The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  Paige brushed her rain-dampened hair out of her face and took a sip of her mint tea. “Probably to see if Jack was okay like he said. But still, he could have just texted or something.”

  I leaned back and shrugged. “That’s what I thought. And it’s superweird because I have to tell them about Eric and me soon. Like really soon.”

  Paige sipped her tea. “Um, yeah. ’Cause then you get your date.”

  The D word made me grin. “Exactly.”

  27

  MY FRIEND ERIC

  I SLID INTO MY SEAT AT FILM CLASS, PULLING out my phone to text Paige. Ugh @ film.: S Paige had practically shoved me out of the Sweet Shoppe so I’d get to film class on time. Ull b fine. Watch movie & ignore him.

  I put my phone away and took out my notebook. My film paper was due in a week and a half, but I’d barely even started it. At least I’d picked a general topic that would be fun for me—famous animals in film. Jacob and I would have to meet soon to swap papers, so I really had to get started.

  Jacob shuffled down the aisle and sat down. He put his book bag on the floor, turning to me. “Sash, I just wanted to say that I acted like a jerk about the riding thing. Sorry.”

  I stared at him. I wasn’t sure what to say—I hadn’t expected him to apologize. “It’s fine.” I went back to scribbling ideas for my paper. “Forget it.”

  Jacob tipped his head and looked at me like he wanted to ask me something. But I pretended to be busy, averting my eyes.

  Mr. Ramirez walked to the front of the class, smiling at us. Everyone got quiet—ready to guess the film quote.

  “‘May the force be with you,’” Mr. Ramirez quoted.

  “Star Wars!” I yelled along with only everyone in class.

  Mr. Ramirez laughed. “I see you’re all familiar with Mr. Lucas’s space opera. That was pretty much a freebie. We’ll be watching Episode IV: A New Hope, which is the first of the six films in the saga.”

  I sat back in my seat, listening and trying not to think about Jacob. Why did he have to be so confusing? Why did he have to be mean to Eric, and then turn around and be all apologetic and nice to me? I even saw parts of the old Jacob—the one I really liked when I first started at Canterwood. Funny, cute—even kind. Well, sometimes. But there was no excuse—and no reason—for the way he’d behaved toward Eric.

  Mr. Ramirez turned down the lights and started the movie. I never thought I’d admit it, but I was actually glad that Dad had made me watch this movie with him last year. Tonight, I wouldn’t have to pay attention to the film.

  When the lights came on, everyone gathered their stuff. I hadn’t looked at Jacob once since the beginning of class.

  “Sash—” Jacob started.

  I got up, grabbed my bag, and hurried down the aisle, hoping I could pretend I hadn’t heard him. He didn’t need to apologize again about the riding thing.

  I pulled out my phone to text Paige, hoping Jacob would get the signal that I was busy. Besides, it was also totally necessary to check on Paige. The Teen Cuisine party was in a week and she was slipping into freak-out mode. I was afraid of going back to Winchester and finding our room stuffed with cupcakes. Paige’s way of dealing with nerves? Baking zillions of batches of cupcakes.

  If u r near oven, step away &—I started to text.

  “Sasha, c’mon,” Jacob said, catching up with me. He walked along beside me.

  I closed my phone. “What?” I asked.

  We slowed and looked at each other.

  “I’ve been trying to ask you something. Are you—” Jacob started, and then stopped abruptly. When I looked up, I saw why he’d stopped talking.

  Callie and Eric.

  They stood a few feet apart. Callie, arms crossed over her cropped black blazer, looked through the door to the theater as if she was waiting for someone. Eric’s hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and he smiled when he saw me.

  I waved at them, unsure what else to do.

  “Hey,” I said to Callie and Eric.

  “Hi,” Callie said. Jacob walked over to stand by her.

  Eric smiled at me again. I gave him a quick smile but stayed where I was—feet away from him.

  “Good class?” Callie asked

  “Yeah,” Jacob said. “It was fine.”

  I nodded. “Totally fine.”

  “We’re going to the Sweet Shoppe,” Callie said. “What are you doing?”

