Authors: Dawn Klehr

Tags: #ya, #ya fiction, #young adult novel, #teen lit, #ya novel, #teen fiction, #Young Adult, #teen, #young adult fiction

If You Wrong Us (21 page)

“We have no choice,” I say before running out that door for the very last time.

We’d never tell; we couldn’t. We’d become forever connected … forever bound to our secrets. I trusted that Travis would never say a word. He had too much to lose. I’m sure Becca could’ve found a way out, but she didn’t try.

That night was the last time I saw her.

Cass was right: Becca’s parents sent her away to get help. They really did seem like they loved her, now that I think about it, but I’d only seen what she wanted me to see when I was under her spell. I believed everyone was against her.

It’s crazy, but I miss her every day.

At least our secrets are safe.

Though there is still one thing that bothers me. I wish I could talk to Becca about it. It’s Ethan. Sometimes when that last night plays on the screen behind my eyelids, I see that expression he had on his face. That movement I swear I saw out of the corner of my eye when he was unconscious.

That fleeting moment is burned into my brain.

I wonder. What did Ethan really see while we had him tied up?

Hear?

What does he know? Was he passed out that entire time, or was he listening, scheming? Were we being played?

I, for one, hope we never find out.

50

B
ECCA

S
o that’s how it ends? After all the work, all the planning, all the things that could’ve gone wrong, it was Johnny who threw it all to hell.

That’s why you can’t trust people.

People are unpredictable.

“Becca.” A short, plump nurse reads my name from her chart. I call her
Teacup
. “Time for your meds.”

I walk over to her, place the pills in my mouth, and take a sip of water under her watchful eye. My little show works every time.

But I won’t say
where
I’ve been putting those pills. A girl needs her secrets.

“Thank you,” I say before giving her an authentic smile—not Dad’s passed-down grimace. A real one; the kind people like.
Teacup
returns it.

See, I’m learning.

I follow the crowd back to our rooms for naptime. Of course, that’s not what I’m doing in my room. I have far too much on my mind to sleep; far too much to organize and get ready. I thought my plans for Travis and Ethan were elaborate. That was nothing compared to what I’m working on next.

It’s okay, though. I have plenty of time.

Maris Ehlers Photography

About the Author

Dawn Klehr is the author of the young adult thrillers
The Cutting Room Floor
and
If You Wrong Us
.

She began her career in TV news, and though she’s been on both sides of the camera, she prefers to lurk behind the lens. Mostly she loves to get lost in stories—in film, in the theater, or on the page—and is a sucker for both the sinister and the sappy. She’s currently channeling her dark side as she works on her next book.

Dawn lives in the Twin Cities with her funny husband, adorable son, and naughty dog. Visit her online at dawnklehrbooks.com.

Don’t miss Dawn Klehr’s
Flux debut,
The Cutting Room Floor
.