Read Online Sugar and Spice by Sheryl Berk - Free Book Online

flopping down on her friend’s bed. “You are more than ready.”
    â€œI don’t feel more than ready,” Lexi said, staring in the mirror. “I feel like a disaster.”
    â€œYou’re going to do great,” her big sister Ava said. She was standing in the doorway. “I brought you something.” She handed Lexi a small velvet box. When she opened it, there was a tiny silver horseshoe necklace inside. “For luck. It helped me win all my spelling bees, debates, class president election…”
    â€œYou win everything.” Lexi sighed.
    Ava took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around Lexi’s neck. “And now you will too.”
    â€¢ • •
    Lexi’s mom, dad, and sister drove with her and Delaney to the hotel where the pageant was taking place. “We’ll park and meet you inside,” her mom said, planting a kiss on Lexi’s cheek. “You’ll do great, honey.”
    â€œBreak a leg, squirt,” her father added.
    â€œActually, don’t break a leg—that would be embarrassing,” her sister chimed in. “Just win a big prize, like a giant plasma TV.”
    â€œSo you can put it in your bedroom?” Lexi teased.
    â€œExactly!” Ava replied. “But I’ll be a really nice sister and let you watch it when I’m not home.”
    The girls unloaded the bags from the trunk and went to check in and get the lay of the land. A large crowd was already assembling in the grand ballroom, and girls were pouring into the hotel lobby with their moms, coaches, and enough sparkling evening gowns to stock an entire department store.
    â€œExcuse me,” said a tiny blond carrying a large duffel bag. Lexi noticed she had a Southern twang to her voice. “Do y’all know where we drop off our things for talent?”
    Lexi shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’m new to this whole pageant thing and totally lost.”
    The girl smiled. “Well, why don’t you come with me? We’ll figure it out together.” She seemed so smart and confident and super friendly. Maybe not everyone was like Meredith, bent on winning no matter what.
    â€œHave you done this before? Pageants, I mean?” Lexi asked as they followed the signs pointing to the dressing rooms.
    â€œOh yes! I’m Miss Preteen Atlanta Dreams,” the girl said sweetly. “It’s no biggie.”
    â€œYou won?” Lexi gasped. “You won a whole pageant?”
    â€œA bunch, actually,” the girl replied. “I love competing—it’s kinda my thing. Along with silks.” She pulled two long strips of fabric out of her duffel bag.
    â€œWhat do you do with those?” Lexi asked. She’d never seen anything like them.
    â€œWell, we hang ’em from the ceiling, and I do this kind of upside-down aerial dance.”
    â€œWow,” Lexi exclaimed. “That is so cool. Way cooler than what I do.”
    â€œWhat do you do?” the girl asked.
    â€œI sing. Just sing.”
    â€œWell, I think that’s amazing,” the pageant pro replied. “I can’t sing worth a lick. My mom says I sound like a cat getting her tail pulled.”
    Lexi giggled. “I’m Lexi Poole.”
    â€œAnd I’m Harleigh Park.” She smiled brightly. “Poole and Park. We could be a great song-and-dance act. If you promise to do all the singing!”
    Just then, the girls noticed a commotion coming from outside the hotel entrance.
    â€œMove it!” shouted a woman dressed in a red suit and large sunglasses. She was bossing around a bellboy as he struggled to unload stuff from her car onto a luggage rack. There were dozens of garment bags, shoe boxes, and something that vaguely resembled a giant silver crescent moon.
    â€œWho does she think she is?” Harleigh asked. “They haven’t crowned a queen yet.”
    Lexi didn’t even have to look to know who was