now that it was Sydney’s house. She took a key from the key chain hanging from her backpack, unlocked the front door, and opened it up.

  “Magda! We’d like two sparkling lemonades, please!” Sydney called out.

  We walked through the big front hallway (I think it’s called a foyer, right?) into a dining room with a gleaming wood table. Another smaller chandelier hung in that room. There was a big cabinet with glass windows with fancy plates and glasses inside. The whole place was sparkling clean.

  Sydney dumped her backpack on top of the table and sat down. I sat down across the table from her just as a slim woman with pale blond, pulled-back hair hurried in, carrying two glasses of lemonade. Without a word, she placed them on the table in front of us.

  “Thanks!” I said, but Magda quickly left without responding.

  “She’s not much of a talker,” Sydney informed me. “The last housekeeper we had just talked and talked and talked. Mom couldn’t take it anymore, so we had to get a new one.”

  I opened my backpack and took out my math book. “I seriously hate dividing fractions,” I said. “It’s never made any sense to me. Why do you have to turn the numbers upside down? What’s the point?”

  Sydney sipped her lemonade. “Yeah, I know. So, tell me about your mom’s fashion show. Did she choose the designers yet?”

  “I think so,” I said. “We’re supposed to go over that tonight. I was at my dad’s all weekend so we haven’t had a chance to talk yet.”

  “Be right back,” Sydney said. She returned a minute later carrying a laptop.

  Okay, I thought. We’re going to start studying.

  She typed on the keyboard and turned the screen toward me to show me an image of a model in a long red coat.

  “This is perfect for winter, isn’t it?” she said.

  “It’s nice,” I agreed. “But we should really study for math now, shouldn’t we?”

  “One more minute,” Sydney said. “We have to check out Fashionista’s website first. They had a whole spread about Ann Harrison and all her different styles. You have got to see it!”

  I was fed up with Sydney’s bossiness. I really wanted to study for my math test so I could talk with Mom about the fashion show later. So I did something I wouldn’t normally do.

  I slipped my math book back into my backpack and stood up. “Listen, Sydney, thanks for inviting me over and everything, but I seriously need to study.”

  “But it only takes, like, five minutes to go over the review sheet,” Sydney said.

  “Maybe you only need five minutes, but I need more time,” I said. “I’m really, really sorry.”

  “Okay, whatever.” Sydney sounded annoyed.

  Great. Now I had hurt two friends in the same day.

  As I walked home, I realized I was in the neighborhood where Alexis and Emma lived. I checked the time on my cell phone and saw it wasn’t even three thirty yet. So I walked over to Alexis’s house and knocked on the door.

  Alexis looked surprised to see me. “Hey, Mia. What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I was in the neighborhood, and I was wondering if maybe we could study for the math test together,” I said.

  “Sure. I was just starting,” Alexis told me. She motioned for me to come inside.

  “Mom! Mia’s here! We’re studying for math!” Alexis called out. She led me into her kitchen, which was sparkling clean and very, very white. She had her math book and a pad of graph paper spread out on the kitchen table.

  Mrs. Becker walked in. She has short hair and glasses and likes to wear mid-length skirts with comfortable-looking shoes. I’d love to give her a makeover some day. She’s naturally pretty, but with a makeover she could be a totally hot mom!

  “Nice to see you, Mia,” she said. “There are bananas and apples on the counter if you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. Becker,” I said.

  Alexis and I got right down to business. By four thirty, I was almost an expert in dividing fractions. I even knew what a “reciprocal” was. Amazing.

  “You should become a teacher,” I told Alexis. “I actually feel like I understand this stuff.”

  Alexis blushed. “Yeah, I think about that sometimes. Want a banana?”

  I nodded, and she went to the counter and grabbed a banana for each of us.

  “Thanks so much for studying with me,” I said as I peeled my banana. “Mom’s going crazy getting ready for this fashion show, and we’re supposed to meet to talk about it today.”

  “What’s making her crazy?” Alexis asked.

  “There’s just so much to be done,” I said. “Getting the food, making the seating chart, hiring the models, deciding which model will wear what look . . .”

  Alexis started sketching on a piece of graph paper. “Why don’t you make a flowchart? That’s what I always do when I have a lot to do.”

  I looked over her shoulder. “That is pretty awesome. Can I show my mom?”

  “Sure,” Alexis replied. “Or how about this? I can do a blank one on the computer and send it to you.”

  “Oh my gosh, that would be fabulous!” I said. “Alexis, you are the best!”

  Alexis grinned. “Let me know if you need any help at the fashion show, okay? I don’t know anything about fashion, but I’m good at organizing things. I could always stay after we set up the cupcakes.”

  “Thanks. I’ll ask my mom,” I said.

