TBH, No One Can EVER Know Read online

So sorry for my delay in responding. I LOVE this idea. Also, thrilled the dance committee will be at the PTA meeting on Monday. Stop by my office on Monday morning to discuss further.

  Wonderful thinking!

  Mr. Carransey

  *sent from my iPhone. Please excuse typos*

  From: Cecily Anderson

  To: Edward Carransey

  Subject: New Initiative

  Dear Mr. Carransey,

  I stopped by your office earlier but you were in a meeting. I want to start something new. I had to check with my mom first, though.

  It’s called SOCIAL MEDIA FOR GOOD AND NOT FOR EVIL. Everyone will sign a pledge that they vow to use social media in a different way. It won’t be for leaving people out or bullying someone or anything like that. The situation with the viral video of Marisa (#MaRIPa) was horrible. I know Jared got in trouble and was suspended for a week but we need to really take it a step further.

  It seems like it all started with the whole thing with Sami and the ranking and the #broboom thing and now the video. Social media has become toxic to the extreme. I really want to make this change. Please let me know what you think.

  Thank you, Cecily Anderson

  I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.

  —Louisa May Alcott

  The Crew 4life

  GABRIELLE

  Hiiii guyssssss

  How amazing was that meeting?

  Side note . . .

  Maybe I should start a dog-sitting business?

  CECILY

  Ooh

  Meeting was so fab

  PRIANKA

  YAYYYYYYYY

  AGREE

  PRIANKA

  Vic, all the parents LOOOOVEEEEEEDDDDDD the fundraiser idea

  VICTORIA

  OMG

  CECILY

  Also the moms are totally chatting & bonding rn

  Soooooo excited

  VICTORIA

  Let’s eavesdrop & feel out the vibe for Mama Melford & the dance

  CECILY

  Feel out the vibe is our new group motto

  GABRIELLE

  LOL

  GABRIELLE

  U love mottos, Cece

  CECILY

  I DO

  Social media for good and not for evil

  Woo to all

  Feel out the vibe

  I think that’s it

  WOO TO ALL

  Stop texting for a bit and eat

  The Crew 4life

  GABRIELLE

  K who has the best hearing out of all of us

  PRIANKA

  I’ve been eavesdropping this whole time

  They’re explaining to Vic’s mom how chill our town is compared to others

  Cece, ur mom is talking about Ingrid and how she didn’t grow up too fast and how everything is age appropriate

  CECILY

  That’s kinda true

  VICTORIA

  What is my mom saying

  PRIANKA

  She’s saying she trusts you but doesn’t trust others

  VICTORIA

  LOL that’s always her go to

  PRIANKA

  So she feels like you should skip the dance bc it may get wild

  My mom is zoned out

  I think she feels its ok since she knows I love Vishal lol

  CECILY

  She knows that??

  PRIANKA

  Yes duh

  All the moms in the Indian community want us to get married hahahahahahah

  PRIANKA

  Vic did your mom know u loved Arjun for a time

  VICTORIA

  No wayyyyyyyyyyyy

  GABRIELLE

  Why did that even fizzle

  Also do the moms think it’s weird we’re not even talking and just sitting here next to each other texting & eating

  PRIANKA

  They don’t seem to notice . . . or care LOL

  VICTORIA

  It fizzled bc I got bored of it

  GABRIELLE

  Got it

  Ok

  PRIANKA

  Anyway

  I think they’ll make progress with your mom, tho, Vic

  VICTORIA

  You do??

  PRIANKA

  Yeah

  Gotta be patient and wait this out

  VICTORIA

  She doesn’t like people to tell her what to do, tho

  PRIANKA

  They’re def not

  Just chatting

  Seems chill

  VICTORIA

  I just want to have a normal mom

  Literally all I’ve ever wanted

  CECILY

  But haven’t we talked about this?

  How no one is normal

  VICTORIA

  Lol yeah

  But like your moms

  I just want her to be like that

  GABRIELLE

  Kk

  They snoop, though, too

  We told u that

  VICTORIA

  It’s different

  GABRIELLE

  IKWYM

  PRIANKA

  Wait omg

  Vic, your mom just confessed something

  VICTORIA

  ????

  PRIANKA

  About the incident at the mall

  How she’s never dealt with it

  How she’s always afraid all the time

  It consumes her she said

  Mama Basak just had great idea

  PRIANKA

  She said your mom should write you a letter and open up about her feelings

  VICTORIA

  Really?

  Wowwww

  I can’t even believe she is opening up to them

  GABRIELLE

  Our moms are kinda magic

  The original baby yoga crew LOL

  But happy to welcome Mama Melford in

  VICTORIA

  So choked up

  CECILY

  Same

  But let’s stop texting

  Let’s lighten this up a bit

  Can we play this game Ingrid told me about

  So much fun

  GABRIELLE

  Yessssss

  CECILY

  Should we include the moms???

