"Those are the cutest ski jackets I have ever seen!" Chloe Carlson exclaimed to her sister, Riley. "I think we should each get one."
Fourteen-year-old Chloe pictured herself in the 橙子, 橙色 夹克 that Riley was holding up. No, the silver one would look better with her hair. Of course, she and Riley had the exact same shade of blonde hair, not to mention the same blue eyes and the same complexion. Still, Chloe thought that the silver 夹克 suited her personality better.
Riley laughed. "That's a great idea. Except we came to the mall to do some last-minute 圣诞节 shopping, remember? For other people?"
"Fine. I'll buy 你 the 橙子, 橙色 夹克 for Christmas, and 你 can buy me the silver one. They're only-" Chloe paused to check out the price tag. She let out a small scream when she saw the triple digits. "Aargh! I mean, they're a tiny bit 更多 expensive than I thought."
"Maybe we should wait for the January sales," Riley suggested.
"But we're leaving for Vail on Saturday!" Chloe groaned. "We have everything else we need . . . new snowboards, hats and scarves, the coolest sunglasses. But we still need the perfect jackets. And these jackets are really special. They have personal stereo systems inside with headphones sewn into the hoods. We could listen to our fave CDs while we tear up moguls."
Chloe and Riley were leaving for Vail, Colorado, in three days. Their mother, Macy, was taking them to the famous ski resort for their holiday vacation. Chloe couldn't wait to hit the slopes with her new snowboard. And she couldn't wait to see snow. At 首页 in Malibu, California, there was nothing but sunshine and warm, balmy weather almost 365 days a year. Which was nothing to complain about. Still, there was something special about seeing snowflakes falling gently onto a pure white landscape.
The three of them also planned to visit the resort's spa for lots of post-skiing massages and beauty treatments. Chloe had read online that the spa's pineapple-papaya facials were to die for.
"Let's go 下一个 door to Video Planet and get some DVDs for Dad," Riley said, tucking her arm through Chloe's. "That will get our minds off the--hey, look at those awesome black ski pants!"
"Oh, we have to get them!" Chloe cried out.
Ten 分钟 and lots of cash transactions later--the pants were thirty percent off--Chloe and Riley managed to tear themselves away from Powderhounds.
They stopped to look at a flyer for Surf Expo 发布 on the 墙 outside the door. "I guess we're going to miss that when we go to Vail," Riley 说 sadly.
"I know you've been looking 前锋, 期待 to it since last year, but trust me . . . once 你 hit the slopes, 你 won't miss it at all," Chloe said, as they turned to go into Video Planet.
Chloe shifted her shopping bag from one arm to the other as she scanned the shelves of DVDs. "So what would Dad like?"
Riley pointed to several titles and read them out loud. "Beach Yoga for Your Health. The Meat-Free Gourmet. Spirituality after Forty."
chloe pretended to yawn. "Okay. As long as we don't have to watch them with him when we stay over at his place."
[CHLOE: SEE, MOM AND DAD ARE SEPARATED. THEY DECIDED TO 分裂, 拆分 UP WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT THEY LIVE AT TWO DIFFERENT SPEEDS. 你 KNOW THE STORY OF THE 乌龟, 龟 AND THE HARE? WELL, DAD IS THE TORTOISE; MOM IS THE HARE--ON CAFFEINE. RILEY AND I LIVE WITH MOM IN OUR 海滩 HOUSE IN MALIBU. DAD DECIDED HE PREFERRED THE SIMPLE LIFE IN HIS SMALL TRAILER 由 THE OCEAN. HE'S INTO YOGA, MEDITATION, AND HEALTHY FOODS WITH STRANGE NAMES.]
Riley grinned and put the three DVDs into a shopping basket. The sisters continued to browse. Riley found some 电影院 for her best friend, Sierra. Chloe found a special three-DVD set for her boyfriend, Lennon, of his 最喜爱的 TV show. It cost 更多 than she had wanted to spend, but Lennon was so worth it.
"Hey, Chloe! What are 你 doing here?"
Chloe's head flew up at the sound of the familiar voice.