  As I walked home, I thought about how different Alexis was from Sydney. If I were having a friend contest, Alexis definitely would have won the prize today.

  Maybe things weren’t really as complicated as I thought.

  CHAPTER 16

  A Big Deal

  Mom was thrilled with the flowcharts Alexis e-mailed me.

  “Alexis did these?” she asked in disbelief. “I should hire this girl as my assistant.”

  “Hey, I thought I was your assistant,” I said.

  “You’re my number one fashion assistant,” Mom promised. “But I do need someone to help keep me organized.”

  “Alexis said she would help out if you wanted,” I told her.

  “Maybe,” Mom said. “But fashion first! Let me sh
ow you the outfits and accessories I’ve got so far.”

  Mom had gotten a lot done over the weekend. In her office were two racks filled with clothes and a few large plastic bins filled with shoes, bags, and jewelry. Mom and I spent two hours matching dresses and jackets, shirts and skirts, pants and tops, and picking out accessories for each look. We still hadn’t finished when I started yawning.

  “Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t realize how late it was getting,” Mom said. “I’ll finish up here. You need to rest for that big math test tomorrow.”

  I don’t know what I was more nervous about—my math test or facing Sydney after walking out on her. But I shouldn’t have worried. When I saw Sydney in homeroom, she flashed me that toothpaste-commercial smile of hers.

  “Hey, study nerd,” she said. “Were you up all night getting ready for the test?”

  “No,” I admitted. “But I think I’m ready for it.”

  “Of course you are,” Sydney said. “So, you owe me after yesterday. Sit with us at lunch, okay?”

  I could picture the hurt look on Katie’s face if I accepted, but it was hard for me to refuse after everything that happened.

  “Cool, thanks.”

  I ended up acing the math test, thanks in part to Alexis. She was really a good teacher. Either that or math was starting to make sense.

  I got to lunch early so I could talk to Katie. I caught her by the front door.

  “Hey, Katie,” I said. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Let me guess,” Katie said. “You’re sitting with the PGC today.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “I kind of have to. I was sort of rude to Sydney yesterday and left her house like five minutes after I got there. But I’m not changing tables permanently or anything.”

  Katie didn’t look directly at me, and I knew she was upset. She doesn’t like to say how she’s really feeling, though.

  “You’re the best friend I’ve made since I moved here,” I told her.

  Katie smiled a little bit. “Okay. Have fun talking about boring clothes.” She rolled her eyes in a funny way, and I knew she was teasing.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  The rest of the PGC girls were sitting down when I got to the table. Maggie rushed over to me.

  “Oh, Mia, Mia, Mia!” she said. “Say it isn’t true!”

  “Say what isn’t true?” I asked.

  “My mom told me that tickets to your mom’s fashion show are all sold out,” she said. “But that can’t be true, can it?”

  “Maybe—I mean, I’m not sure,” I said. “She didn’t say anything.”

  “But we can still go, right?” Sydney asked.

  “I still have to find out,” I said. I had put off asking my Mom last night, because I still didn’t know what to do.

  Callie changed the subject. “So, how was the math test?”

  Thankfully nobody mentioned the fashion show again for the rest of lunch, so that was good.

  With the math test off of my mind, I was able to concentrate on cupcakes. I had no idea how to decorate the tops of the cupcakes for the fashion show. After school I went up to my room and started looking online for ideas.

  Somehow I came across this site for a baking supply store. They had tons and tons of stuff, and two things caught my eye. They had these little pieces of candied ginger that would look just like jewels on top of the chocolate cupcakes. They also had red cinnamon-flavored sugar that looked like glitter. How cool would that be on top of the white frosting on the applesauce cupcakes? And perfect for Mom’s spicy theme too.

  But it was already Tuesday, and there was no way they would get here in time if I ordered them—at least, that’s what I thought. When I checked the contact page, I saw that the store was in Springfield—right over in the next town!

  I ran downstairs as fast as I could. Dan was at the kitchen table doing homework, and Mom was chopping vegetables for dinner.

  “Mom, I found this awesome baking supply shop in Springfield,” I said. “It’s got the perfect decorations for the cupcakes for your show. Can you take me there tonight? They’re open till eight.”

  “Oh sweetie, I’ve got to go to the banquet hall tonight to work out the floor plan,” Mom said. “I’m so sorry. I know Eddie would take you, but he’s working late tonight.”

  Dan looked up from his book. “I’ll take you,” he said.

  I was surprised. “Really? You don’t mind?”

  Dan shook his head. “We can go after dinner.”

  Mom gave him a huge smile. “Dan, that’s so sweet of you. Thanks!”

  So right after dinner I was driving to Cake Sensations in Dan’s red sports car that used to belong to his uncle. He’d been driving it around ever since he got his license last month. I was sure that’s why he agreed to drive me.

