Read Online One Way by Norah McClintock - Free Book Online

did record one last Wednesday?” I’d seen him out on the street, standing across the street from the school, the way he always does. Standing with his back to the school, the way he always does, so that the school is always—always—in the background.
    â€œYeah, I think so,” he says. He pulls out his phone, turns it on and stares at it for a few seconds. “Yeah,” he says. “I guess I forgot to delete it.”
    I see his thumb move toward the Delete button.
    I grab the phone from his hand.
    â€œHey!” he says.
    â€œCan I see it?” I ask. What I’m thinking is, That was close.
    He relaxes and shrugs again.
    â€œGo crazy,” he says.
    I watch the video of his last rant.
    There he is, with the school directly behind him, while he talks about exams and how they prove nothing. It’s no help at all. Then the phone moves and there’s a side view of him saying that all the exams show is that some kids are good at memorizing stuff. Behind him, I can see the buildings up the street. Still no help.
    Then the phone moves again.
    Again there’s a new angle while Stoner talks how the brain doesn’t work exactly the same way in every single human being.
    I see a white delivery van. I don’t listen to Stoner’s commentary anymore.
    I see someone on a bicycle turn onto the street. It’s me.
    I see a car go by me and remember the driver who gave me the finger.
    I see myself looking over my shoulder at the car.
    I see…
    It goes by so fast. The next thing I know, the screen is blank.
    â€œI have to see that again,” I say.
    â€œKenzie,” he says thoughtfully, like he’s only just registering my name.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œThe Kenzie that ran into Stassi?”
    I nod.
    â€œStassi’s okay,” he says. “She was my girlfriend in kindergarten. Did you know that?”
    I have to say that I didn’t. Stassi never mentioned it. I knew she liked him though. And she never made fun of him the way some people did. She said he was smarter than he looked. She said he wasn’t made for regular school but that someday, all the idiots who made fun of him were going to be surprised. She said he wanted to make movies. She said he would be great at it.
    â€œI need to see this again, Stoner.”
    He takes the phone from me and fiddles with it, and it plays again. This time he watches it with me.
    â€œWhoa,” he says softly just before it ends. “Did you see that?”
    â€œI need you to post this,” I say. “And I need you to send it to my phone.”
    â€œNo problem,” he says.
    Then I remember that I don’t have my phone.
    â€œOne more thing,” I say. “I need to borrow your phone—after school.”
    Naturally, he isn’t sure about that. I tell him what I want to do. I also tell him why.
    â€œAnything for Stassi,” he says.

Chapter Eleven
    I meet Stoner after school. Maybe I should have gone directly to the police. But I need to clear this up in my own mind first.
    I spot her.
    â€œWait here until I call you,” I tell Stoner.
    He nods.
    I wave to Mandi.
    She looks at me, uncertain.
    â€œI need to talk to you,” I tell her. “About what happened.”
    â€œI’m not going to change my mind, Kenzie. I told the police what I saw.”
    â€œYou have to do what you have to do,” I say.
    â€œSo what do you want?”
    â€œI want to know why you did it.”
    â€œDid what?”
    â€œLied.”
    â€œI already told you—” she begins.
    â€œYou lied to me. You told me that you heard Stassi say she was going to dump me the day before I actually dumped her.” Stassi had come backstage and said she wanted to be in the play, and she didn’t see why that had to come between us. Technically, she had broken up with me. But I was the one who made it happen.
    â€œI told you what I heard.”
    â€œMaybe it’s just what you