A Formal Affair Read Free Page B

that Ms. Ingber was going to rat her out. Just peachy. She wasn’t up to having to get into it with her mother over a stupid note that she hadn’t even written.
    By the time the bell finally rang, Carmen was a complete wreck. She’d barely paid any attention to the lecture and jumped when Alicia darted over and poked her in the arm.
    â€œDon’t sweat it,” Jamie said, joining the girls. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
    â€œJamie’s right,” added Alicia. “Passing notes isn’t a federal offense. Besides, you’ve got one of the highest averages in our class.”
    Carmen nodded. They were right. She’d probably worked herself up over nothing. She sighed and felt her shoulders relax—a little. The fact that they could always talk her off any ledge was one of the many things that Carmen loved about her chicas . “See you later,” she said, as she waved good-bye to her friends.
    Once the classroom had cleared, Ms. Ingber motioned to Carmen to take a seat up at the front of the classroom. “Are you familiar with the winter formal?” the teacher asked when Carmen was settled.
    Carmen pulled the printed snowflake out of her notebook and nodded.
    â€œGreat, you’ve got your Save the Date!” her teacher said, enthusiastically. “As you know, I’m the faculty adviser for the student activities committee. And , as your homeroom teacher, I would love to see you get more involved with the life of the school. So, I have a great solution. With all of your experience planning quinces , being the assistant coordinator for the winter formal would be a breeze for you. Everyone would benefit from your talent, your leadership skills, and your business background with Amigas Inc. And if you do a good job, which I know you will, it will look great on your college applications next year.”
    Carmen stifled a groan. She knew she should have been relieved that Ms. Ingber wasn’t chastising her about the note. And she knew that the teacher was only trying to help her out, which she appreciated. But she really didn’t need more to do in her already incredibly jam-packed schedule. Plus, what her friends didn’t know was that now that she and Domingo had broken up, she had no intention of even going to the dance that was sure to be the biggest romantic event of their junior year. Still, did she even have a choice? Tentatively, she asked, “What exactly does the assistant coordinator do?”
    Ms. Ingber smiled and stood up from behind her desk. “Your job would be to help the Socials and Benefits Committee execute their vision. And make this the best formal C. G. High has ever seen of course.”
    The Socials and Benefits Committee?
    The SoBees? Was she serious? Did Ms. Ingber really want her to be the lackey of the snootiest group of girls in the school?
    â€œThank you in advance, Carmen,” she said, turning back to the papers at her desk without waiting for her to respond.
    Apparently, she didn’t have a choice. She, Carmen Ramirez-Ruben, was going to be working with the SoBees on the winter formal. There was absolutely no way for the typically optimistic Carmen to wrap this one up in a pretty bow.
    It was going to be a nightmare.

“UGH,” CARMEN groaned as she slid into the restaurant booth next to Jamie later that afternoon. “So, you’ll never guess what Ms. Ingber has done. She’s turned me into a SoBee. She strongarmed me into working with them on the planning committee for winter formal. Might as well shoot me now.”
    After her meeting, Carmen had hightailed it to Lario’s to join Jamie and Alicia for a much-needed rant. Lario’s was their new after-school hangout. Located on Ocean Drive, it was just steps away from the sand. Since Carmen and Domingo’s breakup, they had been studiously avoiding their old favorite, Bongos. It was where he and Carmen had originally met. The place