Amigas and School Scandals

by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

Genres: YA Romance

Synopsis

Home Is Where The Drama Is. . . Mariana Ruiz is bringing a lot home from her vacation in Puerto Rico, including memories of a hot summer romance, a new understanding of her (sometimes crazy) family. . .and her cousin Lilly Sanchez, who's enrolling in Mariana's suburban Philadelphia high school. Mariana's best friends, Madison and Emily, aren't thrilled about the new arrival, especially when Lilly soars through the ranks of Spring Mills High's social circles. But Mariana has other things on her mind. Like Mariana's developing crush on her locker buddy, Bobby, the one boy to ever take Emily on a real date. But it's the revelations at Mariana's Sweet 16 party that make it clear that life at Spring Mills High School will never be the same again.

Release date: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Kensington Teen

Print pages: 306

Sample

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” I asked as I piled clothes into my jumbo-sized suitcase.

It was officially my last night in Utuado, the tiny mountain village in Puerto Rico where I had spent the summer. I was going back to Spring Mills.

“Of course,” Lilly answered as she scanned my tenth grade schedule.

My mom had snatched it from the mail before she hopped on the plane to the island, and I was incredibly grateful that she did. Not that I didn’t already know which classes I’d be taking, but it was nice to see the schedule in its official form. Now I knew which teachers I had, which electives I got, and how my day would be laid out. I loved the predictable, comfortable order of home.

“Wow, that’s a lot of classes,” Lilly muttered.

“It’s the normal course load. You get used to it.”

I tossed my bathing suits into my luggage. I wouldn’t be breaking them out again for quite a while. There was something sad about packing up a swimsuit for the season, as if it signified the end of fun.

“So, how are your parents dealing?” I asked.

“Eh, they’ve mellowed a bit. I know they want what’s best for me, and to be honest, I’ve been thinking about it ever since you and Vince got here... .”

“Switching schools is a big deal.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I just see your dad and ... I want more than this.”

She waved her hands around my bedroom. I guess it wasn’t really my bedroom anymore, if it ever really was. I glanced one more time at the rock-hard mattress on my twin bed, the powder blue walls, the cement floor, and the stained white window shade. I was going to miss it. I was going to miss all of this.

Alex stood before me, his eyes smiling. He kissed me every time my parents weren’t looking. They probably looked away on purpose, so they could deny any evidence of my emerging love life. Though I doubted one semi-boyfriend really counted as a love life.

His lips pressed against mine. I wanted to lock the feeling into my brain, soak it in one last time, but before I could, my father subtly blew the car horn. Alex pulled away. His brown eyes looked dull, and his eyelids drooped slightly. A lump pulsed in my throat.

“So, you gonna meet some other American tourist tomorrow? Take her salsa dancing?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

“Absolutely. I’ve already got one lined up. Only she’s Canadian,” Alex replied with a grin.

“Canadian, eh?” I mocked, tossing in the one bit of slang I knew from our neighbors to the north. “Well, be careful. They might look like us Americans, but they’re a whole different breed. Bad weather, hockey, bacon ...”

“I like bacon.”

He smiled and hugged me tight. I let my head fall on his shoulder. His shampoo smelled like oranges.

“Mariana, it’s time to go,” my father said, exiting the car.

I paused and stared at my great aunt and great uncle’s mountain house one last time. The blue concrete facade I had dreaded with a passion two months ago now seemed like home. Uncle Miguel, Aunt Carmen, my cousin Alonzo and his “friend” José—who were gathered on the bright green grass watching our family load up the car—now felt like family. In some odd parallel universe, I could almost see my life fitting in here, but instead, my brother and I were headed back to our normal lives.

Well, almost.

Lilly pushed the porch door open and propped it with her newly purchased—courtesy of my father—travel bag. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and two duffle bags hung from her shoulders—she looked a lot like I did when I first arrived. She paused to wipe the sweat from her freckled brow, and I could tell she was trying to mentally block the Spanish mumblings of her parents. They were chasing after her, rambling on, with their faces tightly twisted in worry. Lilly had spent the past few days reassuring them, in every way possible from conversation to pantomime, that this was exactly what she wanted.

She was moving to the States.

Once my dad realized how advanced Lilly’s bilingual skills were and how dedicated she was to her education (she got straight A’s at her English-speaking school), he couldn’t help but offer her a chance to learn in Spring Mills. He wanted to give her the opportunity his parents gave him, and Lilly jumped at the offer. The girl had been riding on a bus for more than two hours each day just to get to and from school. (Meanwhile, Vince and I complained when there was no parking in our school’s private lot and we had to walk an extra ten feet.)

