You First by Cari Simmons Page A

loved the cartoon, but Finn wasn’t as big a fan. When she left the TV on the show, Gigi figured it was a peace offering of sorts.
    They sat and watched, not saying another word. The bowl of gorp sat between them and remained untouched.
    Lauren Avila’s mother looked nothing like her daughter. She was short, for one thing, and what her Mom-Mom referred to as “pleasingly plump.” Her hair was quite a few shades darker than Lauren’s, with strands of silver spider webbing through it, and she smelled like cinnamon.
    Add to that her tinkly laugh, and Gigi couldn’t help but love her.
    If only she could say the same about her offspring.
    To be honest, it wasn’t even Lauren’s fault. She was nice enough to Gigi—polite, asked her questions, and even complimented the now-contentious sweater vest. Finn, on the other hand, did her absolute best to make Gigi feel one hundred percent excluded. Everything she said to Lauren sounded like a foreign language toGigi; every conversation was one long in-joke. After a while, Gigi tuned out entirely.
    Because it was Friday night, the mall’s teen curfew hours were in effect, which meant that the girls weren’t allowed to be there without parental supervision. This was fine when they stopped for dinner at Noodles & Company, but once in the mall itself, their little foursome divided into two pairs: Lauren and Finn walking ahead, with Gigi and Mrs. Avila bringing up the rear.
    â€œDo you play soccer as well?” Mrs. Avila asked Gigi.
    She nodded. “But I’m not nearly as good as those two.”
    Mrs. Avila cocked her head to one side. “Is it a competition?”
    â€œAren’t all sports?” Gigi said. “Like, by definition?”
    â€œMaybe,” Mrs. Avila said. “Though I believe it’s far better to compete with yourself than to compare yourself to someone else. After all, no one can do a better job of being you than you.”
    Gigi thought Mrs. Avila sounded a lot like Yoda, only without the weird sentence structure.
    This night was not turning out as Gigi had hoped. She’d wanted to demonstrate to Lauren the rock-solid bond that Eff and Gee shared. Instead, Finn’s antics ended up proving the exact opposite.
    She’d have been completely miserable without Mrs. Avila, who kept up a steady stream of pleasant conversation as they walked. Between her and the Purl Jammers, Gigi was starting to wonder why it was that only old people seemed to enjoy her company these days.
    The minutes ticked by, slow and painful. Gigi regretted her decision to go to the mall. She could’ve been at home, eating leftovers and trying out new cupcake recipes before tomorrow’s cooking class. She could’ve been figuring out what to tackle next on her list of potential hobbies to pursue. She could’ve been sitting in the dark, doing nothing and saying nothing, and still probably would have been happier than she was watching Lauren and Finley become BFFs right before her eyes.
    Just after eight, Mrs. Avila’s cell phone rang. She answered it smiling, but her face grew concerned almost immediately. Then she handed the phone to Gigi.
    â€œIt’s your mother,” she said. “She wants to talk to you.”
    Gigi’s breath caught in her throat. Daddy, she thought.
    â€œMama?” she said. “Is everything okay?”
    â€œNo, it most certainly is not . Gillian Gemma Prince, how dare you!Leaving this house without my permission, with people I have never even met? You get your butt home right this minute, you hear me? Now give the phone back to Mrs. Avila. Please.”
    Ice water filled Gigi’s veins, and she shivered as she passed the phone back over.
    Finn and Lauren turned and stared at Gigi as Mrs. Avila spoke to her mother a few feet away. “What happened?” Finn asked.
    â€œI think I need to go home,” Gigi said. “I’m really sorry.”
    Mrs. Avila