Crystal's College Years

Crystal's College Years is the sequel to Crystal Covell's Story, and the second book in the Crystal Covell series.

The book mostly revolves around new troubles Crystal and Melissa face at college.

On September 7, 2012, Emily began writing Crystal's College Years. On May 21, 2013, the book was completed.

Just like the first book, the story is told in Crystal's perspective, with Crystal narrating.

This book takes place from September 2013 to February 2014.

Chapter 1: Goodbye Hawaii
Crystal states some events from the previous book along with new future plans. She talks about what Tanisha and Michael are doing, and we discover Tanisha is going to UCONN and Michael is going to Princeton. Crystal gets on her plane and heads to LA.

Chapter 2: Arriving on campus
Crystal arrives on campus and bumps into three girls, later revealed to be Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy. Sabrina threatens Crystal, but Crystal just walks away and goes to her dorm, where she finds Melissa is her roommate. Melissa and Crystal catch each other up on their lives, but Crystal mentions bumping into the three girls, whom Melissa claims are nice. Crystal explains what happened, and Melissa begins to question them. They change the topic to classes, and Melissa asks Crystal what classes she's taking, with Crystal saying she hasn't decided yet.

Chapter 3: What to major in?
Crystal looks over the list of classes, and manages to find 6 she's interested in taking (Chemistry, Swimming, Astronomy, Gym, Video Game Design, and Acting). She admits while she's a little inexperienced with acting, she's taking it because she's pretty sure it'll be the only class she'll have with Melissa. Melissa asks her what she's going to major in, and Crystal admits she isn't sure. Melissa says she was going to take them all then deicde which she liked best, and Crystal decides to follow that tactic. Crystal goes to check out the school, and as she's checking it out, there's one thing she can't believe she missed before.

Chapter 4: My kinda people (or not!)
Crystal sees skaters skating all over campus. They pay attention to her, but she reminds them that after a while, having her around wouldn't be a big deal anymore. She performs some tricks and signs some autographs. She then continues to check out the school and returns to her dorm. In the dorm, she sees Sabrina talking with Melissa, and waits outside until she leaves. Melissa has a shocked expression on her face, as Sabrina lied by saying Crystal didn't bump into her, but pushed her and stole her purse. Crystal truthfully states that that never happened, but Melissa is torn on who to believe. Crystal then develops a plan to spread a fake rumor about Sabrina. Early the next morning, she finds out the biggest gossip on campus is Jessica, so Crystal knows she can't tell Jessica the rumor because she will just go tell Sabrina immediately.

Chapter 5: Rumors
The bells ring and Crystal goes to her first class, Chemistry. She tells the skater boy next to her the rumor she made up about Sabrina. The rumor was that Sabrina likes to torture kittens when she thinks she's alone. Chemistry ends shortly after and Crystal decides to kill some time by going to the school's coffee shop. She tries coffee for the first time and loves it. After she finishes, she has about 10 minutes until her next class. She hears people saying mean things about Sabrina and laughs to herself. She stops in the bathroom, but Sabrina's Group walks in right after her. Crystal hides in a stall, making sure they don't know she's there, and eavesdrops. Sabrina is crying about the rumor Crystal spread about her, while Jessica and Chrissy are trying to comfort her, saying they will find out who spread it and kick their butt. They leave the bathrrom and Crystal walks out after them and goes to Astronomy. As the class ends, she sees three figures.

Chapter 6: Fixing things?
Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy are at the door. Crystal asks who told them about it, and the skater she told the rumor to this morning did it. Sabrina asks why Crystal would do that to her, but Crystal says it's revenge for lying to her friend and not letting her apologize when she bumped into them. They make a deal that they will tell Melissa it was a lie, while Crystal will tell everyone else the rumor was a lie. Crystal then goes to Swimming, which she discovers she's really good at because she spent 9 months in Hawaii. The teacher asks if she would like to help teach the next class, and Crystal says she would. Crystal decides to meet Melissa for lunch after class, but Melissa completely ignores her. Melissa is mad at Crystal for what she did to Sabrina, making Crystal discover that they never did their part of the deal.

Chapter 7: This is war
Crystal walks into Acting, claiming that PE was fun and Video Game Design was hard. She sees a small raised platform in the front of the room, which she assumes is the stage. She sits in a chair and Melissa walks in and sits with Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy. Crystal walks over and tells them how they never kept their part of the deal, but they pretend they have no idea what she's talking about. Crystal gives up and goes back to her seat. They break into groups and Crystal has to improvise a robbery scene with three guys named Russell, Dylan and Tyler. Russell takes charge, saying he will play the husband, Crystal will play the wife, and Dylan and Tyler will play the robbers. Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy's group goes first, doing a shoplifting scene with Melissa as the cashier and the other three as shoplifters. They do a good job, and Crystal's group is next. Crystal tries her best, doing good for a first-timer. When she's done, she claims that it was actually pretty easy. The class claps, but she notices one person that isn't clapping. That person is Melissa.

