Fly Away by Nora Rock Read Free Book Online Page A

Ashleigh. “Nice view.”
    Lucy and I giggled.
    A few minutes into our conversation, another of the cute guys, this one with slicked-back wavy hair, leaned toward us. “You girls on a field trip?”
    â€œWhat makes you think that?” asked Ashleigh.
    â€œToo young to be out of high school… too classy to be dropouts.”
    Lucy and I giggled again.
    â€œWe’re on a road trip,” explained Ashleigh. “Cheerleading competition. What about you?”
    â€œBasketball tournament,” said Nice Teeth. “We’re from Ottawa. Carleton University. You?”
    We explained that we were from Stratford, which, of course, they’d barely heard of. But we discovered, to everyone’s surprise, we were all staying at the same hotel.
    â€œWell,” said Wavy Hair, “I’ll take that as a sign.”
    â€œA sign of what?” squeaked Lucy.
    â€œA sign that you girls were destined to come to our game tonight. To cheer us on. And then join us afterward for the victory celebration.”
    â€œWho says you’ll win?” shot back Arielle, without turning around in her chair to face him.
    â€œOh, we’ll win,” said Nice Teeth.
    Back at the hotel, Arielle and I got dressed for dinner. “So,” I said, “are we going to that basketball game later? Ashleigh looked it up on Google Maps. It’s close. Probably three bucks each by cab.”
    Arielle smoothed an already-perfect eyebrow. “We won’t get back from dinner until eight.”
    I shrugged. “We’d be, like, twenty minutes late for the game. It would be fine.”
    She didn’t look convinced. “There’s some stuff I need to do tonight on my laptop. Email and stuff. But you can go without me, Mar. I know Lucy and Ashleigh want to go.”
    I was disappointed. How many chances would I get to hang out with hot university guys? Arielle was going to university next year. Maybe that was why it was no big deal to her. But I had a whole year to wait. And these weren’t only university guys, they were basketball players. It was bad enough that I didn’t have Liam to hang around with anymore. But Arielle? She and I used to have so much fun…
    I ended up going with Lucy, Ashleigh and six other girls from our team. By the time I got back to the room at midnight— Coach’s curfew—Arielle was already asleep.
    When I woke up in the morning, she was gone.

chapter twelve
    There were a dozen reasonable explanations for Arielle’s empty bed, but it didn’t matter. I panicked. The moment I realized she was gone, a bad feeling washed over me. I banged on the door next to ours, and Ashleigh answered. “She probably just went for a jog,” she mumbled.
    â€œIn downtown Toronto? I don’t think so.”
    Sharon appeared behind Ashleigh in the doorway, wearing pajamas in a monkey- and-banana pattern. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    â€œArielle’s not in the room, and Marnie’s all freaked out,” said Ashleigh.
    â€œWasn’t she with you two last night?” Sharon asked. “Maybe she snuck out in the middle of the night with one of those ball players!”
    Ashleigh rolled her eyes at me. Sharon loved a scandal. Even if she had to make one up.
    I shook my head. “Arielle wasn’t even with us at the basketball game last night. Don’t make this worse, Sharon, just for your own entertainment.”
    Sharon made a face at me like I’d hurt her feelings. As if her feelings even mattered at a time like this.
    I had to alert Coach Saylor. I ducked back into my room and dressed as fast as I could. By the time I came out, a small crowd of cheerleaders in pajamas stood in the hall outside my door.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” asked Jada.
    â€œAri’s gone.” I fought my way through the pack, striding quickly toward room 208, which Coach was sharing with one of the chaperones.
    â€œWhat