Where the Truth Lies Read Online Free PDF Page B

weird.”
    “We think it’s weird,” I pronounce, “because it is . Besides, it’s never actually going to happen.”
    Even though the tattoo idea is gross, I can sort of understand where Steph is coming from. Like so many of the kids who go here, her family life is less than enviable. Ethan is pretty much all she has, even though her parents come around often enough. Like I said, Steph’s dad is an attorney. He’s well-known within the dorms for having outbursts of anger over the most trivial of issues. For instance, at the beginning of the year, he threw a fit when he found out that his daughter—his princess —was staying in a captive room with no fire escape outside the window. He threatened to sue everyone: the school, my dad, our dorm mother. Like most of his outbursts, it ended in a compromise. Now, under her bed in her room, Stephanie has one of those collapsible cloth ladders with metal hooks that can be attached to the window in case of a fire. I still remember my dad standing there, shaking his head, telling Stephanie, “Now make sure you use this to sneak out of your dorm every night, okay?”
    He was kidding. But we do it all the time.
    The four of us make our way into the school parking lot, where my dad’s black Escalade is parked outside his office.
    “Okay,” Steph murmurs. We’re all staring at my father, who is clearly visible sitting at his desk, head bent over a pile of paperwork. “He’ll definitely see us if he looks outside. Somebody has to distract him.”
    I shrug. “I’ll do it.”
    “But then he’ll know it was us,” Grace says.
    “Grace,” I say, “we’re putting a plate on his car that says ‘Dadmobile.’ He has one daughter. The four of us are the only people in the world who call him ‘Dad.’ He’s going to know it was us anyway.”
    “Then what’s the point?” she asks. “Do you think I can smoke a cigarette out here? Because I’m very nervous. Did anyone bring cigarettes?”
    “Grace, be quiet. You can’t smoke out here. Now, listen. Here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll go inside and talk to him. You three stay out here and switch the plates.” I pause. “Did anyone bring a screwdriver?”
    Steph holds up a flathead.
    I frown at her. “Where did you get that?”
    She’ll only give me a Cheshire smile. “I have my sources.”
    “Okay.” I shrug. Her “source” is most likely Ethan. “Whatever. Good. I’ll be right back.”
    It’s always weird to be in the school at night, when it’s empty. Aside from my dad and possibly Digger, there’s nobody in the building.
    His office door is open. I step inside and wait for him to notice me. Glancing toward the window, I can’t help but roll my eyes a little bit. My roommates are all huddled around the back of the car. Grace is on her tiptoes, and she’s audibly clapping in excitement. Franny is, of course, tugging her hair out. Steph is crouched down, doing all the work. The thought How many boarding students does it take to vandalize the headmaster’s car? crosses my mind.
    “Emily,” my dad says, surprised. “What are you doing here?”
    I step in front of the window. “Nothing, Daddy. Just, you know, wanted to say hi.”
    So there’s that: none of my roommates have ever called my dad “Daddy.” I suppose it’s possible I’d be a little irritated if they did.
    “You should be at your dorm.” He pauses, smiles at me. Then he says, “Have a seat.”
    Are they finished? How long can it possibly take them? I imagine the three of them out there, falling all over each other in giggles. God, I hope they don’t set off the alarm.
    “That’s okay,” I say, glued to my spot in front of the window. “I just had a question.”
    “Okay. What’s up?” He leans back in his chair, crosses his arms behind his head.
    “Did you … um, did you let in a new student today?”
    For a split second, I see a flash of something cloudy in his expression. But as quickly as it appears, it’s gone.