  I looked at Callie and Jacob. What did I say?! “My friend Eric and I are going to…”

  Eric just looked at me, not helping at all.

  Callie and Jacob stared, waiting for me to finish my sentence.

  “I was walking by and remembered Sasha had a class here,” Eric said, finally jumping in. “I’m going right by Winchester if you want to walk with me.”

  I just nodded.

  “See you later,” Callie said to me.

  I smiled and held myself back from running out of the lobby. Eric was behind me as I shoved open the door and stomped onto the sidewalk.

  “Why did you come to film?” I cried. “You know Jacob’s in my class.”

  Eric stopped, looking at me. “Sasha, I just came to see you. It’s Friday. I thought we could do something later. I honestly didn’t even think about Callie or Jacob.”

  I sighed. He’d come to the media center to be nice and I’d acted like a jerk.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m being ridiculous. I’m glad to see you too.”

  Eric didn’t say anything, and we started walking again. We were heading down the winding sidewalk, making our way to Winchester. I could feel the empty space between us and I knew I was supposed to be the one to fill it up. But I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Really,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  Eric looked at me. “It’s okay. I know you just want to tell Callie on your own time.”

  “I do. I just don’t know why I can’t make myself tell her. But I really want to.”

  Eric shrugged. “She’s your friend. And she’s with Jacob. I really don’t think she’ll be mad at you. You never lied to her—you just didn’t tell her the truth right away. And I promise, no one is going to break us up. Unless…”

  “Unless?” I prompted.

  Eric let out a breath. “Unless Jacob is the one you don’t want finding out about us.”

  “What?” But when I thought about it, it made perfect sense why Eric would think that. “Oh, Eric, no. I like you.”

  Eric looked at me. He needed me to do something. Now.

  “I’m going to announce it at Paige’s party,” I declared. “That way everyone will know at once.”

  Eric smiled and narrowed his eyes at me, like maybe I was playing a trick on him. “Are you sure about that?”

  I looked into his eyes, willing him to believe me. “In exactly one week,” I said, “everyone is going to know that—”

  “You’re my girlfriend.” Eric smiled.

  28

  GUEST LIST

  THE WINCHESTER COMMON ROOM HAD BECOME the unofficial party-planning headquarters for the Teen Cuisine premiere party. Paige and I had been talking last-minute details for the past couple of hours. The planning was a welcome relief from an insane week of papers, quizzes, and too many books to read. At least I’d finally written my film paper—now I just had to set up a time to meet Jacob for my critique.

  “Flavored sparkling water. Yes or no?” Paige asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “Definitely.”

  I twirled my pen in the air. Tomorrow was it. The day I’d tell everyone about Eric and me. I wavered between nerves and excitement. But after tomorrow, Eric and I could finally go on our first official date. A real date. Oh, my God. I grinned hugely.

  “Sasha?” Paige asked.

  “What?”

  “I was saying,” Paige said, “that I have to finish baking the last batch of cupcakes tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll help you if you want,” I offered.

  Paige shook her head. “Uh, thanks,
but we know how that would turn out.”

  “What?” I faked shock. “How?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. But I’m guessing it would involve a fire.”

  We both laughed until our eyes teared.

  “Fine,” I said, sticking out my tongue. “I’ll stay far away from your precious food.”

  I double-checked my decoration list. Tomorrow, I had to sneak off to the media center to put everything up. I couldn’t wait to see Paige’s face when she walked into the room.

  “Are you going to be okay with Callie, Jacob, and Eric there?” Paige asked.

  I considered telling Paige about my announcement plan, but decided against it. She was nervous enough about her party—I didn’t want her to worry about me and Callie.

  “I’ll be fine. It’s your party. No one’s going to mess it up.”

  “’Kay. But you have to tell me if things get weird. Promise?”

  “Promise. And I think—” I stopped talking when Jasmine walked into the room. I thought about how she really had worn all of those clothes that she’d brought in her thousands of suitcases. I hadn’t seen her in the same shirt twice. Tonight, she wore a soft lilac wrap sweater and a pair of black low-rise pants. Her Sidekick was pressed against her ear.

