Adam Read Online Free PDF

group. In one swift movement, he flipped the board up with a kick, it landed on the ground, and he sat on it with a space left for Kelsey. She eagerly took her place.
    â€œHeard you guys are hittin’ Tahoe,” said Matt.
    â€œColin,” continued Kelsey, “Matt can ride with you guys, right? If I go with Stephen?”
    Adam felt his face grow hot. He shifted on the concrete, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
    â€œSure, I guess,” said Colin. Adam saw Colin looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Like he was waiting for Adam to speak up, defend his spot or something. Colin didn’t care whether Adam went or not, Adam knew that.
    â€œDude,” said Brad to Colin, “you could squeeze four in your back seat, right? I’ll put Sandy on my lap.”
    â€œNaw, my parents are all up in my shit about that shit,” said Colin.
Was he lying?
    â€œAdam could drive up by himself,” said Alice, giggling a little.
What the fuck was that retard bitch talking about?
Everyone knew Adam didn’t have his license yet.
    â€œStephen, what about the Explorer?” said Brad. Adam felt stupid letting Brad talk for him, but his entire body had shut down. Like, even if he wanted to talk, he couldn’t.
    â€œI could ask my dad if we could squeeze . . .” said Stephen.
    â€œI thought this was a trip for couples,” said Matt, swinging his arm over Kelsey’s shoulder. “You bringing anyone, Adam?”
    Adam stared at the giant zit perched on the tip of Matt’s nose—a huge red mountain with a quivering chunk of white ready to burst out. Adam shook his head.
    â€œYeah, who’s Adam gonna go in the hot tub with?” said Alice, more giggling.
    â€œWe gotta be in couples for the Jet Skiing too . . .” said Stephen to no one in particular.
    If Brad was the odd man out, they’d never try to kick him out of the trip. They’d all wanna take fucking turns being his Jet Ski/hot tub/whatever-the-fuck partner. He had to just act like he was Brad, just be Brad for five fucking seconds and
—
    â€œSo whatever the fuck, you guys can take turns being my couple, I mean, or whatever,” Adam found himself saying.
    Everyone in the group stared at him.
    â€œYeah, like, I’ll go in the hot tub with you”—Adam nodded at Kelsey—“and you”—he nodded at Andrea—“and you”—he nodded at Alice—“and you”—he nodded at Stephanie. “And . . .
you!
” Adam jerked his head toward Matt, the word coming out like
Boo!
    Matt slowly lifted his hands up, as if Adam were pointing a gun at him.
    Everyone was silent. Adam looked at Brad, thinking he would laugh, turn it all into a great joke. But Brad just looked embarrassed for him.
    â€œWhatever, I, like, wasn’t even sure I could go anyway . . .” Adam trailed off. And someone changed the subject.
    ***
    Adam crumpled his lunch bag, the majority of his lunch still in it, and threw it in the trash. He walked up the steps of the Language Arts Building, passing a group of Nerd boys huddled together playing Magic: The Gathering.
    â€œOK, I’m bringing out my five/four dragon. Fear me the wrath of my wingèd foe!” said a kid named Marvin, absent-mindedly scratching his balls through his thin sweatpants.
    Adam hustled up the steps faster. He got to his Spanish classroom, kids laughing and racing around before class started. Barely aware of what he was doing, Adam turned down the hall, ducked into the boys’ bathroom, and locked himself in a stall.
    He listened to make sure no one else was in there and then kicked the stall door. He felt like he wanted to cry. There was something wrong with him. He didn’t know what it was, just that it was inside him and it was wrong. “
Fuck
me!
Fuck
me!” he said through clenched teeth. He slammed his fist into the metal divider and then jerked