You First Read Online Free Page B

“I’ll take that bet,” she said. Then immediately she thought, What about Finley?
    Her hand shot up. When Chef Angela called on her, she asked, “Are we allowed to work with a partner?”
    â€œGood question,” Chef Angela replied. “I think it would be okay, as long as the team agrees to split the prizes.”
    Problem solved! She and Finn could enter the contest together. The unstoppable Eff and Gee would surely win the grand prize!
    â€œGreat idea,” Miranda said. “If you and I pair up, then we won’t be each other’s direct competition.”
    Gigi’s stomach sunk to her knees. “Um, I was thinking I might pair up with Finley.”
    â€œOhh,” Miranda said. “Right. Of course.” She shrugged. “That’s cool. Now I can beat you fair and square.”
    Even though she was smiling, Gigi couldn’t help but wonder if she’d hurt Miranda’s feelings. She hadn’t meant to. She honestly liked Miranda.
    â€œIt’s just . . . well, Finn and I tend to do stuff like this together.”
    Miranda waved her off. “No worries. Really.”
    The girls finished packing up their stuff in silence. Miranda slipped her wrapped fondant ball into her metal lunchbox purse and snapped the latch shut. “Catch you later,” she said.

CHAPTER 4
    Gigi decided to put on her game face before sliding into the backseat of her mother’s car. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had just happened, partly because she had a feeling her mom wouldn’t approve.
    â€œHey, sweetness,” her mom said. “How was class?”
    â€œGood.”
    Her mom laughed. “That doesn’t sound very convincing.”
    â€œOh,” Gigi said. “Sorry. It was really good, actually.” She quickly filled her mom in on the Kids-Only Ultimate Cupcake Bake-Off—leaving out the part about possibly hurting Miranda’s feelings. Then she asked her mother if they could swing by the Brandywine Hundred Library before they headed home. She wanted to check out some cookbooks for inspiration.
    On the short drive to the library, Gigi asked if Finley could spend the night, so that Gigi could fill her in on what she’dmissed at class. “Plus,” she added, “we’re really behind on planning this year’s party.”
    â€œI was hoping you and I could have a mother-daughter bonding night,” her mom replied. “It’s high time I introduced you to Singin’ in the Rain .”
    â€œYeah, but we can do that any night,” Gigi said.
    â€œI could say the same about having a sleepover with Finn,” she pointed out.
    Gigi was quiet for a minute. Then she said, “I call compromise.”
    â€œWhat kind of compromise?”
    â€œWe could do pizza and a movie—with Finley—and then make cupcakes inspired by the movie. I already have gray fondant and everything.”
    Her mother pulled into the library’s parking lot. “That sounds fair,” she said. “Let’s pick up a pizza from Grotto’s on our way home. A large cheese should be enough for the three of us, right?”
    â€œCould we maybe get two, just in case?” Gigi asked. “That way, we’ll have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.”
    Cold pizza was her mother’s favorite—a holdover, she said, from back in her college days. Gigi knew exactly what her mother would say before she even said it.
    â€œDeal.”
    At home, Gigi pored over the cookbooks, looking for a cupcake flavor that would pair well with fondant that tasted like black jelly beans.
    Gigi was so absorbed in what she was doing that she completely lost track of time. It wasn’t until the light flooding the sunny kitchen had shifted that she even bothered looking at the clock.
    Six, and she still hadn’t heard from Finn.
    Weird.
    Gigi pressed 3 on the speed dial. This time, Finn’s five-year-old brother, Logan,