Accomplice Read Online Free

Anything to make this stop.
    “And so are two hundred thousand other high school students. What makes you so special?” And poor Kenneth actually went on to list things. “WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?” College Guidance Lady boomed. “Ladies and gentleman, it’s not enough anymoreto be the captain of the cross-country team, the vice president of debate club, or even the president of our local chapter of Future Farmers of America. Lots of young people have resumes peppered with fancysounding titles. Lots of young people are on the honor roll. You need to think about what makes you stand out. Every year, hundreds of thousands of American students apply to colleges and think that because they are wellrounded, they are going to roll right onto campus.” When she said that last bit, College Guidance Lady actually did a rolling hand motion. She looked like she was on her way out of the auditorium in a conga line.
    No such luck. She straightened up a little. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you think being wellrounded is enough these days, you’ve been misinformed.” And that’s when the murmur started. It sort of rolled over the rows of seated kids. Because we had been misinformed. And had spent hours—hundreds of hours—listening ardently to that misinformation. Girl Scouts, marching band—I cannot tell you how many hours I’d spent in some dorktastic costume. Because we were supposed to have some longass list of activities to convince college admissions committees how wellrounded we were.
    It was actually nuts to see our whole class flipped on its ass a little. In the back rows, the same kids who are usually slumped over during assemblies were still slumpedover. But they were grinning a little, laughing at the kids who’d bought into the bullshit. Kids like me and Chloe.
    But Chloe didn’t even look that upset. She was dead calm compared to half the kids who sat around us twitching tearfully. That’s when she made the joke. It was just an offhand comment, hushed in the rest of the wellbehaved riot brewing around us.
    “Now do you see why Margaret Cook’s so lucky?” Chloe poked me. “She’s got a ticket anywhere.”
    I said, “You’re sick.” And she tossed her head back and cackled.
    College Guidance Lady just kept going. “Admissions committees want students who understand the world around them, who have unique perspectives.” And I raised my eyebrows, heard Chloe suck in her breath, trying not to laugh. “They want people who matter. Individuals who have overcome adversity.” By then we were rocking in our chairs.
    “ Margaret Cook is going Ivy ”—I remember whispering that to Chloe, just to see her squirm harder in her seat, just to get her laughing even harder.
    That’s how the whole thing started. That’s when it got on its way to becoming real.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Lunch was miserable that first day back.
    Most of the girls Chloe and I usually ate with were ensconced at the front table—the resident queens of tragedy. Easy to spot, so I dropped my bag on the floor beside the table, said “hey” in what I hoped was a suitably stricken tone, and then left to push my tray along the line in the cafeteria. Picked up a chips and salsa and a bag of cookies. Got to the table to see Priyanka and Elena patting the seat between them.
    “Finn, it’s so smart of you to try and eat. We’ve got to keep our strength up.” That came from Priyanka, who was sitting at the table with three cans of Diet Coke lined up in front of her.
    Chloe and I had slumber parties with these girls. We’d played truth or dare and told secrets, and none of them could even imagine the secret we kept between us. None of them had any idea how daring we actually were.
    “Have you heard anything?” Elena had her chin on her hand.
    This startled me so much I almost dunked a cookie in the salsa. “From who?”
    “I don’t know—from the Caffreys? How are they?” One of the things I noticed about our friends was that they sounded a