Alexis's Cupcake Cupid by Coco Simon Page B

think George will—it’s not as good of a story as him getting pudding out of his own pants!”
    â€œOh, thank goodness!” I sighed with relief. “That would have been the icing on the cake.”
    â€œOr the cupcake!” said Emma, and then we both giggled. Emma gave me a big hug. “That’s better,” she said. “Don’t worry about stupid boys, anyway. We have lots of fun coming up this week. The new Liam Carey movie on Thursday, the Family Skating Party on Friday . . . you valentine’s shopping the bargain basement sale for us!”
    I put my head in my hands. “I am so mortified about that.”
    â€œOh, Lex, I’m just kiddin’ ya!” said Emma. “Come on. Let’s go, valentine!”
    I grabbed my book bag and we exited the bathroom.
    â€œBy the way,” said Emma with a sly grin, “George said to tell you that Matt is going to the movies on Thursday. I’m just saying!” She put her hands in the air, palms out, like Don’t shoot the messenger!
    â€œWell, then I’m not going,” I declared.
    â€œHey, you can’t lead your life like that,” Emma scolded. “Stop worrying about embarrassment and just get on with your life. Have fun. Seriously. Who cares what Matt—or anyone—thinks? Where’s the bold, brassy future business leader who I know and love?”
    â€œIn hiding,” I said. I saw her point, but I still wasn’t sure.
    â€œYou have all these friends who love you, and a great family, and that is pretty awesome,” she said as we reached her classroom door.
    â€œYou sound like my mom,” I whined.
    Emma wheeled around to face me. “Then that’s a compliment, ’cause your mom is one smart cupcake!” she said with a grin, and she strode into her class.
    I went to my next class like a tentative babychick, hoping no one would bring up the tray drop or anything else for the rest of the day. Or my life.
    I wasn’t ready to commit to the movie or the skating party at this point. Bargain valentines shopping for my besties, maybe .

CHAPTER 8
Time Out
    T hat night, after I finished my homework, I spent some time on YouTube, toggling back and forth between Olympic gold medal skating programs and “How to Skate” videos. Both were discouraging. The Olympians looked so much like ballroom-dancing stars that I had to keep reminding myself that they were doing everything while simultaneously gliding on a sharp blades across hard, slippery ice at twenty miles an hour! It was pretty incredible when I looked at it that way. I couldn’t imagine the endless hours Sasha had spent at an ice rink perfecting her skills. I didn’t have that kind of time before Friday’s party.
    It must’ve been ESP, because while I was doing that, Katie sent a group chat to say the CupcakeClub had been hired by the PTA to bake ten dozen Chinese-themed cupcakes for the bake sale at the skating party on Friday! Now that was the kind of news I liked, because there’s nothing I find more fun than making money with my friends.
    Since I was already online, I volunteered to google around and come up with a couple of possible Chinese cupcake ideas. I had two criteria: the ingredients couldn’t be too expensive, because the PTA had set a small budget for the job, and the design and assembly couldn’t be too fussy, or it would take us too long to make them. Sometimes when we have an elaborate job or a huge order, we will do it over a couple of days, but I honestly think our cupcakes taste best when they are superfresh: made, decorated, and eaten all in one day.
    When I went on Pinterest to look for Chinese cupcake ideas, what I found was gorgeous, but waaaaay too complicated for us. They looked like something from one of those Cake Boss shows we all loved so much. We’d need scaffolding and blowtorches and stuff to make some of those ideas.
    I thought of doing