I always thought I was aiming for the best possible kind of life, the one my parents told me I should strive to achieve, but now I know I deserve better than the neat plans I made so carefully; I deserve that trip in my bloodstream that I felt watching our film up on the auditorium screen; I deserve laughter and adventure and the rush of uncertainty that comes from living without a schedule.
I start suddenly as a body collapses beside me on the sand. Tash passes me an open box of Krispy Kremes, oozing custard and calories.
“For breakfast?” I exclaim, my pulse still beating a giddy dance from those revelations.
“Uh-huh,” she mumbles through a mouthful of icing. I stop myself from making another nutrition-related comment and fill my mouth with soft fried dough instead. It turns out to be a far more pleasurable option.
“So what are we up to today?” Tash asks, yawning.
“I don’t know,” I muse, stretching all the tension and worry free from my muscles. The beach around us is filling up as the college kids prepare for another taxing day of tanning, the breeze scented with sunscreen and ocean tang. “I was thinking some lounging, a little more relaxing . . .”
“Perfect,” Tash agrees. “And remember, we’ve got wireless Internet in the hotel room if you feel like running over and sending Ryan an email.”
I laugh at her tenacity. “Will you ever quit?”
“Umm, no.” She gives me a wry grin. “This is what friends do.”
“Well . . .” I stretch my lips into a slow smile. “Perhaps I will just write a quick message before we hit the pool.”
Tash squeals and grabs me. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” I giggle, and to my relief, the decision really does feel final.
“I knew it!” she exclaims. “I knew you’d break sometime. And I hadn’t even started with the movie marathon or the guilt trip about opportunity.”
“Gee, thanks!” I elbow her. “I didn’t realize this was an intervention.”
“Only ’cause you needed it.” Tash pushes back. “And anyway, you have to come. What would I do all summer without you?”
“Go clubbing with Morgan and Lexi?” I tease.
“Ew no!” She grimaces. “They’re toxic. Oh, wow, we’re going to have the best time.”
“We will,” I agree happily, reaching for another doughnut.
“And Ryan’s going to be pleased . . .” She looks at me sideways. I laugh.
“This isn’t about Ryan!”
“I know, it’s about identity and autonomy, blah blah.” She waves my protest away. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your cake and kiss your boy too.”
I pause for a second, reveling in the lightness in my chest. I have no idea whether Ryan will want to get back together with me or how my parents are going to react when I tell them what I’ve decided, but I don’t feel as if I have a single problem in the world. “I’m going to have everything,” I say slowly, like a promise to myself.
“Don’t you mean we are?”
“Absolutely.”
And we lie there in the sun together until all the doughnuts are gone.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks first must go to my wonderful agent, Rosemary Stimola, whose serendipity and skills brought this whole project together. Thanks to Liz Bicknell, Kaylan Adair, and everybody at Candlewick, Mara Bergman, and the Walker team — you’ve all been a debut author’s dream.
Thank you to my mum for never telling me to stop daydreaming and get a real job, for all those nights tirelessly helping me “research” Gilmore Girls, and for just being amazing. Thanks to my dad and sister for all their support. Thanks to Lauren Barnholdt — getting stuck in traffic with you that day made all the difference; Stu S. and Ned R. for the generous extension of couch privileges; Narmada T. for reading every draft of everything with unwavering enthusiasm; and finally, thanks to Kate S-B., Veronique W., and Dom P. for assorted fun times and putting up with all the book talk.
ABBY MCDONALD is from Sussex, England. Since graduating from Oxford University in 2006, she has composed teen magazine quizzes, interviewed rock stars, and bounced back and forth across the Atlantic so often that the airlines should give her automatic upgrades (she wishes). She is now based in London, where she writes full-time. About Sophomore Switch, she says, “I’ve always loved shiny pop culture, so I wanted to create a book that is as fun as it is empowering. Tasha and Emily are from different worlds, but the pressures and expectations they face are universal.” Abby McDonald is also the author of Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots and two novels for adults.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1 - Tasha
Chapter 2 - Emily
Chapter 3 - Tasha
Chapter 4 - Emily
Chapter 5 - Tasha
Chapter 6 - Emily
Chapter 7 - Tasha
Chapter 8 - Emily
Chapter 9 - Tasha
Chapter 10 - Emily
Chapter 11 - Tasha
Chapter 12 - Emily
Chapter 13 - Tasha
Chapter 14 - Emily
Chapter 15 - Tasha
Chapter 16 - Emily
Chapter 17 - Tasha
Chapter 18 - Emily
Chapter 19 - Tasha
Chapter 20 - Emily
Chapter 21 - Tasha
Chapter 22 - Emily
Chapter 23 - Tasha
Chapter 24 - Emily
Chapter 25 - Tasha
Chapter 26 - Emily
Chapter 27 - Tasha
Chapter 28 - Emily
Chapter 29 - Tasha
Chapter 30 - Emily
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Sophomore Switch Page 22