“Will somebody please tell my parents that I’m doing the right thing, because I don’t think they can actually hear the words coming out of my mouth. They’re acting like the universe is going to explode if I step foot off this island!” Lilly exploded as she yanked her suitcase from her father and hauled it across the lawn.

My dad immediately darted toward Lilly’s parents. They knew she was in good hands. She was going to be with family (even if we were distant cousins who were totally unaware of each other’s existence until a few weeks ago). Plus, my dad had covered every detail of his plans with them numerous times. Within three days, he managed to enroll Lilly in Spring Mills High School (conveniently, the dean went to our church and played golf with my dad on weekends), have the housekeeping staff prepare one of our spacious guest bedrooms, and book all of my cousin’s last-minute travel arrangements. He then kindly traded in Vince and my first class tickets for three coach seats. (He and my mom still planned to take advantage of the plane’s luxury accommodations without us.)

Lilly’s parents were thrilled at my father’s generous offer, and they knew it was a life-changing opportunity for her. They had agreed to the move days ago, but still, Lilly was their only child. She was fifteen and had never traveled farther than San Juan. Now she was moving to Pennsylvania where she would attend an American school, and meet new friends and boyfriends, and live in a world completely separate from theirs. A world full of posh amenities they’d never even contemplated.

She was moving to Philadelphia’s Main Line—a far stretch from the mountain town where she was raised. There would be no tropical rain forests, exotic birds, wild chickens in the backyard, or laundry duty at her grandfather’s run-down hotel. Soon her biggest worry would be which marble bathroom to shower in and which gourmet meal to order from takeout.

“So, you really ready for this?” Alex asked as my cousin trudged over.

“Are you kidding? A chance to be rescued from the island? I think I’ve been waiting for this since birth,” she joked as she dragged her luggage to the back of the car.

Alex hurled it into the already packed, shiny new SUV, which stood out drastically on the mountain road.

“Ya gonna miss me, Alex?” Lilly asked with a big grin.

“Funny, I was wondering the same thing.” I smirked.

“Oh, really. Well, I’m sure he’ll miss you more, even though I’ve known him my entire life. Apparently years of friendship pale in comparison to a few weeks of smoochy, smoochy.”

“Hey!” I screeched, my cheeks burning.

“I will miss you both,” he replied, squeezing my waist a few times.

I giggled and squirmed as he pulled me tighter.

“See! You two are disgusting! Vince, can you see this?” Lilly asked my brother.

He had been sitting in the car and ready to hit the road for more than a half hour. His escape to Cornell was merely days away, and he couldn’t wait to detach himself from our parents.

“I prefer to believe my sister is asexual,” he said flatly, leaning out the window of the car. “Mom, are we ever gonna get out of here?”

My mother was seated patiently in the passenger’s side. I could tell the week-long trip had been a whirlwind for her. Not only could she not speak Spanish (and thus not understand a word anyone was saying around her), she was forced to drink rum (I had never seen her sip any alcohol other than a crisp white wine), shower in moldy accommodations, and succumb to the humidity-induced frizz in her blond hair. Her locks were currently tied in a sloppy ponytail akin to my own. It made me realize just how similar we were.

“We’re gonna leave in a second. Let your father smooth things over with the Sanchezes. Lilly, why don’t you go over there and help?” my mom suggested.

Lilly groaned.

“It is the last time you’ll see them for a while,” I reminded her.

“I know, I know. I guess I need to pretend that upsets me.”

“Lilly, you are going to miss your parents,” Alex stated plainly. “I don’t think you realize how different Spring Mills is going to be.”

“Are you kidding me? I know all about Spring Mills. She hasn’t stopped talking about it since she got here. ‘Back in Spring Mills, back in Spring Mills.’” Lilly nudged my shoulder as she headed off toward her parents.

They were engrossed in conversation with my father. But I knew he’d have the final say; he always did.

A few hours later, we boarded the plane headed back home. I was squished between Vince and Lilly. Since Lilly was technically our “guest” (even though we were still on a plane and not yet on American soil), I felt compelled to offer her the window seat. Vince’s extra inches of leg won him the aisle, leaving me stuck in the middle for four straight hours.

I sipped my tiny bottle of water and fought my brother for the armrest. The elbow war was the only thing distracting me from my impending Madison and Emily drama. I knew they wouldn’t let my MIA status this summer drop easily. They hadn’t returned any of my e-mails from the past week, and they still had no idea I was bringing a five-foot-four, redheaded souvenir back from the island. But they were my best friends, my only friends before Lilly. They couldn’t hate me forever.

