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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

Then he turned to me and said, “I hope you have a plan, Fred.” I gulped but didn’t say anything, so then Pop added, “And you’d better hope that Luca gets onboard with it.”

It’s so easy to know the right thing to do after it’s already happened, but just then none of us could have predicted the future as we took our places and started following this path.

“I have an idea.” We all turned to Sam. “All we need is a distraction, right?”

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58

Ride Like Mad

It was that time of early evening when everything had a kind of orange and pink haze, like the sky was a snow cone you could bite into.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Aidan and Jed, and they both nodded as they clicked their bike helmets into place. I walked up to Jed’s handlebars, lightly touching the cool metal as I spoke to him. “Vi’s going to be so mad if she finds out what I made you do.”

He frowned. “You couldn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to.” Then he shrugged his shoulders. “Besides—Mẹ would understand, because it’s you. . . .”

I was about to ask him what he meant, but Aidan started bouncing on his bike seat, so I shook my head and stepped back to clear a path for them.

“Remember—it’s Route 787,” I said, and they nodded again.

Then Sam and I watched as Jed and Aidan pushed off and started pedaling, their legs pumping fast as they sped out the front gates and took a hard left, heading toward Ocean Beach Road and Main Street.

“Will they get in trouble for lying to the police?” Sam asked.

I knew the real answer, but I shrugged instead. “Only if we get caught.”

But Sam still looked worried. He pushed his glasses up his nose roughly, which I knew meant he was fidgety and nervous. I took a deep breath and turned to him.

“I’m glad you were here this year,” I said. Sam’s eyes widened, and I half smiled at him. “I just . . . I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been around for everything.”

“Even the bad stuff?” he asked.

I nodded once, and hard. “Especially for the bad stuff.” And then I laughed because I couldn’t believe my eyes felt shiny, and my throat felt a little raw from the emotions that wanted to come bubbling up. “I don’t think I can do this without you, because I’ve kinda gotten used to you being around and helping me.”

Sam didn’t say anything; he didn’t need to.

We made our way back through the doors, down the corridors, and to our classroom. We stuck our heads in and Sam said, “The ghost is clear!”