BooksBarbecue
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

Anika turned to the roll of toilet paper and ripped me some squares, handed them to me so I could wipe my eyes.

“Do you have any pain?” she asked.

I shrugged and said, “A little.”

“Is it so bad that you want to lie down?”

I shook my head.

She took a deep breath. “I’m very honored that I get to talk you through this, Fred—it’s not as big a deal as some people make it out to be, but it’s still pretty special and nothing to be afraid or ashamed of.”

“I feel gross,” I said, and then I started crying again, because I suddenly thought how much I wanted my mom for this.

Anika opened her arms, but I didn’t want to go to her, so I turned the tap on and splashed water on my face, and she handed me a washcloth to dry it.

“I don’t want to go today,” I said.

Anika nodded. “That’s okay. You don’t have to, but . . .” She sighed again. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide away or have anything to be embarrassed about. And I don’t want you to get it into your head that you can’t do anything on the days you have your period.”

I felt my face blush furiously when she said that.

“And hey! I’ve seen the ads for this movie you’re going to see. Personally, I wouldn’t want to miss seeing that actor’s smile on the big screen for anything!”

She reached up and brushed my bangs out of my eyes. “Everything’s going to start changing a little faster now, Fred—but you’re still you. Don’t miss out on the things you really want to do, okay?”

And it didn’t sound so bad when she put it like that.

image

13

Exculpable

Term two started. On the news, no one knew where the refugees would go, even though there were bombs still falling and people still fleeing.

At school, Mr. Khouri said geography was done. The sixth graders were moving onto outer space while fifth grade studied marine life. But he let me borrow his big world atlas—the ninth edition of Times Atlas of the World, to be exact. He said to take it home for a bit and keep wandering.

Sam came home from his dad’s, too, but he was different.

“Hey, Winifred!” A voice shouted at me from across the playground shortly after we were let out for lunch.

I spun around and yelled, “What?”

Ben Sturgess was calling to me from the middle of the playground. “Isn’t that your brother?”

I’d been walking around the perimeter with Keira, from the rocks to the shop on school grounds that sold snacks. Ben jogged over to us, pointing behind him to the back fence.