Lennon was standing in front of her.
Chloe stifled a gasp and whipped the DVD set behind her back.
[CHLOE: OKAY, THIS IS WHAT 你 CALL BAD TIMING. DID LENNON SEE MY PRESENT FOR HIM? DID I BLOW HIS BIG 圣诞节 SURPRISE?]
Lennon leaned to 吻乐队(Kiss) her. Chloe noticed that he was holding something behind his back, too.
"Hi, Lennon," Chloe said, enjoying the kiss. "What are 你 doing here?"
"Uh-just picking out some DVDs for my mom," Lennon 说 quickly.
"That's what we're doing, too! We're picking out some DVDs for our dad," Chloe said. "No one else. Just our dad."
"That's cool," Lennon said. "Hey, Riley."
"Hey, Lennon," Riley 说 with a little wave.
Lennon turned back to Chloe. "Listen, I was going to call you. Are 你 free Friday night? Do 你 want to go out with me and my parents? We want to take 你 out for a special good-bye 晚餐 before 你 leave for Vail."
"I'd 爱情 to," Chloe 说 eagerly. "Is this going to be fancy 或者 casual?"
"Definitely fancy," Lennon replied. "I'll call 你 about it later, okay?"
"'kay."
Lennon gave her another kiss, then took off. Chloe noticed him quickly shifting whatever he had been holding behind his back so that she couldn't see it.
"Did 你 catch what he's getting for me?" Chloe whispered to Riley.
Riley laughed and shook her head. "No! Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
Chloe laughed, too. "What kind of sister are you?" she teased. "Anyway, we'd better knock some 更多 stuff off our shopping list, 或者 we'll be here all night."
"Slumber party at the mall. Doesn't sound so bad," Riley remarked.
"True," Chloe agreed.
* * *
"Okay, check out my snowboarding technique," Riley called out to her sister.
Chloe made a face. "Huh? In case 你 haven't noticed, we're in Malibu. In our living room. And it's seventy degrees outside."
"You are such a skeptic. Watch and learn from the master!"
Riley walked to the hall closet and got out her trusty old surfboard. Then she put it on the living room floor and stepped onto it. Bending her knees slightly, she began swaying back and forth, as though she were zooming down a double-black-diamond slope.
"Okay. 你 have officially 迷失 your mind," Chloe said, giggling.
Riley giggled, too. She knew she looked like a freak-especially since she was wearing her brand-new black ski pants with the 标签 still on them with a 粉, 粉色 tank top. But she was really excited about their upcoming trip to Vail. She couldn't wait to glide down a mountain of pure, white, frosty snow with a brisk winter wind whipping through her hair. She wanted to brush up on her snowboarding skills-even if it was on the wrong kind of board and in her living room in Malibu!
Just then the phone rang. Chloe reached over to the coffee 表 and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hey." Chloe covered the mouthpiece. "Oh, Ms. Snowboarding Queen, it's for you! It's Charlie."
Riley stepped off her board. Charlie was her boyfriend-i.e., her fave guy in the entire world.
Riley took the phone from Chloe. "Hey," she 说 happily.
"Hey. What are 你 doing?"
Riley glanced at her surfboard. "You don't want to know. What are 你 doing?"
"I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss 你 while you're in Vail."
Riley's 心 melted. Charlie was so sweet. "I'm going to miss you, too," she 说 softly. "I wish I could clone myself! Then I could go to Vail and stay here at the same time. We could hang out and have movie-fests at my house. 或者 we could hang out at your house and have movie-fests there," she added. She had never been to his house. In fact, she had never met most of his family.
"Yeah, that would be so great," Charlie agreed.
Then Riley had a sudden inspiration. "Hey! I'm free now. I mean, like, an 小时 from now, after Chloe and I 包, 换行 the bazillion 圣诞节 presents we bought today," she said, catching her sister's glare. "Maybe I could come over?"
"Uh, no . . . I mean . . . why don't I come to your house instead?" Charlie 说 quickly.
Riley frowned. This was the third 或者 fourth time this had happened. Whenever she suggested that she go to his house, he'd insist on coming to her house instead.