Chapter 8: On my side
Crystal and Melissa are in the dorm, where Crystal pleads her case to Melissa. Melissa finally accepts that Crystal is right, and decides to stick with her.

Chapter 9: Rock the Bells
About a month has passed since the previous chapter, and Crystal's old troublemaking ways are itching to come back, so she goes out late at night to the college courtyard, and destroys all the bells. The next day, kids aren't going to their classes, except Crystal and Melissa because Crystal didn't want Melissa in trouble. Crystal's Chemistry professor is curious about only Crystal showing up, going out into the courtyard to investigate. Crystal is called down to the headmaster's office, knowing she's in trouble, but not feeling as satisfied as she thought she would. The headmaster tells her he knows it was her, and since it was a first offense, she is let off with a warning and suspension threat.

Chapter 10: Surprise!
It's around Thanksgiving now, and Crystal gets a surprise visit from Tanisha, Michael, and Tina. They meet Melissa, and Crystal takes them on a tour of campus. At the pool, they run into Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy. A fight ensues between Crystal and the girls. Crystal eventually gets so fed up that she pushes Sabrina into the pool, which washes off her makeup, revealing her to have bad acne. Crystal throws one final insult at Sabrina as she escorts her friends to the coffee shop. They order drinks and play a board game while Crystal notices Melissa somewhat flirting with Michael, causing Crystal to question her own feelings for him until the others snap her out of her throught process. She and Michael give Tanisha more skating lessons, and the chapter ends with the three visitors leaving.

Chapter 11: Give it up!
Melissa starts dating a skater named Vinnie, who is revealed to be the guy in Crystal's Chemistry class that told Crystal's rumor to Jessica. He previously had a crush on Jessica, but upon discovering she doesn't feel the same, he went after Melissa only because she looks a lot like Jessica. Jessica comes into the bathroom crying and Crystal tells her about how she didn't even care for Vinnie at first, but as soon as he starts dating someone that isn't her, she suddenly cares. They then execute the revenge they had been planning on Crystal, splashing water in her face so her makeup would wash off. They forgot one crucial thing: Crystal doesn't wear makeup. Crystal then tells them that they're kidding themselves if that's the best they can do. She then tells them that if Vinnie is horrible to Melissa, she'll let Jessica take him. But if he's good to her, then they should just give up. She meets Melissa and Vinnie for lunch, and some conversation occurs. That night, Crystal discovers she has a voicemail from Michael, saying he wants her to call him back as soon as possible because he wants to tell her something. Crystal already has some idea of what he's going to say...

Chapter 12: Awkward Confessions
Crystal goes out into the courtyard to call Michael back. He admits that he'd always idolized her, and ever since she moved to Hawaii, he had a crush on her. Crystal admites that maybe she feels something for him too. However, they decide not to try a relationship until they were going to see each other again in March (somewhat foreshadowing the third book). Crystal then realizes that she will be seeing him just next month, and decides that she'll give it a shot then. As she goes back inside, right outside her dorm, she hears Vinnie and Melissa being all lovey. When Melissa goes into the dorm, Crystal confronts Vinnie, saying she's got her eye on him. As she goes into the dorm, Melissa asks why Crystal doesn't trust Vinnie, with Crystal saying it's because she feels like Sabrina's Group set her up with him. Melissa simply states that he hasn't done anything bad yet, but will tell Crystal if he does. Crystal admits that's fair enough and goes to sleep. Crystal has a restless night, waking up at random times and falling back asleep uncomfortably. When she wakes up, she is exhausted, sore all over, and has an awful headache. She decides not to go to classes that day, and tells Melissa to notify her teachers. As Melissa goes to do that, Crystal hears something behind the door and see the feet of Sabrina and her group under the crack of the door. Crystal rushes under her bed as they walk in and begin laughing about how Vinnie is going to dump Melissa, confirming Crystal's suspicions that he was set up by them. Crystal then pops out from under the bed, and thanks the girls for spilling their plan to her. She leaves to go tell Melissa, but it turns out Melissa was behind the door the whole time and heard everything. She tells Crystal that she knew Vinnie had been set up the entire time, and was only testing her. She then tells Sabrina and her group to get out of their room, ending the chapter.

Chapter 13: Back Home Again
About a month later, Melissa has broken up with Vinnie by this point, and Crystal is on her way back to New Jersey for Michael's birthday. Crystal gets on the plane only to immediately meet a man whose son is a huge fan of her. After talking and signing an autograph, the flight takes off. When Crystal lands in New Jersey, she spots Tanisha, who had come from Connecticut for the party. The two of them hail a taxi and Crystal reminisces about her old home. When they get to Princeton, Crystal uses Tanisha's coat to disguise herself so no one will recognize her and she won't be bombarded with attention. They get to the dorm building, and one of Michael's friends leads them to his room. Michael, Crystal, and Tanisha reunite. Crystal and Tanisha also notice that they're the only girls there. A boy sees Crystal, and thought Michael was joking when he said he was close friends with her, only for Michael to reply that he was serious. The party then starts, with Crystal having to constantly divert attention away from herself. Later on, someone brings out some bottles of wine. Crystal's troublemaking ways begin itching to come back, and when she is offered a glass, she accepts.

