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

“Uh...” I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. President... Oh. I didn’t realize she was paying attention. “Right. So President Jimmy Carter ran for governor of Georgia before he was president. He campaigned on a super Republican-esque platform while being a Democrat and basically said he would support racism against Black people, which is obviously whack. But then when he was elected, he was all like just kidding! and said Black people deserve the same opportunities as everyone else and should be treated equally. All the racist people who voted for him were so appalled because they thought he would support their views, but he really just scammed them into voting for him. Isn’t that interesting?”

I’m not sure Dadu caught half of what I said, because I started interspersing English with Bengali halfway through, but she’s beaming like she understands, so I’ll take it. “Very interesting.”

A smile finally graces my lips. “Thanks, Dadu.”

She runs a hand over the back of my head affectionately. “Always, Myra.”

I return to my room, hoping to find a distraction when I catch sight of the clock. I still have time to do the Isha prayer. I head for my closet, grabbing a headscarf and a janamaz prayer mat. Maybe this will help with the unease still coursing through me.

As I set my phone down, an Instagram notification appears at the top of my screen. Ace Clyde (@AlistairClyde) has requested to follow you.

I stare at it for several moments before accepting. His profile is on private, but I press the button to follow back anyway, and wait for him to accept my follow request in return.

In the meantime, I send a screenshot to Nandini and Cora and ignore the twenty texts of screaming that follow, returning to my janamaz. Still, I’m tempted to join them. With the way things are playing out, I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.

9

T-MINUS 25 DAYS

The school library is different. Nothing about it is out of place compared to yesterday, but it’s definitely different. It feels like everyone is holding their breath, waiting for something.

Or maybe it’s just me.

Xander Clyde, student body president and Ace’s brother, appears in my peripheral vision. I watch surreptitiously as he peruses the aisle ahead of me, looking through cookbooks.

I blink.

He finally seems to find the one he’s looking for and, when he turns the cover my way, I glimpse something about Italian recipes.

Huh.

Xander makes for the self-checkout and I look away, returning to my task of finding another copy of The Scarlet Letter so Ace and I don’t have to share mine. I spot it on the upper shelves and grimace. The upper shelves are my enemies.