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“W-what?”
“I should have known you were behind this,” Elsie said. “You’ve always been jealous of me.”
I had no idea how to respond to that.
“You’ve been jealous of my gymnastic abilities in cheerleading. And that day when you walked in on me, you were obviously jealous of my body.” She stood up and put her hands on my hips. “I mean, of course you would be. You don’t have boobs yet.”
I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. Twice.
“And you were worried Justine might start to like me more,” she said. “So you told her stories about me. Both of you knew I was hotter and fu
Wow. That stung.
“Elsie, that’s not… Look, I just came here to apologize.”
“Not accepted,” Elsie said. “You little wa
“I… I should go.”
“You should,” she agreed.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. Again. For telling Justine about… Okay, well, ’bye.”
I got out of the house as fast as I could. I still felt shocked. Dazed. I hadn’t expected Elsie to be happy with me or to forgive me right away, but I hadn’t anticipated that, either.
“How did it go?” Nathan asked when I got back in the car.
“It was… weird,” I admitted. “Turns out she’s just as much of an arrogant social climber as Justine said.”
“Really?” Nathan asked. “Wow.”
“Are you sorry you made Justine turn herself in?” Whitley asked. “Do you think Elsie deserved it?”
“No,” I said. “No matter how stuck-up she is, no one deserves that kind of bullying. So… I’m glad I did what I did.”
“Good,” Whitley said. “Now can we stop talking about high school drama and go see the movie?”
“Nice, Whit,” Nathan said.
“What?” Whitley asked. “This whole thing is giving me serious flashbacks to last summer. Not something I want to relive.”
“Whitley’s right,” I said. “Let’s go. All the secrets are out. I’ve apologized. I’m done. Enough drama. I’m ready to have a little fun.”
“I think we can make that happen,” Nathan said as he pulled out of Elsie’s driveway.
Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text from Brody. I gri
“Hey,” I said, looking up from my phone. “Can we make one more detour? Brody wants to come.”
Whitley laughed and Nathan groaned. Loudly. But he took the turn I pointed to, toward the Frasiers’ house.
I sat back in my seat and smiled.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s no secret that I have some of the best people in the world helping me make all of my stories come alive. First a huge thank-you to my agent, Joa
There’s no way I could ever make it through a day without the lovely ladies of YA Highway, who continuously give support, love, and encouragement. A huge thank-you is also owed to Lisa Desrochers, who has read everything I’ve ever written and somehow still wants to read more. Thank you, Lisa, for always making me feel like a rock star, even when I’m sitting in my pajamas on the couch eating pizza. You rock.
And, of course, I have to thank my wonderful, supportive family. They have been behind me every step of the way, and none of this could have happened without them. So thank you to my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and fabulous grandparents—especially to my granddad Mickey (though I know he’ll never read this) for always, always having faith in me. I love you so much.
Kody Keplinger was only seventeen when she wrote her debut novel, The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), which was an ALA 2011 Quick Picks selection. She is also the author of Shut Out and A Midsummer’s Nightmare. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky, where she began her writing career. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys going to the theater, hanging out in bookstores, and eating Thai food. Kody currently lives in New York City, where she can do all of those things regularly. You can find out more about Kody and her books on her website: www.kodykeplinger.com.
Backlist:
The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
Shut Out
A Midsummer’s Nightmare
Contents
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Abbreviations & Alliterations
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
People Worth Knowing
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Kody Keplinger
Cover photo © Shutterstock / Yuri Arcurs
Cover design by Erin McMahon
Cover © 2013 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the sca
Poppy
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First ebook edition: June 2013
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ISBN: 978-0-316-24909-6