Free siobhan vivian - not that kind of girl by Siobhan Vivian Page B

sky opened up, pouring rain fast and hard. In a matter of seconds, my costume was soaked through. All I could think about was my bonfire. I had to get something to cover the wood, or else my first big act as student council president would be washed out.

    I tried to run, but I slipped on the grass and fell hard, right on my back. The whole crowd said Ohhh. I tried to get up, but it was totally impossible. The ground was too slick and the costume stuck to me like a straitjacket. I felt a pair of hands hoist me up to my feet. "Careful there, Devito." I turned and there was Connor. And I swear he looked through the mesh window and saw it was me. "You okay?" he asked quietly. I wanted to say yes. And thank you. But I was also completely mortified by what I'd just overheard. I ripped my arm free and hobbled toward Autumn, off in the rainy distance. Her hair was saturated, stringy, and sticking to her face. I watched her shimmy halfway up the woodpile, trying to get a blue tarp stretched over the top. She was fighting a losing battle to keep the wood dry, an army of one. No one else helped her. I ran up and extended my hand. "Come down. It's not safe." "I've almost got it. Run over on the other side and I'll--" "Autumn, forget it. There's no way we're still having the bonfire." Even though I knew this was the truth, it still hurt to admit it. Autumn tipped her head back and rain splashed off her cheeks. "Are you sure? I think it might be slowing down." Another crack of thunder shook the air. I grabbed Autumn's hand, helped her down, and together we took off running for my car.

    The whole ride home, I had the chills. Not because I was soaking wet. Because the bonfire was ruined, because Spencer was an idiot, because I was so upset and disgusted by what I'd heard, because Connor may have caught me eavesdropping. I told Autumn about the terrible things I'd overheard, only leaving out what Connor had said about me, since that wasn't the point. I knew the way the guys talked about the girls would make her upset, but I still wanted her to know. If anything, it would keep something like last weekend's party incident from happening again. These were not the kinds of people we should be associating with. Autumn knew exactly what those girls were in for. It put a heavy silence over the car. But how could I get it through Spencer's thick skull that she was making some really bad choices? And the rest of the freshman girls, too? I wished there was a way I could help them like I'd helped Autumn. "It's too bad we can't take every girl in school to the young women's conference Ms. Bee told me about. But it's all the way in Boston, and it's not until spring break." Autumn turned her head. "What if you held your own women's summit? Like, at school?" It made immediate, total sense to me. "Autumn--you are a genius! I could basically replicate the entire thing. Lectures, discussions. We could run it together." Autumn bit her nails. "I'll help you in any way I can, Natalie. But I really don't want--" That's when I told Autumn about that first day of school. About my ideas for changing freshman orientation. Autumn would be our guest speaker. She'd have a chance to stand out again, this time for something good. For something positive. Autumn looked down at her chewed-up fingernails. And then she said, "Can I ask you something? Without you getting mad?" "Okay." "Did those guys say anything about me?" I shook my head. "No." It was the truth, and I thought that would make Autumn feel good. Except it didn't. She rested her head against the window with a deep sigh, and dragged her finger through the condensation in one long, sad streak. There was something severely wrong with the girls I knew. CHAPTER TWELVE It rained the whole weekend, and by Monday morning, everything felt damp and bloated. The ground shimmered with slick fallen leaves, and thick mist hung in the air like the curtains on my bedroom windows. I pulled my hair back and walked across the lawn,