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Chapter 1

The engine whined against o faster The yellow lines of the road went by on ht didn’t see fast enough The gentle curves on this road begged to be taken at high speeds I pushed down another inch on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward My heart picked up speed and I couldn’t keep the sthe sweat on my forehead from my last practice of the school year

Red and blue lights flashed in the rearview as pedal, as if that would help I looked for a place to pull off the road, already co up with my story By the tiht of two great possibilities

When I saw his face, all hed and rolled down the

“Charlotte Reynolds, we ain,” he said

“Hi, officer”

“What is this, the third time?”

“Is it?” Crap What were the odds the same cop had to pull me over three times? “My dad says hi”

He laughed “Your dad is a good cop, but his naet you out of it this ti fifteen miles over the speed limit”

“Really? It couldn’t have been fifteen”

“It was I need your license”

“Can I look at your radar, ht?”

He raised his eyebrows atto kill me

I walked in the front door and threw ry about the stupid ticket “Where is everyone?” I yelled out I followed the sounds of laughter into the kitchen A blender sat in the middle of the island, surrounded by a bottle of Tabasco sauce, ketchup, and eggshells Gage looked up and caught my eye

“Charlie! Just in time”

I could smell from the doorhatever awful smoothie they had just created—it smelled like rotten tomatoes “Oh no”

“Oh yes” Nathan snaked his arm around lass”

A glass was added to the others on the counter “On three n it,” Gage said, pouring solasses

“Why are we doing this?” I asked, looking at the four guys around the kitchen island Three of theht as well have been—Braden He’d been our neighbor for twelve of the sixteen years of my life and was always around

“One, to prove we can Two, to toughen our stoet in football tomorrow”

“So, in other words, just to be idiots”

“That too,” Gage said, holding up his glass “Ready?”