But she didn't want to be pushy. "Um, sure," she said. "See 你 at, like, four?"
"Great. I'll see 你 then."
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Okay, let's get to work. We have major wrapping to do," Chloe 说 as soon as Riley hung up. "And if 你 have time before your 爱情 bunny comes over, I need 你 to help me pick out something to wear Friday night."
爱情 bunny? Riley thought.
"You mean for your big 日期 with Lennon and his parents?" she 说 out loud. "It sounds like they're going to take 你 someplace really fancy. Are 你 nervous?"
"No, I've met his parents lots of times," Chloe said.
"You are so lucky," Riley said. "Lennon's a great guy. Charlie's great too, but I haven't even met his family. Except for his dad, and that was at his alternative CD store, not at their house."
"I'm sure it'll happen soon," Chloe 说 sympathetically.
"You know your relationship is rock-solid when a guy introduces 你 to his parents." Riley sighed. "So why haven't I met Charlie's family? Does this mean we're not rock-solid?"
"You're worrying way too much," Chloe said, grabbing a roll of shiny red paper. "Come on, get into the 圣诞节 spirit! We have tons of wrapping to do, and-"
She was interrupted 由 the sound of the front door opening. Car keys jingled. High heels tapped briskly across the floor. It was their mother, Macy.
Macy Carlson walked into the living room. Riley thought her mom looked even 更多 harried than usual. She was talking into two cell phones at once, one at each ear. Her white business suit had a big coffee stain down the front of it.
"Yes, yes, get me on the twelve-fifteen," Macy barked into one of the phones. "No, that order is going to have to wait. Something's come up," she barked into the other one.
Riley and Chloe exchanged a glance. What's up with Mom? Riley wondered.
Macy clicked off both phones and smiled apologetically at her daughters. "Hello, sweeties," she said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"Chloe is cooking 晚餐 tonight?" Riley joked. Chloe threw a 枕头 at her, which Riley ducked.
Their mother frowned. She looked upset. "I'm so sorry to have to tell 你 this, but our trip to Vail is off!"
Fourteen-year-old Chloe pictured herself in the 橙子, 橙色 夹克 that Riley was holding up. No, the silver one would look better with her hair. Of course, she and Riley had the exact same shade of blonde hair, not to mention the same blue eyes and the same complexion. Still, Chloe thought that the silver 夹克 suited her personality better.
Riley laughed. "That's a great idea. Except we came to the mall to do some last-minute 圣诞节 shopping, remember? For other people?"
"Fine. I'll buy 你 the 橙子, 橙色 夹克 for Christmas, and 你 can buy me the silver one. They're only-" Chloe paused to check out the price tag. She let out a small scream when she saw the triple digits. "Aargh! I mean, they're a tiny bit 更多 expensive than I thought."
"Maybe we should wait for the January sales," Riley suggested.
"But we're leaving for Vail on Saturday!" Chloe groaned. "We have everything else we need . . . new snowboards, hats and scarves, the coolest sunglasses. But we still need the perfect jackets. And these jackets are really special. They have personal stereo systems inside with headphones sewn into the hoods. We could listen to our fave CDs while we tear up moguls."
Chloe and Riley were leaving for Vail, Colorado, in three days. Their mother, Macy, was taking them to the famous ski resort for their holiday vacation. Chloe couldn't wait to hit the slopes with her new snowboard. And she couldn't wait to see snow. At 首页 in Malibu, California, there was nothing but sunshine and warm, balmy weather almost 365 days a year. Which was nothing to complain about. Still, there was something special about seeing snowflakes falling gently onto a pure white landscape.
The three of them also planned to visit the resort's spa for lots of post-skiing massages and beauty treatments. Chloe had read online that the spa's pineapple-papaya facials were to die for.
"Let's go 下一个 door to Video Planet and get some DVDs for Dad," Riley said, tucking her arm through Chloe's. "That will get our minds off the--hey, look at those awesome black ski pants!"
"Oh, we have to get them!" Chloe cried out.
