Are You Still There Read Online Free PDF

ourselves in to face each other. It’s a sorry circle though, looks like we all failed kindergarten. When Dr. Paisley said they’d pulled from all the social circles, she wasn’t kidding.
    I scan the room. Yep, we’ve got our football player, our band member, our genius, our emo, our druggie, our student government representative, our loner, our social partyer, our cheerleader, our resource kid, our—wait. My eyes stop on Miguel. He is staring back at me, looking less surprised to see me than I am to see him. His full lips seem to smirk, and I wish I was close enough to flick him with my finger.
    I’d figured the kids recruited for this program would be all the regulars. The AP students. The valedictorians. The main players in student government. Kids like me .
    Dr. Paisley claps her hands together twice to get our attention. “We’ll start with a get-to-know-you activity. Everyone will share two random facts about themselves.”
    Silent groan. Agonizing ice breaker. Luckily she starts on the other side of the room.
    Garth Johnson goes first. The boy barely fits in the chair. When he shares that he’s a quarterback (sure looks like one) and a vegetarian (definitely does not look like one), I hear whispered gasps of “No way!”
    I hate things like this. Sure, I’m sort of curious about what everyone else will share, but I’d rather pull out my eyelashes than share myself. Because I’m boring . I have no secret interesting facts to share. If I tell people I’ve never missed a day of school since freshman year, I’ll sound like a freak.
    â€œHi, I’m Eric.” I know him. He’s the kind of guy who takes every AP class offered, aces all the tests, and plays French tapes to learn a new language while he’s sleeping. He doesn’t act cocky about his IQ though. “I’m an only child. When I was a kid, I built a five-story apartment building out of toothpicks.”
    Next is Janae, with funky hair—cut in a way that sounds awful, but she somehow pulls it off. One side hangs low over her left eye, and she flips it out of her face as she talks. The back is buzzed close to her neck. There’s a red streak on one side. I wish I could try a haircut like that, but I’d be way too scared it wouldn’t look good.
    Right away I like Janae, even though I’ve seen her hanging out by the druggie tree, kicking the druggie ground and joking with her druggie friends. “I’m Janae. I’ve changed schools eight times since kindergarten and my favorite snack is uncooked noodles.” Someone asks if her dad’s in the military. “Nope.” She shakes her head, her longish bangs flopping over her eye again. “Just couldn’t find the right school.”
    Miguel is next. I’ve been trying not to look at him, but it’s harder than it sounds. When I peek, I see that he’s staring straight at me. He is so not my type. I wish he’d get a grip. “Hi, I’m Miguel.” His accent sounds even stronger than it did the other day. “I love tamales, and I have a pit bull.”
    When it’s Cruz’s turn, I can tell right away that he’s one of those guys who thinks he’s cool. Or he wants us to think he’s cool. He leans back, crossing one leg over his other. “I like to have a real good time.” People chuckle. I’ve heard Cruz throws raging keggers. He’s short but buff, and his big teeth give him a squirrel-like look. “And … I’m captain of the wrestling team.”
    I’m up before I’m ready. I stumble a bit. “Uh, hi. I’m Gabi. I’m on the cross-country team. My sister and I are eleven months apart in age, but two years apart in school.” Everyone looks at me politely enough, but I’m groaning inside. I’m so boring. I feel my cheeks redden, and I want to cover them with both hands. How old am I? Five?
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