Katie and the Cupcake War Capa dura - 2014

CHAPTER 1

You Are Not Going to Believe This!

Mia! Is it really you? I havenâÈçt seen you in a gazillion years!âÈë I cried, hugging my friend.

Mia laughed. âÈêKatie, I was only gone for, like, four days,âÈë she said.

âÈêThat is four days, ninety-six hours, or five thousand, seven hundred, and sixty minutes,âÈë I said. Then I dramatically put my hand over my heart. âÈêI know, because I counted them all.âÈë

âÈêI missed you too,âÈë Mia said. âÈêBut you couldnâÈçt have missed me too much. You were trying out new recipes with the techniques you learned at cooking camp, werenâÈçt you?âÈë

âÈêYes,âÈë I told her, âÈêbut it felt like you were gone forever. I almost didnâÈçt recognize you!âÈë

Actually, I was kidding. Mia looked pretty much the same, with her straight black hair and dark eyes. She might have gotten a little bit tanner from her long weekend at the beach. She was wearing white shorts and a white tank top with a picture of a pink cupcake on it.

âÈêHey, I just noticed your shirt!âÈë I said. âÈêThatâÈçs so cool!âÈë

Mia smiled. âÈêI made it at camp. One of the counselors there was totally into fashion, and she showed me how do this computer thing where you can turn your drawing into a T-shirt design.âÈë

I was definitely impressed. âÈêYou drew that? ItâÈçs awesome.âÈë

âÈêThanks,âÈë Mia said. âÈêI was thinking maybe I could make T-shirts for the Cupcake Club, for when we go on jobs. You know, so we could all dress alike.âÈë

Now it was my turn to laugh. We all like to bake cupcakes, but when it comes to fashion, the members of the Cupcake Club donâÈçt have much in common. âÈêWell, I know we all wore matching sweatshirts when we won our first baking contest,âÈë I said. âÈêBut that was a special occasion. I donâÈçt know if you could create one T-shirt we would all be happy wearing on a semiregular basis.âÈë

Then the doorbell rang. It was Emma and Alexis, and what they were wearing proved my point. Emma is a real âÈêgirlie girl,âÈë although I donâÈçt mean that in a bad way, it just describes Emma really well. Pink is her favorite color, and I donâÈçt blame her, because pink looks really nice on you when you have blond hair and blue eyes like Emma does. She wore a pink sundress with tiny white flowers on it and pink flip-flops to match her dress.

Alexis had her curly red hair pulled back in a scrunchie, and she wore a light blue tennis shirt and jean shorts with white sneakers. And I might as well tell you what I was wearing: a yellow T-shirt from my cooking camp signed by all the kids who went there, ripped jeans with iron-on patches, and bare feet, because I was in my house, after all. Oh, and I painted each of my toenails a different color when I was bored.

âÈêMia! I missed you!âÈë Emma cried, giving Mia a hug.

âÈêSo how was your first vacation with your mom, Eddie, and Dan?âÈë Alexis asked. Eddie and Dan are MiaâÈçs stepdad and stepbrother, respectively.

âÈêPretty good,âÈë Mia replied. âÈêThe beach house was nice, and we got to play a lot of volleyball. And the boardwalk food was delicious.âÈë

âÈêThat reminds me,âÈë I said. âÈêFollow me to the kitchen, guys.âÈë

My cooking camp experience had inspired me to surprise my friends for our Cupcake Club meeting. I had covered the kitchen table with my favorite tablecloth, a yellow one with orange and red flowers with green leaves. (Mom says she needs to wear sunglasses to eat when we use it, but I love the bright colors. Plus, they reminded me of the colors of Mexico, and it matched all the food I had made.)

Laid out on the table was a bowl of bright green guacamole, a platter of enchiladas with red sauce on top, homemade tortilla chips, a pitcher of fresh lemonade, and a plate of tiny cupcakes, each one topped with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon.

My friends gasped, and I felt really proud.

