So Much Closer Read Online Free PDF Page B

dull the pain of seeing Scott with another girl by sipping my latte and reading a good book. It’s about a woman who suspects that her husband is having an affair. I like books with plots about infidelity or divorce. I like being able to relate to the story I’m reading. It makes me feel less alone. All those books about shiny happy people are such a load. Real life is nothing like that. The best books make me feel hopeful when the characters’ problems work out in the end realistically, not conveniently tied up with a big, red bow. Big, red bows are such a lie.
    The little bell over the door chimes when a girl comes in. She squeals, “Leslie?!”
    Something makes me look over to see who Leslie is.
    It’s her.
    The girl from last night.
    Scott’s girl.
    I really, really want to leave. But I just got here. I’m not about to give up my prized window table and bother the barista to pour my latte into a paper cup just because she’s here. That would completely ruin the fancy leaf decoration.
    I try to focus on my book.
    A boy is watching me. He’s at the other window table across the room. Every time I look over, he looks back down at his laptop. He seems a little older than me, like he might be in college. New York University is nearby. Maybe he goes there.
    Eventually, the girl who yelled Leslie’s name leaves. I’ve been keeping my head down while reading my book so Leslie won’t notice me. She probably wouldn’t even recognize me, though. It was dark out there. She only saw me for a few seconds before I ran off with my chair. I could have been anybody.
    When Leslie gets up to leave, I slink down.
    “Hey,” she says to me.
    Game over.
    “Hey,” I say back.
    “Weren’t you at RiverFlicks last night?”
    “Huh?”
    “ I Love You, Man .”
    “Excuse me?”
    “The movie.”
    “Oh. Yeah, no. I mean, I stopped by to see what was playing, but then I had to go.”
    Leslie glares at me. A piece of hair is stuck to her gooey lip gloss.
    “Scott said you guys went to the same school before you moved here,” she informs me.
    “He did?”
    “Yeah. He did.”
    Sweet! This means he talked about me last night. He didn’t just turn back around, watch the movie, and forget he ever saw me. Which is actually what I was hoping he’d do. But this is so much better. He talked about me. To the girl he was with .
    Leslie is not as excited about this revelation.
    She’s all, “Just so you know? We’re together.”
    “Okay ...”
    “I go to Eames Academy so people at your school might not know Scott has a girlfriend yet? But he does.”
    If she’s trying to impress with the whole Eames Academy thing, it’s not working. I don’t even know what that is. I’m just relieved she doesn’t go to West Village Community with me and Scott.
    “What does that have to do with me?” I ask.
    Leslie smirks. “I met Scott right when he moved here. We’ve been together for two months.”
    Could she be any more insecure? She’s a total train wreck.
    Note to self: do not be intimidated by Leslie.
    I sit all the way up in my chair.
    “Congratulations,” I say. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”
    She smirks some more. “Yeah, Scott said you were like that.”
    “Like what?”
    “You know. Angry.”
    Scott said I was angry? I find that hard to believe. He doesn’t even know me. How would he know how I am?
    I throw my book in my bag and get up. A power couple armed with a fat newspaper and a laptop lunge at the table before I even step away from it.
    As I pass Leslie on my way out I go, “You must have me confused with someone else.”
    Whatever. So I’m angry. You would be, too, if your dad left your mom for another woman.

    It was worse than horrible.
    I heard all the fights. I knew some of the reasons for them. Reasons I wish I could forget.
    Things had been bad for a while. I can’t remember when it started and I never knew why. All I know is that there was something wrong with my parents.
    When Dad came