Read Online Switched by Amanda Hocking - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amanda Hocking
Tags: General, Juvenile Fiction
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Matt.
I waited until we got home for the simple reason that Maggie lives there too. I knew she would go bananas with happiness over the dance, so I figured that she could work as a good balance to Matt, who would most likely recommend instating a chastity belt. Once in the door, I kicked off my shoes and tossed aside my bag. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and Matt started going through the mail that Maggie had left on the kitchen island.
“Hey, is Maggie around?” I asked, twisting the bottle top on and off repeatedly.
“Yeah, she’s upstairs,” Matt replied absently. “Why?”
“Oh. I just… I had something to tell you,” I said unsurely, then took a long drink of my water.
“Yeah?” Matt turned to look back at me, worry tightening his voice.
“What?”
“It’s good news,” I insisted and took a deep breath. Matt turned around completely, leaning his back against the island and crossing his arms over his chest. He was suspicious of anything I considered good news. “There’s this dance tonight at school, and it’s fully chaperoned. And, well, Patrick’s going to pick me up at seven. And Finn is going to meet us there.”
“Patrick?” Matt raised an eyebrow and his voice got harder. “That goofy guy that’s supposed to be ‘just a friend?’” He did angry air quotes, which would’ve made me laugh if I wasn’t feeling defensive.
53
“He is just a friend! We’re going with Finn too! We’re all friends!” I left out the part that while Patrick and I were definitely just friends, I wasn’t so sure about exactly what was going with me and Finn.
“But just Patrick is picking you up? Not Finn?” Matt said gruffly. “You know, even if there is another boy involved, that doesn’t help your case. Going somewhere with one handsy, teenage boy is bad enough, let alone throwing another one in the mix.”
“It’s just a dance!” I said. “A school sanctioned function! And I’m just doing what you told me! I’m making friends! They just happen to boys! It’s really not that big of a deal!”
“I’ve never met these boys, and I only just started hearing about them a few days ago.” Matt shook his head. “No, this sounds like a bad idea. I mean, why am I just hearing about this dance now?”
“Because Patrick just asked me today,” I lied. As a rule, I didn’t lie to Matt about anything important. But this wasn’t all that important, and it was mostly a white lie anyway.
“He asked you? That’s not what you said. You said you were going as friends.”
“Yeah, we are. But he asked me. I didn’t just spontaneously decide I was going with him,” I shrugged. Matt was making me question what I thought I knew. We were just friends, weren’t we? I mean, Patrick was pretty obviously trying to set me up with Finn, and it just might work if I stopped fighting him on it so much.
“So how does Finn work into this equation?” Matt didn’t believe anything I was saying, which I didn’t think was very fair considering how little I lied to him.
“Patrick asked him too. And I can’t drive, unlike Finn, so Patrick offered to pick me up.” I crossed my arms and looked at him evenly. “So there.
That’s everything.”
“I still don’t know,” Matt shook his head.
54
“You know what? Let’s ask Maggie and see what she thinks,” I suggested and started walking out of the kitchen to find her. Maggie would think this was the greatest idea ever, and we both knew it.
“Her opinion doesn’t count!” Matt insisted, grudgingly following me.
“We’ll see about that!” I retorted. “Maggie! Mags! Where are you?”
Telling Maggie about the dance may have been the worst idea I’ve ever had, and my life is made up almost entirely of bad ideas. I discovered her upstairs, painting the bathroom a pale yellow. As soon as I told her, she clapped her hands together, tossed her paint brush in the sink, and embraced me so tightly, she probably
I waited until we got home for the simple reason that Maggie lives there too. I knew she would go bananas with happiness over the dance, so I figured that she could work as a good balance to Matt, who would most likely recommend instating a chastity belt. Once in the door, I kicked off my shoes and tossed aside my bag. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and Matt started going through the mail that Maggie had left on the kitchen island.
“Hey, is Maggie around?” I asked, twisting the bottle top on and off repeatedly.
“Yeah, she’s upstairs,” Matt replied absently. “Why?”
“Oh. I just… I had something to tell you,” I said unsurely, then took a long drink of my water.
“Yeah?” Matt turned to look back at me, worry tightening his voice.
“What?”
“It’s good news,” I insisted and took a deep breath. Matt turned around completely, leaning his back against the island and crossing his arms over his chest. He was suspicious of anything I considered good news. “There’s this dance tonight at school, and it’s fully chaperoned. And, well, Patrick’s going to pick me up at seven. And Finn is going to meet us there.”
“Patrick?” Matt raised an eyebrow and his voice got harder. “That goofy guy that’s supposed to be ‘just a friend?’” He did angry air quotes, which would’ve made me laugh if I wasn’t feeling defensive.
53
“He is just a friend! We’re going with Finn too! We’re all friends!” I left out the part that while Patrick and I were definitely just friends, I wasn’t so sure about exactly what was going with me and Finn.
“But just Patrick is picking you up? Not Finn?” Matt said gruffly. “You know, even if there is another boy involved, that doesn’t help your case. Going somewhere with one handsy, teenage boy is bad enough, let alone throwing another one in the mix.”
“It’s just a dance!” I said. “A school sanctioned function! And I’m just doing what you told me! I’m making friends! They just happen to boys! It’s really not that big of a deal!”
“I’ve never met these boys, and I only just started hearing about them a few days ago.” Matt shook his head. “No, this sounds like a bad idea. I mean, why am I just hearing about this dance now?”
“Because Patrick just asked me today,” I lied. As a rule, I didn’t lie to Matt about anything important. But this wasn’t all that important, and it was mostly a white lie anyway.
“He asked you? That’s not what you said. You said you were going as friends.”
“Yeah, we are. But he asked me. I didn’t just spontaneously decide I was going with him,” I shrugged. Matt was making me question what I thought I knew. We were just friends, weren’t we? I mean, Patrick was pretty obviously trying to set me up with Finn, and it just might work if I stopped fighting him on it so much.
“So how does Finn work into this equation?” Matt didn’t believe anything I was saying, which I didn’t think was very fair considering how little I lied to him.
“Patrick asked him too. And I can’t drive, unlike Finn, so Patrick offered to pick me up.” I crossed my arms and looked at him evenly. “So there.
That’s everything.”
“I still don’t know,” Matt shook his head.
54
“You know what? Let’s ask Maggie and see what she thinks,” I suggested and started walking out of the kitchen to find her. Maggie would think this was the greatest idea ever, and we both knew it.
“Her opinion doesn’t count!” Matt insisted, grudgingly following me.
“We’ll see about that!” I retorted. “Maggie! Mags! Where are you?”
Telling Maggie about the dance may have been the worst idea I’ve ever had, and my life is made up almost entirely of bad ideas. I discovered her upstairs, painting the bathroom a pale yellow. As soon as I told her, she clapped her hands together, tossed her paint brush in the sink, and embraced me so tightly, she probably
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