When the notebook containing their deepest, darkest secrets is stolen, two former best friends must unite, despite crushing on the same heart-stopping boy.
*****
Best friends, Al...
Do you remember in seventh grade when I pooped in the girl's bathroom and backed up the toilet? The whole bathroom got flooded, and they had to call in a plumber. The entire school was speculating who did it. I was so embarrassed I pretended to be sick for a couple of days and stayed home. Then that annoying girl, Elizabeth, guessed it was me, but you swore it wasn't and made her take it back. You got everyone to think she was jealous because I got the lead role in the school play and she didn't. You were so boss. I don't know why I thought of that today, but I just wanted to say thank you. You're a queen and the best-est friend a girl could ask for. -Georgie aka Alexx
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The hallway bustled with students as lunch started. Alex ignored the couple making out next to her locker and grabbed the paper bag her dad had packed for her this morning—a ham and cheese sandwich with pretzels and a chocolate bar. She hated ham and cheese but took the bag with a smile and was rewarded with a kiss on her forehead and a "have a good day, sweetheart."
Alex knew he was tired. Not only had he pulled a forty-eight-hour shift, but he had a patient die—an eight-year-old boy who had been in a car crash. Her dad took patients' deaths hard, but it went up a notch if it was a child. Alex always knew when it happened because she'd catch him staring at her with a haunted look in his eyes.
Usually, her mom would take his hand and lead him to their room. She'd hear them murmuring, talking about whatever he saw, and sometimes her dad would break down crying. When they emerged from their room, he was calmer, more grounded, and her mom would coddle him for the rest of the day, continually rubbing his shoulders or making his favorite foods.
It was during those moments that Alex understood what love truly meant. It's also why her mother's affair hit her like a hundred-pound brick. Her parents might fight and throw ugly accusations at each other, but when they needed each other the most, they were always there.
Not anymore. Stupid Mr. Conway.
The couple making out jerked apart as Alex slammed the door shut. She sent them an apologetic look, even though she felt anything but sorry, especially when her phone vibrated with a text.
Mom: You took the bus again this morning? What happened to Hugo picking you up?
Ugh. Her dad must have snitched. Despite her parents' arguments, they were united on one front—Alex.
Alex: I'm taking the bus from now on.
Mom: I don't like you going to and from school by yourself. I'll arrange to carpool with Mrs. Sheehan and Mrs. Harrison again.
Alex: No, I don't want that. I told you I'm not friends with them anymore.
Mom: You don't need to be friends. You just need to sit next to them for twenty minutes a day. This isn't a negotiation.
Alex: Mom, you're not listening to me. I'm taking the bus.
Mom: And you're not listening to me. You're carpooling — end of discussion.