  “But I want them to—” Jasmine stopped talking when she saw us. “Hold on.”

  With an exaggerated huff, Jas turned and walked back out of the room.

  Paige and I looked at each other.

  “What’s up with her?” Paige asked.

  I sighed. “No clue. She’s probably plotting something against the Trio.”

  “Well, if anyone can handle Jas,” Paige said, “it is Heather.”

  “I hope so,” I said, remembering the Belles’ intervention in the cafeteria.

  Jasmine was obviously up to something. I’d just have to cross my fingers that Heather would handle whatever it was. The Trio and I weren’t friends, but it was still us—the real Canterwood riders—against Jasmine.

  29

  RED-CARPET READY

  PARTY NIGHT HAD FINALLY ARRIVED AND I was more nervous than Paige! I’d been trying on clothes for an hour, desperate for the right I’m-dating-Eric outfit. Paige, of course, had chosen her dress last week and was putting it on in the bathroom. She’d kept it a surprise till now.

  I shifted a giant pile of clothes from my bed to the floor for maximum room. Thankfully, my mom wasn’t here to see the disaster zone. Everything was just too girly, too stuffy, too ruffly, or too blah. I needed something perfect.

  “Okay,” Paige called through the bathroom door.

  “Finally! Get out here.”

  The door opened and Paige stepped out, clasping her hands. “What do you think?”

  She looked premiere party perfect. She’d chosen a black and ivory raw silk bubble-hem dress that came up just above her knees. The strapless style showed off her porcelain-pale shoulders. On her feet, she wore a new pair of black ballet flats—satin with elegant half bows.

  “Oh, Paige,” I breathed. “Wow.”

  “Really?” Paige smoothed her dress.

  I nodded. “It’s gorgeous.”

  Paige smiled. “Yay! But what is this?” She looked at my ever-growing no pile. “We’ve got to find you something!”

  “Everything in my closet is horrible and gross,” I moaned. “I’m about to put on my pajamas.”

  “Okay, but let’s try something else before we pull out the velour tracksuit.”

  “Like what?” I asked, tossing more clothes on the floor.

  Paige walked over, grabbed my hand, and dragged me away from my closet. “You need to visit the hottest store in town.”

  “I don’t have time to go shopping!” I said. “We have to leave in an hour!”

  Paige pulled open her closet doors. “Lucky for you, Paige’s Closet is always open. It’s nearby and the owner is, like, the most amazing person ever. Get over here!”

  I walked over to Paige, laughing.

  Paige peered into her closet, looking over a dozen dresses. She pulled out a few, shook her head, and put them back. I was seriously beginning to contemplate the pajama idea when Paige smiled.

  “Got it!” Paige said. She pulled out a simple little black dress with a halter neckline.

  I looked it over. It was a pretty dress…but sort of plain. “Are you sure?” I asked.

  Paige rolled her eyes and handed it to me. “Just put it on—I’m telling you. I’ll warm up the flatiron while you change.”

  I slipped the dress over my head and fastened the closure at the neck. I looked at myself in the mirror. What I saw practically made my mouth drop. It had looked ordinary on the hanger, but once I’d put it on, it was stunning. The halter neck showed off my toned-from-riding arms. The A-line cut was flattering for my figure—skimming over my hips in just a slight curve. It was the most beautiful I’d ever felt in a dress.

  Paige grinned behind me. “I knew that dress would be perfect.”

  “I love it,” I agreed. “Okay, now that you’ve dressed me, you sit and I’ll do your hair.”

  Paige took her long hair out of its ponytail and sat at her desk chair. I clipped back sections of her hair and started to flatiron.

  My mind wandered to Eric. I couldn’t wait for him to see me in this dress.

  Once I was finished, Paige and I swapped seats and she smoothed my hair with the flatiron but was careful not to make it too straight. My golden brown hair was naturally wavy and Paige was sure to keep the loose waves intact.

  “Makeup time,” I said, once my hair was finished.

  Paige checked her watch. “We’ve got to leave in half an hour. I feel like I should already be there setting up!”

  “No way. It’s your party. Everything will be ready when you get there, trust me.”

