The Unicorn Club #21: Snow Bunnies
The book starts with Ellen Riteman making sandwiches for the Unicorns without taking the wrapper off of the cheese slices. She makes a really lame joke about plastique cuisine being the new big thing. Jessica and Lila only smile but Rachel Grant laughs really hard. This is because she’s the only one who really “got” Ellen; the other Unicorns think “[she] is a klutz and a ditz. A nice klutz and a ditz. But a klutz and a ditz nonetheless.” Ellen and Rachel, who I never heard of before, are best friends.
Once everyone helps get the sandwich situation under control they raise them like wine glasses and make an “untoasted wheat toast” to the first annual Unicorn ski trip which will be held at Rachel’s father’s ski house at the Timberline Ski Resort. Rachel’s father and Ellen’s mother, who doesn’t trust Ellen alone around all the sharp objects and slick surfaces, will be chaperoning the trip. I guess the Unicorns - minus Rachel - aren’t the only ones who think Ellen is a klutzy ditz.
The phone rings and Rachel answers it even though it’s Ellen’s house because they are such close BFFs. On the line is Curtis Bowman, another character I have absolutely no recollection of and the love of Ellen’s life. Curtis has great news, he’s going to be at Timberline at the same time as the Unicorns. Ellen will be counting the miles (and minutes) until they see each other, but her mother isn’t as thrilled and wants to meet Curtis.
Once the other Unicorns leave, Ellen tells Rachel that she’s worried about Curtis meeting her mother because he’s the kind of guy that makes parents cringe - a world champion surfer with an accent and long hair. Oh yeah, he also has a peeling nose *cringe*. At the mention of world champion Rachel mentions Ben Mays, a world champion skier for whom her heart beats faster for. Ellen brings the conversation back to Curtis and the two devise a plan to hook their parents up so that Mrs. Riteman will be too busy with her own love life to butt into Ellen’s.
The girls put their plan into action at the airport and on the plane by talking up each others’ parent to their own. It doesn’t work. At the airport terminal they run into Curtis, who goes to hug Ellen, but when he is mere inches away she sidesteps him and hisses to pretend he doesn’t know her. Burn! Curtis is confused and bumps into Mrs. Riteman and Rachel. He says “’Scuuuuuse me” but Rachel and Mrs. Riteman are slightly annoyed and vaguely alarmed and want to get as far away from Curtis as possible. Rachel thinks he is a creep and can’t believe it when Ellen tells her that was Curtis.
When they get to Timberline they share their plan with the other Unicorns, who love some good scheming and are happy to help. They leave to go rent skis to give the adults some alone time by the fire. When they get to the rental place, Rachel sits by two strangers while the others get their skis. Because the ghostwriter wants Rachel to be alone so she can talk to these strangers, Lila has to rents ski poles because she forgot hers. Uh oh, imagine the face of that poor servant back at Fowler Crest whose job it was to pack the skis when he realizes his mistake.
Anyway the guy sitting next to Rachel, his name is Ethan. He is a beginner who is being forced to ski by his cousins. He’s cute, funny, and likes to read about Albert Einstein. He asks Rachel out a date, but before she can answer Ethan’s cousin approaches and OMG it’s Ben Mays! Ben asks Rachel for a date, right in front of his cousin. But it doesn’t matter because Rachel all ready forgot about Ethan, because who would want to go out with someone cute, smart and funny when you can date Ben Mays. In fact when her friends come over Rachel doesn’t even remember Ethan’s name when doing introductions. When the Unicorns are about to leave, Ethan tries one more time to get Rachel to have hot chocolate with him, she feels ashamed but still says no and Ben teases him for liking to read.
Outside the ski house Ellen and Rachel see Curtis approaching them so they wave him off because their parents are on the balcony and can see them. Poor Curtis, dissed again. At dinner that night the parent hookup plan seems to be going along nicely, Mr. Grant and Mrs. Riteman even split a piece of cheesecake. But when random pretty women start warmly greeting Mr. Grant, Ellen’s worried her mom might get hurt.
