the school. The hall was empty. Everyone was in the gym watching the game. Amyâs parents were always on her case. She never wanted to say why. She always said they were stupid. I knew they fought all the time. And it never seemed it was about anything important.
I was there one afternoon when Amyâs mom told her she needed a total attitude adjustment. Amy just stared at her, and said, â Youâre the one with the attitude. Not me.â
That got Amy grounded for a week.
Pretty stupid.
I stepped out onto the student parking lot in back of the school. It was a clear, cold night. I could see my breath puff in front of me. The parking lot was jammed with cars. The streetlights made the cars gleam almost as bright as day.
I saw my white Camry across two aisles. Shivering from the damp cold, I pulled my hoodie tighter. I tugged the key from my bag. I was a few feet from the car door when I heard running footsteps on the asphalt.
Before I could turn, strong hands grabbed my shoulders roughly from behind.
I gasped and tried to pull free.
But my attacker held on and, with a grunt, spun me around.
âMac!â I choked out. âMacâwhat are you doing? Let go of me! Macâwhat are you doing ? Let go !â
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6.
âI HEARD THINGS I SHOULDNâTâ
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âI just want to talk,â he said, pressing my back against the car. âCan we just talk?â
âTalk? Are you crazy?â I cried. âGet your hands off me. Now.â
He lowered his hands but didnât step back. His cold, gray eyes locked on mine. His blondish hair glowed under the light.
I shook myself, like a dog trying to shake off fleas. I could still feel his grip on my shoulders. âYou scare me to death and you want to talk?â I said. âAfter what you did last night?â
His hands whipped the air. âListen to me, Rachel. Just listen to me.â
My heart was pounding. Iâd seen him go from calm to furious in two seconds. It was terrifying to watch. What could I do to keep him from exploding?
I stared hard at him, alert to any move he might make, stared as if Iâd never really seen him before. Mac is good-looking. Amy says he looks like a young Brad Pitt, and I guess he does.
He doesnât smile very much. And he has this weird tic where he blinks three or four times in a few seconds. Like a twitch. It doesnât happen very often, but I think it shows how tense he is.
He wore a faded army-green jacket over a black T-shirt and skinny-legged jeans torn at both knees and black boots. I glimpsed a wrinkled pack of cigarettes in a pocket of his jacket.
âMac,â I whispered. âGo away. I donât ever want to talk to you. After last nightââ
âLast night I was crazy,â he said. âI was out of my mind. Rachel, I spent all last night, the whole night, in my car. I was so messed up about you. I was up all night. I couldnât come to school today. I thought ⦠I thought ⦠you and I. Weâ¦â
âNo, Mac,â I said. âWeâre over. Iâm sorry. But youâve got to deal with it. Weâre over. How can you even think I will talk to you? After ⦠after the dead rat.â
He blinked. âThe what?â
âThe dead rat.â
âRachel, what are you talking about?â
âOh, donât try to lie to me,â I said. âYouâre such a bad liar, Mac. Why do you even try?â
Whenever Mac tells a lie, these round pink spots appear on his cheeks. And they were definitely there now. I could see them even in the pale light of the parking lot.
I grabbed my car door. âPleaseâlet me go. Letâs just say good-bye, okay? Just back off and let me go.â
âI ⦠canât,â he said. He didnât budge. Again, those silvery eyes burned into mine. âI have to tell you something, Rachel. Something else. Not about you and me. You have to listen