Uglies Read Online Free PDF Page A

all knobbly for traction, but it was amazing how easy it was to slip off.
    The board was oval-shaped, about half as long as Tally was tall, and black with the silver spots of a cheetah—the only animal in the world that could run faster than a hoverboard could fly. It was Shay’s first board, and she’d never recycled it. Until today, it had hung on the wall above her bed.

    Tally snapped her fingers, bent her knees as she rose into the air, then leaned forward to pick up speed.
    Shay cruised along just above her, staying a little behind.
    The trees started to rush by, whipping Tally’s arms with the sharp stings of evergreen needles. The board wouldn’t let her crash into anything solid, but it didn’t get too concerned about twigs.
    “Extend your arms. Keep your feet apart!” Shay yelled for the thousandth time. Tally nervously scooted her left foot forward.
    At the end of the park, Tally leaned to her right, and the board pulled into a long, steep turn. She bent her knees, growing heavy as she cut back toward where they’d started.
    Now Tally was rushing toward the slalom flags, crouching as she drew closer. She could feel the wind drying her lips, lifting her ponytail up.
    “Oh, boy,” she whispered.
    The board raced past the first flag, and she leaned hard right, her arms all the way out now for balance.
    “Switch!” cried Shay. Tally twisted her body to bring the board under her and across, cutting around the next flag. Once it was past, she twisted again.
    But her feet were too close together. Not again! Her shoes slipped across the surface of the board.
    “No!” she cried, clenching her toes, cupping the air with her palms, anything to keep herself on board.
    Her right shoe slid toward the board’s edge until her toes were silhouetted against the trees.
    The trees! She was almost sideways, her body parallel with the ground.
    The slalom flag zoomed past, and suddenly, it was over. The board swung back under Tally as her course straightened out again.
    She’d made the turn!
    Tally spun to face Shay. “I did it!” she cried.
    And fell.
    Confused by her spin, the board had tried to execute a turn, and dumped her. Tally relaxed as her arms jerked straight and the world spun around her. She was laughing as she descended to the grass, dangling by her bracelets.
    Shay was also laughing. “Almost did it.”
    “No! I got around the flags. You saw!”
    “Okay, okay. You made it.” Shay laughed, stepping off onto the grass. “But don’t dance around like that afterward. It’s not cool, Squint.”
    Tally stuck out her tongue. In the last week, Tally had learned that Shay only used her ugly nickname as a put-down. Shay insisted they call each other by their real names most of the time, which Tally had quickly gotten used to. She liked it, actually. Nobody but Sol and Ellie—her parents—and a few stuck-up teachers had ever called her “Tally” before.
    “Whatever you say, Skinny. That was great.”
    Tally collapsed on the grass. Her whole body ached, every muscle exhausted. “Thanks for the lesson.
    Flying’s the best.”
    Shay sat down close by. “Never bored on a hoverboard.”
    “This is the best I’ve felt since…” Tally didn’t say his name. She looked up into the sky, which was a glorious blue. A perfect sky. They hadn’t gotten started until late afternoon. Above, a few high clouds were already showing hints of pink, even though sunset was hours off.
    “Yeah,” Shay agreed. “Me too. I was getting sick of hanging out alone.”
    “So how long you got?”
    Shay answered instantly. “Two months and twenty-six days.”
    Tally was stunned for a moment. “Are you sure?”
    “’Course I’m sure.”
    Tally felt a big, slow smile roll across her face, and she fell back onto the grass, laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding. We’ve got the same birthday!”
    “No way.”
    “Yeah, way. It’s perfect. We’ll both turn pretty together!”
    Shay was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I