Rumors Read Online Free

separated.
    After a few minutes, all the counselors came in and announced that we’d be doing get-acquainted games.
    â€œOkay, the first game we’re going to play is ‘Where Are You From?’” called out Libby, the counselor I’d met earlier. “Look around and you’ll see counselors holding signs with names of different states. If you don’t see your state—and we didn’t make fifty signs—Jamie, our riflery counselor, is holding a blue sign that says, ‘Elsewhere.’”
    Everyone laughed at that. “Okay. Go find the other girls from your state!”
    We all stood up and started moving around the room. There was a sign for Maryland, but only a couple of girls were standing in that group. I looked around until I saw the Florida sign. That group was bigger, with about six or seven girls in it.
    So which sign should I stand under? I started moving toward the Maryland sign, but then I felt a sudden pain in my heart. As of today, I didn’t live in Maryland anymore.
    I glanced over at the Florida group. But I hadn’t actually lived there yet. I didn’t belong there, either.
    Too bad those groups weren’t side by side. Maybe I could stand with one foot in each one. Or should I head for the “Elsewhere” group? That’s where it felt like I was from at the moment.
    I turned around and was suddenly face-to-face with Shelby. “Oh, hey! Are you from Tennessee?” she asked.
    I don’t know what made me do it, but I did. “It looks like it,” I said. What difference did it make? This was a big group, and I guess I thought I could blend in.
    But that didn’t happen. I soon found out what a big mistake it was to make a detour through Tennessee when you’re not really from there.
    One girl was walking around asking everyone, “East, Middle, or West?”
    I had no idea what that was all about, so when the girl next to me said middle, I said East. Then the girl with the geography obsession started asking everyone which city they were from.
    By now I was feeling totally panicked. My heart was beating so fast, I couldn’t even think straight. I had to get out of there. I glanced around the crowded room and noticed that the windows were open. Would they be surprised if I suddenly jumped through one?
    â€œWhere are you from?” Geography Girl asked me.
    I’d heard a few people name off towns I’d never heard of. I could try that.
    â€œOh, it’s a really small town. You’ve probably never heard of it,” I said.
    â€œWell, what city’s it near?” she asked.
    Cities in Tennessee. I’d heard people say Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville. Suddenly an old song popped into my head that my father would sometimes sing about trying to place a call to … “Memphis, Tennessee,” I blurted out.
    Geography Girl was about to pass me by and ask the next person, when she stopped and gave me a strange look. “Hang on. I thought you said you were from East Tennessee a second ago. And you live near Memphis?” Geography Girl made a face. “You can’t live near Memphis. That’s in West Tennessee!”
    It was like everyone in this big group had suddenly decided we should switch from a geography bee to a game of freeze tag. They all stopped dead still. And everyone was staring. Right at me.
    If Geography Girl had had a spotlight, she would’ve turned it on me at that moment. Was it too late to jump out that window?
    â€œUh,” I answered. What could I say? It was such a stupid thing to lie about. Why did I pick a state I’d neverlived in? I had three different states to choose from, so what was I thinking?
    All these eyes were on me. I’ve never been a mind reader before, but looking around at everyone, I could read every single mind in this group. And they were all saying the same thing:
You’re so full of it
.
    â€œYeah, you don’t sound like