NICOLE ANDELFINGER • CLAUDIA AGUIRRE BEST FRIENDS ®
BEST FRIENDS
Also by Francine Pascal
Sweet Valley Twins
Sweet Valley High
Sweet Valley University
Sweet Valley Confidential
Fearless
MyFirstLoveandOtherDisasters
Save Johanna!
LittleCrewofButchers
La Villa
Also by Nicole Andelfinger
PowerRangersUniverse with Simone Ragazzoni
TheDragonPrince:BloodmoonHuntress with Felia Hanakata
AThiefAmongtheTrees:AnEmberintheAshesGraphicNovel with Sabaa Tahir & Sonia Liao
ASparkWithintheForge:AnEmberintheAshesGraphicNovel with Sabaa Tahir & Sonia Liao
Also by Claudia Aguirre
Hotel Dare with Terry Blas
LifetimePasses with Terry Blas
BEST FRIENDS
Created and story by Francine Pascal
Adaptation written by Nicole Andelfinger
Illustrated by Claudia Aguirre
Colors by Sara Hagstrom
Andrea Bell
Letters by Warren Montgomery
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First published in the United States by RH Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York This edition published in the UK by Puf n Books 2024 001
Text copyright © Francine Pascal, 2022
Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © Claudia Aguirre, 2022 Designed by Patrick Crotty
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Printed and bound in China
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ISBN: 978–0–241–68979–0
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To my daughters, Jamie, Laurie, and Susan –F.P.
1
Lizzie! Wait up!
| thought you were waiting by the water fountain!
LIZ!
2
What gives?
We always walk home together!
| was in a hurry, Jess.
Elizabeth, are you mad at me?
3
Me, mad? What would | be mad about?
Definitely not you taking my brand-new binder without asking, or how you made me late for science today, or the gum you got in my hairbrush!
Even you have to admit, that’s a pretty normal week for us. | actually thought you were going to leave me behind this time!
|t’s not you, Jess--it’s those girls. The Unicorn Club. What about them? We just don’t have anything in common, that’s all, | guess.
You don’t have anything in common with Lois Waller, either, and you get along fine with her!
4
Yeah, but Lois is nice.
| still can’t believe Lois even tries. Have you seen her in gym? She’s last in everything! She brings the whole class down just by being there!
That’s an awful thing to say. You’re sounding more and more like the Unicorns every day, Jess.
She’s boring . Have you even tried talking to her?
| mean, she spoke to me last week in the locker room.
5
Yup. She said be safe and dinner’s at five .
|t’s not mean if it’s true.
Lila Fowler has her own phone, you know.
That’s even meaner. Okay, okay…you let Mom know we’re on our way back, right?
6
Of course she does. Lila probably has three! One for school, one for home, and one for, | dunno, something.
You have to admit it’d be nice to have your own. Then you could stop complaining about me texting on it all the time!
|t would be nice to not have to share.
But it’d be a waste of money. After all, we’d just talk to each other, right? And we can do that for free every day.
Yeah...
7
Well, he finally said yes!
Well, he finally said yes!
Oh, uh, | was planning on practicing ballet tonight. We can start on it tonight!
Oh, uh, | was planning on practicing ballet tonight. We can start on it tonight!
Speaking of every day...remember how I’ve been talking to Mr. Bowman practically every lunch period about my newspaper idea?
Speaking of every day...remember how I’ve been talking to Mr. Bowman practically every lunch period about my newspaper idea?
Tomorrow at lunch, then?
Tomorrow at lunch, then?
8
Oooh, | don’t know...
Okay, well, we can brainstorm when we get home. |’m busy then too.
Busy for how long? You don’t want to do the newspaper, do you?
9
You were always a better writer than me. | wouldn’t know what to write about, and you’ll have more fun with it than | would.
| can’t wait to read it, though!
Yeah, okay.
10
Are there any cookies left?
Though me what?
Check the pantry. Though Steven--
11
|’m shocked there’s even any food left in the house with the way you eat!
Dressed like what?
Cute outfits.
Nothing, if you like having double vision. Don’t you think you two are a bit old to be dressing the same?
And |’m surprised you two are still leaving the house dressed like that.
What’s the matter with them?
12
No! Yeah, but it would take a detective to figure out who is who.
|t’s a twin thing. You wouldn’t get it.
Lila! Okay, give me the details! Oh, okay... Ha. Ha. That’s for me! Who even is this number--
You’re Jessica, right?
13
| KNOW! | can’t believe she showed up in that, either! Right? No, you’re totally right!
14
Right, but listen, | gotta go.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
|’ll definitely see you at school tomorrow.
Okay, byeeee!
That was Lila Fowler.
She was telling me about the Unicorn Club. | mean, you’ve heard of it. |t’s only the most amazing--
What did she want?
You mean boring.
|t is not!
Lila’s cousin, Janet Howell, leads it, and only the coolest, most interesting people can join.
15