Hey everyone!

Nice to see the positive reviews for my prologue, they always inspire and motivate me!

So, tell me what you think of this, and send me a word if you want a specific part read.

Enjoy!

-Estelle

Emma's P.O.V. (Reading Pies & Prejudice, pg 168-171)

"Pies & Prejudice." Gigi reads out, and Tristan groans.

"So which part do we read?" I ask.

"You know what?" Gigi wrinkles her nose, "It'll be boring for us adults if we have to choose."

"So what do we do?" I ask again.

"I have an idea!" My mom pulls out a book from her huge handbag. It's not too thick, about the same size as the other books.

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Jess reads out.

"Goodness, Phoebe, where did you manage to find such a slim copy?" Mrs. Delaney questions, "And why do you have it with you now?"

"Up bridged. For a bit of light reading. Now, my snoggestion - remember that, girls?- is that we open this book to a random page, and whatever page we open is the page we read in the other book. We can adjust."

Everyone gives their approval.

Mrs. Chadwick whips out a pen and a clipboard. "I'll take down the books and pages, so we don't repeat." she announces, "And if the page is a part that we've decided not to read aloud, well, we can adjust, like Phoebe said."

"So..." Cassidy looks at my mother, "Go on, Mrs. Hawthorne."

My mother closes her eyes and opens the book, "Page 170."

"Hmmm..." Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid skims through Pies & Prejudice. "That would be confusing for everyone. It's not a part we've crossed out, though, so let's take it from page 168 to 171. Everybody will understand it then."

"Sure. Shannon?" Mrs. Wong says, "Would you like to read?"

"OK. And by the way, girls, each chapter has a quote from the book we're reading in our club. A quote that describes each of you, or the chapter. I'll read that out, too."

"OK, Mrs. Delaney." Becca presses, "Let's start. Who is it?"

I look around at my friends nervously.

"It's... Megan!" my mom announces.

Megan groans.

"Not to worry, Megs. It's completely alright." My mother assures her, "Go on, Shannon."

Mrs. Delaney clears her throat and begins.

"Megan:

'Good apple pies are a considerable part of domestic happiness." Mrs. Delaney reads. Then she skips to page 168, like planned.

"Ah. Girls, I guess this part starts from after when you all first gathered to make pies." Gigi tells us.

Mrs. Delaney continues:

'Stewart heads off with our deliveries, and we go back inside to clean up. Once we're done, we pile into Cassidy's family's minivan. Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid is going to drop Cassidy at the rink first, then take us all home.

"I think I know what's coming." Becca says, looking at Megan, who turns red.

A few minutes later we pull into the parking lot in front of the arena, and Cassidy hops out and grabs her skating bag. As she heads inside, Mrs. Bergson pulls up alongside us.

Everyone sobers a bit. I feel tears spring to my eyes. She should be here with us! It's so unfair!

I miss her terribly, and everything I do reminds me of her and how much she supported all of us.

I notice Tristan rubbing Cassidy's shoulder, and Stewart squeezes my hand.

After a respectful two minutes of silence, Mrs. Delaney continues.

"I hope you have my pie in there." she says, smiling.

"One French silk chocolate, coming right up." says Jess, handing her a white box.

"Why don't you all come inside and watch for a few minutes?" Mrs. Bergson asks, after she puts the pie in her car, "You too, Clementine. I think you'll be interested to see a different side of your talented daughter."

"I was interested." Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid agrees, "It was a shock. A very pleasant shock."

Tristan does not look thrilled, "I'm not going to come across well, am I?"

Mrs. Delaney shrugs, "Probably not, sweetheart. Let me continue reading so we can see."

We get out and follow her into the rink, then find seats in the bleachers while she goes over to where Cassidy and Tristan are lacing up their skates. The three of them stand there talking for a few minutes, and then Cassidy and Tristan head out onto the ice.

"What the heck is he wearing?" whispers Becca.

Tristan groans, "Is this the Spandex Meltdown?"

"Umm..." Megan murmurs, "Yes?"

I take out my cell phone and flip it open. "Not sure, but Fashionista Jane will definitely be interested."

Tristan glares at Megan, who shrugs.

Speeding around the rink, Tristan switches directions and skates backward toward us with his rear sticking out.

Darcy snorts.

"Shut up, Ariel." Tristan snaps.

I look at him, surprised, "You know?"

"Yup." Theo says from his seat next to Becca, "Stewart made a point of telling us."

I twist around to grin at my boyfriends. He waves cheerily at my brother as Jess and Megan and Becca roar with laughter.

Even the grown ups can't hide their smiles.

"Dude, it's your girlfriend that should be called Ariel." Darcy scowls at Tristan, "She's the red-head. How do Brits say it again? Gingers."

"And yet." Tristan smiles at Darcy, "My girlfriend did not buy Little Mermaid pajamas and did not learn the music by heart."

