Is Bridgeport big enough for Kae, Robyn, Alex and Jasmine? They're all beautiful, captivating, and a little bit crazy... but there can be only one It Girl.
[ Based on the It Girl series by Cecily Von Ziegesar ]
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Le Petit Coq, the lone fancy restaurant in all of downtown Rhinecliff, was in an unassuming two-story farmhouse near the far end of Main Street, a house someone's grandmother might live in. Because the town's other dining options included a couple of pizza places, a deli where all the sandwiches were named after dead celebrities, an Indian restaurant the size of a closet, and a Subway, Le Petit Coq was the restaurant of choice for parental visits. Bridgeport students rarely went there on their own, so it was always a treat to go when parents were in town—your own or someone else's.
"Stop looking so nervous." Jasmine nudged Robyn in the side as they approached the steps to the restaurant. Through the gauzy curtains on the windows, the shadowy figures of well-dressed women and men in dark blazers were visible at the candlelit tables. "You're not the one having dinner with the dean."
"You're not the one having dinner with your ex-boyfriend—and his father!" Robyn countered.
"True." Jasmine was wearing a black silk shirt-dress, unbuttoned halfway down the front to allow just the right amount of skin to peek out. An ivory cashmere shawl was wound expertly around her shoulders. She tapped the toes of her Fendi patent leather stilettos. "But that's no excuse for being late."
Robyn took in a deep breath of the cool evening air and wrapped her arms around herself. She looked perfectly elegant in a plaid pencil skirt and matching top with a keyhole opening that she kept playing with. But she was definitely nervous.
Jasmine sighed. She knew this was a big deal for Robyn. They hadn't actually talked about it, but Robyn had to be secretly hoping that this dinner was the first step to getting Chris back. And for once, Jasmine didn't have much advice to offer. Chris had to know he was complicating things by inviting Robyn out to an expensive, intimate dinner with his father. And not mentioning it to Kae? What was wrong with that boy? It almost made her like him even more....
Jasmine grabbed Robyn's hand as she was about to start biting her fingernails. "You look fabulous, honey. You're going to dazzle them." She gave Robyn a quick kiss on her cheek and squeezed her damp hand. "You go in ... I'm just going to stand out here for another minute and collect myself."
Robyn gave her a quick smile. "Somehow I know you're going to enjoy yourself."
Jasmine stepped into the vestibule and scanned the first dining area for her dinner companions. As expected, at 8:05 on the Friday night of Trustee Weekend, the place was packed. A gray-haired maitre d' with a fake French accent asked who she might be looking for, and she followed him to her table. The floors were slightly crooked and creaked whenever you moved, but the walls were covered with deep red wallpaper, and the whole first floor was made up of a dozen small rooms that had been turned into dining areas, creating intimate, quirky spaces. It was a little stuffy—gilded gold mirrors in the bathrooms, the scent of lilac heavy in the air—but Jasmine loved it.
"Voilà, mademoiselle!" the waiter said as he presented Jasmine to the small round table where Mr. Graham, Dean Marymount, Aubrey, and Rakim were already seated. They stood to greet her.