  A few hours ago, I’d sneaked off to the media center when Paige had been on a phone call with her Teen Cuisine producer. I’d met Annabella and Suichin—two of our friends from Winchester. We’d taken the party decorations from storage and had spent most of the afternoon decorating.

  Paige took a breath. “Okay.”

  We did our makeup, taking longer than usual to apply dabs of concealer, smoky gray eyeliner, iridescent eye shadow, and peachy blush. I tried four lip glosses before settling on a rosy pink with a hint of shimmer.

  I looked like someone’s girlfriend.

  I put on silver ballet flats and grabbed my phone.

  Can’t wait 2 tell every1 abt us. I texted Eric.

  :) C u soon.

  I put my phone in my purse, then turned to Paige.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  Paige swallowed. “Yes. No. Are we?”

  “Yes,” I said, smiling.

  We pulled on our coats and waved at Livvie as we walked out of Winchester. Linking arms, we hurried across the chilly campus. The streetlamps cast a warm, soothing glow over campus. I tipped my face to the sky and looked at the stars—they were bright in the night sky. I just knew tonight was going to be perfect. I almost skipped up the sidewalk.

  “And spring is supposed to be here when?” Paige asked teasingly.

  “It’s April. This is spring,” I said.

  “Well, it’s cooold!”

  We hurried to the media center.

  “Look!” I said, pointing ahead of us.

  On the glossy hardwood floor of the hallway, a red carpet ran along the center. The carpet went right into the biggest, best TV room in the entire media center.

  “It’s really a red carpet!” Paige squealed. “I heart it!”

  “Be cool,” I whispered, looking ahead. “Paparazzi!”

  They were all friends of Paige’s who had offered to play photogs. They held up digital and cell phone cameras.

  “Paige! Paige Parker!” they shouted. “Look here! Paige!”

  “Omigod,” Paige said, her face blushing. “Guys!”

  Paige, playing it up, stopped and struck a pose. We made faces at the camera, giggling, and let the b
oys take a bunch of pics before we started walking again.

  I turned around and gave them a thumbs-up. They’d been perfect paparazzi!

  “That was just too awesome,” Paige said.

  “You’ll want them to follow you everywhere now.”

  Paige and I walked up to the door of the party room. A guy in front of the door held up his hand. He totally looked the part of a security guard with dark sunglasses, a pressed black suit, and a Bluetooth earpiece. Behind him, a red velvet rope held by two brass poles blocked the doorway.

  “IDs, please,” he said.

  Paige giggled. “Ryan, seriously. Do you need IDs from the party star and her BFF?”

  Ryan didn’t say anything. He just stared. Okaaay, he was playing this part really well! A few seconds later, he finally lowered his sunglasses and winked at us. “My mistake, Miss Parker. Please, go right inside.”

  When Ryan stepped aside, he revealed a sign on the door. The silver sparkly letters read PAIGE PARKER’S TEEN CUISINE PREMIERE PARTY.

  “Oooh! Beautiful!” Paige said.

  Paige and I grinned at each other as Ryan unhooked the rope. He pulled open the door, waving us inside. I let Paige walk in first.

  “Oh, my God!” she cried. She froze in her tracks and I almost bumped into her.

  “Not bad, huh?” I asked.

  Paige had to take a breath. “It’s fantastic!”

  And she was right, if I do say so myself…

  The TV room had been transformed into a sleek party space. Everything had been decorated with silver and plum—the Teen Cuisine logo colors. Silver runners accented the dark wooden tables, gauzy fabric had been draped over the lamps to create ambiance, and candles flickered softly on the tables. One of Paige’s friends had called the Teen Cuisine studio and asked for promotional posters. The studio had been happy to oblige—they sent five different shots of Paige with the Teen Cuisine logo and we’d put them up on the walls.

  A giant plasma screen TV was set on the Food Network for Kids channel. The room was packed—it seemed like everyone in our entire grade was here!

  “Hi, Paige!” Geena said, coming over to us. She hugged Paige. I’d met Geena a couple of times when Paige had invited her over to the common room to test recipes or do homework.