Little, Brown and Company

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BY #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
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10.5.12
INT. LAVENDER BATH NIGHT.
SHERIDAN puts quill to paper while soaking in
the memories of her rst date earlier that evening.
Logan pulled up to my house and honked. I kissed my par-
ents goodbye and told them to put the camera down. This
wasnt a date. They werent missing any big moments. I was
simply getting a ride to rehearsal with a friend. Dad said he
wasnt questioning my plan, only my motive. I dug through
my purse to hide the fact that his CSI jargon was freaking me
out. Did he know I was about to commit a crime?
Mom tried to explain.
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Your father isnt questioning the fact that youre going to
rehearsal with this boy
Logan.
Logan. Its just that he, we, think youve spent a long time get-
ting ready.
So?
So maybe Logan means more to you than
Than what, Mom? A ride? Because thats all he is. A ride. I
spent a long time getting ready because I am trying to get into
character.
But youre the
Its okay. You can say understudy. But Im also a professional. I
need to be ready in case Octavia gets taken out by a truck or
something.
Sheridan! (Them.)
Excuse me for being optimistic.
Another honk.
Gotta go.
I bolted.
Logan said wow when he saw me. I knew Scarlett Johansson
was the right call for a date. Rubenesque undercarriage, sexy,
and daring; I needed to be all of those things. And I was.
My hair was sculpted to the side and loosely curled at the
bottom. Like Scarlett I played up my lips with berry- colored
gloss (Maybe shes born with it) while downplaying the eyes
with mascara and gold shadow. I stuffed my pear parts into
skinny jeans and showcased my at midriff with a boxy tank
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222
that accidentally shot north when I moved. And my pointy
faux snakeskin pumps? Ssssssssssssexy.
The daring is everything that happened next.
The dealership was closed when we got there. Floppy
Beemer was our only witness. I made Logan turn around while
I disabled the alarm system, then made him triple swear hed
never talk about this.
Dude, this is so hot.
I wanted to turn around and run. Not because I was afraid
of getting busted. But because Logan was rubbing his hands
together really quickly and licking his lips. Like he was about
to eat a giant steak and I was the side of potatoes. If I was going
to be anyones side I didnt want to be his. But that was Sheri-
dan talking and this night belonged to Scarlett.
I lifted the keys from the case and jangled them in front of
Logans eyes the way he had done to Audri back on the rst
day of school. The memory gave me a chill. It was hard to
believe that was only a few weeks ago. My life has changed so
much since then. Audri, the play, this crime. None of it seemed
possible. And yet, here I was. Helping some Biff drive Dads
prized possession.
Lets do this! Logan snatched the keys from my hand,
unlocked the door, and tossed his suede jacket into the back-
seat. I laughed when he slipped on ngerless driving gloves
and said, M3 GTR ready for liftoff.
I thought he was joking. He wasnt. The guy blasted out of
the dealership before my seat belt clicked, and shot down Old
Bell Road doing 90. The speed limit is 35.
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223
Slow down!
I cant! My shoe is stuck on the gas!
This time he was joking but I didnt laugh. I squeezed his
arm. Seriously! Slow down.
Drivers ashed their headlights. Pedestrians scurried.
Logan, please! Someone is gonna call the cops.
What are they gonna call them? Pigs? (Him, not being funny.)
Drop to 60!
He took it to 100. I blamed Octavia. She drove me to this.
(PUN INTENDED!)
Deer!
Where? Logan stomped on the brake. We ew forward.
Incredible control.
He sat there gripping the wheel, staring out at the road
ahead. He was practically panting. I dont see any deer.
My text alert chirped. I leaned forward to get my purse off
the oor. Logan jammed the gas. My head slammed back
against the seat.
I felt dizzy. Clammy. Heavy. Achy. I found my phone.
Audri. She just asked Jagger to Octavias party. He said yes.
Yay! (Me texting.)
My intestines began to throb. I started to feel sick. I cant
remember if it was Logans driving, the texting while speeding,
or not being invited to their party that did it. All I remember is
that Scarlett was gone and Sheridan was back.
Guess I wasnt invited. (I texted.)
I told O to put you on the list. She promised. Maybe its in your
junk mail.
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224
I rolled down the window.
Sher, you believe me, right?
I wanted to type yes, but we were about to break the sound
barrier and my mouth was starting to water. Then came the
prickly sweat.
I stuck my head out the window. My hair uncoiffed and
blew into my gloss. Logan was clueless. To him the open win-
dows were an opportunity to poke himself out the moon roof
and drive with his knees. The car began to sway. I tugged on
his Diesels.
Sit down!
Whooooo- hoooooooooooo!
I began to taste batteries. I felt around the backseat for
Logans jacket.
He was howling out the moon roof and didnt hear my yeti
burp. Or the splat of puke that pooled in the satin lining of his
Hugo Boss bomber. Or me whipping the suede barf bag onto
Old Bell Road. The screeching tires drowned everything out.
We made it back to the dealership without an arrest, a hit-
and-run, or death. Logan said he was so excited he could
kiss me.
I didnt want anything of the sort. And not just because I
had puke breath. After that ride, after what I risked for him,
I hated him even more than Octavia. I invited him to Octavias
party.
He accepted without hesitation.
We spent the next hour searching the dealership for his
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225
jacket. He said it was really expensive. He just got it. It was his
favorite. His house keys were in there.
I acted like someone who cared. It was quite the perfor-
mance. Where are the cameras when you need them?
To Be Continued . . .
END SCENE.
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This book is a work of ction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the
product of the authors imagination or are used ctitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright 2013 by Lisi Harrison
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning,
uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of
the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property.
If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes),
prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
permissions@hbgusa.com . Thank you for your support of the authors rights.
Poppy
Hachette Book Group
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Visit our website at lb-teens.com
Poppy is an imprint of Little, Brown and Company.
The Poppy name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content)
that are not owned by the publisher.
First Paperback Edition: May 2014
First published in hardcover in October 2013 by Little, Brown and Company
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Harrison, Lisi.
Pretenders / by Lisi Harrison. First edition.
pages cm.
Summary: Five high school freshmenthe Phoenix Fivereveal their
friendships, crushes, school and family dramas, and big secrets, as told in their
unique voices through journal entries Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-316-22244-0 (hc)ISBN 978-0-316-22232-7 (pb)
[1. High schoolsFiction. 2. SchoolsFiction. 3. DiariesFiction.
4. FriendshipFiction. 5. Dating (Social customs)Fiction. 6. Family life
New JerseyFiction. 7. New JerseyFiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H2527Pqm 2013 [Fic]dc23 2012048434
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
RRD-C
Printed in the United States of America
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