Courtney McSweeney is grinding on me like she’s in a number-one video on TRL. I reach around and pull her close to me, our bodies swaying to the music. She looks surprised, but pushes her body harder against mine. She’s always so quiet in math. And she definitely doesn’t dress like this in school...
But surprisingly, they’re not. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite—over the next couple of weeks we settle into a comfortable routine of him picking me up every morning before work, and the three of us (Noah, Lacey, and me) working double shifts at the diner. Spending my days working at Cooley’s a...
It’s like a reflex. After all, I’ve always hated Bo and he’s always hated me. We’ve managed to stay out of each other’s way until now, but him hooking up with Julia is enough to break that streak. When I hit him, he falls back and knocks over a table of food. A bunch of shit goes flying -- sausag...
Lots and lots of doctors. They come into my hospital room, one after another, asking me the same questions. Do you have a headache? No. Are you dizzy? No. Do you think you fell and hit your head? No. Do you remember anything that happened? No. Are you sure? Yes. They write on their charts, making...
It sounds like bells or chimes and maybe a violin or flute playing the same five notes over and over again. I sit up in bed and rub my eyes. My mom has always listened to stuff like Barry Manilow, Lionel Richie, songs from the ‘80’s. The song playing downstairs is more like what you might hear if...
I mean, who hasn’t? But they were small lies. White lies. Lies that wouldn’t hurt anyone, and that no one even really knew were lies. Like when I told my friend Nicole last year at the sixth-grade dance that no one could see her underwear through her dress, even though everyone totally could, esp...
Lexi says. “Remember that Bailey is totally mean, and you shouldn’t be taken in by her, even for a second. Okay, Ryan?” “Okay,” he says. He sounds confident. I peek over at him out of the corner of my eye. Long eyelashes, dark jeans. He’s wearing a red Quiksilver T-shirt under a plain brown zip-u...
I spend the whole morning completely keyed up, waiting to see him, but he never shows. As soon as the bell rings, and I know he’s not going to be there, my heart drops into my shoes and stays put for the rest of the morning. At lunch, I take my place at my usual table with Adrianna and her friend...
Emily and Ashton couldn't be more different. She's quiet and sweet, he's popular and outspoken. And when he flirts with her one night at the party she's throwing, Emily knows she should stay away. It's never a good idea to get involved with the hottest guy in school; you're only setting yourself ...