Free Winter White by Jen Calonita Page A

year.”
    “What?” Izzie’s voice reached maximum volume again.
    “We only plan a few events a year,” Mira repeated. “That’s how the club has always worked. Our parties are so good, we don’t have to plan more than that.”
    “But you meet weekly!” Izzie was flabbergasted. “And we raised so much money at the Falling into You Fest! Think about how much good we could do with even more events. I’m not talking about more lame dances, either,” she said before Mira could even suggest it. “There are so many easy ways we can raise money. We could do a car wash at the school for parents. We could have a takeout night where we cook so the parents don’t have to. Not that the parents around here actually cook, but you get the idea.” Her eyes were bright with excitement. “We could have a babysitting night in the sports complex. Parents could drop off their younger kids for a flat fee that is cheaper than a sitter and…”
    Mira let Izzie rattle off at least five more smart ideasbefore stopping her. “These are good. Why didn’t you bring them up at the meeting?”
    Izzie looked down, her hair covering her eyes. “I don’t know. I just ran the fall fest. I can’t exactly suggest all the other events, too.” She looked at Mira pensively. “But I was hoping if you opened the meeting up to ideas, I could have at least mentioned one.”
    Mira frowned. “I didn’t have any ideas. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Besides, I didn’t want to sit there and listen to Savannah shoot down everything I said. It’s bad enough that I have to stare at her smug face all day in class and—”
    “You’re cochair of a charity club,” Izzie snapped. “You’re going to have to think about something other than your own problems sometimes.”
    Mira rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Can we just get out of here?” All she wanted to do was go home, put on a DVR’d episode of
The Bachelorette
, and eat a Twinkie.
    Izzie grabbed Mira’s arm and gave her “the look.” That’s what Mira called it. The one that said Izzie didn’t believe a word coming out of her mouth, and she wanted real answers. She could be such a bully that way. Must be a Harborside thing.
    “Promise me you won’t let Savannah get to you,” Izzie asked. “There are already enough people in this town who are scared of that girl. We don’t need to add one more to the list.” The two stood in the nearly deserted courtyard and stared at each other.
    “I’m not afraid of her,” Mira said, even as her hazel eyes darted back and forth.
    “She’s not out here,” Izzie said, reading her thoughts. “Everyone seems to be at the football game.” Izzie looked in the direction of the stadium and sighed. “I think watching football is about as fun as rubbing sandpaper on a wall, but I promised Brayden I’d go. Want to come? Violet and Nicole are going, too.”
    Oh, how their roles had been reversed. Izzie had people to hang out with, and she had none. The stadium was on the other side of campus, but Mira could picture her former friends there having a good time without her. “I’m not in the mood to have fun.”
    Izzie seemed baffled. “I never heard you say that before. What’s with you? Why won’t you stand up to Savannah?”
    “Because I’m not like you, okay?” Mira snapped. She was done with the Savannah conversation already. “I’m not ready to take on the world by myself!”
    “What does that mean?” Izzie looked at her quizzically.
    “Just forget it,” Mira said. She was embarrassing herself, and she hated that. Izzie said and did what she wanted and didn’t care what the fallout was. Not everyone had the guts to act that way.
    “Poor Mira.” Izzie pretended to pout, which only irritated Mira more. “So you’re not number two on the food chain at EP anymore. People still like you—probably betternow than they did when you hung out with Savannah. You’re just too wrapped up in your own pity party to see it.”
    “If