Chapter 1: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? CHAPTER 1 What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Remember when I said I hated Mondays? Well, I did. And I do... hate Mondays, that is. I say it all the time. But I have decided that I don't hate any day during summer vacation. Simply because this summer has been perfect so far. Perfect weather, perfect outfits and accessories, perfectly purple and fun cupcake orders, perfectly fun parties, perfectly cute boys, and most importantly, perfectly cool friends. I even made a new friend at the beach when I visited my dad in New York City last weekend. That's where I'm from and where I lived until I moved to the suburbs. I used to feel like I was trapped in Maple Grove, but I have really learned to love my new town, and I have felt totally at home in both the city and the suburbs. And this summer... This summer was shaping up to be the best one ever! It felt like anything was possible. I mean, anything! I was more confident in my cupcake baking skills and my place in my friend group and my sense of self. My Spanish was also getting better. I just knew nothing could go wrong this summer. Nothing was standing in my way. I smiled to myself, swirling around in my thoughts. One thing I was super excited about was visiting New York City again, but with my friends from here, so they could finally meet my city besties. I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes. I rolled over and texted the one and only Katie Brown, my best friend here in Maple Grove and the founder of the Cupcake Club. Me: Can you believe how amazing Jake's friend's party went? I mean, pretty much thanks to us and our amazing cupcake skills, right? Cupcakes are like small, delicious fashionistas! Katie: Mia, it's 6:57 AM. Could this text wait until the roosters stop crowing? Me: Roosters? Where are you? Katie: Sorry. Roosters are in my dream, or maybe nightmare at this point, lol Me: I was just thinking that this summer we can go to NYC, and you can meet some of my city friends. Well, not all of them. My bestie Ava says she's going away for the summer so sadly you won't meet her. Katie: Oooooh, okay, I love this for us, I also love... sleeping... five more minutes Mia... just five more... At that point Katie stopped texting me, and she definitely fell asleep for longer than five minutes. But still, everything was going great. There was nothing that could ruin this day or this summer. I listened to the birds chirping outside and smiled. Nothing. Nada. Later that day, my video chat rang on my tablet. It was Lexie, the new friend from NYC I mentioned. "Mia! I took your advice and I put some sea salt in my spray bottle. Next time we go to the beach, I'll for sure have more of a curly beach look!" Lexie said, swinging her head from side to side. "Such a great hack, right? It still looks so good right now! Are you going to the beach today?" I asked. "Yup!" she said, nodding. "You know it. Certified beach girlie. And I got a new bathing suit!" She ran off-screen and came back holding the bathing suit up. "I love that! I'm going to be back in the city soon. We definitely have to chill again, and you can meet my friends from here. I'm trying to bring them!" I said. Lexie smiled and nodded as if she was just as excited as I was. "One hundred percent! Text me when you're here and we'll plan! Talk to you soon!" Lexie swiped out of the video chat, and I went on to finish primping my hair. I was friends with the coolest girl, who was a year older than me! Not only that, but she was also really into fashion and had a great sense of style. You can't teach style. It's just something you have or don't have, and Lexie has it, and she's really inspiring and down to earth about it. I let out another sigh. I was going to have the most memorable summer ever, making money with the Cupcake Club and getting to buy more bathing suits and accessories and maybe even keep some saved up in my piggy bank. "Mia! Tienes hambre ? You hungry, buddy?" Dan, my stepbrother, shouted from the bottom of the stairs. I ran down the stairs. I was so hungry! " Sí . There's some top-notch Spanish for you there, pal. You know, you could be almost fluent like me if you weren't always so busy being covered in hamburger grease. You're off the clock now, you can take your hat off." I gazed at his uniform and work hat. "You leave my hat alone!" Dan demanded. I threw my hands up playfully. "So I've been thinking of picking up another language so I can call myself trilingual." "Hmm... that's very worldly. Mia who speaks all the languages!" Dan said, smirking as he handed me my burger. Dan worked