The Brightest Stars of Summer by Leila Howland Read Free Book Online

dune, and that her words would be her wings.

9 • Coast to Coast
    â€œT hank you for joining us on Atlantic Airlines,” the flight attendant said over the loudspeaker. “We have now reached our cruising altitude of thirty thousand feet. We’ll be coming by shortly with snacks and beverages. A menu with available items can be found in the seat-back pocket.”
    â€œRemember, Mom and Dad said no soda,” Marigold said to her sisters as they reached for their menus. “Too much sugar.”
    â€œI always get cranberry juice anyway,” Zinnie said.
    â€œThey didn’t say anything about cookies,” Lily said, pointing to a picture of one on the menu.
    â€œThat’s true,” Zinnie said.
    â€œWe can split it,” Marigold said, determined to be the responsible older sister.
    It was almost two weeks later and the three Silversisters were on their way to Pruet, where they’d spend another two weeks helping Aunt Sunny get ready for her wedding. They were settled into row 34, with Zinnie on the aisle, Lily in the middle, and Marigold by the window. Lily liked the center seat because she enjoyed being right in the middle of the sister action. Zinnie and Marigold had had to flip a coin for the window seat. Zinnie wanted to be by the window because she liked the view when they crossed the Rocky Mountains. Also, despite everyone telling her it would never happen, she was still hoping that they would fly close enough to another plane so that she could wave to the other passengers.
    Marigold had other reasons. She wanted to watch Los Angeles shrink into a maze with ant-sized cars and teardrop swimming pools until it disappeared. She wanted to relish the moment they escaped into the clouds and soared into the blank blue sky. So back in terminal 3, she’d been delighted when her dad had flipped a coin, and she’d won.
    As she pressed her forehead against the window and stared at the sky, she was relieved, knowing that with every minute there was more space between her and Los Angeles. Night Sprites was coming out in theaters tomorrow and she wasn’t going to have to be there. The billboards advertising the movie were everywhere from Santa Monica to Pasadena.
    It seemed like every single bus had a picture ofthe star, Amanda Mills, with her glittering wings, on the side of it. Thankfully, there were no billboards or city buses in Pruet. There wasn’t even a movie theater. It was true that the director, Philip Rathbone, had a summer home in Pruet, but he was going to be so busy promoting Night Sprites that he wouldn’t be there.
    Maybe even more than wanting to forget her acting disappointment, Marigold didn’t want to see the Cuties—especially once they realized that she wasn’t in the movie. Maybe they already knew, Marigold thought with a shiver. Maybe Pilar had told them. Marigold’s heart pinched as she remembered her last meeting with Pilar at the Cupcake Café. During their middle-of-the-night mother-daughter meeting, Mom had encouraged Marigold to talk to Pilar so they could clear the air before they went their separate ways for the summer. Marigold called Pilar the next day and asked her to hang out.
    â€œIt’s important,” Marigold said on the phone, sensing that Pilar was trying to think of an excuse. “It’s about our friendship.”
    â€œOkay, meet me at the Cupcake Café,” Pilar said.
    Mom drove Marigold to the café, which was right around the corner from Pilar’s house, and waited outside in the car.
    They both ordered the vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting, and then they faced each other in silence until Marigold finally said, “I like your haircut.”
    â€œThank you,” Pilar said, peeling the wrapper off her cupcake. “I like yours too.”
    â€œThanks,” Marigold said. This was already so weird. It seemed like just yesterday they would have planned their haircuts out