Pushing Send Read Online Free PDF Page B

she thinks he’s a doll. She told me he was the kind of boy I need.” Her mouth keeps running until we get outside where Pax pulls up.
    “You girls need a lift?”
    “Sure do.” Lana practically pushes me into the backseat of the car and then climbs in the front, still talking.
    Pax raises an eyebrow and gives me a “ WTH ” look, shaking his head.
    “Lana, take a breath, girl.” He laughs.
    “Joey—” she begins.
    “Freaking,” I interrupt, laughing.
    “White asked me to prom, Pax. He asked me to—”
    “That guy’s kind of an ass, Lana.” Pax gives her a sideways glance as he pulls out of the school parking lot.
    “He’s your friend,” she gasps.
    “We play on the same teams and are cordial, but I wouldn’t say that makes us best buds or BFFs, as you’d say.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She waves her hand flippantly through the air. “Can you drop me off at Dad’s office? I need to talk to Mom. She’s gonna be ecstatic for me.”
    “What about your friend, Lana?” He motions back to me.
    “You don’t mind, do you, Hadley? Pax can take you home. It’s okay, right?”
    “Sure.” I smile and look down. I am becoming less and less nervous around Pax and enjoying more and more of our conversations without anyone around.
    Lana is busy looking through dresses on her phone and talking about Joey “Freaking” White for the entire ride to Dr. Jamison’s medical office where Lana’s mom is the office manager. Pax barely has time to stop the car outside the building before Lana is jumping out.
    “Call you later. Love you, Hadley. Love you, Pax. Mwah!” She slams the door.
    Pax pushes his aviators on top of his head, then leans over to open the door. “You gonna stay back there or get up here?”
    I climb out of the backseat and then slide into the front.
    He pulls out of the parking lot and looks over at me, his glasses back over his eyes. “You figure out who you are yet?”
    “Actually I think I’ve figured everyone else out.”
    “Really?” He chuckles. “Let’s hear it.”
    I take a deep breath, then look over at him and sigh.
    “You can trust me, Hadley. I was hoping I had proved that already.”
    “Well, I know Bee and Skylar have always gone to our school. They are best friends, but have a different group of friends, as well. Skylar moved here in sixth grade, but always hung around with Bee. I’ve never really gotten to know either of them outside of school besides sketching in the park, but from what I’ve seen, Bee is a serious fangirl. She’s always wearing tee shirts with fandom references and those sorts of things. She wears nerdy glasses that look like Stuart from The Internship . Lana, Bee, Skylar, and I sit together at lunch, and I feel comfortable with them, but still a little on the outside of their circle.
    “Bee is a total firecracker. She’s sweet and shy in front of teachers, adults, and people she has to please, but when she’s not around them, she’s crazy. She’s super funny and kind of random.
    “Skylar is a little different. She is artistic and kind. She has a blog where she posts her photographs and pictures of her paintings. She has a huge following, and like, a thousand people check her blog every day. She’s top of the class, quiet, and really nice. I don’t know as much about her as I do Bee.”
    “So, is that it? No one else?” he asks, as he moves through the green light.
    I take in a deep breath, trying to give him the trust he’s asked for. He’s right; he hasn’t done anything except be nice to his little sister’s new friend.
    “There are a few main groups. There are the nerds.” He laughs, making me feel at ease and even more comfortable, so I continue. “I don’t call them that to their faces, but I honestly don’t think it’s a bad thing to be a nerd. Bee considers herself a “nerd,” and she’s awesome. To me, she seems more of a fangirl, and from what I’ve learned, fangirls are great. They don’t get wrapped up in