After dinner Rachel and Ellen delight in how their plan is working, but Ellen laments over Curtis. She “wonders if Curtis was missing her. And if so, why hadn’t he figured out a way to contact her?” Seriously? No wonder everyone thinks Ellen’s a ditz. Anyway she needn’t worry because just as she thinks that, a snowball pelts the window. It’s Curtis, but before they can really talk Ellen’s mom approaches. Ellen tells Curtis to sign up for tomorrow’s beginner class and shuts the window. Rachel and Ellen go to sleep and both wake up in the middle of the night and go to the window to talk. Outside they see their parents going for a moonlit stroll, hand and hand. Rachel’s ecstatic; Ellen’s slightly worried. They start calling each other sis :|
The next morning Rachel dresses in head to toe white, so the other skiers won’t see her, I mean because it’s fashionable. When she tells her dad she’s going to spend the day with Ben, he says it’s not a good idea. Rachel blames Ellen and her over-protective mother and her and Ellen fight. Rachel doesn’t want their parents to date anymore and that’s just fine with Ellen because Rachel’s dad is a player. Rachel storms out. The other Unicorns assure Ellen that they are not mad at her or her mom and they hit the slopes.
Ellen meets Ethan and Curtis at the beginner class and they bond while laughing at their instructor and his strictness. Meanwhile, Rachel is listening to Ben prattle on and on about himself with admiration as they go down an advanced intermediate trail. Rachel finally begins to tire of Ben talking about himself so when she thinks she sees Ethan she asks Ben about him. Ben says all he does is read then proceeds to speed down the slope and shove Ethan into a snow bank. Curtis doesn’t approve and trips Ben with his ski pole. The boys fight, Ellen throws a snowball at Rachel, Ethan throws one at the instructor, and a huge snowball fight erupts.
Security comes to break it up and Mrs. Riteman and Mr. Grant arrives just in time to stop them from hauling Ellen away and to meet Curtis. Not the best of first impressions. Curtis is blamed for the fight because the security team knows that Ben Mays has been coming to Timberline for years and he is no troublemaker. Rachel and Ben refuse to defend Curtis. When Ellen tries to go after Curtis, Mr. Grant grabs her arm and stops her. Ellen tells him not to tell her what to do; he’s not her father. Rachel says she wouldn’t let her dad marry Mrs. Riteman if she were the last woman on earth.
When they get back to the ski house, Rachel kicks Ellen out of her room and storms out. The other Unicorns help her move her stuff and try to comfort her about Curtis’ fate. Elsewhere, Rachel runs into Ethan and they go out for soup where she pumps him for information about Ben. On her way back to the house she sees Ellen kissing Curtis who has been freed and is hanging from a tree outside like a possum. Rachel decides to be a bitch and tells her dad about Curtis. Mr. Grant drags Curtis through the window, throws him out the front door and grounds Ellen. Mrs. Riteman doesn’t like Mr. Grant disciplining Ellen so she grounds her daughter herself.
Rachel brags about tattling, “And what can we learn from this? Don’t mess with Rachel Grant, that’s what.” The others move in to comfort Ellen but Rachel doesn’t seem to notice and continues on about how she ruined Ellen’s life nah-nah. As President of the Unicorns, Ellen quietly motions that Rachel be expelled from the club. Rachel is all ha-ha, you actually think they’re on your side, until Mandy seconds the motion and the others pass it.
Lila flips her hair and tells Rachel she’s just not Unicorn material. Rachel’s confused and asks why she’s getting thrown out when they all compete and fight with each other all the time. Now Rachel has a really good point here. Let’s see they have to say about that:
- Kimberly: No real Unicorn would rat on a friend.
- Mandy: No real Unicorn would stand in the way of true romance
- Jessica: We do compete. Sometimes we go overboard and hurt each other by accident. But never on purpose. We’re friends. Don’t you get it? Friends
Hmm, I’m unconvinced, but Rachel runs out of the house crying and the Unicorns are proud of themselves for not putting up with meanness.
Ben catches up with Rachel and she tries to explain what happened to her but he doesn’t care and asks her if she wants to ski a black diamond course with him. She doesn’t have her skis so they rent some and head out. The course is too tough for Rachel but right when she’s about to tell Ben an avalanche comes and buries her. Ha, of course it does.