"Back to the book!" Mrs. Chadwick barks before Darcy could retort.

I zoom in on it and snap a picture, then slip my cell phone back into my purse.

Megan looks guiltily at the Berkeleys, "Sorry."

Simon waves it away.

Fashionista Jane, my alter ego, has been having a lot of fun over the past couple of months. She loves lurking the halls of Alcott High, cell phone in hand, and secretly snapping shots for her Fashion Faux Pas, as she calls them. She's blogged about other stuff, too- how to organize your closet, Accessories 101, that sort of thing. But people are especially crazy about the Fashion Faux Pas.

"I wonder why." Jess says innocently.

"I'm glad Fashionista Jane has come out of retirement." Gigi says brightly.

"Mother!" protests.

"What? It was boring without her."

Mrs. Delaney points exaggeratedly to the book.

Everybody at school is buzzing about Fashionista Jane's real identity, especially the people whose pictures I've posted. They're not too happy about that. I figure I'm doing them a favor, though. If they can see themselves the way we all see them, maybe they'll make better fashion choices.

"See?" Gigi says triumphantly, "It was helpful."

Take Tristan Berkeley, for example. Here he is, out in public wearing a blue spandex jumpsuit.

" How did you let me miss that?" Stewart shakes his head.

"I'm an ice-skater." Tristan hisses.

"Cassidy wasn't wearing spandex." I point out.

"She- well... that's not the-" Tristan sputters.

"Black workout pants were OK, weren't they, Tris? Even though they weren't shiny." Cassidy grins at him.

He glares, "You're supposed to be on my side! And I'm and ice skater!"

Sure, I know he's an ice skater.

"See? I know you're an ice skater!" Megan says.

But still- spandex? Not only is it skin tight, it's shiny. Plus, he's been so rude to Cassidy I figure he has it coming.

"I wasn't that bad." Tristan says.

"Tristan?" Cassidy cocks her head at him, "Remember our first training session?"

He reddens, "OK, maybe I could have been nicer..."

"Could have?"

He seems to struggle with himself for a second. "I wasn't that rude!"

"Of course you weren't." Cassidy rests her cheek on Tristan's knee, "You were really kind and helpful and supportive."

"Fine, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he sighs.

Too bad he doesn't take fashion cues from her.

"Um, what?" Mr. Wong looks at his daughter.

"Really, Jerry." Gigi said earnestly.

I never thought I'd actually say this, but out there on the ice right now, Cassidy Sloane actually looks good.

"Gee, thanks, Megs." Cassidy says sarcastically.

"It was an unexpectedly wonderful outfit, sweetheart." Mrs. Sloane- Kinkaid says.

She's wearing black leggings- non-shiny, non-Spandex leggings-

"I got the point." Tristan grumbles.

and a black turtleneck. Simple. Chic. Stunning.

"Simple. Chic. Stunning?" I repeat, turning to Jess and Becca and Megan.

"It was." Becca says, "I guess sometimes, simple is best."

"And on white ice, black looked really dramatic." Jess adds.

"I would say I did better than a spandex jumpsuit." Cassidy agrees.

Tristan scowls, but he doesn't argue with her.

"Like Audrey Hepburn, only taller and with red hair." says my grandmother, nodding her approval. She elbows me, "You should put her on your blog."

"Don't even think about it." Cassidy says lazily.

"Who's Audrey Hepburn?" my dad questions.

"A British actress and fashion icon." Gigi says promptly.

"Not to mention a fabulous humanitarian. Fact for you, Lily." Mrs. Sloane- Kinkaid adds.

"Her signature color was black." Megan finishes, "And she was very prominent during Hollywood's golden age."

The dads and guys blink.

"Riiigghhhttt." the twins chorus.

"So you're basically comparing Cassidy to." Mr. Chadwick cocks his head, "Um, an actress?"

"And fashion icon." Gigi reminds him.

"So... I'm just going to take this as a compliment and ask Mrs. Delaney to continue reading." Cassidy cuts in.

Gigi's in on my secret. She thinks it's hilarious, and is always trying to give me ideas.

"Mother!" Mrs. Wong exclaims, "You shouldn't have encouraged her!"

She knows a lot of designers- she goes to Fashion Week in New York and Paris every year, and spends a lot of money on clothes-

Megan's mom mutters something about wastage and worthy causes.

I smother a grin. But the minute my brother catches my eye, I have to let out a giggle. I hurriedly turn it into a cough.

and her latest brainstorm is that I should host interviews with people in the fashion industry. I can't imagine any of them would want to talk to me for my blog, but as my grandmother points out, you never know until you try.

"That's right." Cassidy's mom says, "And it's a great idea."

Some music comes on- a waltz, I think.

"It was a waltz." Tristan confirms.

