Read Online Survival of the Fiercest by Anna Carey - Free Book Online Page B

offered it to Andie. “Here, I found an extra one in the courtyard. It’s yours if you want it.”
    Andie turned it over in her hands. “Thanks, Hannah.” The girls filed inside the locker room, but Andie lingered behind. She imagined walking to school with Cate and Stella, stopping for café lattes at the Starbucks on Eighty-seventh Street. Cate would review her schedule for her in June, telling her which teachers to avoid and why, and look over all her papers on A Christmas Carol or Huck Finn . They’d all stay up late, having their own karaoke sleepover. Andie would do her best rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and they wouldn’t care that she was completely tone deaf.
    She tucked the flyer into her pocket and headed inside, the slightest smile creeping over her face. Finally she wouldn’t be Copy Cate, or C.C., the annoying cling-on that Cate was always trying to get rid of.

THE ROAD TO THE TOP IS PAVED WITH FAT LITTLE MEN
    W hen the lift doors opened into the Royal Suite in the Waldorf Towers, Lola clapped her hands in excitement. Its eighteenth-century antiques and gilded crown molding made her feel like she’d walked into a life-size dollhouse. The pink and turquoise damask curtains were pulled back to reveal a spectacular view of Central Park, the high-rise buildings around it sparkling in the afternoon sun. “New York Sit-aaaay,” Lola whispered, her lips curling into a smile. It was awful how much she missed London, with its quaint little streets and alleyways, but at a time like this, it was impossible to be sad. Here she was, in a posh hotel, about to meet Gunther Gunta, world-famous fashion designer.
    Two models sat on gilt wood settees, barely looking up as Lola entered. A young girl flipped through a Vanity Fair that had Lola’s mum’s friend, the British actor Harley Cross, on the cover. Lola studied the girl, a little relieved. She had skin so white she looked albino, and her red hair was the color of fireants. Another model chatted loudly on her mobile, complaining about someone named Panchito. There was a huge bump on her nose, like a marble was lodged in the center of it. They were all different looking, but in their own way… beautiful . Lola relaxed into the sofa and admired her legs. She actually looked tan compared to the redhead model.
    â€œIs there a sign-in sheet?” Lola asked her. She just shook her head, barely looking up from her magazine. The other girl was still on her mobile. “Panchito should’ve known better. Tenjune is over—it’s all bridge and tunnel now.”
    Lola pulled her iPhone out of her Gap tote. After she’d read the entire Gunther Gunta article, she’d called Abby in London and told her about Ayana and the go-see. Abby had shrieked so loudly her mum thought there was a burglar in her room. But there was still one person who didn’t know about her new career, and Lola couldn’t wait to see his face when she told him. She typed away.
    LOLA: WHAT R U UP 2 L8R?
    KYLE: HW. SRY.
    Homework, again? Lola tucked the iPhone back in her pocket, feeling like she’d eaten some bad sushi. Kyle had been acting strange all week. Even if she’d practically pushed him out the front door on Saturday when Andie had flirted with him, he didn’t have to completely avoid her. Yesterday, when she’d IMed him he’d taken twenty-six whole minutes to respond (not that she was counting…), saying he was IMing with someone else. Who? Lola wrote, but he never wrote back. Lola imagined a girl who looked just like her, but with smaller ears, a straighter nose, and glossy blond hair like corn silk. Imaginary Girl would never spill ice cream all over Kyle’s shirt, trip in the middle of the street, or get so nervous her ears turned red.
    A door on the far side of the room flew open and a girl stumbled out. Her face was pink and her cheeks were slick with tears. Everyone