âÈêKatie, this looks amazingly fantastic!âÈë Mia said. âÈêDid you make all this yourself?âÈë

I nodded. âÈêWe had Mexican day in cooking camp, and I learned how to do all this stuff,âÈë I said. I pointed to the mini cupcakes. âÈêThose are tres leches cupcakes.âÈë

âÈêThree milks,âÈë Mia translated. âÈêThose are sweet and delicious. My abuela makes a tres leches cake when somebody has a birthday.âÈë

I nodded. âÈêEmma, I thought they might be good for the bridal shop.âÈë

One of the Cupcake ClubâÈçs biggest clients is the The Special Day bridal shop. We make mini cupcakes that they give to their customers, and the only requirement is that the frosting has to be white. Emma usually helps delivers them. She has even modeled the bridesmaids dresses at the bridal shop too. (I told you she was a girlie girl.)

âÈêThey look perfect!âÈë Emma agreed. âÈêSo pretty. And I bet they taste as good as they look.âÈë

âÈêThen letâÈçs start eating so you can find out,âÈë I suggested. âÈêI think the enchiladas are getting cold.âÈë

Then my mom walked into the kitchen. She has brown hair, like me, but hers is curly, and today it was all messy. She looked tired, but I thought maybe it was because she had patients all morning. SheâÈçs a dentist and has to work a lot.

âÈêOh, girls, youâÈçre here!âÈë she said. âÈêAlexis, how was your trip to the shore?âÈë

âÈêActually, MiaâÈçs the one who went to beach,âÈë Alexis answered politely. âÈêBut thanks for asking.âÈë

Mom blushed. âÈêSorry, girls. IâÈçm exhausted. My head feels like itâÈçs full of spaghetti today.âÈë

âÈêThatâÈçs okay, Mrs. Brown,âÈë Mia said. âÈêI had a good time.âÈë

Then the phone rang. âÈêThatâÈçs probably your grandmother,âÈë Mom said to me. âÈêCome find me if you need anything, okay?âÈë

âÈêShmpf,âÈë I replied. Actually, I was saying âÈêsure,âÈë but my mouth was full of guacamole.

Alexis took a chip and dipped it in the guacamole.

âÈêWow, thatâÈçs really good,âÈë she remarked when she was done chewing. (Unlike me, Alexis doesnâÈçt ever talk with her mouth full.)

âÈêThanks,âÈë I said. âÈêGuacamole is my new favorite food. I could eat it all day. Guacamole on pancakes, guacamole pizza for dinner . . .âÈë

âÈêGuacamole-and-jelly sandwiches for lunch,âÈë Mia said, giggling.

âÈêGross!âÈë Emma squealed.

âÈêI think IâÈçll stick to guacamole and chips,âÈë Alexis said matter-of-factly. Then she wiped her hands on a napkin and opened up her notebook. Alexis loves to get down to business at a Cupcake Club meeting.

âÈêOkay. So, I was looking at our client list,âÈë she began. âÈêThe only thing on our schedule this fall is our usual gig at The Special Day. We need to drum up some new business. I was thinking that we could send out a postcard to everyone whoâÈçs ever ordered cupcakes from us. You know, something like âÈæSummerâÈçs Over, and Cupcake Season Has Started.âÈçâÈë

âÈêI like it,âÈë I said. Emma and Mia nodded in agreement.

âÈêThat reminds me,âÈë Mia said, pointing to her shirt. âÈêI designed this. I could make a T-shirt for each of us. I thought we could wear them when we go on jobs.âÈë

âÈêOh, itâÈçs so cute!âÈë Emma said. âÈêCould my shirt be pink?âÈë

Mia smiled. âÈêI guess so. We could each have a different color shirt if we want. Unless you want it to be more like a uniform.âÈë

âÈêOr we could expand our business and sell the T-shirts, too,âÈë Alexis said, sounding excited. âÈêI bet we could find a site online where we could get the shirts made cheaply, and sell them for a profit.âÈë

Mia frowned a little bit. âÈêI donâÈçt know, Alexis. I was thinking these should just be for us, you know? Special.âÈë

âÈêBut you want to be a fashion designer, donâÈçt you?âÈë Alexis asked. âÈêThis could be the start of your business. MiaâÈçs Cupcake Clothing!âÈë

Mia looked thoughtful, and I couldnâÈçt tell if she liked the idea or not. I decided to change the subject. If Mia decided she was interested, sheâÈçd bring up the idea again. Sometimes Alexis can get a little pushy when she wants the club to do something. Which is mostly good, because otherwise weâÈçd never get anything done.

