Katie and the Cupcake War Read Online Free PDF Page B

with my real friends.
    â€œI still have to ask,” I said. “So, anyway, we were talking about cupcakes. . . .”
    â€œLizard cupcakes!” Jake said, and everybody laughed.

CHAPTER 6
Think Fast, Katie!
    W hen I got home from the Cupcake meeting, Mom was vacuuming the living room. I figured if I wanted to get out of Callie’s barbecue, it wouldn’t hurt to get on her good side, so I grabbed a broom and started sweeping the kitchen floor. Then I emptied the dishwasher.
    â€œThank you, Katie,” Mom said, giving me a hug when I was done. “How was your Cupcake meeting?”
    â€œIt was good,” I said. “Emma reminded me of something. She invited all of us to her house for a Labor Day barbecue on Monday.”
    â€œLabor Day!” Mom smacked her forehead with her palm. “Things have been so crazy that I never told Barbara if we were coming to the Wilsons’ barbecueor not.” (Barbara is Callie’s mom, and my mom’s best friend.)
    â€œDo we have to go there?” I asked. “I’d rather be with my friends.”
    Mom sat down and bit her bottom lip, which she always does when she’s worried or thinking.
    â€œI need to get some shopping done for Grandma Carole’s hospital stay, and I was hoping to cook some food and freeze it, so she won’t have to cook while she’s recovering,” she said. “I suppose I could drop you off at Emma’s while I get things done. I’m sure Barbara will understand.”
    â€œThat would be great!” I said. “And I’ll help you cook for Grandma and Grandpa if you want.”
    Mom smiled. “That would be fun. We can make a dish for you to bring to the barbecue, too.”
    So on Sunday we ended up cooking together, which was fun. I wanted to make an enchilada casserole for Grandma Carole, but Mom thought it might be too spicy for her. So instead we made a big pot of chicken soup. There was enough for us to have for dinner, with grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. Yum!
    â€œWe still need to make something for your barbecue,” Mom said. “How about a pasta salad?”
    â€œHow about a Mexican pasta salad?” I suggested. (Can you tell yet that I am on a Mexican-food kick?)
    â€œThat sounds interesting,” Mom said. “How would you do that?”
    I thought about all of my favorite Mexican ingredients that we used in my cooking class. “I could put in black beans and tomatoes, and maybe some shredded cheese and some corn even. And avocados, of course!”
    Mom nodded. “That sounds good. And you could put lime juice in the dressing. That could be tasty.”
    Because we’ve been cooking a lot of Mexican food, we had everything we needed in the house. Mom helped me cook the pasta—I used one of those squiggly shapes—and then when it cooled down, I mixed everything except the avocados together. I kept adding stuff and tasting it, and it was pretty good. Mom told me to wait to add the avocados until tomorrow, or else they would get brown.
    So the next day at noon I was sitting in Mom’s car with the bowl of Mexican pasta salad in my lap. When we pulled up we could already see a bunch of people at Emma’s house. Her two older brothers,Matt and Sam, were playing basketball in the driveway with a couple of their friends.
    Both of Emma’s brothers are nice. Matt is one grade above us, and he likes to tease all of us Cupcake Club members a lot. Sam is in high school, and he never teases us like Matt does. And even though they both have blond hair and blue eyes (just like Emma and Jake), I think Sam is cuter.
    â€œI’ll come get you around four,” Mom said, leaning over to give me a kiss. “Have a good time. Call me on my cell if you need me, okay?”
    â€œSure, Mom,” I said. Then I got out of the car, balancing the bowl as I tried to close the door.
    â€œThink fast, Katie!”
    A basketball whizzed