37

ON THE PHONE THAT NIGHT, Chris says, “Spill it. Who do you have?”
“I’m not telling.” I’ve made this mistake in the past, telling Chris too much, only to have her tag her
way to victory.
“Come on! I’ll help you if you help me. I want my wish!” Chris’s strength in this game is how bad
she wants it, but it’s also her weakness. You have to play Assassins in a cool, measured way, not go
too hot too fast. I say this as someone who’s observed all the nuances but has never personally won,
of course.
“You might have my name. Besides, I want to win too.”
“Let’s just help each other out on this first round of hits,” Chris wheedles. “I don’t have your
name, I swear.”
“Swear on your blankie that you won’t let your mom throw away.”
“I swear on my blankie Fredrick and I double swear on my new leather jacket that cost more
money than my damn car. Do you have my name?”
“No.”
“Swear on your ugly beret collection.”
I make an indignant sound. “I swear on my charming and jaunty beret collection! So who do you
have then?”
“Trevor.”
“I’ve got John McClaren.”
“Let’s team up to take them out,” Chris suggests. “Our alliance can last as long as this first round,
and then it’s every girl for herself.”
Hmm. Is she for real or is this all strategy? “What if you’re lying just to smoke me out?”
“I swore on Fredrick!”
I hesitate and then say, “Text me a picture of the name slip and then I’ll believe you.”
“Fine! Then text me yours.”
“Fine. Bye.”
“Wait. Tell me the truth. Does my hair look like shit? It doesn’t, right? Gen’s just a heinous troll.
Right?”
I hesitate the tiniest of beats. “Right.”

Chris and I are slumped down in her car. We are one neighborhood over from mine; it’s the
neighborhood Trevor will drive through to shortcut to school for track practice. We’re parked in
some random person’s driveway. She says, “Tell me what you’re going to wish for if you win.” The
way she says it, I know she doesn’t think I’m going to win.
I thought about the wish all last night when I was trying to fall asleep. “There’s a craft expo in
North Carolina in June. I could get Peter to drive me. There’s no way he’d take me otherwise. We
could take his mom’s van, so there’s plenty of room for all the supplies and things that I’ll buy.”