Every Last Word Read Online Free

hiking boots. Baggy, faded jeans. An unbuttoned flannel shirt that might be considered cool if it belonged to her boyfriend, but I’m pretty
sure that’s not the case. Underneath it, her T-shirt reads, WHAT WOULD SCOOBY DOO ? That makes me laugh to myself. I continue up to her face. Not a stitch of makeup. A
purple-and-white-striped ski cap, even though it’s the end of August. In California.
    “Samantha McAllister.” The final bell rings, signaling that we’re both officially tardy on the first day of school.
    She tugs on her shirtsleeve, uncovering an old, beat-up watch. “We’d better get to class. It was nice to meet you, Sam.”
    Sam
.
    Last year, I asked the Eights to call me Sam. Kaitlyn laughed and said that’s her dog’s name, and Olivia said it’s a guy’s name, and Alexis declared that she would never,
ever
go by Alex.
    I watch Caroline round the corner, and by then, it’s too late to correct her.

W e’re eating lunch under our tree in the quad when Alexis takes a dramatic breath, places her palms flat on the ground, and leans into
the circle. “I can’t stand this anymore. I have something to tell you guys.”
    Kaitlyn rests a hand on Alexis’s back, like she’s offering silent reassurance. “It’s about my birthday this weekend,” Alexis says, and the rest of us squeeze in
tight. “We’ve been planning to go to this amazing spa in Napa for months now, right? Well, I guess my mom should have scheduled the appointments earlier, because when she called two
weeks ago, they told her there was a wedding this weekend and everything was booked solid.” She sighs dramatically. “She could only get three appointments.”
    “Whatever. We’ll go to another spa,” Olivia says.
    “That’s what I suggested. But my mom said she called all the high-end places, and none of them could accommodate all of us on such short notice. Besides, this is her
favorite—she’s been going there on special occasions for years—and she’s always wanted to take me.”
    “Can we go on Sunday instead? Or the following weekend?” I ask.
    Alexis looks at me and her eyebrows knit together. “Saturday’s my birthday, Samantha.”
    She takes a sharp inhale as she removes two envelopes from her bag. She hands one to Kaitlyn and the other to Olivia. “I’ve been thinking about this nonstop over the last week, and I
finally decided it was only fair to pick the two people I’ve known the longest.”
    “You’ve known all of us since kindergarten,” Hailey says, voicing what I’m pretty sure each one of us is thinking.
    “True, but our moms,” she says, gesturing to Kaitlyn and Olivia, “knew each other when we were in preschool,” and the two of them nod like that explains everything. Then
they actually have the audacity to start opening their envelopes in front of us.
    Again, Hailey speaks on behalf of us losers. “Samantha has a car now. Maybe the two of us can drive up and meet you for lunch?”
    Hailey’s pleading expression makes me actually consider it for a moment. But Mom and Dad would never agree. Even if they did, what would happen when we arrived at the restaurant? It might
take me ten minutes to park correctly. What if there’s a valet?
    I can’t drive.
    “I thought about that,” Alexis says. “But she won’t drive with passengers. Right, Samantha?” My face gets hotter the longer they stare at me.
    I shake my head. Alexis glances around the circle, shifting the blame to me, using nothing but her eyes.
    The thoughts start gathering, butting up against the caution tape surrounding my brain, strategizing and preparing to rush in and take over. I hold them off, telling myself all the right things,
repeating the mantras, taking deep breaths, counting slowly.
    One. Breathe.
    Two. Breathe.
    Three. Breathe.
    It’s not working. My face is getting hotter and my hands are clammy and my breathing feels shallow and I need to get out of here. Fast.
    I pull my phone out of my pocket and