âÈêWow, I canâÈçt believe school is starting so soon.âÈë Then I said with a nod to Emma and Alexis, âÈêThough what I really still canâÈçt believe is SydneyâÈçs singing routine at your day campâÈçs talent show. ItâÈçs in my nightmares.âÈë

When I first started middle school last year, Sydney Whitman made my life miserable. So I didnâÈçt feel bad about making fun of herâÈ'well, not too bad, anyway. My grandma Carole says that two wrongs donâÈçt make a right, and sheâÈçs got a point. But Sydney really made my life miserable.

âÈêOh my gosh, I canâÈçt believe I forgot to tell you!âÈë Emma said. âÈêI have big news. Huge! You guys are not going to believe this!âÈë

âÈêTell us what?âÈë I asked.

âÈêItâÈçs about Sydney,âÈë Emma said. âÈêSydneyâÈçs mom returned a bunch of library books and told my mom that they were movingâÈ'to California!âÈë

âÈêNo WAY!âÈë I cried, jumping out of my chair. âÈêAre you serious?âÈë

Emma nodded. âÈêIâÈçm pretty sure they moved already. SydneyâÈçs dad got transferred to some company in San Diego or something. SydneyâÈçs mom said they had to move immediately for Sydney to start school there on time.âÈë

I started jumping up and down and waving my hands in the air.

âÈêLook out, everyone. KatieâÈçs doing her happy dance,âÈë Mia said.

âÈêThis is awesome! Amazing! Stupendous! Wonderful! Did I say awesome?âÈë I cried. âÈêNo more Sydney! No more Popular Girls Club to ruin our lives!âÈë

âÈêWell, actually, IâÈçm sure the PGC will continue,âÈë Alexis replied. âÈêTheyâÈçve still got Maggie and Bella and Callie. I bet Callie will become their new leader.âÈë

I felt like a balloon that somebody just popped. One of the reasons Sydney made my life miserable last year was because she took my best friend, Callie, away from me. Yes, I know that nobody forced Callie to dump me and become a member of the PGC. But it was always easier to blame Sydney than to get mad at Callie. Callie and I have been friends since we were babies.

Oh, and the Popular Girls Club is just what it sounds like. ItâÈçs a club Sydney started where they invite popular girls to join. They do everything together. I started to get so mad just thinking about it, then I realized Mia was talking to me.

âÈêSo Callie didnâÈçt mention any of this to you?âÈë Mia asked.

âÈêNo!âÈë I said, feeling a little exasperated. âÈêI mean, I barely talk to her anymore.âÈë

I know I shouldnâÈçt get so freaked out about Callie. If she hadnâÈçt dumped me, I probably never would have become friends with Mia, Emma, and Alexis. There would be no Cupcake Club. But something happened to Callie when she got into middle school. Sometimes she could be not so nice. So it was probably for the best that we werenâÈçt friends. We saw each other when our families got togetherâÈ'our moms are best friends, and, yes, that gets really weirdâÈ'but that was about it.

Anyway, I must admit, there was a little part of me that hoped, now that Sydney was gone, that Callie would be friends with me again. I imagined her showing up at the front door.

Oh, Katie, I have treated you so badly, she would say. Can I please join your Cupcake Club?

Of course, I would say, trying to be the better person. I forgive you, Callie.

Then again, that would make things pretty confusing, because Mia was my best friend now, and IâÈçm not sure how this would all work. Now my head felt like it was full of spaghetti. (Although I would never say that out loud, because that is such a weird mom thing to say.)

âÈêEarth to Katie,âÈë Mia said. âÈêYou there?âÈë

I snapped myself out of my fantasy. âÈêSorry. I must be in a guacamole haze,âÈë I said, taking my seat. âÈêOkay. Enough about the PGC. LetâÈçs get down to business.âÈë

Maybe Alexis had the right idea after all.

From cupcakes to ice cream! Having written over thirty books about middle school girls and cupcakes, Coco Simon decided it was time for a change; so she's switched her focus from cupcakes to her second favorite sweet treat: ice cream! When she's not daydreaming about yummy snacks, 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 and ice cream cones she's eaten. She is the author of the Cupcake Diaries and the Sprinkle Sundays series.

Abigail Halpin is an illustrator/graphic designer living in New England who likes bright colors, all things retro, and sharp pencils.