How To Salsa in a Sari by Dona Sarkar Read Free Book Online Page B

quickly?
    â€œAnd that, yes. But Diego isn’t for convenience. Believe me, having you throw these fits is not even slightly convenient.” Alisha wasn’t even slightly ruffled as she tossed a mound of floor-length skirts, V-necked tops and long scarves into a suitcase.
    Issa ignored the teasing tone. This was serious. How could Alisha throw away their fun, lighthearted lives for a cold mansion and a dysfunctional family? “Do you love him?”
    â€œHe cares a lot for me, and you too. And I care a lot about him.”
    â€œSo you don’t love him.”
    Alisha was silent.
    I didn’t think so.
    Issa knew her mom would never love anyone the way she’d loved her father. All the Diegos in the world wouldn’t matter to Alisha if Roy came back.
    Issa was convinced more than ever that this wedding could not take place. No matter what it took or how much she broke Alisha’s heart.
    â€œThe Morenas suck,” Issa muttered instead of voicing her opinion about her father. Alisha would laugh at her and tell her to stop dreaming. “Especially Cat.”
    â€œWhy are you so nasty to her? It makes you look bad. Not her,” Alisha said. “She seems perfectly sane.”
    Issa’s ears burned. Cat? Sane? Frightening thought. “You don’t understand. Adam dumped me in front of the whole school…for her!”
    Alisha stood on the bed and started to take down the Picasso Violin and Guitar print on the wall. “I have to agree with Cat. If Adam broke up with you, he’s an idiot. That’s not her fault, babe.”
    Issa rolled her eyes. Adam did have some help in his realization that she wasn’t the girl for him. Like Cat’s bikini-clad body wrapped around him in her daddy’s hot tub.
    The thought made Issa sick.
    â€œDo you remember my freshman year when those three girls went to the headmaster and said I’d cheated on the biology final by looking at notes I’d hidden in my sleeve? The test I got a perfect score on? That was Cat and her friends.”
    Alisha looked down at Issa. “Why would you say that? Do you have proof?”
    â€œI don’t need proof! We were lab partners for like a week and we were almost friends. Then she asked me to do her lab for her and I told her no way. She swore she would get me and she did. I could have gotten kicked out of school!”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me it was Cat? You told me it was some random chick who hated you for no reason!”
    Issa picked at the embroidery on the bedspread with her nail. “Everyone made fun of me for being the teacher’s kid. I didn’t want you doing anything else for me. I thought I would be able to handle Cat on my own.”
    She hated bringing Alisha into her petty school fights. Bad enough that she was “different” for being poor and a mixed-breed. She didn’t need to be the girl who had to have her mommy save her all the time.
    â€œWell, I respect you for handling things on your own. But, babe, that was such a long time ago. And things are different now. You guys are going to be sisters. She’s going to be nicer to you.”
    â€œUh, no!”
    â€œUh…yes! Listen, Cat’s had a tough past…” Alisha’s voice trailed off as she rolled her art print and fastened it tightly with a rubber band taken from her wrist.
    â€œWhat do you mean? You mean, she didn’t drive a sports car once upon a time?” Issa felt no sympathy for the poor little rich girl’s unfortunate history.
    â€œCat’s mom died when she was really young. She grew up with nannies because Diego was busy with his job, so she never learned to get along with people…and she never learned how to study.”
    No big shock there. Cat was infamous for her pathetically low grades. Everyone knew she stayed in school only because of Diego’s generous contribution.
    â€œWhen Cat took my class this year, I saw that she