Chapter 14: Party Time!
About an hour has passed since the previous chapter, and Crystal has had three glasses of wine. Everyone else has had more, except Michael, who didn't have any. Later, some of the boys have left, while a drunk Tanisha is playing spin the bottle with drunk boys. When they have all passed out from the alcohol, Michael tells Crystal to get her coat and follow him, Crystal follows him up to the roof, where they sit on a bench in silence, and later, it starts snowing. Michael finally asks Crystal if she likes him as more than a friend, and Crystal ponders this before finally responding "yes". They both express that they'd be content to spend the rest of the night up there, and so they do. Crystal starts to get cold, and begins inching towards Michael for warmth. Michael notices and puts his arm around her. They stare at each other, before leaning in for a kiss. Crystal then states that that was her first kiss, and Michael assures her she did good, claiming he had kissed a few girls prior to meeting her. Crystal finds that the alcohol is starting to hit her, and begins nodding off on Michael's shoulder. He gently strokes her hair as she falls asleep. When Crystal wakes a few hours later, she has a hangover and tells herself never to do alcohol again. Michael is asleep on her, and she wakes him for the sunrise. Crystal then notices that Michael doesn't look very good, and immediately brings him inside.

Chapter 15: Caretaker
Crystal takes Michael into his room, and turns on the heaters while throwing blankets on him. She finds some soup and makes it for him, noting that it always helped her on cold winter days when she was little. Michael takes the soup and Tanisha wakes up, groaning from her hangover. She asks what happened last night, and Crystal teasingly says that she just kissed 5 guys in Spin the Bottle. Tanisha is unmused, and tells Crystal to find her some asprin, which she does. Tanisha then asks why Michael looked so awful, and Crystal tells her that she was up on the roof with Michael, and they fell asleep, which Michael chiming in to mention the kiss. To Crystal's surprise, Tanisha seems to fully support it, even mentioning that she always had a feeling that they would eventually be together. Crystal then throws a pillow at Tanisha, and the three of them laugh. Crystal pecks Michael on the cheek, which he returns, and Tanisha simply fangirls over it. Michael's roommate wakes up due to Tanisha's squealing, only to immediately bury himself back under the covers due to his hangover. The three friends laugh at him, ending the chapter.

Chapter 16: Showdown!
The day Crystal returns, a troubled-looking Melissa comes crying to her, saying that Sabrina and her girls were horrible to her while Crystal was gone. Crystal immediately gets the idea to go kick their butt, but Melissa states that she has a better way of getting even. Crystal then goes on to explain that Melissa's plan is brilliant, without actually stating what the plan is. A few days later, they execute the plan. Melissa and Crystal pour a puddle of glue under a section of the roof, and go up to the roof with Melissa holding a bucket of chocolate icing and Crystal holding a bucket of cat litter. Dylan and Russell, the two boys from their acting class, help the girls by luring the three to the glue puddle, doing so by telling them there were free lipstick samples. Sabrina and her group get stuck in the puddle. Instead of dumping the stuff on them right away, Crystal and Melissa decide to let them suffer for a few minutes before doing so. After a few minutes, Melissa asks Crystal if she's ready to dump the buckets, with Crystal replying that she is, ending the chapter.

Chapter 17: This Is How We Will End It
Picking up immediately where the last chapter left off, Melissa and Crystal dump their buckets all over Sabrina, Jessica, and Chrissy. They scream while the two friends rush down the stairs and onto the ground. Sabrina claims that she and her group wuldn't be mean to Crystal and Melissa if Crystal had just apologized, to which Crystal reminds her that she did, and Sabrina just didn't accept the apology. Sabrina then claims that she and her girls had taken the liberty of doing a bit of research on Crystal,and claims that she's had two girls transfer to their college and help make Crystal's life miserable. Sabrina then calls the two girls out and Crystal immediately recognizes them. Crystal states in her narration how she never thought she'd see them again after graduation, but never says who the two girls are, leaving the book on a cliffhanger ending.

Trivia

 * This is the first book of the series that is written as if the events are happening to Crystal at that very moment. This will be the standard style for the rest of the series, as the first book was simply Crystal giving a detailed recap of the previous year.
 * While Melissa was a one-chapter minor character in the previous book, she plays a much larger role in this one, bumping her up to a main character. She will stay a main character for the rest of the series.
 * Despite having less chapters than the previous book, this book is about 20% longer, thus explaining why the first book only took six months to write while this one took eight months.
 * This is the first book in the Crystal series to end on a cliffhanger.