Cassidy moves into position beside Tristan, and he reaches around and puts his hand on her waist

My brother lets out a whistle. Jess smacks him, and my mother glares at him, like 'Darcy, that is incredibly rude.'

Cassidy turns red, and there is the faintest blush on Tristan's cheeks, but otherwise, their faces remain expressionless.

and the two of them skate away from where we're sitting, their feet moving in unison as they step from one foot to another in a series of graceful turns.

"Tristan was graceful." Cassidy corrects Megan, "I was terrible."

"You were not." Tristan says, "You were starting to get the hang of it."

"What a change of heart." Theo says, and Stewart laughs.

Then Tristan swings her around so that she's facing him, and she puts one hand on his shoulder and reaches out to clasp his free hand, and suddenly they're waltzing around the rink.

"It was actually really nice." Becca says softly.

"Yeah. I mean, I know you all saw them at the competition in England, but that was the first time we'd seen her do anything like that." Megan explains.

"Oh, my," says Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid. Her hand wonders up to her throat, and her eyes are bright as she watches the two of them, "Oh, my."

Stanley looks at Mrs. Sloane-Kinkaid, "What happened there, Clemmie?"

"It's just-" she shakes her head, "One minute she's made it into the boys' hockey team, and then the U16 team, and the next minute, she's figure skating. She's growing up so fast."

Cassidy mimes sticking a finger down her throat. The twins laugh loudly.

"One minute? Mrs. Sloane -Kinkaid, there was a gap of four years!" Simon says in disbelief.

Cassidy's mom shrugs, "Mothers work that way, sweetheart."

"She's really growing up, isn't she?" says Gigi softly, patting her knee.

"See?"

"OK, OK!" Simon holds up his hands, and we all chuckle. Megan takes his hand.

"I thought you'd like to see this." says Mrs. Bergson, who has come over to join us. She leans against the railing, her eyes following the pair. "Her height gives her beautiful lines. She's like a thoroughbred."

"Am I supposed to be insulted that she's comparing me to a horse?" Cassidy asks.

"Horses are awesome!" Jess cries.

"Actually." I say to answer Cassidy's question, "That's a term used for anyone who is automatically, like, ready for something. Like they were born to do it. She's saying that you got the hang of it really fast. That you're a natural."

"She's good." says Jess.

"Thanks, but I was just starting to get the hang of it." Cassidy adjusted her position a bit, and leaned into Tristan's leg, "The waltz is the easy part."

Tristan smiles slightly and runs his fingers through her hair.

"She's starting to get the hang of it." says Mrs. Bergson diplomatically, "The waltz is the easy part."

We all laugh.

"Great minds think alike, huh?" Stewart whispers in my ear.

"Like us?" I ask quietly.

"Yup." he replies.

"Great minds think alike, huh, Cass?" Courtney calls out to her sister from across the room.

Stewart and I look at each other and start to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Grant Bell asks.

"Nothing. Continue, please, Mrs. Delaney." Stewart says.

We watch for a while longer, and then Ms. Sloane-Kinkaid reluctantly tells us she needs to get back to Chloe. After she drops Gigi and me at home, I head to my room for a nap. It's been a long day, and I want to be rested for tonight.

"Tonight?" Simon asks, "As in?"

"Um, I think it was the movie." Megan says, looking at Becca, "Right?"

Becca nods.

Afterward, I spend some time coming up with a suitably snarky post about Tristan Berkeley (Fashionista Jane titles it: 'Spandex Fannies? Just say 'Non'!).

Tristan shakes his head, "I was angry for a solid week, you know?"

"I'm sorry, really I am!" Megan says, looking truly sincere.

"It's alright, I suppose." Tristan shrugs, "It's not like I was completely innocent that year either."

Then it's time to take a shower.

Mrs. Delaney closes the book, "That's up until where it's marked readable."

Everyone is silent for a while.

"Were you all able to catch up?" My mom asks, and there are nods all around.

"I can't believe you sent me off to deliver stuff when I could've seen that!" Stewart says grumpily.

"Don't be such a grouch, Darcy and I missed it, too." I tell my boyfriend, half-soothing, half-exasperated.

"Well, that was certainly an informative few pages for me." Darcy drawls, "And now, Tristan will never hear the end of spandex torture."

Tristan scowls. That was basically his expression throughout the entire 3 pages.

"So, does everyone gt how this will be working now?" Mrs. Wong asks.

There's a chorus of 'yes' from everyone, and then my mom pulls out the bowl with the chits of paper again.

"Hmm... Stanley, want to do the honors?" she asks.

Cassidy's step-father nods enthusiastically, and puts his hand inside.

The slight amount of tension returns to the daughters, as we exchange a glance, wondering which book will be pulled out.

Stanley withdraws his hand. He's holding a piece of paper.

He unfolds it and reads the words aloud.