Page 42 of The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

“Who are you calling?” Colton asked as he settled in beside me.

“My mom,” I said, and as Colton sputtered, Mom picked up. “Hey Mom, is it okay if I go out?”

“Sure,” she said, and I could hear her surprise through the phone. “But Sadie, do you know what time it is? I trust you. You know that. But I wouldn’t be a good parent if I didn’t ask where you’re going, and who you’re going with.”

“I’m with Colton Bishop, Mom, and I just snuck out of the house.”

“Excuse me? Did you say you just snuck out of the house?”

Colton groaned beside me, but I ignored him. “Yeah, I did. We’re in his car now, parked out front, and I don’t know where we’re going, but I’m sure it’ll be okay. I…I trust him, Mom.”

Mom laughed on the other end of the line, and I saw her blinds shift as she looked out from her window on the opposite side of the house.

“So, this is it, huh?” she said almost to herself. “You decided to become a wild teenager, and now I’m going to sit up worrying all night.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mom. I’ll be fine.”

“Wait, did you just say Colton Bishop? I thought you two hated each other.”

“We did. I mean, we do,” I said then sighed. I could feel Colton watching me, but I refused to look at him. That would just make this ten times harder. “It’s complicated, okay? But I’m going out, and I just wanted to let you know.”

There was a beat then. “You be safe, Sadie, and have your phone on at all times. I want you to be able to call if you need me.”

“I will, Mom.”

“Call if you need anything, okay? Anything at all. Do you have on a jacket? It’s cold out.”

I smiled, my heart filling at the concern in her voice, but I didn’t want her to worry. “Yes, and I promise to call if I need anything. I love you, Mom. Don’t wait up.”

“Oh Lord,” she said on a heavy exhale. “You sounded just like me for a second. I love you, too, Sadie. Have fun and be safe. I want to hear all about it when you get back.”

“Alright. Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Baby.”

I hit end and waved to her in the window, smiling as she waved back. I couldn’t be sure from this distance, but it looked like her eyes might’ve been a bit misty.

When I finally turned to Colton, he was staring at me with an odd expression.

“What?” I asked.

“Did you just…call your mom to tell her you snuck out of the house?” he said slowly.

I nodded as I pulled on my seatbelt and clicked it into place. “Of course. I didn’t want her to worry.”

“You know that’s not how it’s usually done, right? The whole point of sneaking out is so your parents won’t know and get on your case about it.”

“Yeah, but my mom’s cool. We have an understanding.”

Colton shook his head in amazement. “You’re something else, Sadie Day.”

I shrugged, starting to feel self-conscious as he continued to stare. “Can we get going now?”

“Sure thing,” he said, then with a shake of his head, we were off.

It was quiet in the car, too quiet. The silence made me all too aware of the boy sitting next to me. Colton seemed cool as a cucumber over there, occasionally drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, making shifting gears look effortless—which I now knew for a fact it was not. But I was a jumble of nerves. If I was going to get through tonight, I needed a distraction ASAP.

“Can we turn on the radio or something?” I asked.

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