Free Foretold by Carrie Ryan Page B

a former member of the Pritchard High School girls’ softball team, right? And current editor of the school paper? And vice president of the Volunteer Literacy Program? And secretary to the Science Olympiads?
    I bet you even know I’m founder of the Pritchard High School Recycling Awareness Program? Impressive, right?
    Well, not around here.
    I used to think that was completely unfair, you know? People like us—I’m including you, because let’s face it, in those suits, you might as well be on the Science Olympiads with me—we work our butts off trying to leave the world a better place than we found it, and does anyone even notice?
    No, because the only thing anyone cares about around here is sports. Seriously, all my brother Kyle has to do is walkinto a room, and everyone’s like, “Oh my God! It’s Kyle Conrad, the first person in the history of Peachtree County to be named to the national high school all-American baseball team (as a junior, no less), star first baseman of the Pritchard Wolves!”
    And the sad thing is, I totally could have had all that.
    But I have a little something called ethics. Which is why I had to quit the girls’ softball team when that cow Amber Johnson got elected captain. That’s why I was home last night blogging—yeah, I know, pathetic, right? Blogging, on the eve of my sixteenth birthday? Not that anyone even reads my blog except my best friend Radha—while everyone
else
in our class was out celebrating my birthday at the lake. Okay, Kyle’s birthday. Whatever. Everyone except Radha because she works at the Regal Cinema over at the mall on Friday nights, and, of course, me, because I’ve been a social pariah ever since I quit the team.
    I just kept thinking about how different things were when we were little—you know, in kindergarten? I’m sure you guys don’t think about stuff like that because you’re too busy watching
Top Shot
.
    But for our sixth birthday, we all hung out
together
, me and Kyle and Radha and Duncan—Duncan Mulroney, he’s Kyle’s best friend. At least, he used to be until Kyle and Amber started going out. Kyle’s basically been attached at the hip to Amber all semester, don’t ask me what he sees in her. Amber Johnson is a mental case and it would be a public service if you guys could lock her up instead of me.
    But whatever, everyone thinks I quit the team to spend more time with the Science Olympiads. Which I did, basically. Because the Olympiads treat their opponents with dignity and respect.
    I don’t know, it’s probably lame. But I was just so sad forthe way things used to be when we were all younger and things were less … complicated. When we didn’t have to lie all the time. I guess that’s it. I was sick of all the lies.
    So, okay, I’ll admit it. I ended up doing the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life—well, maybe the second stupidest thing. And that was blog the truth about what happened to Kyle and me the night of our sixth birthday.
    How was I supposed to know what was going to happen? I didn’t expect anyone to read it, because no one reads my blog but Radha, not even my mom. I certainly didn’t expect
you
guys to show up, much less
him
.
    Well, maybe I expected
him
.
    So there, I explained. You know all this, since you read it, obviously. That’s why you’re here. Good timing, by the way. You guys really helped. Did you note the sarcasm in my voice just then?
    So, can I go now? Because I invoked my right to counsel and I don’t care what agency you’re with, the Sixth Amendment—
    What do you mean, the Sixth Amendment doesn’t apply to matters extraterrestrial in nature?
Excerpt from KC Conrad’s LiveJournal
BIRTHDAY BLUES
    … it was right after our sixth birthday party, the one with the explorer theme (remember, Radha? I got the sleeping bags and the inflatable mattresses to go with them? Kyle got the binoculars and that gigantic tent).
    After you and everybody else went home from the party, Kyle wanted