You First Read Online Free

need y’all to wash your hands and dry ’em real good. You’re about to go elbows deep.”
    Gigi perked up instantly. She’d totally forgotten that they were moving on to decorating today. Classes at the Open Kitchen were organized in units of four to eight weeks, depending on what was being covered. The first month of this unit had been spent exclusively on baking. They’d only made one frosting so far, and even that was just a basic buttercream. Bo-ring.
    But this? Fondant? This was going to be awesome .
    At the sink, Gigi scrubbed her hands as diligently as a surgeon and rinsed them in water hot enough to turn her skin pink. Finley was going to be so bummed that she had missed this. It was okay, though. Gigi had already decided that she’d catch Finn up on everything they learned today. That way, when Finn returned to class next week, she wouldn’t be behind.
    Chef Angela handed Gigi a fresh paper towel to dry off. “Listen, missy,” she said. “I’m counting on you to keep things clean today. Can’t have this place lookin’ like it got hit by a powdered-sugar blizzard, now can I?”
    Gigi grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
    She was still smiling as she turned to head back to her station. The smile faded when she saw who’dtaken up the seat next to hers—the one that normally belonged to Finn.
    It was Weird Girl.
    â€œHiya,” Weird Girl said, waving at her. “Heard you tell Chef Angie that your BFF couldn’t make it today, so I thought, Hey, maybe I should go hang out with that Gigi Prince. ”
    Gigi blinked.
    Weird Girl continued. “I mean, you and Blondie always seem like you’re having such a great time. I’d be totally jealous, but I try to never ever be jealous, because it’s kind of a wasted emotion, ya know?”
    â€œAngela,” Gigi blurted.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œHer name is Chef Angela. Not Angie .”
    Weird Girl tilted her head to one side, her dark caramel pigtails flouncing along. It made her look a little like a cocker spaniel. “You don’t like me, do you?” she asked, not unkindly.
    â€œWhat? I never said that.”
    â€œYou kinda didn’t have to,” Weird Girl said, smiling. “Your body language speaks volumes.”
    Her directness threw Gigi off guard.
    Then it hit her.
    Weird Girl, she thought. I’ve been in class with thisperson for months, and I never even bothered to learn her name.
    â€œI’m sorry I made you feel like I don’t like you,” Gigi said, after a few beats. “Honestly, I don’t even know you.”
    â€œFair enough,” Weird Girl said. “How about a do over? I’ll go first. Hiya, my name is Miranda, and I’d like to be your friend.”
    Weird Gir— Miranda stuck out her right hand for Gigi to shake. Gigi hesitated, not out of rudeness, but because shaking Miranda’s hand would mean that both of them would have to scrub up again. Instead, Gigi waved at her like Miranda had when she first approached the table.
    â€œI’m Gigi,” she said. “And I promise I would totally shake your hand if I hadn’t just scrubbed mine raw.”
    An enormous grin spread across Miranda’s face. “Excellent. Yes. Right on for germ-free friendship.”
    There was something so gleefully goofy about Miranda that Gigi couldn’t help but giggle.
    â€œI know,” Miranda said. “I’m weird. But I’m a good weird. I promise.”
    Working alongside Miranda was different from working alongside Finley. For starters, Miranda almost never stopped talking—even when Chef Angela was giving instructions. But it was more than that. Finn often approached a new recipe with the same intensity she brought to wall-pass drills, whereas Miranda seemed way more easygoing. She also seemed to get over-the-top excited about . . . well, everything.
    â€œOhmigod, love!” she squealed