Free Beneath the Glitter: A Novel (Sophia and Ava London) by Elle Fowler, Blair Fowler Page A

throw him away. One of our volunteers rescued him from a Dumpster—”
    Sophia swallowed hard. “Maybe we should see him. In case we know someone who might want him.”
    Dalton held the door open. Sophia went first, then Ava. “Did you do that on purpose?” she whispered.
    He gave her a deadpan look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Thank you,” she said. She smiled. “Really.”
    “Don’t thank me.” He followed her in. “Sign up—”
    “Give me the forms,” she said, nearly ripping the clipboard out of his hand.
    She’d barely finished filling in the sign-up form when Sophia emerged from the back of the shelter, cradling a little white puffball of a kitten no bigger than her hand in the crook of her arm. She looked up at Ava and there were tears in her eyes. “Isn’t he wonderful?” she said.
    Although Sophia insisted on holding him in her lap, Dalton carried a box for the kitten out to the car. “What are you going to call him?” he asked.
    “I don’t know yet,” Sophia said, tickling him under his chin. “Maybe Winter since he’s white. Or Marshmallow.”
    “Or Magic,” Ava suggested, looking at how her sister was glowing.
    Dalton shrugged. “You could always name him after me.”
    “It wouldn’t be fair to name him Trouble,” Ava said, turning on the engine. “He seems too nice for that.”
    “Maybe your sister should name it after you then.”
    “What? Smarty Pants?” Ava said.
    “That’s not what I had in mind.” Dalton put his hand through the window and caressed the kitten on the head. “Be good.”
    “What did you have in mind?” Ava asked.
    Dalton backed away from the car and slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “You’ll figure it out. Nice meeting you, Sophia.”
    “You too.”
    “Could he be any more annoying?” Ava demanded as they drove home. “What do you think he meant?”
    “I don’t know. Bossy. Nosy. Sneaky.” Sophia looked up. “No wait, I’ve got it. Best little sister in the world.”
    Ava’s chest suddenly went tight and her eyes welled up.
    “Thank you,” Sophia said. “For taking such good care of me.”
     
    LonDOs
    Sophia’s new kitten (even if she can’t decide what to call it)
    LIAM CARLSON!
    Guys with long eyelashes
    LIKE LIAM CARLSON!
    Guys with nice forearms
    Little sisters
    Big sisters
    Getting home and learning we’ve been invited to the Tastemakers Dance!!!!
    LIAM CARLSON’S TEXTS
     
    LonDON’Ts
    Boys who wear I ♥ TV T-shirts
    Surfers
    People who deface other people’s writing
    White fur mysteriously showing up on black BCBG minidresses
    Bashing into the coffee table while making up a celebratory We Are Teen Tastemakers!!! dance
    Sisters who instead of leaping up to get the first aid kit, sit on the couch saying to their new kitten, “Look how silly Ava is,” and laughing so hard they get the hiccups when people bash into coffee tables
    Sisters who should be working but instead are distracted all afternoon by texting boys
    What?
    (That is not funny)
    (Really? Because I kind of thought—excuse me, gotta go)

8
    slapaccino
    Sophia might not have been able to decide on a name for her kitten but Popcorn clearly had a few ideas of his own. Based on his behavior those included “Get away from me,” “Why would someone do this to me,” “The imposition,” “The unwelcome visitor,” and “Don’t forget to take this out with the trash.”
    Naturally, the kitten adored him.
    “There’s probably a lesson here for us,” Sophia observed a few days later, watching Munchkin tag along at Popcorn’s heels despite Popcorn’s indifference.
    “The lesson would be—”
    “The more you give someone the cold shoulder, the more they’ll follow you around. It’s about being aloof.”
    “Or in Popcorn’s case, awoof,” Ava offered.
    Sophia nodded but didn’t seem to be getting the joke. “And less available. Like I bet Popcorn wouldn’t text all the time.”
    “Oh, I get it. You think I