“Hey, you thinking about Alex?” Lilly asked, looking up from the gossip magazine she’d purchased at the San Juan airport.

She wanted to brush up on Hollywood celebrities before she landed, which I agreed was a virtual necessity. If she didn’t know Tom and Katie’s latest relationship woes, there would be no way she’d fit into Madison’s world.

“Nah. We’ll keep in touch. Or at least I know you guys will, so he can’t exactly drop off the face of the Earth—”

“Are you kidding?” Lilly interrupted. “Trust me, you have a better chance of hearing from him than I do. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes to college in the States next year just to be near you.”

“Oh, please! Like that would ever happen! I wish I had that much influence over boys.”

“You do... .”

“Whatever,” I scoffed, readjusting the hairband holding back my stringy red mop. I flicked my eyes toward her. “You scared about moving?”

“A little,” she said with a sad smile. “I’m excited, scared, sad, and happy all at the same time.”

“I still can’t believe you’re really doing it. There’s no way I’d be able to up and move. I mean, you’ve got your whole life back in Utuado... .”

“Yeah, and if I didn’t do something now, my life would always be Utuado. My parents have never left the island. Ever. I don’t wanna be like that.”

“Still, it’s a pretty big leap from traveling to moving.” I pumped my eyebrows.

“I figure I’ll give it a year and, if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll just go home. What’s the worst that could happen?”

I stared at my hands. “You could be away for so long that your whole life evaporates. You could come back to a world that’s completely different... .” I said softly.

“I have a feeling you’re not talking about me,” Lilly said with heavy emphasis. “Lemme guess, the infamous Madison and Emily?”

I shrugged with a knowing nod.

“You think they’ll hate me?” she asked.

“Well, right now they hate me,” I mumbled.

“If they’re half as good of friends as you say they are, they’ll get over it. And if not, you’ve got me, chica.”

Just then Vince turned toward us and unplugged his earphones. We had only been on the plane for an hour, but already his dark brown locks were disheveled from the headrest.

“Hey, I just remembered that when we were on the plane to Puerto Rico, and you were sulking like a baby, I bet you that you’d be crying when we left. And that you’d have fun this summer. I so won that bet.”

“Too bad we didn’t put money on it,” I snipped. “Besides, I’m not crying.”

“I think I saw you shed a tear. ‘Oh, Alex, I’m gonna miss you so much.’ Mwah, mwah, mwah,” he teased, planting exaggerated noisy kisses on the back of his hand.

“I don’t sound like that!”

“Sure you do,” he mocked with a crooked grin.

“I wasn’t talking to you anyway.”

“No, but I heard you. You’re acting like Madison and Emily will never speak to you again. I thought they were your best friends,” he whined, wiggling his fingers.

Then he plugged his earbuds in and turned his attention back to his iPod.

“They’ll speak to me again,” I muttered under my breath.

At least I hoped they would.

It was good to be home and even better to witness Lilly’s reaction. It was the first time I had ever seen the Main Line from an outsider’s perspective. The enormous stone houses, sweeping green lawns, and oak-lined streets were rather impressive, especially compared to the unair-conditioned mountain village where I had spent the summer.

“¡Caray!” she squeaked, expressing her surprise as she gawked out of the window. One behemoth house after another passed by, each enclosed by thick stone and iron gates. “One family lives there?”

I nodded. In fact, I knew exactly which families lived in most of them. Many had kids who went to my school.

“They’re bigger than my grandfather’s hotel!”

“Well, your uncle’s hotel was kinda small... .”

“It had a restaurant.”

“Trust me, your family’s restaurant could probably fit into the pantries of their kitchens.”

“What, do they have, like, twenty kids?” she mumbled, shaking her head.

“Actually, I doubt they have more than two. The rest is just ... space.”

“It’s a little different from Utuado,” my father offered, glancing at her through his rearview mirror.

“Uh, yeah.”

“But it’s home,” he added.

“Your home,” I cheered, grabbing her arm.

While my welcome to Utuado had been boisterous—featuring a couple dozen distant relatives, a banquet of food, and a makeshift dance floor in the living room—Lilly was only greeted by a giant poodle and a busy maid. (Josephine was frantically completing a last-minute dust of our crisply-clean, lemon-scented home.)

