Secrets of the Sisterhood (The Cinderella Society, Episode 1) by Kay Cassidy Page A

“You’re a natural at style, Jess. Way more savvy than I was when I first started my Image Plan.”
    I didn’t believe that for a second, but it still made me glow. Until she said, “How would you describe your own signature style?”
    I had no idea.
    I’d always been a chameleon about clothes, so I’d never bothered to put my own stamp on fashion choices. Scrambling to catch up was as much as I could muster.
    “I don’t have one,” I admitted.
    “What do you want it to be?”
    That was a tough one. Stylish, for sure. Fun and carefree, but not too girly. Sporty, but not boxy or boyish or too body-conscious. Memorable, definitely. And irresistible enough to get Ryan’s attention away from someone like Fake Blondie without being blatantly sexy.
    I glanced at Lexy again and shuddered. Sexy was definitely not my game.
    How did you condense all that down into one signature style? I mean, I read Vogue just like the next girl. But looking at clothes and putting together a style of my own were totally different. While other girls had been perfecting their trendy looks, I’d been racking up volunteer hours by the dozen. Which wasn’t super helpful at solving the dilemma at hand.
    “What do you recommend?” I asked.
    Sarah Jane shook her head. “You need to figure it out for yourself. No one knows you better than you do.”
    Given my tunnel vision of forever trying to fit in at new schools, I wasn’t sure even I knew me all that well.
    “Try some different styles on for size and see how they feel,” she suggested. “When you find one that makes you feel comfortable and confident, that’s the signature style for you. And when we hit the mall”—I almost fainted with excitement—“give yourself permission to try new things. Even if they’re totally different than what you’re used to. You don’t always know if something’s you until you give it a shot.”
    That seemed fair. Plus, hello? The mall was in my future, with Sarah Jane at my side.
    Batter up!

Chapter Seventeen

    With recon complete, we wandered over to the Snack Shack to grab a slush freeze and some seats in the grandstand. I managed to only stumble a little when I saw Ryan get up from the bench to warm up for his at bat. I carefully focused my eyes straight ahead so he wouldn’t think I was stalking him. But when his head turned to watch us go, it was all I could do to keep my cool. As soon as our backs were to him, the thrill overpowered me. Ryan Steele had just watched me walk by.
    Me. Walk by.
    Now, before you go assuming I think I’m all that, yes, I was walking with Sarah Jane, who could probably turn the heads of half the MSH faculty. But since she was dating one of Ryan’s best friends, I didn’t think he’d be bold enough to show it even if he did have the hots for her.
    I could barely contain my glee as we stood in line. I was in such a tiz that I almost missed seeing Heather pay for her drink and head around the side of the shack.
    “Cherry Jubilee or Grapetastic?” SJ asked.
    “Grape, thanks.” I handed her my money. “I’ll be right back.”
    I walked around the side of the building to catch Heather before she hit the stands again. I was almost around the back when I heard her voice. Not her, Heather, but her, Lexy .
    I peeked around the back and saw Lexy, Morgan, and Tina—the Three Musketeers of the Wickeds—crowding around Heather. With their backs to me, I could only see one pink-sleeved arm of Heather. Lexy’s voice was low, but a lifetime of drawing attention to herself made it impossible to muffle entirely.
    “Quit acting like a baby, Clark Bar. A few more favors, and you’ll be free and clear.”
    Heather’s voice was drowned out by a roar from the crowd. I started to move toward them but hesitated. Heather had already told me to butt out.
    “Don’t forget what got you here to begin with. I can make it your worst nightmare or”—Lexy snapped her fingers over her right shoulder—“make it all go away.”