Textrovert Read online

  KCP Loft is an imprint of Kids Can Press

  ISBN 978-1-77138-840-5 (EPUB)

  Text © 2017 Lindsey Summers

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Kids Can Press Ltd. or, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance of characters to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Kids Can Press Ltd. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters (e.g., Peeps).

  Kids Can Press gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

  Published in Canada and the U.S. by Kids Can Press Ltd.

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  Kids Can Press is a Corus Entertainment Inc. company

  www.kidscanpress.com

  www.kcploft.com

  Edited by Kate Egan

  Designed by Michel Vrana

  Jacket photo courtesy of Stocksy

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Summers, Lindsey, author

  Textrovert / written by Lindsey Summers.

  ISBN 978-1-77138-735-4 (hardback)

  I. Title.

  PZ7.1.S94Te 2017 j813’.6 C2016-902743-0

  For my Wattpad readers, I love you guys

  Fate had a twisted sense of humor. Either that or it hated her, because there was no way she should have been paired with a twin like this.

  “Come on, Keels,” Zach pleaded. The wide-eyed, earnest expression might work on their mother, but Keeley knew better.

  “You’re not getting the keys,” she told him.

  “Please?”

  “No way.”

  “You’ve had the car all day.”

  “And you got up an hour ago.”

  “So?” he taunted, acting nowhere near seventeen.

  “It’s already dark. That’s a problem.”

  “It’s summer. And you shouldn’t be talking. You slept till noon yesterday.”

  She was hoping he’d missed that. “I was tired.”

  “Because reading is so exhausting.”

  “You don’t get it.” Marathon reading wasn’t for the faint of heart. It took dedication and a big bladder to sit on a chair for hours on end.

  Zach scoffed. “The only time you move is to turn a page or grab a snack.”

  “But I’m moving up here,” she told him, tapping her temple.

  “Keeley,” he said in that placating tone that drove her nuts. “This is my first day off in three weeks, and as captain of the varsity football team —”

  She rolled her brown eyes, the rich color identical to his. If she had to listen to his Mr. I-Am-Captain-Therefore-I-Am-God speech one more time, she’d pop him in the nose. He’d been strutting around the house ever since the team voted two weeks ago. Not that the decision was surprising. Zach was a natural leader. She just wished he would leave the need to control on the field. His attitude got real old, real fast.

  “Mom and Dad gave the car to both of us so I have as much right to use it as you do,” he concluded.

  “And you drive it ninety percent of the time.”

  “Because I’m the one who actually needs it.”

  The implication hurt, but she let it go. It wasn’t worth the headache. “Well, I need it now. The fair closes in thirty minutes.”

  “Then get Nicky to drive you home. I’m sure she’s here somewhere.”

  Of course Nicky was here. They’d been best friends since kindergarten. Most people considered Nicky her twin, not Zach. But keeping the car was about principles. Keeley had the keys first, therefore she got the car, even if there was someone else to give her a ride.

  Just then Nicky came back from scoping out the line at the Ferris wheel. “It’s not too long,” she said. “But the fair closes in twenty minutes, so we should head over.” Every year the girls rode it as their last hurrah of summer. Zach used to come with, but he stopped once they started middle school. Claimed he was above something so juvenile.

  “See? Now hand over the keys,” Zach said, wiggling his fingers in Keeley’s face. “I have things to do.”

  Keeley batted his hand away. “Why are you in such a rush?”

  “Does it matter?”

  That’s when she knew. “You’re going to Cort’s house.” Cort was Zach’s best friend. He threw legendary parties whenever his parents were out of town. “I thought he was away for the weekend.”

  “He decided to stay home.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Zach let out a long sigh. “Listen, if you give me the keys, I’ll let you copy my homework.”

  It was a tempting offer since she hadn’t opened a single textbook all summer. Enrolling in AP classes had seemed like a good idea last spring, especially because Zach and Nicky were in them, too, but now that summer was over and she was faced with a year of college-level work … well, regret was creeping in.

  “And I’ll do your chores for a week,” he added.

  “A month,” she countered.

  “Two weeks.”

  “Three.”

  “Two and a half.” When she started to protest, he tugged at the end of her ponytail, just like he used to when they were little. “Please? For me?”

  She felt herself softening. Damn it. He didn’t play fair. “Only if you promise to call if you need a ride home.” Zach didn’t drink a lot, but when he did, he went full throttle. She was always worried he might do something stupid like drink and drive. He was annoying, but he was her brother. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. If she didn’t look out for him, who would?

  “And you’ll cover for me with the parentals?” he asked.

  She tossed him the keys. “Don’t I always?”

  “You’re the best,” he called over his shoulder as he jogged away.

  “I think I know why he’s in such a hurry,” Nicky commented. She nodded toward a stunning redhead with fair skin and cleavage Keeley could only dream of. Zach leaned down to whisper in the girl’s ear, then hooked an arm around her waist and led her to the exit.

