Excerpt
Little White Lies andlt;link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../styles/9781416998310.css"andgt; andlt;h2 andgt;andlt;a id="ch01"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;andlt;a id="page_1"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;andlt;img src="../images/common.jpg" alt="Images"andgt; 1 andlt;img src="../images/common1.jpg" alt="Images"andgt;andlt;/h2andgt; andlt;h2 andgt;YOU CALL THIS A WELCOME?andlt;/h2andgt; andlt;BRandgt;Iand#8217;D BEEN BACK ON THE Canterwood Crest Academy campus for an hour and I already felt trapped. Not a feeling Iand#8217;d imagined experiencing on my first day of eighth grade.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;But it was true. If I left my dorm, I could get caught between Jacoband#8212;my exand#8211;almost-boyfriend who suddenly wanted me backand#8212;and Ericand#8212;my amazing boyfriend who still didnand#8217;t know that Jacob had confessed his feelings to me the day before summer break.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I sat at the edge of my still-unmade bed and took a deep breath, wanting to stay in the safety of my room. I wished my BFF and roommate, Paige Parker, would hurry through her parental goodbyes. I needed girl advice stat!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I considered the possibilities:andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_2"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;Out Thereand#8212;I might run into Jacob. That was not good. But I also wanted to see Eric, and with the and#8220;no boys allowed in Winchester Halland#8212;ever!and#8221; rule, running into him here was highly unlikely. Unless he wanted to risk death by Livvie, my dorm monitor.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Plus, even though I didnand#8217;t want to leave, I kind of had to. My riding coach, Mr. Conner, was holding a team meeting at the stable in half an hour. I couldnand#8217;t risk being lateand#8212;it was the first meeting for the Youth Equestrian National Team. After spending most of my summer riding at YENT camp, there was no way I could be late to the first meeting.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I stepped around my matching pink suitcases and checked my reflection in the full-length mirror, wanting to look pretty but casual when I saw Eric for the first time since before summer vacay. I ran my fingers through my light brown hair and flicked a stray eyelash off my cheek. A coat of Cherry Blossom gloss was all I neededand#8212;it was so hot outside that any more makeup would run.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I peeled off the wrinkled shirt Iand#8217;d worn on the two-hour drive from home and pulled a new one from my open suitcase. The cotton-candy pink and#8220;I andlt;img src="../images/f0002-01.jpg" alt="Images"andgt; New Yorkand#8221; baby tee looked cute with my jean skirt. Iand#8217;d gotten the T-shirt when I spent a couple of weeks this summer in NYC with Paige.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;a id="page_3"andgt;andlt;/aandgt;I smiled as I looked around our roomand#8212;glad that weand#8217;d gotten approval to be roommates again in our familiar seventh-grade dorm room. Despite my worry about running into Jacob, I was beginning to feel better about being here.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Going 2 the stbl 4 mtg. U? I texted Eric.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;I pulled on my paddock boots and glanced at my laptop. Just one quick check for any school announcements, I told myself.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Zero new messages.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The mouse hovered over my and#8220;save these!!and#8221; folder. After a momentand#8217;s hesitation, I clicked on the message Iand#8217;d been staring at all summer long. From: Jacob Schwartz.