  VICTORIA

  Ummmmm

  GABRIELLE

  Good for bonding

  Let’s do it

  GABRIELLE

  Can’t believe they’re letting us stay out so late on a school night

  Let’s see how long this lasts . . .

  I Love You Guys

  GABRIELLE

  OMGGGGG

  Who knew our moms could be so funny

  This game is sooo much fun

  CECILY

  Srsly

  CECILY

  I am most likely to organize a protest

  PRIANKA

  UMMMM

  At least you’re not most likely to fall asleep eating a burrito

  VICTORIA

  OMG thought my mom was gonna flip when she got most likely to ask to speak to the manager

  LOL

  GABRIELLE

  Honestly this is so funny

  My mom is most likely to offer to host the super bowl party and not show up hahahahahahahahahah

  GABRIELLE

  This is the besttttttt gameeeeeee

  VICTORIA

  This is the first time I’ve heard my mom laugh in foreverrrrrrrr

  I want to always remember

  To take a step back

  To appreciate

  And admire the magic of friendship

  It is a gift

  We realize it again and again and again

  These people fill me up

  They see me

  They understand me

  They accept me

  Sisters

  Real-life sisters

  Even though we’re

  Not

  Even

  Related
<
br />   Vishal, Prianka

  VISHAL

  Yo

  PRIANKA

  Yo

  VISHAL

  Still thinking about our Jennie’s visit

  PRIANKA

  Yeah

  VISHAL

  But I have to confess something

  TBH I think that might have been too much burrata

  PRIANKA

  LOL

  PRIANKA

  Kind of agree

  VISHAL

  You’re cool, Pri

  PRIANKA

  Right back atcha

  Gonna go to bed now

  VISHAL

  Later, Pri

  PRIANKA

  Later

  VISHAL

  Sweet dreams

  Friendssssssssssssssss

  PRIANKA

  Anyone up??????

  I know it’s so late

  But I can’t sleep

  And Vishal just texted

  And I loooooove him

  CECILY

  Hi!

  I’m up, too

  Too wired to sleep

  PRIANKA

  Right??

  CECILY

  Ya so happy how ice cream date went

  PRIANKA

  Me toooooo

  Dear Victoria,

  Prianka’s mother gave me this idea to write you a note and it feels funny but I am going to try it. I prefer face-to-face, but maybe this will be easier for me to express my thoughts.

  You are right that I am overprotective. It has always been hard for me. To be honest, motherhood is challenging. You are my precious gem and I worry all the time that something will happen to you. I know you can’t understand but perhaps you will when you’re a mother yourself. If you want to be.

  The incident at the mall when you were four completely scarred me for life. You were missing for twenty minutes. It felt like an eternity. Beyond that, you could have drowned in the fountain. I always felt like it was my fault. I didn’t keep you safe.

  But I got a second chance and somehow the universe saved us. But what if that was a one-time thing? I always fear that I will lose you, my most precious treasure. I always feel like I will fail at keeping you safe.

  I am going to try and be more relaxed. I know you have done so much with the dance. I am proud of you and I don’t want to hold you back from going. It scares me that students from other schools will attend. I don’t know if I can trust anyone. I have trouble with that.

  I am glad I can be open with you and I hope we will forge a new path of understanding.

  I love you more than words can ever express.

  Mom

  Friendssssssssssssssss

  VICTORIA

  Um guys

  This may be bad form

  But I am taking a pic of the letter my mom wrote me and sending to you

  Hellloooo

  Ok here it is

  Keep this top top top secret

  VICTORIA

  Hi guys

  I am regretting that I sent that

  Please delete immediately

  CECILY

  K

  GABRIELLE

  K

  PRIANKA

  K

  Dear Mom,

  I don’t even know what to say. Thank you for opening up to me and for being honest.

  I love you so much,

  Victoria

  PS Does this mean I can go to the dance?

  OMG, Vic—now that a few days have passed, how do you feel? BTW, adding initials at the ends of our entries in case we read this decades later and we forget who wrote what. OK?

  We need this to be accurate. —PB

  I feel really relieved. I think we are on a new path and it’s a good one. —VM

  Sooooo poetic!!!! —PB

  I agree!!!!! Such a good first step! And we have so much fab stuff coming up!!!!! —GK

  I know—this is really such a huge year. —PB

  Woo to all! —GK

  Woo to all!!!! —PB

  Woo to all!!!!!! —VM

  Woo to all FOREVER. —CA

  Vic, does this mean you can go to the dance??? —PB

  I think so!!!!! —VM

  Best Friends Forever

  VICTORIA

  Can everyone come to my house to get ready for the dance?

