BooksBarbecue
Back Counting Down with You Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  7. Part 1
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. Part 2
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. Part 3
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“So?” Cora asks, shifting forward to stand in front of me. She holds out a pack of tissues. “What did Miss Cannon want?”

I offer her a tight smile. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. “She wants me to tutor Ace Clyde.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Another.

Another.

Another...

...And then Cora drops the tissues. “What?”

4

T-MINUS 27 DAYS

Nandini slides me a slice of pizza as soon as she comes off the lunch line, and I smile in thanks. “You’re the best.”

“Don’t ignore me, Karina. Are you being serious right now?” Cora asks, poking at her salad far too violently. “Ace Clyde?”

I roll my eyes and toss a napkin at her. My heart has calmed down to a respectable pace, and even though I’m still on edge, being around my friends helps significantly. “You’re such a gossip.”

“And what about it?” Cora says, flipping her hair. “But seriously, Ace Clyde?”

“Yes,” I say, sighing. “Ace Clyde. Now can you stop saying his name over and over? I feel like he’s going to appear over my shoulder like Bloody Mary.”

“Nandini, I think I’m going to faint,” Cora says. “How is she so calm?”

“Honestly? I think she’s in shock,” Nandini says, shaking her head. “Maybe she doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation.”

“Oh my God, yes, I understand,” I say, shoving her halfheartedly.

Cora and Nandini are infinitely more in tune to Midland High’s social life than I am. It doesn’t help that we have over two thousand students. Everyone usually sticks to their own grades and their own social circles. Aside from the people who have been in my classes through the years, I know only a handful of freshmen because of my brother, and know is a stretch.

But even with my small social circle, it would be impossible not to know the big names of our junior class. Ace is one of them.

His older brother, Xander Clyde, is Midland High’s student body president. He’s a senior, and beautiful, rich, popular, and intelligent. Almost all of the girls—and some of the boys—want to date him. Everyone else wants to be him.

Ace is also beautiful and rich. Whether he’s popular and intelligent are debatable.

He’s definitely infamous among our classmates, though. He sits alone at his own table, tells everyone who looks at him wrong to fuck off, wears leather jackets over designer sweaters, and spends half his time pissing off the school faculty.

“I really don’t feel like you get it.” Cora shakes my arm. “Do you know who he is?”

“Yes, Cora. And I know this is going to be a nightmare,” I say bitterly. Of all people, I had to get stuck with the school’s resident preppy bad boy. “Why would Miss Cannon do this to me?”