A Formal Affair by Veronica Chambers Read Free Book Online

were dressed nearly identically in expensive-looking floral-print jumpsuits and towering gladiator heels.
    â€œAre we late?” Dorinda asked rhetorically as she slid into a seat next to Carolina. “I’m assuming that this is the war room for your winter formal–queen campaign.”
    â€œIt’s not a war room,” Carolina said, politely but firmly.
    â€œOf course it’s not,” April replied. “But that’s what we love about you. You’re not at all overly aggressive and competitive. You’re humble, which is a lovely quality to have in a queen.”
    Carolina took a sip of her coffee, but not before Carmen noticed a look of sharp impatience flash across her face. So Carolina wasn’t as infatuated with the SoBees as their own gossip would have led one to believe. This was interesting information, Carmen thought, anxious to share the news with Jamie and Alicia. She would also have to report that hanging out with the SoBees was like watching a sociology video. They had their own language, their own sort of code, and they definitely had their favorite activities—the most popular of which was playing nice with people—even if they didn’t really like said people.
    â€œLove your shoes!” April exclaimed, peering down at Carolina’s patent-leather platform pumps. “Who are they?”
    â€œJimmy Choo,” Carolina mumbled.
    Maya, April, and Dorinda swooned in unison. “It’s like we always say,” April said, twirling the long gold chain around her neck. “It’s not a shoe, unless it’s Jimmy Choo.”
    Carolina smiled tightly. “Listen, you guys, I really need to talk to Carmen about some stuff for my quince , and I’ve got Latin American lit in fifteen minutes, so would you mind excusing us?”
    If the SoBees felt dismissed, they didn’t show it.
    â€œOf course!” Dorinda said, bussing each of Carolina’s cheeks. “We’ll leave you to it. Your quince is going to rock. Make sure to send out those Save the Dates, though. It’s Fabulous season in Miami, and you know how we girls like to stay busy.”
    April and Maya gave Carolina air-kisses and then inexplicably blew a kiss at Carmen. As they turned to walk away, Maya gave Carmen’s shoulder a squeeze. “This little one is a gem. I don’t know how we’d survive without her.”
    Little one? Carmen was five feet nine inches tall! And why were they suddenly being so nice to her? Had she entered some sort of snack-bar-related alternate reality?
    Pushing aside her confusion at the sudden change from snarky to sweet, Carmen turned back to Carolina. “Okay, so tell me,” Carmen said. “What’s up with you and Patricia? Are we going to have to put a stop to this quince before we have even begun?”
    Carolina shrugged. “Patricia’s competitive. That’s who she is. She always has to put herself out there. That’s why she loves basketball so much. It’s not her against one other person—which is like my sport, singles tennis—she’d much rather take on a whole team.”
    Carolina shook out her impressive mane of hair. Then she went on, “Look, I’m not completely ignorant. I know that for a lot of people, the queen and king thing is sort of retro and irrelevant. I’m smart. I want to get my PhD in public health policy someday. I’ve got a brain and a heart and a soul. But I’m also a girl who loves dressing up. I’m a girl who loves romance and princess movies, and I’ve always wanted to be crowned queen of winter formal. And if I were chosen this year, it would be the best quince gift I could ever wish for.
    â€œPatricia is a star on the court,” Carolina continued. “ I want to be the belle of the ball. Just once. Patricia knows how much it means to me. I never in a million years would have thought she’d do this—sign up and