part-time at Burger Barn, and I got all the perks--free burgers and fries with a side of stepsibling embarrassment--and he got to wear that uniform, get paid, and embarrass me, so I guess we were both winning? " Gracias, hermano Daniel! You're my favorite stepbrother ever!" I told him. "Okay, I see you flexing your Spanish even more! And, Mia, I'm your only stepbrother... who, as a matter of fact, speaks Spanish far better than you! But I'll let you have your moment, little sis..." Dan put his hand on my shoulder and grinned. "Because I'm a good person! You hear that, world? I'm a good person and a great burger flipper!" Dan took his greasy hand off my shoulder and started stuffing his face with his burger. I ignored his Spanish-speaking comment and pulled up a chair to eat with him. He split his fries with me and served us some water. "Sooo... how's life?" he asked in between bites. "Fine... Why wouldn't it be?" I asked back, furrowing my brow. "Oh, no reason, and that's--that's great!" Dan replied. "Dan, don't be weird...," I told him, then continued. "Actually, life couldn't be better! Wait, correction. It's better now with this burger! You're a real one!" I put out my fist. "Thanks, buddy," Dan said, meeting my fist with his. "So, you want to know who I saw today?" I didn't even get a chance to guess, but I had an idea. "Aaaaronn!" he said in a singsongy voice. "Hm. I know someone named Aaron, but I'm not sure what that sound was..." I smirked, attempting to hide my blushing face. "Well? You like him, right? Want to know what he was doing...?" he went on in his singsongy voice. I shrugged and tried to play it cool. "I mean, sure, if you want..." I moved in a little closer, completely engulfed. "Eh, he was just with his parents, probably back-to-school shopping. I wasn't really paying attention," Dan replied nonchalantly. Then he burped. Brothers , I thought. "Okay, one, it's called: excuse me . Two, wow, that was really so detailed. Thank you so much. I am so glad I was here for that!" I teased. Then I began to imagine Aaron shopping for new school clothes and how cute he'd look in them. I wondered if he'd ever let me style him. I mean, when we're a couple. Maybe I could just be his stylist, and then he'd see how talented I am and he'd fall to his knees and tell me how amazing and brilliant I am... "You're welcome," Dan said. "Let me guess, you just imagined your entire life with Aaron." "Meh, just the first day of school and the first five years of our relationship." I laughed, then paused and remembered Dan sounded really weird when asking me how life was lately. "Wait, what did you mean when you said how's life? I see you every day. You know how life is." "Oh, that? It's just an expression," he replied. And at that very moment, the door flung open and my mom glided into the kitchen. "Hello, my love doves!" She maneuvered her way to us and planted a kiss on my forehead and just missed Dan's head for a kiss as he dodged out of the way. Dan jumped up and said his goodbyes. "Later! Love ya." He grabbed his food and the rest of his things. That was weird, and let me explain why: Dan wasn't like a regular teenage boy. He loved eating dinner with us and catching up about our days. It was one of the reasons I loved him. But today he was jittery, almost anxious. Why? I wondered. "Um... okay... What's going on here... Mother... Mother of mine...?" I looked at her, questioning her words before she even got the chance to speak them. Now the look Dan gave me when he left the room made sense. It was a look of apprehension. And now Mom had that same look on her face. A look that said there was something she had to tell me, and I wasn't going to like what it was. "How would you feel about... going to camp for the rest of the summer, upstate in the woods?" my mom pushed out, gulping and looking nervous. "What?" I gasped. "Mia, your dad and I were talking, and we're going to send you to sleepaway camp! You'll start next week. Isn't that fun?" "Mom... how can you make a decision like this without even asking me what I want?" I snapped. "It's sometimes not always about just what you want. I'm sorry," she said. "You're sorry? Okay, that makes me feel a lot better," I said sarcastically, feeling my hands shake and my stomach start to do flip-flops. "Well, I'm sorry too, but I--I'm not g-g-oing, and you can't make me!" And as the words tripped their way out of my mouth, I realized I may have said that a little too harshly. I pushed away my burger, my appetite completely ruined, and ran to the nearest bathroom. Excerpted from Cupcakes and Camp by Coco Simon All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
