What We Knew Read Online Free Page A

focused on the stoplight—green, yellow, red, green, yellow, red—not wanting to see what was behind me, above me, beside me.
    I spent a lot of the summer running from things I didn’t want to see.

three
    I was still lounging on the couch in my pajamas, working on my second bowl of cereal, when Lisa and her little sister, Katie, came in already dressed for the pool.
    “Knock much?” I mumbled through a mouthful of O’s. I waved my hand for Lisa to move. She was blocking the TV, and they were about to do The Big Reveal on my favorite home makeover show.
    “I’ve been texting you for an hour,” she said crankily, crossing her arms.
    I glanced down at the phone next to me and lowered my cereal bowl, trying to hide the blinking light I’d been ignoring all morning.
    “Miss Thang wants to go swimming,” Lisa said.
    “It’s hot,” Katie whined. “I’m sweating my boobs off.”
    “You don’t have any boobs,” Lisa said.
    Katie stuck out her chest. “More than you.”
    “Sad but true,” Lisa conceded, gesturing to Katie “Look, she fits in my old bikini.”
    “I thought you said bikinis are gross,” I asked Katie.
    “Ryan’s gonna be there,” she said, cocking her bony hip.
    “Isn’t that the kid that lives in a van?” I asked.
    Katie ignored me, plunking down in the recliner and staring at the TV.
    “You and I need to talk,” Lisa said, grabbing my hand. She tossed her sister the remote and then dragged me to the kitchen where my eyes snagged on the list of chores stuck to the fridge, punishment for coming home late. Laundry I could handle, but making me scrub the toilet was just mean. My mom knows touching it—even with gloves—makes me gag.
    “What happened last night…” Lisa said. “It’s not what you think.”
    “How do you know what I think?”
    “I didn’t … you know.” Lisa avoided my eyes, examining her nails. “I left right after you.”
    “Still,” I said, rinsing my bowl. “What were you thinking?”
    “Jealous?” Lisa wiggled her eyebrows and then screamed when I squirted her with the sink sprayer.
    “I ran into Foley last night,” I said, sighing.
    “See? You’re not perfect either.”
    “We talked,” I said. “I didn’t stick my tongue down his throat.”
    I didn’t cheat.
    Lisa opened the freezer. “Can I have a waffle?” she asked. “Hey, Katie, you want a waffle?”
    While Lisa waited for the toaster, I went to get dressed. I struggled into my bathing suit—still damp from yesterday—and dragged my hair into a ponytail. Adam’s oxford—it still smelled like him—frayed cutoffs, flip-flops. I was searching for my sunglasses when Lisa’s sister started howling in the living room.
    “What are you oh-ing about?” I asked, running into the room.
    “This guy on TV! He has a tapeworm in his eye!”
    “I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t be watching that,” I said, turning off the TV. My sunglasses were on the end table. I grabbed them as Lisa tossed her sister a waffle on the way out the door. Katie liked to exaggerate, but she was right—it was stupid hot. I started sweating the minute I stepped outside. “Did Trent slip us something last night?” I asked, locking up. “I think I tripped.”
    “You weren’t tripping,” Lisa said, fluttering her fingers in my face. “Last night was freaky.”
    “So there really was a staircase in the woods?” I said. “I didn’t dream that part?”
    Nibbling the crispy edge around her waffle, Lisa said, “You didn’t dream it.”
    Katie was halfway down the block already. Jogging was out of the question. My knees were killing me. I bribed her to wait with the promise of gum. Sixth-graders will do anything for gum.
    “I know I’m being paranoid,” I said. “But I swear someone followed me home.”
    Lisa cocked her head. “That’s funny. Adam said he felt weird, too, like we were being watched.”
    I stopped. “Adam?”
    “He walked with me to Cutler.”
    I lowered my mirrored glasses and