Ten 分钟 and lots of cash transactions later--the pants were thirty percent off--Chloe and Riley managed to tear themselves away from Powderhounds.
They stopped to look at a flyer for Surf Expo 发布 on the 墙 outside the door. "I guess we're going to miss that when we go to Vail," Riley 说 sadly.
"I know you've been looking 前锋, 期待 to it since last year, but trust me . . . once 你 hit the slopes, 你 won't miss it at all," Chloe said, as they turned to go into Video Planet.
Chloe shifted her shopping bag from one arm to the other as she scanned the shelves of DVDs. "So what would Dad like?"
Riley pointed to several titles and read them out loud. "Beach Yoga for Your Health. The Meat-Free Gourmet. Spirituality after Forty."
chloe pretended to yawn. "Okay. As long as we don't have to watch them with him when we stay over at his place."
[CHLOE: SEE, MOM AND DAD ARE SEPARATED. THEY DECIDED TO 分裂, 拆分 UP WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT THEY LIVE AT TWO DIFFERENT SPEEDS. 你 KNOW THE STORY OF THE 乌龟, 龟 AND THE HARE? WELL, DAD IS THE TORTOISE; MOM IS THE HARE--ON CAFFEINE. RILEY AND I LIVE WITH MOM IN OUR 海滩 HOUSE IN MALIBU. DAD DECIDED HE PREFERRED THE SIMPLE LIFE IN HIS SMALL TRAILER 由 THE OCEAN. HE'S INTO YOGA, MEDITATION, AND HEALTHY FOODS WITH STRANGE NAMES.]
Riley grinned and put the three DVDs into a shopping basket. The sisters continued to browse. Riley found some 电影院 for her best friend, Sierra. Chloe found a special three-DVD set for her boyfriend, Lennon, of his 最喜爱的 TV show. It cost 更多 than she had wanted to spend, but Lennon was so worth it.
"Hey, Chloe! What are 你 doing here?"
Chloe's head flew up at the sound of the familiar voice.
Lennon was standing in front of her.
Chloe stifled a gasp and whipped the DVD set behind her back.
[CHLOE: OKAY, THIS IS WHAT 你 CALL BAD TIMING. DID LENNON SEE MY PRESENT FOR HIM? DID I BLOW HIS BIG 圣诞节 SURPRISE?]
Lennon leaned to 吻乐队(Kiss) her. Chloe noticed that he was holding something behind his back, too.
"Hi, Lennon," Chloe said, enjoying the kiss. "What are 你 doing here?"
"Uh-just picking out some DVDs for my mom," Lennon 说 quickly.
"That's what we're doing, too! We're picking out some DVDs for our dad," Chloe said. "No one else. Just our dad."
"That's cool," Lennon said. "Hey, Riley."
"Hey, Lennon," Riley 说 with a little wave.
Lennon turned back to Chloe. "Listen, I was going to call you. Are 你 free Friday night? Do 你 want to go out with me and my parents? We want to take 你 out for a special good-bye 晚餐 before 你 leave for Vail."
"I'd 爱情 to," Chloe 说 eagerly. "Is this going to be fancy 或者 casual?"
"Definitely fancy," Lennon replied. "I'll call 你 about it later, okay?"
"'kay."
Lennon gave her another kiss, then took off. Chloe noticed him quickly shifting whatever he had been holding behind his back so that she couldn't see it.
"Did 你 catch what he's getting for me?" Chloe whispered to Riley.
Riley laughed and shook her head. "No! Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
Chloe laughed, too. "What kind of sister are you?" she teased. "Anyway, we'd better knock some 更多 stuff off our shopping list, 或者 we'll be here all night."
"Slumber party at the mall. Doesn't sound so bad," Riley remarked.
"True," Chloe agreed.
* * *
"Okay, check out my snowboarding technique," Riley called out to her sister.
Chloe made a face. "Huh? In case 你 haven't noticed, we're in Malibu. In our living room. And it's seventy degrees outside."
"You are such a skeptic. Watch and learn from the master!"
