10 Hours to Go by Keely Parrack

Author:Keely Parrack
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

20

Elke cleared her throat and looked down at the dirt floor. “So, number one, I was shocked to get expelled, but relieved to go back to DC, reconnect with memories of my dad, and not have to pretend to be happy anymore.” She looked up at Natasha.

Natasha frowned and stared back.

I coughed, dry and raspy.

“You sound like you don’t believe me,” Elke narrowed her eyes.

“Or maybe it’s your guilty conscience, jumping to conclusions.” I said, feeling like I was tiptoeing through a minefield, unsure if we had fully disposed of all the bombs yet, with no idea when I was about to set one off.

“Two, dropping is something I enjoy.”

Natasha snorted at that. “You’re supposed to be making it hard, not easy!”

Elke gave a little smile. “Three, I wish the three of us could have been friends in middle school, and I’m sorry I didn’t invite Lily to the bonfire party at Adventure Camp.” She looked at me as if she was testing the waters, looking for a reaction.

I didn’t know what to think. She sounded genuine. But if she wishes we’d been friends, why go through with the prank? No, that didn’t make any sense. That had to be the lie. A mean lie.

“Okay, who’s guessing first?” Elke sat cross-legged, smug in her ability to hide her lie.

“Three,” I said. “Three is a lie.”

“One,” said Natasha. “Dropping is in your DNA. When we first met, that was your whole persona, a nature-loving, eco geek. Sure, you loved fashion and music and all that, but at your core, you were this explorer.”

Elke grinned. “I cannot possibly say who is right until you’re both absolutely sure of your answers.”

There was something behind Elke’s eyes, a sadness. I watched as she flicked her bootlaces. Perhaps she was never as sure of herself as I thought, perhaps she was as insecure as the rest of us, just better at hiding it. She tossed back her violet hair and smiled at me, a sweet I-see-you smile.

“Oh God, I don’t know now.” If she’d invited me to that party, I wouldn’t have felt so isolated, gone into a pious rage, and gotten Elke expelled. Or would I?

“I can see you’re wavering,” said Elke, with a tease in her voice.

“Okay, I’m switching to agree with Natasha.” Who’d have thought it? “Because if I hadn’t snitched, you’d never have got expelled, so maybe there’s some truth to number three. But you’ve been going on and on about dropping and how you know your way around this whole time, so number one, that’s the lie.” I crossed my arms completely confident in my change of heart.

“Okay, drumroll!” Elke pattered on the cardboard. “And the winner is…neither of you! It was number two.” She paused and actually looked worried. “I really do wish we’d been friends.”

“What?” Natasha gasped. “But you love the dropping. You’re always going on about all the times you went ‘dropping’ in the Netherlands.”

Elke’s voice dropped to a confessional whisper. “I only went once. It was the worst night of my life.

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