Читать книгу The Making of a Princess - Teresa Carpenter - Страница 7

Princess Camp

AMANDA CARN SHRUGGED INTO her backpack then grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase. Slowly, reluctantly she followed her roommates and new best friends from the cabin they’d shared for the past two weeks.

She’d had the time of her life here at Princess Camp and she wasn’t ready for it to end. She’d never be ready for it to end.

“Amanda, come on.” Michelle, a bouncing blonde dressed as Sleeping Beauty, waved her along. “If we don’t get to tea early, we won’t get to sit together.”

“I’m not hungry.” She winced at the petulant note in her voice. She detested petulance.

Grandmother’s displeasure came across as petulant, and oh how she would hate it if she knew. A professor at an elite Northern California University, she was a brilliant woman, disciplined in both manner and emotion. She rarely allowed a show of temper, which was a good thing, because it wasn’t a pretty look on her.

“Well, I’m starved.” Elle, beautiful as Belle, gave Michelle a significant look and they both came back to hook an arm through each of Amanda’s, drawing her forward.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” she whispered, not wanting it to be a whine.

“I’m going to miss the scones,” Elle declared. “Hurry.”

“Our time’s not up yet, silly.” Michelle told Amanda, refusing to be rushed. “We have the tea, and then the closing ceremony. There’s lots of time left.”

Something in her voice made Amanda turn to study Michelle’s profile. “You don’t want to leave, either.”

“None of us want to leave.” Elle sighed, brushing her mahogany curls behind her. “But I don’t want our last day to be sad either.” She stopped on the path and turned to face them. “We have to all promise to come back next year.” She held up her hand, little finger raised high. “Pinkie swear you’ll do everything you can to come back.”

Michelle immediately hooked her pinkie finger with Elle’s. “I’ll start working on my dad as soon as I get home. He owes me for missing parents’ day.”

Amanda’s hand curled into a fist as sadness bloomed into despair. “It would have been better if my grandparents didn’t come to parents’ day. Grandmother has already said she felt the camp misrepresented itself as having a curriculum of etiquette and decorum when it was clearly a production of fantasy and frivolity.”

Her friends blinked at her.

“You mean she doesn’t like the camp because they let us play princess while teaching us manners?” Elle said.

Amanda nodded. “I doubt I’ll be able to talk her into letting me come again.”

“Is that why they only stayed an hour on parents’ night?” Michelle asked.

“No.” She worried the end of her long strawberry blond braid. “They had another engagement. Grandmother was hosting a reception for a visiting professor. They have them all the time.”

“She couldn’t do that another night?” Michelle demanded, reaching for Amanda’s hand. She, too, knew how it felt to come second to duty.

“It doesn’t matter. I would have been nervous if they’d stayed for the talent show.”

“Afraid Grandmother wouldn’t approve?” Michelle guessed.

Amanda shrugged, feeling it would be disloyal to agree even if it was true. She longed to come back next year. Her grandparents were very protective of her and the university life was restrained and structured, with not much to offer a ten-year-old. And Grandmother didn’t like it when Amanda made a fuss about things.

But then some things were worth making a fuss over. Like precious friends. Looking from Elle to Michelle, Amanda slowly lifted her hand and hooked her pinkie with theirs.

“I promise to keep in touch. And to do everything I can to be here next year.”