Hold On Tight (24 page)

“Oh, yeah. Anyway, she moved into the apartment and my parents started treating her and it
just got sort of weird, you know? I felt like she was more my sister than my girlfriend, and they wanted me to do all this weird stuff.”

I didn't want to know what kind of stuff, so I just said, “But it sounds like it all worked out?”

“Yeah, my mom just called to say that Sara-Beth got a part in this indie film and she flew to L.A. this morning.” He paused like he was imagining what might have been. “She plays some kind of addict, apparently.”

“Man, that sucks. You gonna miss her?”

“Sure, but it's not like I can't see the bright side.”

And then I sort of had to start laughing. “Man you guys all got in a lot of trouble. Why didn't anyone
tell
me any of this?”

“You were too busy shopping around for something to care about,” Arno said. “Going to fund raisers and shit.”

“I'm sorry,” I said, “I'll never do it again.”

And even though I knew there was probably a fundraiser or two in my future, part of what I was saying was true. Because even before I'd had this whole caring panic attack, I had already really cared about something—my friends, and the lives they were trying to live. And that was something I was going to care about for a long time.

Don't miss
Girls We Love
, the sixth Insiders
book, coming soon!

They've loved, lost, and totally obsessed, and now the Insiders' girls are out for revenge … even if it means turning the Insiders into real boyfriends. Find out about:

Flan: The youngest
and
the ringleader. She's ready for Jonathan to care about her … exclusively!

Philippa: Mickey's messed things up so many times, but he
does
love her. Can she turn him into the boy of her dreams?

Liesel: Remember that girl from uptown who drove Arno crazy? She's
ba-aack
.

Sara-Beth Benny: She's a star, and she wants David to be one, too. But can David fake feelings?

And Patch's mystery girl: He doesn't even know her, but boy, does she know him …

Watch out! The Insiders may never look at each other—or girls—the same way again.

While you wait, catch up with the guys at
www.insidersbook.com
.

the insiders
pass it on
take it off
break every rule

Copyright © 2006 by J. Minter and Alloy Entertainment

All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, New York, London, and Berlin
Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers
Electronic edition published in June 2006
www.bloomsburyteens.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Minter, J.
Hold on tight : an insiders novel / J. Minter.—1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Five wealthy Manhattan high school juniors visit several colleges
while trying to decide which institutions fit their images of who they are
and who they want to be.

[1. Friendship—Fiction. 2. Self-perception—Fiction. 3. College choice—Fiction.
4. Colleges and universities—Fiction. 5. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.M67334Hol   2006          [Fic]—dc22          2005031762

Produced by Alloy Entertainment
151 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10001

First U.S. Edition 2006

Bloomsbury Publishing, Children's Books, U.S.A.
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

ISBN 978-1-59990-992-9 (e-book)