My mom said she’d order Chinese food, unless Lilly wanted something else; my cousin silently nodded in agreement. I showed her the guest room she’d call home for the foreseeable future and left her alone to adjust. I remembered that all I wanted when I arrived in Puerto Rico was time by myself. So I gave her the luxury that I didn’t receive and hurried into my bedroom. Everything looked different.

After two months of sharing a cement shoebox with my brother, in side-by-side twin beds, my shabby chic, four-poster pillowtop queen looked like a cloud-covered paradise. Dozens of decorative pillows were perfectly positioned in front of the headrest. Two fresh gardenia candles sat on the bedside table. The sun beamed through the skylight in twinkling streaks.

I tossed my suitcase on top of my hope chest. My luggage was completely packed with dirty clothes. I should have just deposited it in the laundry room, only I couldn’t wait to be alone in my own space. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the solitude. Back in Puerto Rico, the house was so small and crammed with relatives that it was hard to get the bathroom to myself. Now I had a private marble bath adjacent to my bedroom, and no one to walk in while I showered.

I could hear Lilly sifting through the drawers in her room next to mine as I slowly plopped onto my bed and sprawled out. I stared at the cordless phone on my nightstand. I knew I should call Emily or Madison, but the thought made my shoulders stiffen. I didn’t want to fight, or even worse pretend that everything was fine when we all knew that it wasn’t. But I knew the more I avoided the phone call, the more my insides would knot, so I picked up the receiver and dialed the memorized digits.

“Hey Mad. It’s Mariana. I’m home.”

We sat in my bedroom staring at each other. No one was speaking. I picked at a loose thread in my comforter and tried to act normal (though I had no idea what that looked like anymore). The silence made me nervous—a sensation I tried to hide behind a weak, forced smile. I swallowed a solid lump.

“Look, I’m sorry I missed your party. It sounds like it was awesome,” I choked softly, my finger still pecking at the thread.

“It was. I mean, please, Orlando Bloom was there. It doesn’t get any better.” Madison shook her pale blond hair.

“I know. I can’t believe I missed the party of the year. That totally sucks.”

“Well, you should have seen Jody Marsh’s Sweet Sixteen. It was so lame. Her DJ actually played the Electric Slide, and she served mini hot dogs. How tacky is that?” Madison scoffed.

“They’re called ‘pigs in a blanket,’ and they weren’t that bad,” Emily corrected from her seat at my desk.

“Whatever. They were gross.”

“Still, I wish I could have gone to yours. I can’t believe I was stuck in Puerto Rico.”

I had weighed the situation upside down and backwards. I didn’t have many options. Madison and Emily were my best friends. I wasn’t going to lose them over some forced vacation, and I had a hunch that anything positive I said about my trip would only tick them off more. Madison had made that very clear when I had called earlier. She subtly opened our conversation with, “Oh, great. The chica’s back from Puerto Rico. Wait, you still speak English, right?”

Not to mention, I had yet to drop the big bombshell: that I was now living with a distant Puerto Rican cousin who would be attending our school. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention that I wanted her to be our new best friend. I was sure that would go over like candy in kindergarten (yeah, right). Thankfully, when they got here, Lilly was off on the other side of the house getting the “grand tour” by my mother. My friends were still blissfully unaware of her existence.

I figured that the only way I could prove to Madison and Emily that I hadn’t turned into some body-snatched impersonation of the girl they once knew was to pretend that I hated my trip and that I missed them nonstop. That’s what they expected when they left me at the Philadelphia International Airport and that’s what I was going to give them.

“Well, aside from Madison’s party, did I miss anything else?” I asked, glancing at Emily.

She rolled her eyes and ignored my question, flipping the page of the magazine she was scanning—the same one Lilly had read on the plane. I flinched slightly.

I had expected Madison to be annoyed with me, but I had thought that I could count on Emily to be the rational one. Madison was the drama queen, not Emily. Only now she wasn’t just sporting a new attitude, she was sporting a whole new look. Her dark brown tresses, which used to fall to her waist, were now chopped to her shoulders. It was the shortest I’d seen her hair since grade school, yet she never even mentioned the new do. I had no idea when she cut it, but from the way she casually tugged at her ends, it looked as if she were long used to the style.

“So, what ever happened with you and Bobby?” I asked, hoping to spin the conversation.

It was the first real date any of us had ever been on—well, if you didn’t count me and Alex. And since they barely knew he and I had a relationship, he pretty much didn’t count. At least not to them.

“It was nothing. We went to a movie with a bunch of people. Then, he left for Dublin.”

“Is he back yet?” I asked.

“I think so, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Oh, please! He likes you! You know he does. Why would he have asked you out if he didn’. . .