Chapters (95)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Video #1
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Video #2
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Video #3
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- The Final Video
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
“What happened to you two?” he asks.
“What do you mean?” Olivia asks.
“You said you were going to eat fajitas.” He glances at the clock above the stove. “You’ve been gone less than an hour, and you both look like you ran a marathon. You’re flushed and all twitchy.”
Olivia and I look at each other. “Well, Hector’s mom didn’t have enough food,” I say. “So we went to McDonald’s, and we drove with the windows down. It isn’t that cold.”
Dad shrugs. “Hmmm. Okay. I’m glad you’re home safe. That’s all I care about.”
“I need to get going on my homework,” I say.
I grab Olivia’s arm, and we start for the stairs, side by side.
Then Dad asks, “Was Chad over at Hector’s?”
We freeze. “Chad?” I ask.
“Yeah. Chad. You know, tall guy. Kind of handsome. Goalie on the soccer team. Your best friend. Was he over there?”
I sense a trap. And that’s not like Dad. He’s pretty straightforward. If he has something to say, he says it. When there’s nothing to say, he’s quiet. And that’s most of the time. But given how jacked up Olivia and I looked when we came in the door, probably like we just robbed a bank, it’s no wonder he’s suspicious.
Dad never asks who I’ve been with or who was there. Mom did that all the time, but Dad never does.
I have a fifty-fifty chance of being right if Dad knows something I don’t, so I play both sides.
“Well, not when we were there. We didn’t stay. Not enough fajitas.”
Dad watches us. His eyes move from my face to Olivia’s. She grins like a store mannequin. It’s the most still I’ve ever seen her. That’s when I think of all the things that could have gone wrong. Do Chloe’s parents know I was in the house? Did they call the cops? Did they call Dad, and he was right now catching me in a lie?
Then he says, “Well, Chad came by while you were out. You might want to get in touch with him.”
My lungs release all the air I’ve been holding.
“Great. Sure, Dad.”
Olivia and I don’t wait for more questions. We both run up the stairs and remain quiet until we go into my room. Olivia flops onto the bed and puts a pillow over her face and starts laughing. And, despite everything going on, I laugh, too. It’s not because we’re happy. It’s just because of all the tension of the past hour, and the strange feeling that comes when you get away with something you shouldn’t be getting away with.
I cover my mouth, so Dad doesn’t hear.