PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England
puffinbooks.com
‘Infinity’ first published in the USA in
SIXTEEN: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday
by Three Rivers Press (imprint of The Crown Publishing Group) in 2004
Just Listen
first published in the USA by Viking, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. 2006
First published in Great Britain by Penguin Books 2007
That Summer
first published in the USA by Orchard Books, 1996
First published in Great Britain by Penguin Books 2009
Published in this edition 2010
Text copyright © Sarah Dessen, 2010
Colour Puffin artwork on cover copyright © Jill McDonald, 1974
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-14-195979-5
Infinity
Lately, I don’t dream about Anthony. I dream about the roundabout.
Now, Mr Haskell, my psychology teacher, would say this had implications. That somehow my fear of the roundabout is linked
to my issues with Anthony, which are both many and complicated. Mr Haskell has a certain way he says things like this, leaning
over with both elbows balanced on his lectern. It’s very unsettling, as if he can see deep into your soul. But the truth is
I was scared of the roundabout before I even met Anthony.
Most towns have those most modern of inventions, traffic lights, to deal with traffic. Not here. Instead, some genius decided
however many years ago to put in instead this big circle with all the main roads feeding into it, then sat back to watch people
crash to their deaths as they attempted to negotiate it.
But I digress.
My first experience with the roundabout was when I was about seven. We’d just moved to town so that my father could finally
finish his dissertation. My mother and I were on our way to the grocery store when we suddenly came up on this big sign that
said YIELD with an arrow pointing to the right. Cars were going round a big circle, off which poked several different exits to different
roads. The trick, apparently, was to kind of merge in, follow round until your exit, then merge out. Simple as that.
‘Oh, my God,’ my mother said, poking her glasses
up the bridge of her nose, which she always does when she’s really nervous. ‘What is this?’
The answer came in the form of a loud, impatient beep from behind us. My mother looked anxiously to her left, then tentatively
tapped at the accelerator, sending us inching out into oncoming traffic. Another beep.
‘Mom,’ I said.
‘I’m merging!’ she shrieked, as if this was on the level of splitting atoms and I was
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL , England
puffinbooks.com
‘Infinity’ first published in the USA in
SIXTEEN: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday
by Three Rivers Press (imprint of The Crown Publishing Group) in 2004
Just Listen
first published in the USA by Viking, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. 2006
First published in Great Britain by Penguin Books 2007
That Summer
first published in the USA by Orchard Books, 1996
First published in Great Britain by Penguin Books 2009
Published in this edition 2010
Text copyright © Sarah Dessen, 2010
Colour Puffin artwork on cover copyright © Jill McDonald, 1974
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-14-195979-5
Infinity
Lately, I don’t dream about Anthony. I dream about the roundabout.
Now, Mr Haskell, my psychology teacher, would say this had implications. That somehow my fear of the roundabout is linked
to my issues with Anthony, which are both many and complicated. Mr Haskell has a certain way he says things like this, leaning
over with both elbows balanced on his lectern. It’s very unsettling, as if he can see deep into your soul. But the truth is
I was scared of the roundabout before I even met Anthony.
Most towns have those most modern of inventions, traffic lights, to deal with traffic. Not here. Instead, some genius decided
however many years ago to put in instead this big circle with all the main roads feeding into it, then sat back to watch people
crash to their deaths as they attempted to negotiate it.
But I digress.
My first experience with the roundabout was when I was about seven. We’d just moved to town so that my father could finally
finish his dissertation. My mother and I were on our way to the grocery store when we suddenly came up on this big sign that
said YIELD with an arrow pointing to the right. Cars were going round a big circle, off which poked several different exits to different
roads. The trick, apparently, was to kind of merge in, follow round until your exit, then merge out. Simple as that.
‘Oh, my God,’ my mother said, poking her glasses
up the bridge of her nose, which she always does when she’s really nervous. ‘What is this?’
The answer came in the form of a loud, impatient beep from behind us. My mother looked anxiously to her left, then tentatively
tapped at the accelerator, sending us inching out into oncoming traffic. Another beep.
‘Mom,’ I said.
‘I’m merging!’ she shrieked, as if this was on the level of splitting atoms and I was
Similar Books
