Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper Read Free Book Online Page B

too. He got it. And he liked me. But then he changed his mind.
    It seemed kinda stupid to miss people I saw every day. I mean, they were right there . But they weren’t really them anymore. Jeg wasn’t the Jeg I grew up with, and Liam wasn’t acting like the Liam I went out with. It was like aliens had invaded their bodies or something. They looked the same (well, aside from Jeg’s boring new hair), but they were not the same people.
    And then I had a scary thought: What if they weren’t really the ones who had changed? What if it was me? What if I had been the one driving them away?
    Looking down at DUMB on my leg, it didn’t seem like such a crazy idea.
    The Explorer Leader would never drive people away. So many people would want to be the Explorer Leader’s friend that the Explorer Leader wouldn’t know what to do with them all.
    If I were Explorer Leader, maybe even Liam would add some nice words to my poster. Maybe he’d want to be my friend for real. Friend wasn’t as good as boyfriend , but it was better than nothing.
    Now a few more tears crept out of my eyes and ran down my cheeks as I remembered how great it was having Liam like me. I tried to make myself focus on the soccer game, focus on the possibility of being Explorer Leader, focus on something , but instead I just teared up more. Get it together, idiot!
    â€œEEK!” I yelped. IDIOT was like being attacked by a whole swarm of mosquitoes.
    Stop calling yourself names! I yelled at myself in my brain using my loudest, angriest imaginary voice. This has to stop! This is not helping, you … you … wonderful person, you!
    WONDERFUL PERSON formed right away, but it didn’t feel good for more than a second. Then it turned scratchy, kind of like it knew, somehow, that it was a lie.
    Finally, I couldn’t hold it anymore. There was no getting around it: I had to go to the bathroom. Now. There was no way I’d ever make it home in time.
    I stood up and tried to wipe the tears away with my sleeve, but I couldn’t get them all. I needed more sleeves. Or fewer tears.
    â€œBring it in for a huddle,” the coach yelled, and the players ran to the farthest corner of the field. This was my chance! I might have been an idiot who drove away best friends and boyfriends, but I was not going to be an idiot who drove away friends and boyfriends and also peed her pants.
    I jumped out from behind the bleachers and practically flew across the field. I couldn’t remember how long soccer huddles lasted, and I didn’t really want to find out.
    When I finally reached the bathroom, I grabbed the thick silver handle on the door and pushed with my whole body, but it didn’t open. I pushed harder and harder. Nothing.
    â€œGo, Sharks!” came a chorus of voices from behind me.
    I pushed the door again and again and again. I rammed into it with my shoulder. I kicked it.
    Please open, I pleaded. I will never come back here again, I promise. I will stop thinking about Liam. I will stop missing Jeg. I will deal with Mom and Dad and everybody else. I will just keep going, somehow, if this door opens right now.
    But the dumb door still wouldn’t open. I turned around, frantic. I didn’t care who saw me freaking out. I needed a bathroom now .
    â€œHey, Elyse.”
    I sucked in my breath, terrified to turn around. I knew that snarky voice. Why, world, why?
    â€œYou, like, totes have to pull it. You’re welcome.” Her mean giggle echoed in my mind over and over again.
    Maybe if I ran into the bathroom really super fast—and stayed there forever—Snotty Ami would forget I was here at all. She’d think she just imagined it. It was worth a try.
    I pulled open the door, rushed in, did my thing, and waited. First I couldn’t get to the bathroom fast enough; now I might never be able to leave. Why hadn’t I just stayed home?
    I counted to a thousand (or something sort of close,