Back at the house everyone wonders where Rachel is, they are all supposed to be leaving soon because the trip’s been such a bust. When they hear about the avalanche, the girls run to make sure Rachel’s skis are still there. They are and just as they soon as they feel some relief Ethan comes and tells them Rachel is out skiing with Ben. Ellen is all NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back up on the mountain, Ben sees Rachel’s pink scarf and digs her out; Rachel vows to throw out all her white ski-wear. Ben makes dumb suggestions like screaming for help and splitting up, but Rachel vetoes them and the huddle together for warmth. She - also for warmth - tucks her pink scarf, the only thing people might actually see into her collar while they wait to be rescued. They try to stay awake by talking but Ben’s chatter about himself is putting Rachel to sleep. She realizes she might literally be bored to death. Heh. Ah but Ethan wasn’t boring so she tries to think about different things he said. She spots a helicopter a few different times but they never see her or Ben.
Back at the house, Curtis comes by asking if there is anything he can deuuuu. Mrs. Riteman starts to chew Curtis out but Ellen reminds her that Curtis saved her life and she hugs Ellen and Curtis is suddenly okay by her. Ellen sends Rachel a telepathic message of love through the sky before the kids pile into a rescue jeep to make themselves useful and entertain the younger kids in Ben’s family while they wait.
On the mountain Rachel gets the telepathic messages and it gives her a brain fart. She takes the scarf off and waves it around; the helicopter sees them and rescues them. When Rachel sees Mrs. Riteman at the hospital she gets all mad and jealous and starts screaming her head off hysterically. The doctor’s say it’s best that Rachel not have any visitors that will upset her.
The next morning the Unicorns, minus Ellen, visit Rachel in the hospital, and tell her she can be a unicorn again, Rachel tells them she got Ellen’s message of love through the sky and Ellen bursts through the door and they are BBFs again. Jessica’s kind of bummed that since Ellen and Rachel now have a super special telekinetic bond it makes hers and Liz’s super special telekinetic bond less special. Well she didn’t say that but you know she must be thinking it. . .
Anyway they have a party at the ski house, Ben and Rachel have a mutual break-up, Curtis’ family meets Ellen, Curtis and Ellen kiss, Ethan gives Rachel a book about Albert Einstein, and Rachel kisses Ethan. The Unicorns put mistletoe on the ski house door so Mr. Grant dramatically dips and kisses Mrs. Riteman.
Once everyone helps get the sandwich situation under control they raise them like wine glasses and make an “untoasted wheat toast” to the first annual Unicorn ski trip which will be held at Rachel’s father’s ski house at the Timberline Ski Resort. Rachel’s father and Ellen’s mother, who doesn’t trust Ellen alone around all the sharp objects and slick surfaces, will be chaperoning the trip. I guess the Unicorns - minus Rachel - aren’t the only ones who think Ellen is a klutzy ditz.
The phone rings and Rachel answers it even though it’s Ellen’s house because they are such close BFFs. On the line is Curtis Bowman, another character I have absolutely no recollection of and the love of Ellen’s life. Curtis has great news, he’s going to be at Timberline at the same time as the Unicorns. Ellen will be counting the miles (and minutes) until they see each other, but her mother isn’t as thrilled and wants to meet Curtis.
Once the other Unicorns leave, Ellen tells Rachel that she’s worried about Curtis meeting her mother because he’s the kind of guy that makes parents cringe - a world champion surfer with an accent and long hair. Oh yeah, he also has a peeling nose *cringe*. At the mention of world champion Rachel mentions Ben Mays, a world champion skier for whom her heart beats faster for. Ellen brings the conversation back to Curtis and the two devise a plan to hook their parents up so that Mrs. Riteman will be too busy with her own love life to butt into Ellen’s.
The girls put their plan into action at the airport and on the plane by talking up each others’ parent to their own. It doesn’t work. At the airport terminal they run into Curtis, who goes to hug Ellen, but when he is mere inches away she sidesteps him and hisses to pretend he doesn’t know her. Burn! Curtis is confused and bumps into Mrs. Riteman and Rachel. He says “’Scuuuuuse me” but Rachel and Mrs. Riteman are slightly annoyed and vaguely alarmed and want to get as far away from Curtis as possible. Rachel thinks he is a creep and can’t believe it when Ellen tells her that was Curtis.