  Obv my mom wants to take tons of pics

  She said she can drive us all over, too

  PRIANKA

  Fine with me

  Just soooooo excited

  CECILY

  Yayyyyyyyyyyy

  GABRIELLE

  Works for me, toooooooooo

  VICTORIA

  Best Friends Forever

  VICTORIA

  Just want to take one minute before we leave for the dance to say how grateful I am for you guys and all of your help with everything. I know we are all together but we can’t talk freely in front of moms, duh, and I just love you all so so so much.

  VICTORIA

  Only one thing left to say . . .

  Woo to all

  GABRIELLE

  Woo to all x2

  PRIANKA

  Woo to all x3

  CECILY

  Woo to all x4

  VICTORIA

  Glossary

  2 to

  2gether together

  2morrow tomorrow

  4 for

  4eva forever

  4get forget

  any1 anyone

  awk awkward

  bc because

  BFF best friends forever

  BFFAE best friends forever and ever

  BI Block Island

  BNF best neighbors forever

  b-room bathroom

  b/t between

  c see

  caf cafeteria

  comm committee

  COMO crying over missing out

  comp computer

  deets details

  def definitely

  DEK don’t even know

  diff different

  disc discussion

  emo emotional

  every1 everyone

  fab fabulous

  fabolicious extra fabulous

  fac faculty

  fave favorite

  Fla Florida

  FOMO fear of missing out

  fone phone

  FYI for your information

  gd god

  gg gotta go

  gma grandma

  gn good night

  gnight good night

  gr8 great

  gtg got to go

  hw homework

  ICB I can’t believe

  IDC I don’t care

  IDEK I don’t even know

  IDK I don’t know

  IHNC I have no clue

  IK I know

  IKWYM I know what you mean

  ILY I love you

  ILYSM I love you so much

  JK just kidding

  K OK

  KIA know-it-all

  KWIM know what I mean

  l8r later

  LMK let me know

  LOL laugh out loud

  luv love

  n e way anyway

  NM nothing much

  nums numbers

  nvm never mind

  obv obviously

  obvi obviously

  obvs obviously

  OMG oh my God

  ooc out of control

  PBFF poetry best friend forever

  peeps people

  perf perfect

  pgs pages

  plzzzz please

  pos possibly

  q question

  r are/our

  ridic ridiculous

  rlly really

  RN right now

  sci science

  sec second

  sem semester

  scheds schedules

  shud should

  some1 someone

  SWAK sealed with a kiss

  TBH to be honest

  thx thank
s

  tm tomorrow

  TMI too much information

  tmrw tomorrow

  tomrw tomorrow

  tomw tomorrow

  totes totally

  ttyl talk to you later

  u you

  ur your; you’re

  urself yourself

  vv very, very

  w/ with

  wb write back

  whatev whatever

  WIGO what is going on

  wknd weekend

  w/o without

  WTH what the heck

  wud would

  wut what

  wuzzzz what’s

  Y why

  Acknowledgments

  Many, many thanks to: Dave, Aleah, Hazel, the Greenwalds, the Rosenbergs, my BWL Library & Tech crew, Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Maria Barbo and the whole Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen crew: Katherine Tegen, Jon Howard, Gweneth Morton, Sara Schonfeld, Molly Fehr, Amy Ryan, Kristen Eckhardt, Vaishali Nayak, Sam Benson, and Jessica White. Last but never least: my ultimate gratitude to all of the readers!

  Excerpt from 11 Before 12

  If you like TBH, you’ll love this other series by Lisa Greenwald!

  Start reading on the next page!

  One

  “KAYLAN!” RYAN POUNDS ON MY door. “You overslept! School starts today! You’re already late!”

  I run to beat him over the head with my pillow, but I’m too slow. “Ryan,” I shout down the hall. “You’re a jerk! Karma’s a thing, you know. Bad things will happen to you if you’re not nice to me.”

  After five deep breaths, I call Ari.

  “You want to go to the pool?” I ask her as soon as she answers.

  She replies in her sleepy voice, “Kay, look at the clock.”

  I flip over onto my side, and glance toward my night table.

  8:37.

  “Okay,” I reply. “I’ll admit: I thought it was later. At least nine.” I pause a second. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

  Ari sighs. “I’m still in bed, but you didn’t wake me.”

  “Agita Day,” I tell her. “August first, red-alert agita levels. I’m freaking out over here.”

  August 1 signals the end of summer, even though you still have almost a month left. August 1 means school is starting really soon, even though it’s still twenty-nine days away.

  “Oh, Kaylan.” She laughs. “Take a few deep breaths. I’ll get my bathing suit on and be at your house in an hour. I already have my pool bag packed because I had a feeling you’d be stressing.”

  “Perfect.” I sigh with relief. “Come as soon as possible! But definitely by nine thirty-seven, okay? You said an hour.”