The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan Read Free Book Online

it as an either/or scenario.”
    â€œWell, it is, you know? The only reason Sophie thinks you’re a bitch is that you never talk to her.”
    â€œShe said that?”
    Addison shrugged. “Well, yeah.”
    â€œAnd what did you say?”
    â€œWe were eating lunch. I probably said, ‘Please pass the salt substitute.’ Greer, I’m not your press agent.”
    â€œI’m not asking you to —”
    â€œYou are, though. I know you have plenty to say. But listen, you can’t come at Sophie now, all angry and offended. That’s only living up to her mistake about you.”
    â€œSo what am I supposed to talk to her about?”
    The pathetic part was that I started most conversations with Addison. I’d ask, “Have you seen Addison?” Or “You’re in Addison’s Latin class, right?” It took a week and a half of practice before I tracked down Sophie and said, “I’m planning a surprise for Addison’s birthday.”
    â€œI don’t do threesomes.”
    â€œWhat?” Things were not going according to plan. “No, we’re going bowling.”
    She raised her eyebrow and the metal rings caught the light. “Sounds kinky.”
    I forced myself to breathe deeply. I warmed my voice. “I asked permission from the dean of students, and Ms. Lingagreed to chaperone already.” Sophie grimaced and I said, “I know. But it was the only way. I got them to think of it as a practice for Addison to be out and about on his own.”
    â€œTherapeutic.”
    â€œExactly.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œYeah?” I must have sounded too excited. She shrugged. “Can you help me figure out who else to ask?” She looked dubious. “I just don’t want to miss anyone.” She reached out for the list I’d scrawled out during nutrition.
    â€œSo are you guys together? Officially? This is very wifely of you, Greer.” I felt the few licks of anger flame up.
    â€œI’m crazy about him.” It’s all I said. And then held my breath and waited. It was my last try, I told myself. After that, I could rip the rings out of her face.
    â€œYeah, that’s apparent.” I looked up, ready to unleash. But Sophie kept talking. “He’s crazy about you too.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œYeah, it’s pretty adorable.” She laughed. “Revolting. But adorable. You guys are like the two-headed kitten of campus.”
    We talked for a while then, first about Addison, and then about home. Sophie had found McCracken Hill on her own, after she’d gotten tossed out of her Quaker Friends school for failing three drug tests. “It was this or military school,” she told me. “I chose to serve my time with the broken people.”
    I didn’t argue, and later that week, on Friday, when we all had gathered at the far lane of the Strike & Spare to wait for Addison to show, I realized Sophie was right — we were a collection of damaged goods. Teenaged angsters and addicts. Disordered borderline personalities. Almost fatalities. But Hannah Green showed up. She’d even baked cupcakes intoice-cream cones. Addison’s roommate, Wes, was there, along with the bench-press bros he worked out with each morning. We totaled twelve people, counting Ms. Ling; considering not all of us were usually even allowed off campus, it qualified as a good showing.
    When Addison walked in and looked around for me, the guy who ran the lanes made all the computer scoreboards flash, SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADDISON!
    He scooped me up and swung me around and whispered, “I can’t believe you,” into my neck. And then he made his way around, grabbing hands and hugs. We’d almost bowled a full game when he called over, “Hey, when’s Joshua coming?”
    I’d been standing at the ball drop, waiting for the lightweight, lavender one to come hurtling up to the surface.