  “Not in the car. Absolutely not.” Keeley dug in her purse, ready to call and chew him out. The last time Zach took a girl for a ride, Keeley found a bra in the backseat. “Um, Nicky … you wouldn’t happen to have my cell, would you?”

  “Not again,” Nicky groaned. “This is the third one you’ve lost in six months.”

  “You don’t have to remind me. I was there,” said Keeley. Her parents’ lecture on responsibility still burned in her mind. “Do you have it?”

  “You never gave it to me.”

  Cursing, Keeley sunk to her knees and dumped out her purse. She had to find that phone. Her parents would refuse to buy another one, and there was no way she was starting senior year cell-less.

  Nicky crouched next to her. “You had it when we were pigging out on funnel cakes. I remember because Zach kept texting you.”

  “Right.” Keeley had swallowed the last bite of funnel cake, downed the rest of her vanilla shake, grabbed her purse and then — “Crap! I think I left it on the table.” Her parents were going to kill her. Th
at phone was brand new. She hadn’t even bought a case for it yet or downloaded any apps.

  Nicky helped scoop up her stuff. “It’s only been half an hour. It could still be there.”

  Biting her lip, Keeley glanced at the Ferris wheel. There was no way they could dash across the fairground to the food area and still make it back in time. But they couldn’t not ride. It was tradition. Pushing herself off the ground, Keeley slung her purse over her shoulder and took off running. “Get in line,” she yelled, ignoring Nicky’s confused yelp. “I’ll meet you there!”

  Weaving her way through the crowds, she moved as quickly as she could, but there were too many people. Seeing a clear path around the perimeter of the fairground, she dashed to the outside edge and sprinted the rest of the way to the food area. Gasping for air, Keeley spotted the table and slowed to a walk, both legs trembling.

  “Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes till the fair closes,” a voice announced over the loudspeaker.

  “Please, please, please,” she chanted. But when she got to the table, it was empty. Frustrated, Keeley kicked a chair and it toppled over. People started staring, some even pulling out their phones to record her. Face red, Keeley bent down to right it. That’s when she spotted a black phone lying underneath the table, hidden by a patch of weeds. Yes! Luck was totally on her side today.

  By the time she reached the Ferris wheel, Nicky was almost at the front of the line. “Did you find it?” Nicky asked as Keeley squeezed her way through.

  Grinning, Keeley gave a thumbs-up. Nicky shook her head like she couldn’t believe Keeley’s luck. And frankly, neither could Keeley. It was a good thing she found it, too. She hadn’t programmed a password yet. Zach had told her to as soon as she got it, but she’d ignored him. Maybe she would keep this incident to herself. Didn’t want to hear the “I told you so.” She hated that phrase. Was already bracing herself because she knew she’d hear it when he handed her his summer homework. But maybe … Keeley eyed Nicky. “Soo … how’s the homework coming? You finished yet?”

  A knowing smirk. “I thought you were copying off Zach.”

  “I can’t copy word for word. The teachers will notice.”

  “What do you have left?” asked Nicky.

  Keeley’s expression turned sheepish. “All of it.” She’d been meaning to start all summer.

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Procrastination invigorates me,” Keeley insisted.

  “And leaves you panicking. If you start tonight, you should finish in time. We have almost two weeks left.” Nicky never left anything last minute. She was almost as prepared as Zach.

  The line moved forward, and soon they were ushered to the loading area. One by one, the cars stopped at the bottom and people were let off and on. When it was their turn, Keeley carefully stepped into the swaying carriage and settled next to Nicky. They jerked forward as the ride started spinning.

  “Then what about going to the library with me tomorrow?” Keeley asked her. Maybe she could convince Nicky to let her peek at some statistics graphs.

  “I have summer school, remember?”

  Of course she did. It was all part of the ten-year life plan Nicky mapped out one night during a sleepover. Keeley thought it was a joke until Nicky started taking courses at the community college. Even if Nicky couldn’t help her study, maybe they could get together. Her social life had been pretty nonexistent this summer. “Well, what about getting dinner after? There’s this little café on the pier I’ve been dying to try,” Keeley suggested.

  Nicky gave her an apologetic look. “I’m meeting with my study group. We’re grabbing food on campus and then prepping for the final. Why don’t you ask Zach? He’d go anywhere as long as there’s food.”

  “He’s getting dinner with the team.” It was depressing knowing they both had plans while she had a whole lot of nothing. It felt like everyone was leaving her behind, and the worst part was they didn’t even seem to notice.

  “We’ll get together after finals,” Nicky promised.

  The ride came to an end and a bittersweet feeling swept over Keeley. Summer was almost over and now she was going to be a senior in high school. It was exciting, but also terrifying. Her future was a big question mark and she had no answer.

