04 - Born to be Wilde.txt by Born to be Wilde.txt Read Free Book Online Page B

her nose playfully. "Besides, he's not the type of guy to call me in for a parent-teacher conference just to flirt with me. Something's definitely up with Cassie."
     
    Worry filled Sydney's gaze, but before Lora could address her friend's concerns, the object of their discussion walked into the kitchen, her normally curly auburn hair now straightened into the latest shoulder-length style most teenage girls were wearing these days. The silky strands framed her face in wispy layers and brought out the golden flecks in her hazel eyes.
     
    Growing up, Cassie had always been a no-frills kind of girl, more of a rough-and-tumble tomboy. But in the past few weeks Lora had begun to notice that Cassie was starting to pay more attention to her appearance, and taking more time with her hair, makeup, and picking out the clothes she wore to school. She still favored jeans over skirts or dresses, though, and today she had on a pair of dark denim jeans, a pale pink T-shirt, and a matching denim jacket.
     
    Truly, Cassie did nothing to flaunt her body, but there was no way for her to hide her mature curves, either. And that was one of Sydney's biggest concerns, since her daughter was around hormonal teenage boys all day long.
     
    " 'Morning, Aunt Lora," Cassie said as she slung the straps of her backpack over one shoulder. "I'm ready to go, Mom."
     
    As Cassie passed her mother on the way to the front door, Sydney grabbed one of the straps on her daughter's backpack, effectively bringing her to a stop. "You need to eat something before I take you to school."
     
    Cassie rolled her eyes and exhaled dramatically as she trudged back toward the refrigerator. "Fine. I'll drink a bottle of orange juice on the way."
     
    Knowing that wouldn't be enough to appease Sydney, Lora grabbed a napkin and picked out a buttermilk bar from the pastry box for Cassie. "And take a doughnut with you, sweetie, so you don't have to listen to your mother lecture you about the importance of breakfast all the way to school."
     
    Behind Cassie's back, Sydney stuck her tongue out at Lora, silently telling her what she thought about Lora taking her daughter's side in things. Lora barely held back the humorous laugh threatening to surface.
     
    "Thanks, Aunt Lora," Cassie took the doughnut, gave Lora a bright, grateful smile, and headed out of the kitchen before Sydney could stop her again. "I'll be waiting in the car, Mom!"
     
    "You are such a troublemaker," Sydney said to Lora once the apartment door slammed shut behind Cassie. "You know that, don't you?"
     
    "Yeah, I do, but someone has to keep things balanced around here and between you two." Sydney was way too strict and protective of her daughter, though her friend didn't see things that way.
     
    "She never wants to leave for school early." Frowning, Sydney picked up her purse and car keys. "Something's up."
     
    "Oh, for God's sake, Syd," Lora said, her tone reflecting her exasperation. "Quit being so suspicious. She probably wants to spend some time with her friends before the first period bell rings." Grabbing her own pocket-book, she followed her friend to the front door.
     
    "Or spend time with a boy," Sydney added, and didn't sound happy about the possibility.
     
    "Which is a perfectly normal thing for a fifteen-year-old girl to do." Even as she tried to reassure Sydney, Lora knew that her friend's experiences at the age of fifteen had been vastly different from her own—which was a huge part of why Sydney was struggling with her daughter's transition from little girl to young woman now. "You need to face the fact that she's not your little Tinker Bell any more."
     
    Sydney smiled at the nickname she'd given Cassie shortly after she'd been born. "Does she really have to grow up so fast, and so soon?"
     
    Lora hooked her arm through Sydney's as they walked down the corridor together. "Yeah, she really does."
     
    "That's what I'm most afraid of," Sydney said, and sighed.
     
    FINISHED with her third