Page 1 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
To my Mom . . .
She is the one who showed me what strength is.
She is the woman who lifts me up when insecurity weighs me down.
She is my biggest cheerleader, my closest confidant, and my best friend all wrapped in to one.
She is the woman I aspire to be some day.
This book is for you, Mom.
You’ll know why, once you read it.
Head up. Wings out.
My tummy feels icky, and if I look at Emmy, she’ll know I’ve been crying. She’ll know I told after I promised her I wouldn’t.
We even pinky promised on it.
So, I focus on it instead.
The glue on my hand and how weird it feels. It’s crackly and tight and kind of cold. Kind of like what I imagine alien skin would feel like.
She’s gonna be mad at me.
Except their skin would be green. Or purple.
She made me promise not to tell.
Mine would be green. Emmy’s would be purple.
She’s my bestest friend in the whole wide galaxy.
Her and her yucky purple.
How could I not say anything?
Malone Family Rules: If someone is hurting, you help them.
My dad’s temper if I break a rule is much worse than Emmy’s, though.
I’m only trying to help her.
The speaker in the room’s ceiling crackles, and we all look up. The rest of the class is hoping for an interruption—an announcement for the winners of spirit day, a surprise assembly, anything—but I don’t glance up. All I can do is hold my breath and focus on my alien skin.
“Mrs. Gellar?” Principal Newman says through the intercom.
“Yes?”
