Under Pressure Read Online Free Page B

obsessed .
    Nah . She pushed that thought away. Not obsessed. It was just that the date for the scout’s visit was getting so close, and she needed her pills. That was all.
    Elise looked down at the pill packet in her hand. Each brown oval nestled in its own compartment. She smiled, soothed at just the sight of them. Then she punched one through the foil backing and popped it in her mouth, chasing it with a swallow of lukewarm Gatorade from the bottle by her bed.
    Her cell rang, and automatically, she shoved the pills under her mattress before grabbing her phone. It was Sophie.
    â€œI’m outside,” her friend burbled. “Let me in, you dingus! I’ve been ringing forever.”
    â€œSorry,” Elise mumbled. She didn’t feel like seeing anyone right then, but she couldn’t exactly tell Sophie that when her friend was standing right outside.
    Elise ran down the stairs and opened the door. Sophie grinned at her and waggled a giant yellow bag.
    â€œFunyuns!” she caroled. “Remember third grade? We ate the whole bag, and I was sick all over the floor during reading group?”
    Elise followed Sophie up the stairs to her room. Her friend dropped her backpack on the floor and pulled open the Funyun bag. She stuffed a handful of the greasy onion rings into her mouth.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re all white and your hair’s a mess.”
    Elise glanced into the mirror over her dresser. Sophie was right, though Elise thought her skin was more gray than white. Sophie was right though. She didn’t look her best.
    â€œI’m, ah, you know, just stressed about trig.” She tried for a casual sigh. “As usual.”
    Sophie offered her the bag. “At least it’s only trig. I would’ve thought you’d be stressing about the UNC visit. It’s only two weeks away.”
    Elise’s stomach did a flip, but she plucked a Funyun from the bag anyway.
    â€œUm, no, I’m not that worried. Whatever happens, happens, right?” Nothing could have been further from the truth, but Sophie was concentrating on lining up a row of unbroken onion rings on Elise’s bedspread and didn’t seem to notice.
    â€œThat’s true,” her friend agreed. She added another Funyun to her row. “With the way you’ve been playing lately, you don’t have anything to worry about.”
    Elise closed her eyes.
    â€œHey, check out this old picture of Coach Berg that Dayton forwarded me. It’s hilarious—he’s in high school.” Sophie leaned over the bed, balancing precariously, and reached for her backpack. Her fingers brushed the zipper. She leaned farther to drag the backpack closer and started toppling off the bed.
    â€œWhoops!” She caught herself with one hand on the carpet, then paused. “What’s that stuff?”
    Elise glanced over. Her friend, hanging upside down off the bed, was staring at the corner of a pill packet sticking out from under the mattress.
    Elise’s heart gave a leap in her chest, but she managed, with a supreme effort, to keep her voice under control.
    â€œOh, that?” She laughed a little. “Um, just some random vitamins my mom keeps wanting me to try.” Elise swallowed. “I just put them under there so she’d think I took them.”
    Sophie shot her a sharp glance, but Elise forced herself to gaze back at her friend placidly. Sophie laid back on a pillow, apparently convinced, and stuffed another handful of onion rings into her mouth.
    Elise laid down beside her friend. She suddenly felt very tired.

“C ome on, come on!” Coach Berg shouted. “Let’s keep it up!” He yanked the baseball cap lower on his brow. His expression was as dark as the clouds overhead.
    Elise panted, struggling to return the shots Nita was firing at her. They were paired up on the field, practicing passes and returns. Elise had almost laughed when Coach