Page 81 of Even in the Dark

tempur. wo w the TEMPUR

Scarlett

I'm turning off my phone

Seb

u sock

Scarlett

think u mean "u suck"

Seb

that's italy what i said

Scarlett

bye Seb. I'm going to bed.

Seb

by kranky pans

I glance over at Dylan, whose brow is pinched in the middle. “See?” I push. “Makes no sense, right?” I pocket my phone. “Seriously. You never have to feel self-conscious about your spelling when you’re texting. In fact, you shouldn’t feel bad even if you’re a shit speller when you’re writing,” I tell him. “Look. You know that guy, Trevor? Who got all up in your face on your first day at SH Prep? Outside Civics class?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s an amazing speller. Won the spelling bee two years in a row in elementary school. And yethe’s still always been a first-rate idiot…A total asshat.” I shrug. “So, yeah. Don’t let the spelling thing dictate your intelligence or your self-worth. Seriously.”

He nods, but I can’t tell if anything I just said got through to him.

I hope it did, because I’m not making this stuff up. It’s really how I feel. “Also,” I tell him, “when all else fails, use ‘voice to text.’”

“What?”

I take a few minutes to show him how to use voice to text, and he’s pretty mind-blown. He scrunches his eyebrows. “Seriously? This is… Wow. This is awesome.” He looks up. “Howcome Phil never showed me this?”

“Because Phil’s old.” I glance at the time. I promised my parents I’d be back in time to take Sadie to her piano lessons. “If you’re heading back soon, I can give you a ride.” I tell Dylan. “How did you get here, anyway?”

“I walked.” He gives me a look like the answer should be obvious.

“Youwalkedhere?”

“Yeah.” He does that same eyebrow scrunch thing from a few seconds ago. “Why?”

“It’s a thirty-minute walk!

“So?”

“So, you need to get your license.”

“No shit.” He sighs. “Phil’s not on board, though. Think he’s worried I’ll take off if I get wheels.”

“I’ll work on him. In the meantime, I will be your chauffeur.”

“Lucky me.”

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