Candace Bushnell - The Carrie Diaries Complete Collection

Chapter One
A Princess on Another Planet

Chapter Two
The Integer Crowd

Chapter Three
Double Jeopardy

Chapter Four
The Big Love

Chapter Five
Rock Lobsters

Chapter Six
Bad Chemistry

Chapter Seven
Paint the Town Red

Chapter Eight
The Mysteries of Romance

Chapter Nine
The Artful Dodger

Chapter Ten
Rescue Me

Chapter Eleven
Competition

Chapter Twelve
You Cant Always Get What You Want

Chapter Thirteen
Creatures of Love

Chapter Fourteen
Hang in There

Chapter Fifteen
Little Criminals

Chapter Sixteen
How Far Will You Go?

Chapter Seventeen
Bait and Switch

Chapter Eighteen
Cliques Are Made to Be Broken

Chapter Nineteen
Ch-ch-ch-changes

Chapter Twenty
Slippery Slopes

Chapter Twenty-One
The Wall

Chapter Twenty-Two
Dancing Fools

Chapter Twenty-Three
The Assumption of X

Chapter Twenty-Four
The Circus Comes to Town

Chapter Twenty-Five
Lockdown at Bralcatraz

Chapter Twenty-Six
The S-H-I-T Hits the Fan

Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Girl Who...

Chapter Twenty-Eight
Pretty Pictures

Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Gorgon

Chapter Thirty
Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Thirty-One
Pinky Takes Castlebury

Chapter Thirty-Two
The Nerd Prince

Chapter Thirty-Three
Hold On to Your Panties

Chapter Thirty-Four
Transformation

Chapter Thirty-Five
A Free Man in Paris

They say a lot can happen in a summer.

Or not.

Its the first day of senior year, and as far as I can tell, Im exactly the same as I was last year.

And so is my best friend, Lali.

Dont forget, Bradley, we have to get boyfriends this year, she says, starting the engine of the red pickup truck she inherited from one of her older brothers.

Crap. We were supposed to get boyfriends last year and we didnt. I open the door and scoot in, sliding the letter into my biology book, where, I figure, it can do no more harm. Cant we give this whole boyfriend thing a rest? We already know all the boys in our school. And

Actually, we dont, Lali says as she slides the gear stick into reverse, glancing over her shoulder. Of all my friends, Lali is the best driver. Her father is a cop and insisted she learn to drive when she was twelve, in case of an emergency.

I hear theres a new kid, she says.

So? The last new kid who came to our school turned out to be a stoner who never changed his overalls.

Jen P says hes cute. Really cute.

Uh-huh. Jen P was the head of Leif Garretts fan club in sixth grade. If he actually is cute, Donna LaDonna will get him.

He has a weird name, Lali says. Sebastian something. Sebastian Little?

Sebastian Kydd? I gasp.

Thats it, she says, pulling into the parking lot of the high school. She looks at me suspiciously. Do you know him?

I hesitate, my fingers grasping the door handle.

My heart pounds in my throat; if I open my mouth, Im afraid it will jump out.

I shake my head.

Were through the main door of the high school when Lali spots my boots. Theyre white patent leather and theres a crack on one of the toes, but theyre genuine go-go boots from the early seventies. I figure the boots have had a much more interesting life than I have. Bradley, she says, eyeing the boots with disdain. As your best friend, I cannot allow you to wear those boots on the first day of senior year.

Too late, I say gaily. Besides, someones got to shake things up around here.

Dont go changing. Lali makes her hand into a gun shape, kisses the tip of her finger, and points it at me before heading for her locker.

Good luck, Angel, I say. Changing . Ha. Not much chance of that. Not after the letter.

Dear Ms. Bradshaw, it read.

Thank you for your application to the New Schools Advanced Summer Writing Seminar. While your stories show promise and imagination, we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the program at this time.

I got the letter last Tuesday. I reread it about fifteen times, just to be sure, and then I had to lie down. Not that I think Im so talented or anything, but for once in my life, I was hoping I was.

I didnt tell anyone about it, though. I didnt even tell anyone Id applied, including my father. He went to Brown and expects me to go there, too. He thinks Id make a good scientist. And if I cant hack molecular structures, I can always go into biology and study bugs.

Im halfway down the hall when I spot Cynthia Viande and Tommy Brewster, Castleburys golden Pod couple. Tommy isnt too bright, but he is the center on the basketball team. Cynthia, on the other hand, is senior class president, head of the prom committee, an outstanding member of the National Honor Society, and got all the Girl Scout badges by the time she was ten. She and Tommy have been dating for three years. I try not to give them much thought, but alphabetically, my last name comes right before Tommys, so Im stuck with the locker next to his and stuck sitting next to him in assembly, and therefore basically stuck seeing himand Cynthiaevery day.

And dont make those goofy faces during assembly, Cynthia scolds. This is a very important day for me. And dont forget about Daddys dinner on Saturday.

What about my party? Tommy protests.

You can have the party on Friday night, Cynthia snaps.

There could be an actual person inside Cynthia, but if there is, Ive never seen it.

I swing open my locker. Cynthia suddenly looks up and spots me. Tommy gives me a blank stare, as if he has no idea who I am, but Cynthia is too well brought up for that. Hello, Carrie, she says, like shes thirty years old instead of seventeen.

Changing. Its hard to pull off in this little town.

Welcome to hell school, a voice behind me says.

Its Walt. Hes the boyfriend of one of my other best friends, Maggie. Walt and Maggie have been dating for two years, and the three of us do practically everything together. Which sounds kind of weird, but Walt is like one of the girls.