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“I’ cupcakes for Kitty’s PTA bake sale and Peter’s helping,” I say

My dad nods “Are you hungry, Peter? I have plenty” He lifts the bag “Shri pao chicken”

“Actually, Lara Jean and I were going to stop by our friend’s party,” Peter says “If that would be okay? I’ll bring her back early”

Before my dad can answer, I say to Peter, “I told you I have to finish these cupcakes”

“Kitty and I will finish theo to that birthday party”

My stomach flips “It’s really okay, Daddy I have to be the one to do theure it out You can go get changed We’ll keep working on these cupcakes”

I open and close ht, then” And I don’t make a move, I just stand there, because I’ether

Peter sot this covered”

I think, Don’t act too confident, because then ant

There are certain outfits you have that ood every time you wear them, and then there are outfits where you wore them too many times in a row because you liked the at e My anxiety is only co the exact right thing, because she alears the exact right thing And I have to be wearing the right thing too Peter wouldn’t have co to this party if it weren’t important to him

I pull on my jeans and try on different tops—a frilly peach one that suddenly looks prissy in uin on it that looks too kiddish I’ray shorts with black suspenders when sorab a sweater to cover myself up

“Lara Jean?” It’s Peter

“Yes?”

“Are you alo downstairs I’ll be down soon”

He lets out an audible sigh “Okay I’”

When I hear his footsteps walking away, I scramble and try a cream polka-dot blouse with the shorts-suspenders ensemble It’s cute, but is it too cute? Too ot said I look Parisian in this outfit Parisian is a good thing It’s sophisticated, romantic I try on a beret, just to see the effect, and I immediately throw it off Definitely too much

I wish Peter hadn’t snuck up on h truthfully, if he’d asked o It’s one thing to go to Tart and Tangy after school, but a party with all of Peter’s friends, not toforfor my strawberry lip pot that looks like a strawberry Gosh, I really need to cleanin this an, and I pass Kitty’s open door, where I see Peter and Kitty lying on the floor, working with her lab set I root through Margot’s sweater drahich is now T-shirts and shorts because she’s taken an But at the bottom of the drawer there is an envelope A letter, from Josh