Free The Boy Book by E. Lockhart Page A

such a pig.”
    “Why jump on me? Cabbie’s the one who took them.”
    “You don’t have to show them around,” I answered. “That’s so completely mean.”
    “She looks hot,” he said. “What’s the big deal? Lots of girls were going topless. If they didn’t want us to look, they shouldn’t have taken their shirts off.”
    “Not true,” I said. “What if I showed pictures of your dick around school?”
    One of the other guys laughed. “You have pictures of Darcy’s dick? Darcy, Ruby, I never knew.”
    “Do you have lots of dick pictures, Ruby?” someone else asked.
    “Maybe she does,” muttered this guy Josh—a big luggy redheaded guy. (Recall my überslut reputation.)
    “A whole collection, you moron,” I spat back.
    “She doesn’t have mine,” said Darcy, trying to laugh it off. “It’s too big to fit in a photo.”
    “It takes a certain kind of girl to take dick pictures,” Josh said. “Ruby, you want to photograph this ?” He grabbed his crotch on the outside of his pants.
    “Please. I couldn’t find it if I tried.”
    “Oh, you’d find it, all right,” said Josh. “I know you know where to look.”
    “How ’bout I send a team of explorers down there with infrared goggles and pickaxes, and give them a decade or two to hunt. See if they come up with anything,” I said.
    A murmur went up around me. “Harsh,” I heard someone whisper.
    I knew I had gone too far. Given what I’d said, there was no way anyone would ever forget what a famous slut I supposedly was. My life would never go back to normal now.
    “God, Ruby,” said Josh. “Why do you always have to be such a bitch to everyone?”
    “Yeah,” added Darcy. “Why do you have such a stick up your ass?”
    “Leave her alone.” It was Varsha Lakshman. She’d been sitting near the back with a couple of other girls from swim team, seemingly not even paying attention to the conversation. “She was standing up for her friend.” Now she got up and walked over, tall and broad-shouldered.
    “She’s ripping up other people’s private property, is what she’s doing,” said Darcy, collecting the pictures I’d dropped from the floor beneath his desk.
    “You shouldn’t have those pictures anyway,” snapped Varsha.
    Just then, the teacher bustled in, plunking her books down on the desk at the front of the room with a heavy plop. I mouthed “thank you” to Varsha as I went to my seat, but she didn’t say anything back.
    The guys all took their seats, and two seconds later, Nora ran in late and slid into a place near the back. A ripple of laughs went up as she did so.
    “We’re doing graphs today,” the teacher announced, thumbing through her textbook. “Page forty-seven.”
    Darcy Andrews tossed me a note.
    I didn’t want to pick it up, but curiosity got the better of me.
     
    Slut.
     

     
    Nora laid low after class. She left as soon as Precal was over, and she wasn’t in the refectory at lunch. I wondered if she cut for the day when she found out about the photos.
    There’s no Chemistry on Thursdays, so I didn’t see Noel except from afar, but after sixth period there was a note in my cubby.
     
    Hooter Rescue Squad, Official Memo
    Dear SHAR,
    It has come to our attention that despite your supposed abandonment of Mission Van Deusen, and also despite your neglect of your role as Mission Director, you have nevertheless acted heroically on behalf of the hooters.
    In recognition of your efforts, we hereby grant you the official Rescue Squad medal of honor, which comes in the form of a large slice of pizza with the topping of your choice, to be consumed after swim practice today—or on the day of your choosing.
    It’s true, once you eat the pizza, you will have nothing to display on your mantelpiece, but hey—we are a low-rent organization. It’s the best we can do.
    Vehicular transport will await you outside the pool at 4:30 p.m. ( Pacific time ), unless you inform us otherwise.
    Sincerely, and with my