When they get to Timberline they share their plan with the other Unicorns, who love some good scheming and are happy to help. They leave to go rent skis to give the adults some alone time by the fire. When they get to the rental place, Rachel sits by two strangers while the others get their skis. Because the ghostwriter wants Rachel to be alone so she can talk to these strangers, Lila has to rents ski poles because she forgot hers. Uh oh, imagine the face of that poor servant back at Fowler Crest whose job it was to pack the skis when he realizes his mistake.
Anyway the guy sitting next to Rachel, his name is Ethan. He is a beginner who is being forced to ski by his cousins. He’s cute, funny, and likes to read about Albert Einstein. He asks Rachel out a date, but before she can answer Ethan’s cousin approaches and OMG it’s Ben Mays! Ben asks Rachel for a date, right in front of his cousin. But it doesn’t matter because Rachel all ready forgot about Ethan, because who would want to go out with someone cute, smart and funny when you can date Ben Mays. In fact when her friends come over Rachel doesn’t even remember Ethan’s name when doing introductions. When the Unicorns are about to leave, Ethan tries one more time to get Rachel to have hot chocolate with him, she feels ashamed but still says no and Ben teases him for liking to read.
Outside the ski house Ellen and Rachel see Curtis approaching them so they wave him off because their parents are on the balcony and can see them. Poor Curtis, dissed again. At dinner that night the parent hookup plan seems to be going along nicely, Mr. Grant and Mrs. Riteman even split a piece of cheesecake. But when random pretty women start warmly greeting Mr. Grant, Ellen’s worried her mom might get hurt.
After dinner Rachel and Ellen delight in how their plan is working, but Ellen laments over Curtis. She “wonders if Curtis was missing her. And if so, why hadn’t he figured out a way to contact her?” Seriously? No wonder everyone thinks Ellen’s a ditz. Anyway she needn’t worry because just as she thinks that, a snowball pelts the window. It’s Curtis, but before they can really talk Ellen’s mom approaches. Ellen tells Curtis to sign up for tomorrow’s beginner class and shuts the window. Rachel and Ellen go to sleep and both wake up in the middle of the night and go to the window to talk. Outside they see their parents going for a moonlit stroll, hand and hand. Rachel’s ecstatic; Ellen’s slightly worried. They start calling each other sis :|
The next morning Rachel dresses in head to toe white, so the other skiers won’t see her, I mean because it’s fashionable. When she tells her dad she’s going to spend the day with Ben, he says it’s not a good idea. Rachel blames Ellen and her over-protective mother and her and Ellen fight. Rachel doesn’t want their parents to date anymore and that’s just fine with Ellen because Rachel’s dad is a player. Rachel storms out. The other Unicorns assure Ellen that they are not mad at her or her mom and they hit the slopes.
Ellen meets Ethan and Curtis at the beginner class and they bond while laughing at their instructor and his strictness. Meanwhile, Rachel is listening to Ben prattle on and on about himself with admiration as they go down an advanced intermediate trail. Rachel finally begins to tire of Ben talking about himself so when she thinks she sees Ethan she asks Ben about him. Ben says all he does is read then proceeds to speed down the slope and shove Ethan into a snow bank. Curtis doesn’t approve and trips Ben with his ski pole. The boys fight, Ellen throws a snowball at Rachel, Ethan throws one at the instructor, and a huge snowball fight erupts.
Security comes to break it up and Mrs. Riteman and Mr. Grant arrives just in time to stop them from hauling Ellen away and to meet Curtis. Not the best of first impressions. Curtis is blamed for the fight because the security team knows that Ben Mays has been coming to Timberline for years and he is no troublemaker. Rachel and Ben refuse to defend Curtis. When Ellen tries to go after Curtis, Mr. Grant grabs her arm and stops her. Ellen tells him not to tell her what to do; he’s not her father. Rachel says she wouldn’t let her dad marry Mrs. Riteman if she were the last woman on earth.
