Secrets & Lies: Two Short Stories by Kody Keplinger Page B

had no idea how to respond to that.
    “You’ve been jealous of my gymnastic abilities in cheerleading. And that day when you walked in on me, you were obviously jealous of my body.” She stood up and put her hands on my hips. “I mean, of course you would be. You don’t have boobs yet.”
    I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. Twice.
    “And you were worried Justine might start to like me more,” she said. “So you told her stories about me. Both of you knew I was hotter and funnier and that more boys liked me, so you teamed up to embarrass me. Oh my God, that’s the only reason she hung out with you, isn’t it? She’d never
actually
be friends with you.”
    Wow. That stung.
    “Elsie, that’s not… Look, I just came here to apologize.”
    “Not accepted,” Elsie said. “You little wannabe. You know what? I’m not quitting cheerleading. I’m going to stick around just to make you and the rest of those girls look bad. I’ve been holding back, you know. Just so you all didn’t seem so stupid out there. Not anymore, though. And don’t expect any help when you screw up your next cartwheel.”
    “I… I should go.”
    “You should,” she agreed.
    “Anyway, I’m sorry. Again. For telling Justine about… Okay, well, ’bye.”
    I got out of the house as fast as I could. I still felt shocked. Dazed. I hadn’t expected Elsie to be happy with me or to forgive me right away, but I hadn’t anticipated
that
, either.
    “How did it go?” Nathan asked when I got back in the car.
    “It was… weird,” I admitted. “Turns out she’s just as much of an arrogant social climber as Justine said.”
    “Really?” Nathan asked. “Wow.”
    “Are you sorry you made Justine turn herself in?” Whitley asked. “Do you think Elsie deserved it?”
    “No,” I said. “No matter how stuck-up she is, no one deserves that kind of bullying. So… I’m glad I did what I did.”
    “Good,” Whitley said. “Now can we stop talking about high school drama and go see the movie?”
    “Nice, Whit,” Nathan said.
    “What?” Whitley asked. “This whole thing is giving me serious flashbacks to last summer. Not something I want to relive.”
    “Whitley’s right,” I said. “Let’s go. All the secrets are out. I’ve apologized. I’m done. Enough drama. I’m ready to have a little fun.”
    “I think we can make that happen,” Nathan said as he pulled out of Elsie’s driveway.
    Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw a text from Brody. I grinned, glad to have found at least one person in all of this who was truly “worth knowing.” I kind of hated the way Justine had used that phrase, but I knew what it meant now. The people who made you smile. Who liked you for you and not the clothes you wore or the clubs you were in. Friends. Real friends.
    “Hey,” I said, looking up from my phone. “Can we make one more detour? Brody wants to come.”
    Whitley laughed and Nathan groaned. Loudly. But he took the turn I pointed to, toward the Frasiers’ house.
    I sat back in my seat and smiled.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    It’s no secret that I have some of the best people in the world helping me make all of my stories come alive. First a huge thank-you to my agent, Joanna Volpe, for her endless support and confidence. And thank you to Kate Sullivan and Leslie Shumate for helping me bring these stories to a whole new level. Thanks also goes to all of the amazing people at Poppy for getting behind these stories and helping make sure they made it into readers’ hands!
    There’s no way I could ever make it through a day without the lovely ladies of YA Highway, who continuously give support, love, and encouragement. A huge thank-you is also owed to Lisa Desrochers, who has read everything I’ve ever written and somehow still wants to read more. Thank you, Lisa, for always making me feel like a rock star, even when I’m sitting in my pajamas on the couch eating pizza. You rock.
    And, of