Alexis Gets Frosted by Coco Simon Page B

you for your thoughtfulness. I never knew you had such an interest in my past!”
    â€œNeither did I!” I said. “Maybe it’s just something you have to grow into.”
    When my dad presented her with the tiny jewelry box that I knew contained a charm, I held my breath. She unwrapped the tissue and opened the little velvet pouch, and in it was a gold . . . duck!
    She and I laughed so hard, and we knew it was just the perfect thing. In fact, I couldn’t believe she didn’t already have one!
    Dylan looked at us like we were cuckoo, but I didn’t care since that was nothing new.
    â€œGreat job, Dad!” I said, and he beamed with pride.

    Later that afternoon, Mia and Katie came over and, along with Emma, we worked on our time capsule and ate leftovers from the party.
    We laid out everything to photograph, and I also went and photographed the framed items of my mom’s.
    It was fun to see what people had brought. Mia had some old costumes of her mom’s from her wardrobe days, plus some crazy bell-bottomed pants she used to wear, and an exotic feather hat. Emma had an old book of her mom’s that had stories she’d handwritten into it when she was a little girl, and Katie had a skateboard that had been her mom’s! I couldn’t even picture her mom riding it, but Katie said she was actually pretty decent at it. Katie also had the photo of her and Callie. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to draw attention to it, but I was proud of her for including it.
    Everyone passed around their biographies, and we read them. Then we loaded up the capsule, which was really a plastic Tupperware sandwichholder Mia had gotten from her mom. Then we put it into a giant Ziploc bag, and another and another and another! It seemed pretty watertight. I had received permission from my dad to bury it in a corner of the yard, under the magnolia tree, and that was where we headed now, armed with a big shovel.
    We took turns digging, and when the hole was ready, Mia did the honors of placing the capsule into the hole.
    â€œIt feels like we’re having a funeral!” remarked Emma.
    â€œA funeral for our past,” said Katie.
    â€œHere’s to the future!” I cried.
    â€œHooray!” we all said.

    That night, my mom came to tuck me in.
    â€œThat was a great birthday, thanks to your thoughtfulness, sweetheart.”
    I snuggled happily under my covers. “It was fun.”
    â€œYour gingerbread house was wonderful too. You’ve had a very busy couple of days! But so many fun things!”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œNow I hate to ask, but whatever happenedwith Olivia at school? I kept waiting for you to mention it, so I didn’t bring it up.”
    â€œOh. Well . . . we’ve made peace,” I said. “For now, anyway.”
    â€œGreat! I’m so happy to hear that.”
    We smiled in the semidark for a minute, and then I said, “Mom, you know what? If you were a kid, we’d be best friends.”
    â€œOh, Lexi! That’s the best birthday present anyone could have ever given me! Thank you, sweetheart!” And she gave me a big squeeze.
    I squeezed back and very softly, into her ear, I whispered, “Quack!”

W ant another sweet cupcake?
    Here’s a sneak peek of the thirteenth book in the

    series:
    Katie’s
    perfect
    recipe

It’s a Cupcake Code Red!
    M ake me a doggy! Make me a doggy!”
    I started to sweat as the adorable five-year-old in front of me looked up with pleading eyes. I knelt down and waved a round helium balloon in front of his face.
    â€œIt’s not the kind of balloon that you can make into animals,” I said, using my sweetest voice. “It’s just a regular, fun, yellow balloon, to match the cupcakes! See?”
    I pointed to the cupcake table across the small yard, where my friends Alexis and Emma were busy placing dozens of yellow and green cupcakes on