You Don't Even Know Read Online Free PDF Page A

posers.”
    Ethan.
    I lost control of my plank and dropped to the pool deck.
    â€œHold it, Buzz,” called Benny.
    I pushed back into the side plank, stretching my arm above my head.
    â€œStuck up, wankers.”
    I gritted my teeth, determined to stay as strong and steady as Smurf.
    â€œMan, that is so gay.” Ethan’s friend, Stav. Wherever Ethan went, Stav was close behind.
    â€œOkay, guys. Into the water. Ten slow laps,” said Benny.
    To reach the pool I had to pass Ethan and Stav plus Ethan’s prissy girlfriend Ginny and Stav’s pathetic one, Felicity.
    Ethan stepped up the macho crap as I approached.
    I stopped an arm’s length from him. “Really? Coming from you, who spends half his life staring at other guys’ arses?”
    â€œYou’re soft, Lexie.” The hairs on my arms rose despite the warmth. He’d called me Lexie since I was little, only because he knew it drove me nuts.
    â€œClear off, Ethan.”
    Smurf and Bart stood shoulder to shoulder with me, arms folded across their massive chests.
    â€œYou lot rowers?” scoffed Smurf.
    â€œNow that’s gay,” said Bart.
    â€œTypical. Too soft to face me alone,” snarled Ethan.
    I felt the humid air shift as Benny moved to stand between me and Ethan.
    â€œRighto, boys. Water, or it’s surrender.” When Smurf, Bart and I didn’t move, Benny added, “For ten minutes.”
    Surrender involved treading water, egg-beater style, with your arms straight up in the air. Pure torture. Benny only made us do it if we were late for training or if we dropped a ball in a knock out drill.
    Punching Ethan would almost be worth a session of surrender. Almost.
    Smurf slapped my shoulder. “Come on, Buzz.”
    I waited a moment before moving.
    As I dived into the water, Benny said, “Clear off from my training session. Come back and I’ll let them sort you out.”

15
N EUROSURGERY H IGH D EPENDENCY U NIT , P RINCE W ILLIAM H OSPITAL
    I open my eyes and try to look around the room. The ceiling is made up of tiles covered in tiny dots. To my right, windows fill an entire wall. Beige curtains are bunched in the corner nearest me. Beyond the windows, tufts of clouds drift across a watery sky. If I lift my head, I can see other beds – one beside me, another two opposite. In each lies a lump beneath blue bedspreads. Above the lumps, bags of clear plastic hang from a metal stand with a pump like mine. Alarms go off at different times to mine.
    The room sways. I sink back into the pillow and everything fades to white …

16
A LEX
    White empty page, black curser pulsing in the corner.
    De Jong had phoned Dad again, this time about my progress in English. Apparently Mr Anderson felt I was squandering my “natural abilities” and hadn’t handed in work, which was a complete lie. I handed in two essays last week.
    Dad’s message had flashed up on my phone screen as I walked through the front door after school.
    De Jong emailed. Finish the essay now! Will talk later .
    Mum had appeared in the foyer two seconds later, frowning at her phone. “What’s this about Mr De Jong and essays?”
    Great. Dad had copied Mum into the message.
    The short version of what happened next was Mum went off tap, I cracked it, she yelled louder, and I thundered to my room. It wasn’t so much her going off that annoyed me, but the fact she sounded like Dad. Just once I wish she’d say what she thought instead of what Dad told her to think.
    According to the computer clock, I’d been in here for ten minutes. Felt more like hours.
    The curser blinked.
    English sucked.
    Lord of the Flies
sucked.
    Dad sucked.
    Mr Anderson sucked.
    My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Maybe if I rewrote the question in my introduction, the rest would flow.
    The door creaked open. I spun around, ready to give a serve to whoever entered without knocking.
    Mia’s face poked through