The Princess Sisters (The Princess Sisters Series) (25 page)

Sneak peek of “Frogs
& Toads”

“Wait! 
Shhhhhh!  It’s starting!”

Aurora
and Ariel stopped talking mid-conversation and turned their focus to the TV. 
Belle picked up the remote and turned up the volume as the theme song began
playing a dramatic tune.  Without moving her eyes away from the screen,
Cinderella passed a bag of peanut butter M&M’s to Snow White, who was
sitting beside her on the couch.  Their eyes were completely glued to the
screen during the opening scene for their new favorite show.

School
had only started a few weeks ago, but this new teen drama was the only thing
anyone was talking about.  The cousins had turned it on the first night out of
curiosity, and were instantly hooked.  Now, every Thursday night, a similar
scene was found in Belle’s basement as the girls gathered to laugh, gasp, and
ogle at the super-hot teacher on the screen.  Then as soon as the first
commercial started, the girls began talking again as if there had been no
delay. 

“Oh,
this show is so good!  Why do they have to ruin everything with dumb
commercials?”

“To
make us anticipate what’s coming even more.”

“We
could always set the DVR to record
Locker Partners
, and just watch it
later. That way we could fast forward the commercials,” Snow White suggested.

Ariel
looked at her like she had gone crazy. 

“And
just stare at the clock for an hour while we wait for it to record?
Seriously?!”

“I
dunno you guys, I think I can make it through some lousy commercials to get to
see Lucas Ferreira for an hour,” Aurora stated.

Her
cousins all nodded with enthusiastic agreement.  Then the show came back on and
the room went silent once again.  The show returned with Mr. Ferreira himself,
leaning over a beautiful blonde student as he helped with her writing
assignment.  The girls simultaneously sighed, not one of them noticing the
others, as they all wished for a
Freaky Friday
moment to transport them
into that girl’s shoes.  Everything from his tan skin to his dark hair and eyes
reflected his Latino roots.  But his flawless American accent indicated he was
second generation.

His
character grinned down at the student when she found success, revealing his
perfect white teeth smile, embellished by a dimple on the right side.  His
dark, long lashes winked right into the camera during a close-up shot and Snow
White actually giggled.  She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment,
looking around, but her cousins were too lost in his charming voice to notice.

When
the show went to another commercial break, the girls were quickly broken free
of their trance and resumed conversation.

“So
have you heard from Prince Charming since Lagoon?” Belle asked.  This is what
they had taken to calling Scott since his sudden show of affection at the park.

“No,”
Cinderella said, looking down.  “It’s all kinda awkward with the whole Jenny
thing...” she trailed off.

“So
no phone call, text, nothing since that day?” Aurora asked, reaching for
another handful of chocolate.

“Nothing.
He did apologize that night though.”  Cinderella had her cousins’ full
attention now.

“Apologized?”
Ariel asked.

“It
was as we were leaving the park late that night.  He hung back a little bit and
just said he was sorry for not telling me about Jenny.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me about that?” Snow White asked, indignant.

“It
was weird, and a little awkward.  I’m not sure why he felt a need to
apologize.”

“He
led you on last year, and then you guys have been talking a lot.  Don’t tell me
he couldn’t find a moment in one of your conversations to mention he had
started dating someone!  He owes you way more than an apology!” Aurora shouted.

“I
still think you can win him back,” Ariel stated.  “I say you just grab his face
and kiss the crap out of him!”

Cinderella
was relieved when the show came back on at that moment, pulling the attention
off of her once again.  She didn’t want to reiterate how she had tried that
technique once already, only to be shot down.

At
the next commercial break, Cinderella fired off a question before the
conversation even had a chance to return to her and Scott.

“What
do you think it would be like having a teacher like that?”

“Oh,
I would definitely pay better attention in school if all my teachers looked
like Mr. Ferreira!” Aurora said emphatically.

“I
dunno,” Belle paused.  “I think I would be daydreaming so much, I’d probably
fail all my classes!”

“Only
one way to find out,” Ariel piped in.  When the others looked at her
quizzically she continued.  “At your next SBO meeting, you’ll have to put in a
request to hire Lucas Ferreira as the new English teacher, Belle.”

Cinderella
and Aurora both launched pillows in Ariel’s direction, who laughed in return.

“If
only I had that power!” Belle replied.

Then
the show returned with its final climatic minutes, filled with cliff hangers to
keep the viewers wanting more, and insuring their return next week.

Mary
came walking down the stairs after getting off work and paused at the bottom
step.  “Hey Belle, I need you to−”

“Shhhhh!”
all five girls shouted.

“Well,
this must be some show!” Mary said more quietly.

“Hold
on Mom, you haven’t seen the best part yet,” Belle said.  “There!” she pointed
to the screen as the gorgeous actor appeared.  “Isn’t he great?”

Mary
stood frozen to the spot.  Usually she was the first to agree with the girls
when it came to cute guys, and her sudden silence caused them all to turn in
their seats.

“Mary?”
Cinderella asked.  “Is something wrong?”

“He…”
Mary started, but was unable to continue.  She reached out for the handrail and
sat slowly on the bottom step, never taking her eyes off the screen.

“He
plays one of the high school teachers,” Ariel said, looking at Mary
quizzically.  “His name is−”

“Luke
Ferreira,” Mary finished, breathlessly.  She could feel the room spinning
around her and was glad she had chosen to sit.

Belle
looked at her mother curiously.  “Yeah, how did you know?”

“Because,”
Mary answered, pointing at the TV.  “That is your father.”

About the Author

Stacy
Lynn Carroll has always loved telling stories.  She started out at Utah State
University where she pursued a degree in English, learned how to western swing,
and watched as many of her fellow students became ‘True Aggies’.  She then
finished her BA at the University of Utah where she got an emphasis in creative
writing.  After college she worked as an administrative assistant, where she
continued to write stories for the amusement of her co-workers.  When her first
daughter was born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her
job and became a full-time mommy and writer.  She and her husband have three children,
two Corgis, and a fish named Don.

If you enjoyed
this book, Stacy would love and appreciate your reviews on Amazon and
Goodreads! She also loves to make new friends! Follow her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorstacylynncarroll

Twitter:
@StacyLCarroll

Or visit her
website: www.stacylynncarroll.com