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referred to it as a scandal to bait you because I want you to know what happened. I wanted you to ask. And maybe that’s true.”
    “I’ll ask. What happened? Was it that video?”
    “No—another one. I’d show it to you, but my parents went through every phone and computer I’ve ever owned and made sure it was deleted. They hired one of those Geek Squad people. It’s floating around the Internet somewhere still. They haven’t fully wrapped their brains around the Internet, and what that means for my video.”
    “It was that bad?”
    The girl pushes her sunglasses up over her forehead and leans in. “ I didn’t think it was bad. It started because of this photo that was going around school. I didn’t know her, but this freshman girl texted a picture of her boobs to a guy she was hooking up with on the soccer team, and he forwarded it to his friends, etcetera. Two days later and everyone at school had seen it. And here’s the thing . . . they hated her . Everyone was talking as if she was the bad guy, not him—and he was the one who sent it to everyone he knew. At a certain point I just got sick of it. So a few of my friends and I made this video—all boobs.”
    “All boobs? What does that even mean?”
    “Boob shot, after boob shot, after boob shot. Just boobs. I took video of my friends changing their shirts and bras, then I set it to music. Our faces aren’t in it. The whole point was: What’s the big deal? Why is everyone shaming this girl? She hadn’t been to school for a week, and her friends said she wasn’t eating and she couldn’t stop crying. I was like: They’re just boobs, people. WTF.”
    “So it didn’t go over well.”
    “No. Hence the trip to see Mims. I still think I’m right. . . . Anyway, what about you? What are you running from?”
    Her wording catches you off guard, and even though you know it’s just a turn of phrase, everything about it makes you uneasy. There’s no reason the police would ever look for you here, but you can’t help glancing at the back gates, making sure nothing seems off.
    “Just craziness at home. My parents fight all the time. It’s better to come here and just get away.”
    “Yeah, it’s kind of nice here. . . .” The girl stands and walks to the edge of the pool. It isn’t as clear or clean as it could be, that’s obvious, but she starts down the stairs, letting the water settle at her shins. She’s about to go in farther when a voice calls out from the other side of the fence.
    “Iz, come on,” a woman says. “We have to meet them in a half hour. If we don’t leave soon we’ll get stuck on the 10.”
    “I better go,” the girl says, splashing up the stairs. She leans over, gathering her things. “But I’ll be around tomorrow . . . and the next day . . . and the day after that. No car.”
    “Me neither. So you’re . . . Iz?”
    “Izzy. Now you have to tell me yours.”
    “Everyone calls me Sunny.”
    “See you tomorrow, Little Miss Sunshine?”
    You smile, and it feels so good it’s surprising. As you lean back on the chair, the sun is comforting, and for the first time this morning, your shoulders relax. You know it’d be better if you didn’t see her again. If you made up some excuse telling her why you won’t be around tomorrow. It’s more risk.
    But as she starts toward the gate you say nothing, and that seems like answer enough. She holds the sweatshirt in her hand as she waves good-bye.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF–NOT FOR SALE
    HarperCollins Publishers
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    “COUSIN RITA.” BEN throws the Jeep into park and turns the engine off. He hasn’t stopped smiling the entire ride.
    “Rita, really? How about Tess, or Zadie? Something cooler?” You pull the visor down, looking at your reflection in the tiny mirror. You’ve styled your bangs straight, so they sit right above your glasses, covering your brows.
    “I think Rita’s