Riley walked to the hall closet and got out her trusty old surfboard. Then she put it on the living room floor and stepped onto it. Bending her knees slightly, she began swaying back and forth, as though she were zooming down a double-black-diamond slope.
"Okay. 你 have officially 迷失 your mind," Chloe said, giggling.
Riley giggled, too. She knew she looked like a freak-especially since she was wearing her brand-new black ski pants with the 标签 still on them with a 粉, 粉色 tank top. But she was really excited about their upcoming trip to Vail. She couldn't wait to glide down a mountain of pure, white, frosty snow with a brisk winter wind whipping through her hair. She wanted to brush up on her snowboarding skills-even if it was on the wrong kind of board and in her living room in Malibu!
Just then the phone rang. Chloe reached over to the coffee 表 and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hey." Chloe covered the mouthpiece. "Oh, Ms. Snowboarding Queen, it's for you! It's Charlie."
Riley stepped off her board. Charlie was her boyfriend-i.e., her fave guy in the entire world.
Riley took the phone from Chloe. "Hey," she 说 happily.
"Hey. What are 你 doing?"
Riley glanced at her surfboard. "You don't want to know. What are 你 doing?"
"I was just thinking about how much I'm going to miss 你 while you're in Vail."
Riley's 心 melted. Charlie was so sweet. "I'm going to miss you, too," she 说 softly. "I wish I could clone myself! Then I could go to Vail and stay here at the same time. We could hang out and have movie-fests at my house. 或者 we could hang out at your house and have movie-fests there," she added. She had never been to his house. In fact, she had never met most of his family.
"Yeah, that would be so great," Charlie agreed.
Then Riley had a sudden inspiration. "Hey! I'm free now. I mean, like, an 小时 from now, after Chloe and I 包, 换行 the bazillion 圣诞节 presents we bought today," she said, catching her sister's glare. "Maybe I could come over?"
"Uh, no . . . I mean . . . why don't I come to your house instead?" Charlie 说 quickly.
Riley frowned. This was the third 或者 fourth time this had happened. Whenever she suggested that she go to his house, he'd insist on coming to her house instead.
But she didn't want to be pushy. "Um, sure," she said. "See 你 at, like, four?"
"Great. I'll see 你 then."
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Okay, let's get to work. We have major wrapping to do," Chloe 说 as soon as Riley hung up. "And if 你 have time before your 爱情 bunny comes over, I need 你 to help me pick out something to wear Friday night."
爱情 bunny? Riley thought.
"You mean for your big 日期 with Lennon and his parents?" she 说 out loud. "It sounds like they're going to take 你 someplace really fancy. Are 你 nervous?"
"No, I've met his parents lots of times," Chloe said.
"You are so lucky," Riley said. "Lennon's a great guy. Charlie's great too, but I haven't even met his family. Except for his dad, and that was at his alternative CD store, not at their house."
"I'm sure it'll happen soon," Chloe 说 sympathetically.
"You know your relationship is rock-solid when a guy introduces 你 to his parents." Riley sighed. "So why haven't I met Charlie's family? Does this mean we're not rock-solid?"
"You're worrying way too much," Chloe said, grabbing a roll of shiny red paper. "Come on, get into the 圣诞节 spirit! We have tons of wrapping to do, and-"
She was interrupted 由 the sound of the front door opening. Car keys jingled. High heels tapped briskly across the floor. It was their mother, Macy.
Macy Carlson walked into the living room. Riley thought her mom looked even 更多 harried than usual. She was talking into two cell phones at once, one at each ear. Her white business suit had a big coffee stain down the front of it.
"Yes, yes, get me on the twelve-fifteen," Macy barked into one of the phones. "No, that order is going to have to wait. Something's come up," she barked into the other one.
Riley and Chloe exchanged a glance. What's up with Mom? Riley wondered.
Macy clicked off both phones and smiled apologetically at her daughters. "Hello, sweeties," she said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"Chloe is cooking 晚餐 tonight?" Riley joked. Chloe threw a 枕头 at her, which Riley ducked.
Their mother frowned. She looked upset. "I'm so sorry to have to tell 你 this, but our trip to Vail is off!"