Awkwardly Ever After Read Online Free PDF

introducing Izzie as if she were entering a pageant. An absurd image of my best friend strutting over to a raised podium in a bikini had me fighting not to laugh. Izzie would rather take her finals three times in a row than enter one of those competitions.
    And she would probably come up with some incredibly brilliant way to avoid the thing completely even if someone tried to railroad her into it.
    Izzie glared at both of us and her chin jutted up ever so slightly. “She likes the beach just fine. But you know what she really enjoys? Speaking for herself—without using the third person.”
    Spencer blinked in surprise, probably because he had written her off the instant she had fiddled with her glasses instead of making eye contact. His smile kicked up at one end, revealing a dimple that should have been at odds with his bad-boy reputation. The slight tinge of pink I noticed flushing Izzie’s cheeks also made me wonder if maybe she was enjoying herself after all.
    That fleeting thought probably jinxed everything.
    Because any trace of good humor—in Spencer, Izzie, Logan, or Mackenzie—vanished as soon as Fake and Bake, better known as Steffani Larson and Ashley McGrady, rounded the corner and locked their sights on our little group.
    â€œOkay, can we move this to Mackenzie’s place?” Technically, it was a question, but Spencer didn’t give any of us an opportunity to refuse before he began hustling us toward the parking lot. “Now. Move it along right now.”
    â€œBut I was going to—”
    â€œKeep walking, Mackenzie,” Spencer ground out, “one foot in front of the other.”
    Logan rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Running scared already, Spence? Prom isn’t for another two weeks. If you can’t deal with this now, how do you expect to handle it when things really heat up?”
    â€œLater.” There was nothing even remotely resembling a smile on Spencer’s face now. Nothing in his eyes except deep frustration, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a dash of panic as well.
    It answered one question of mine, though: Spencer had definitely lied about his leadership abilities the day before. If the guy was half as good at exerting his will on others on skates as he was on foot, he would have no trouble keeping his teammates in line. One gruff order from him and the four of us were instinctively fleeing from the two reigning queens of evil.
    â€œAlmost there,” he murmured encouragingly. “We’re almost there . . .”
    Mackenzie twisted, probably hoping to see if the Axis of Evil were drawing close, lost her balance, and tripped. One second she was keeping pace with the rest of us and the next . . . not so much. Logan was instantly kneeling on the pavement next to her.
    â€œYou okay, Mack?” His voice was soft with concern, although I thought I detected a hint of amusement in it too. “Need a hand up or are you, um, practicing yoga again?”
    I had a feeling that “practicing yoga” was Mackenzie’s new not-so-subtle way of covering up her clumsy moments. And given how often Mackenzie managed to stumble over nonexistent obstacles in her path, she probably found herself making up excuses fairly often. Not that any of us—Mackenzie included—expected Logan to actually believe any of it.
    She smiled up at him but batted away the offered hand. “That’s right. I’m just practicing the downward-facing klutz position.” Mackenzie rose and brushed off her jeans where dirt clung at the knees.
    â€œAct injured. Right now,” Spencer ordered desperately, but it was too late. Steffani Larson was already close enough to all of us to stick her cosmetically altered nose into our business. I actually kind of felt sorry for Fake. I had glanced once at Mackenzie’s freshman high school yearbook and Steffani’s face had far more character when there was a slight bump in her nose and