  But as we rode along, I figured out he had another reason.

  “So, I’m sorry I ruined your shirt,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. I’m just used to dumping everything in the laundry basket into the machine at once. It’s just everything’s you know . . . different now.”

  He didn’t sound mad when he said that last sentence, or sad, either. But something about how he said it made me think again that it must be weird for him, too. I guess we were all adjusting to the changes.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s just a shirt.”

  It didn’t take long to get to Springfield.

  “The directions say to take a left onto Main Street,” I told Dan.

  Dan slowed down and put on his blinker. “Hey, I know this place,” he said. “It’s right next to the doctor where I get my shots.”

  “Shots? What shots?” I asked.

  “You know, for the dogs,” Dan said. “I’m allergic to them, so I have to get shots.”

  Why hadn’t I heard this before? “Seriously? I didn’t know that. You mean you have to get shots because of Tiki and Milkshake?”

  Dan shrugged. “It’s okay. They don’t hurt. Besides, I like those dogs.”

  Dan parked the car in front of Cake Sensations, and when we got out, I walked over to him and gave him a hug.

  “Uh, thanks,” Dan said. “But it’s just a short ride. It’s no big deal.”

  But I wasn’t hugging him just because of the ride.

  “It is a big deal,” I said. “Thanks.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Mixing It Up

  I bought a jar of the glittery cinnamon sugar and a container of small pieces of candied ginger at the Cake Sensations store. Dan used the calculator on his cell phone to divide the cost between eight dozen cupcakes, and I came in at nineteen cents per cupcake. Alexis would be so proud of me!

  When we got home, Dan went into his room and blasted his music, but I didn’t mind it as much as I usually do. I put on my headphones and did a little sketching before bedtime. I was about to change into my pajamas when Mom opened the door.

  “Well, that went smoothly, thank goodness,” she said. “Those charts Alexis made really helped. Please thank her for me.”

  “You can thank her tomorrow,” I said. “Everyone’s coming over after school to do a test batch of the chocolate spice cupcakes, remember?”

  “Oh, right!” Mom said. “Hey, that reminds me. I saved three front-row tickets for you to give to your friends.”

  Mom looked through her purse and came up with three tickets printed on red paper, which she handed to me. “They’re the last three tickets I’ve got.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said. I got up and gave her a hug.

  Mom kissed my cheek. “Get a good night’s sleep, sweetie.”

  She left, and I looked at the three tickets in my hand. I knew how badly Sydney wanted to go. But if they belonged to anyone, it was the Cupcake Club.

  Katie, Alexis, Emma. I wrote their names down in my sketchbook. Then I remembered that Emma wasn’t going to be there.

  Katie, Alexis . . . Sydney? Yikes. That would never work.

  I tried thinking anoth
er way. Katie and Alexis had never once asked me for tickets to the show. They probably didn’t even want to go.

  Sydney, Maggie, Bella, Callie. That was one girl too many. But which girl would I leave out? I liked Callie, so she could stay. Sydney would be furious if I left her out. That left Maggie or Bella, and I didn’t want to hurt either of their feelings. They’d always been nice to me.

  And then, how would Katie and Alexis feel if I didn’t even offer them the tickets? Maybe they didn’t ask because they just assumed they were going. . . .

  Frustrated, I closed the sketchbook. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. Maybe the decision would come to me in a dream. . . .

  It didn’t. I still hadn’t made any decisions by the time the Cupcake Club came over the next day after school. Katie brought the ingredients with her, and I was really excited to show everyone what I had found at Cake Sensations.

  “See this glittery sugar? It’s cinnamon flavored,” I said. “I think it will look so pretty on the applesauce cupcakes, and it matches the red display.”

  “It’s perfect!” Emma agreed.

  “And these are little pieces of candied ginger.” I picked up one of the little orange jewels. “I thought they’d be good for the chocolate spice cupcakes, since there’s ginger inside.”

  “That’s going to look really cool,” Alexis said. “Hey, can I crack the eggs this time?”

  “The eggs are all yours,” Katie said, handing her the carton.

  But before we started baking, Mom came into the kitchen holding some papers in her hand.

  “Hi, girls,” she said. “I thought I’d show you where the cupcake table’s going to be set up on Sunday.”

  She spread out the papers on the table. They showed a floorplan of the banquet hall.

  “See, there’s the runway,” she said. “And these are the seats. And the refreshments will be over here.”

  “Where does everyone check in?” Alexis asked.

  “What do you mean?” Mom asked.

  “You know, like where they turn in their tickets and get their seat assignment,” she replied.

  Mom turned pale. “Oh, no! I didn’t think of that.”