The Scarlet Letterman Read Online Free PDF

out of the stall, taking brief satisfaction in the shocked look on the girls’ faces.
    “Oh, don’t stop talking on my account,” I say. “Please, continue.”
    The girls, frozen to the spot, come to life all at once. They file stiff-legged out of the bathroom. Outside they burst into laughter. I roll my eyes.
    Great. Freshmen are talking about me. Specifically, about my lack of cleavage. Don’t they have anything better to do? But I don’t know why I’m surprised. Since I became Ryan’s girlfriend, I’m on everyone’s gossip list. From what I’m wearing, to whether or not we’re going to break up, everyone seems to want to talk about us. It’s the downside of dating Ryan Kent. I’m surprised we don’t have one of those celebrity monolithic names like Ryanda or Miran.
    I check out my reflection quickly in the mirror, but don’t see anything out of place, like ketchup on my face or my hair sticking up. It’s just me, the reassuringly normal, middle-of-the-road Miranda. I’ve dyed my hair a lighter shade of brunette, a tad lighter than last semester’s nearly jet-black look. I’ve got on Ryan’s oversize letterman’s jacket, which is so long it nearly reaches the hem of my skirt. But it’s warm and nice, especially in February. Otherwise I’m the same. Not the prettiest girl, but certainly not the ugliest. I’m what my mom calls “approachable,” which somehow always sounds like a little bit of an insult. Still, I’m not hideous. I’m worthy of Ryan Kent, even if I don’t fill out a B-cup bra.
    Outside the bathroom, a girl runs by and hands me a pink flyer. I expect it to be another mug shot of the Bard Campus Would-Be Rapist, but instead, it’s a flyer for a dance. It says “Spring Break Dance, March 17. Help us plan! Join the Bard Pride and Spirit Committee.”
    “You got one of those, too?” Hana asks me, catching me in the hall on my way to theology class.
    “What is the ‘Bard Pride and Spirit Committee’?”
    Hana frowns. “That’s Parker Rodham’s group. She formed it last year and tried to convince the powers that be around here to hold a prom for seniors. Apparently she only managed to convince them to have a spring break dance, since we don’t actually get a spring break around here.”
    “Awkward dancing was the one thing I didn’t mind leaving behind in my old school.”
    “You know Parker. She’s not happy unless she’s making life a little more miserable for all of us,” Hana says, sighing. “Anyway, what are you worried about? You’ve already got a date. You can take Ryan.”
    I perk up a bit. Instant Dance Date: one of the many perks of dating Ryan Kent.
    “Well, you could take Samir,” I counter.
    “But we’re just friends,” Hana says, sounding appalled.
    “Right. Just friends,” I say, not buying it. Those two are so in denial.
    “We are,” Hana says, in a tone so firm that I decide to drop it. The bell rings, announcing the start of the next class.
    Hana ducks into sophomore lit and I head to theology down the hall.
    “Hey, Miranda ,” says Derek Mann, stepping in front of me. Derek is one of Ryan’s basketball teammates and also a giant a-hole. He’s a notorious mlut (man slut) and has a reputation for hitting on anything that moves.
    “Derek, I’m late,” I say, trying to move past him, but he moves with me, blocking my path at every turn. He holds up his notebook like it’s a stop sign. He’s actually written “Derek’s the Mann” on it. Gross.
    “Is it true about you and Ryan?” Derek asks me, leaning in and giving me a leer. His breath smells foul. I don’t know how a guy scores as much as Derek is rumored to score when he’s never used a Tic Tac. But then again, he’s tall, broad, and athletic, and I guess some girls just don’t care about fresh breath. Derek is cute in a probably-already-has-every-STD-known-toman kind of way. He got sent to Bard because he knocked up his principal’s daughter, or so the rumor goes. Apparently