When they get back to the ski house, Rachel kicks Ellen out of her room and storms out. The other Unicorns help her move her stuff and try to comfort her about Curtis’ fate. Elsewhere, Rachel runs into Ethan and they go out for soup where she pumps him for information about Ben. On her way back to the house she sees Ellen kissing Curtis who has been freed and is hanging from a tree outside like a possum. Rachel decides to be a bitch and tells her dad about Curtis. Mr. Grant drags Curtis through the window, throws him out the front door and grounds Ellen. Mrs. Riteman doesn’t like Mr. Grant disciplining Ellen so she grounds her daughter herself.
Rachel brags about tattling, “And what can we learn from this? Don’t mess with Rachel Grant, that’s what.” The others move in to comfort Ellen but Rachel doesn’t seem to notice and continues on about how she ruined Ellen’s life nah-nah. As President of the Unicorns, Ellen quietly motions that Rachel be expelled from the club. Rachel is all ha-ha, you actually think they’re on your side, until Mandy seconds the motion and the others pass it.
Lila flips her hair and tells Rachel she’s just not Unicorn material. Rachel’s confused and asks why she’s getting thrown out when they all compete and fight with each other all the time. Now Rachel has a really good point here. Let’s see they have to say about that:
- Kimberly: No real Unicorn would rat on a friend.
- Mandy: No real Unicorn would stand in the way of true romance
- Jessica: We do compete. Sometimes we go overboard and hurt each other by accident. But never on purpose. We’re friends. Don’t you get it? Friends
Hmm, I’m unconvinced, but Rachel runs out of the house crying and the Unicorns are proud of themselves for not putting up with meanness.
Ben catches up with Rachel and she tries to explain what happened to her but he doesn’t care and asks her if she wants to ski a black diamond course with him. She doesn’t have her skis so they rent some and head out. The course is too tough for Rachel but right when she’s about to tell Ben an avalanche comes and buries her. Ha, of course it does.
Back at the house everyone wonders where Rachel is, they are all supposed to be leaving soon because the trip’s been such a bust. When they hear about the avalanche, the girls run to make sure Rachel’s skis are still there. They are and just as they soon as they feel some relief Ethan comes and tells them Rachel is out skiing with Ben. Ellen is all NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back up on the mountain, Ben sees Rachel’s pink scarf and digs her out; Rachel vows to throw out all her white ski-wear. Ben makes dumb suggestions like screaming for help and splitting up, but Rachel vetoes them and the huddle together for warmth. She - also for warmth - tucks her pink scarf, the only thing people might actually see into her collar while they wait to be rescued. They try to stay awake by talking but Ben’s chatter about himself is putting Rachel to sleep. She realizes she might literally be bored to death. Heh. Ah but Ethan wasn’t boring so she tries to think about different things he said. She spots a helicopter a few different times but they never see her or Ben.
Back at the house, Curtis comes by asking if there is anything he can deuuuu. Mrs. Riteman starts to chew Curtis out but Ellen reminds her that Curtis saved her life and she hugs Ellen and Curtis is suddenly okay by her. Ellen sends Rachel a telepathic message of love through the sky before the kids pile into a rescue jeep to make themselves useful and entertain the younger kids in Ben’s family while they wait.
On the mountain Rachel gets the telepathic messages and it gives her a brain fart. She takes the scarf off and waves it around; the helicopter sees them and rescues them. When Rachel sees Mrs. Riteman at the hospital she gets all mad and jealous and starts screaming her head off hysterically. The doctor’s say it’s best that Rachel not have any visitors that will upset her.
The next morning the Unicorns, minus Ellen, visit Rachel in the hospital, and tell her she can be a unicorn again, Rachel tells them she got Ellen’s message of love through the sky and Ellen bursts through the door and they are BBFs again. Jessica’s kind of bummed that since Ellen and Rachel now have a super special telekinetic bond it makes hers and Liz’s super special telekinetic bond less special. Well she didn’t say that but you know she must be thinking it. . .
Anyway they have a party at the ski house, Ben and Rachel have a mutual break-up, Curtis’ family meets Ellen, Curtis and Ellen kiss, Ethan gives Rachel a book about Albert Einstein, and Rachel kisses Ethan. The Unicorns put mistletoe on the ski house door so Mr. Grant dramatically dips and kisses Mrs. Riteman.