  Later that night, she took Nicky’s advice and cracked open the books. She hoped finishing an assignment would make her feel less like a loser who had nothing to do, but it took less than fifteen minutes before boredom set in. Promising herself to start tomorrow, she pushed the work to the other side of the bed and grabbed her laptop. Nothing cured boredom more than catching up on her favorite shows. About halfway through, her eyelids began to droop.

  She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but the ringing phone woke her up in seconds. Zach. The party. The redhead. Groggily, she answered, “The sex better have been worth waking me up for.”

  There was a slight pause. “Now that sounds like something I’d like to hear more about.”

  She blinked, then bolted upright. Squinting against the harsh light of the screen, she saw “Unknown Caller.” Alarmed, she asked, “Who’s this? Where’s my brother?” Keeley’s dog, Tucker, who was lying at the foot of the bed, popped his head up.

  “I have no idea and frankly, I don’t care.”

  “Then why are you calling me? And how’d you get this number?”

  “I dialed it.” An implied “duh” to his tone.

  She was too tired to deal with this. She should hang up.

  “Hello? Are you there? Or did I lose you?” The voice paused. “Look, I don’t know what you’re on and I’m not going to ask, because I live by a strict plausible deniability rule, but you have my phone and I want it back.”

  Was this guy for real? She twisted to see the clock on her nightstand. “First off, it’s one in the morning. I’m not on anything except sleep, which, I’ll point out, you rudely woke me up from. And second, I don’t have your phone.”

  “Yeah, you do,” he insisted.

  “I don’t.”

  “That phone in your hand is mine. Not yours. Mine,” he said, enunciating every word.

  This had to be a prank. “Did my brother put you up to this? Is he trying to get back at me?” Crisscrossing her legs, Keeley hunched forward and rested her elbows on her thighs. Wisps of bangs too short to fit in her ponytail fell around her face. “Unbelievable. I don’t know what his problem is.” She’d given him a fair deal for those keys.

  “Would you just look through my phone?” he asked, sounding tired.

  She didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy. Not when this guy was being so rude. “I want serious groveling after I prove —” She swallowed the rest of the sentence as a picture of a red race car glowed on the screen.

  “You said something about groveling …?”

  She refused to let her embarrassment show. “Does this mean you have my phone?”

  “Is your background a picture of a brown dog?”

  “That’s Tucker.” He wagged his tail at the sound of his name. Dropping her head to her knees, she wondered how this had happened. Wait. “Were you at the fair tonight?”

  “Damn. Any chance you hung out at the tables by the food?” he asked.

  And she’d thought she was lucky when she found the phone. What a load of crap. She flopped onto her mountain of pillows with a grunt.

  “You’re not on the toilet right now, are you? Because if you are, I’m hanging up.”

  “What? No!” she cried, horrified by the thought. “I’m on my bed.”

  “In that case, I’m all ears. Don’t leave anything out.”

  Typical guy. Zach’s friends were all the same. “How do you know I’m not some eighty-year-old woman who has dentures and wears flannel?” she asked.

  “There’s no way your voice belongs to a little old lady. But fine, if you won’t tell me what you
’re wearing, how about I tell you? Nothing but my lucky boxers, which seems fitting.”

  “How does it seem fitting?”

  “I’m talking to you, aren’t I?”

  She smiled, even though she told herself not to. Man, this guy was shameless. Oddly enough, it made her want to respond in the same fashion.

  “That got you, didn’t it?” he asked. “Straight to the heart.”

  “No way,” she lied.

  He tsked. “Telling lies is a sin. I know I have a gift, especially when it comes to the ladies.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re a cocky SOB, aren’t you?”

  “If by SOB, you mean sexually omnipotent boy. I am, for sure.”

  “Or a boy with sexually offensive behavior,” Keeley countered.

  “You know, you might want to rethink insulting the person who has your phone. Let’s see, who can I prank call at one in the morning?” His voice sounded muffled. “Hmmm … Nana? Uncle Tom? Cousin Louise?”

  That was a bold move. He wouldn’t dare … would he? “Don’t forget, I have your phone, too,” she threatened.

  “If you want to prank call people, be my guest. I’ll even give you a list. Start with Marlene Baker. The girl refuses to leave me alone.”

  “I don’t see why,” she retorted. “I’ve been on the phone with you for five minutes and I have no desire to repeat the experience.”

  “Be nice, baby doll, or else,” he warned.

  “Or else what? And don’t call me that.”

  “Then what should I call you?”

  She hesitated. She knew nothing about this guy.

  “Scared?” he asked. “I’ll tell you my name if you tell me yours.”

  “I’m not scared,” she protested. “Just cautious. You could be a serial killer or something. I don’t even know how old you are.”

  “I’m in high school. How about you?”

  “Same. I …”

  When it was clear she wasn’t going to say more, he pointed out, “We’re going to meet anyway to switch back our phones. What’s the big deal?”

  “You go first.”

  He sighed. “You always this difficult?”