High and Dry Read Online Free PDF

sympathy for me, she was extremely good at hiding it. She flipped a chair around and straddled it, propping her elbows onto the information desk. “Anyway. Enough chitchat. I’m here because I need your help.”
    I frowned. “With what?”
    â€œFriday morning I left my flash drive in one of the computers here, and when I came back to grab it, it was gone.”
    â€œWhat’s on it?”
    â€œOnly my college application essay.” She groaned. “Someone stole it! And now all they have to do is replace my name with theirs and they’re golden. They can snake my spot at some school and no one will ever know.”
    I walked out from behind the information desk and motioned for Bridget to sit with me at an empty table.
    â€œDid you check all the computers?” I said.
    â€œYes,
Dix
, I checked all the computers,” she said, insulted. “It’s not here.” She pointed to the left. “I was seated in the corner by the window.”
    â€œYou checked your backpack, your locker—”
    â€œDo I look like a child?”
    Um. Definitely not. “When were you here?”
    â€œSecond period.”
    I chewed on my pen cap for a second. “For study hall?”
    â€œYes. I was editing my essay, smoothing out the rough spots, rearranging sentences. I had
everything
else for my application done and ready to go. If I can’t find it, I’ll be stuck getting a bachelor of arts at frigging Lambert.”
    She knew full well that’s where I was going. “You’ll always be B.S. material to me, Bridge.”
    â€œCute.”
    â€œYou didn’t back up the file?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œNot at home, not on e-mail?”
    â€œAre you trying to make me feel worse? Because you’re really good at it.”
    â€œI’m good at a lot of things,” I remarked. “Or did you forget?”
    She smirked. “Only because I taught you. I didn’t back it up, okay? I was stupid. But I need that essay.”
    â€œCan’t you rewrite it or something?”
    â€œ
Oh
my
God
. Do you understand what a college essay
is
? It’s all amorphous nonsense. But I had the nonsense exactly how I wanted it, and I can’t re-create a month’s work in four days! The deadline for UC Irvine is Friday!”
    â€œThe deadline for UC Irvine was November 30th. Try again.”
    â€œOkay, jeez. Make me say it: The essay’s for a scholarship. Happy now? If I don’t get my essay back, I won’t be
going
to college.”
    â€œLook, if you did leave your flash drive behind,
anyone
could’ve taken it,” I said.
    â€œI know. That’s why I need your help. You can access the log-ins, right? Find out who was here second period?”
    For a while, people were stealing books off the shelves, so now everyone who came into the library had to swipe their student ID card as they walked in, even if they didn’t plan on checking out anything.
    I shook my head. “It only tells me their ID number; it doesn’t say who it belongs to.”
    She waved that issue away. “I know a guy who can translate those. So you’ll help me, right?”
    Bridget leaned in, allowing me a glimpse down her full-to-bursting blouse. Her leg rubbed against mine beneath the table, like a matchstick looking to ignite, and she implored me with her huge green eyes.
    â€œTell me this,” I said. “All that stuff you piled on thick last night, about waiting for me to be single again? Did you really want to get back together, or did you just think if we were back together, I’d help you find your flash drive today?”
    â€œI figured it couldn’t hurt,” she admitted. “I saw you at the party, remembered you worked at the library, and thought I’d sweeten you up before springing a favor on my once-and-future boyfriend.”
    â€œI
could
help,” I said slowly, shaking her loose and standing up,