Alec snorted. “I think it’s one of those phobias that’s exaggerated by the entertainment industry, like in movies and books and such. High-maintenance girl or huge muscleman erupts into chaos at the sight of a daddy longlegs for comedic effect.”
I whipped out my phone and did a quick Google search. “Actually, approximately four percent of the world suffers from arachnophobia, so with a population of roughly seven billion that’s”—I paused, quickly doing the math in my head—“two hundred eighty million people who are afraid of spiders.”
“Okay, Miss Mathlete,” he said. “Point proven.”
“So whatareyou afraid of?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
Without hesitation, he said, “Clowns.”
I was quite convinced I’d misheard. Because there was no wayAlec Williams, slayer of mountains and bassist extraordinaire, was afraid ofclowns.
“Really?” I was trying to sort this new bit of information into the mental file of what I knew about Alec, but it didn’t fit.
He nodded adamantly. “Ever seenKiller Klowns from Outer Space? It’s an eighties cult film about aliens disguised as clowns who terrorize a small town.” He shuddered as he spoke. “When we were kids, Vanessa made me watch the movie when she babysat. Said if I didn’t listen to her, then the alien clowns would come kill me.”
The corners of my mouth inched into a grin. That soundedexactlylike something Rose would do. “How old were you?”
“Like six or seven. I had nightmares for months.”
“Aw, poor little Alec.”
“All right,” he said, as I giggled. “We’re done talking about me. It’s your turn.”
“Okay, let me think.”
I wanted to come up with two questionable truths and one convincing lie so I could stump him the way he did me. Because, really? Mountain climbing and Hamburger Helper? Who would have guessed?
“I’m ready,” I said a minute later.
“Hit me.”
“’Kay. Number one, I won my district spelling bee when I was eleven. Two, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a spy when I grew up. And finally, I can run five miles in under forty-five minutes.”
The last statement was my lie, and I crossed my fingers in hopes that Alec would think I was bragging. It wasn’t totally beyond therealms of possibility. People always told me I had a runner’s body. But as soon as I finished speaking, there was a loud snort from the backseat.
Alec grinned. “I’m assuming Asha just gave you away.”
My gaze darted to the rearview. Both my friends had their eyes closed, but there was a curve to Asha’s lips, and I knew she’d been listening to our conversation.
“Thanks for that,” I grumbled.
“Sorry.” She laughed. Clearly she found it amusing that I’d used one ofheraccomplishments as my lie. “Butyourun five miles? Felicity, you can barely make it a block without needing resuscitation.”
I scowled and tried to look angry. “That’s why it’s call Two Truths and a Lie. You know, because youlie. Ugh, you suck.”
Asha didn’t respond. Instead, she pretended to go back to sleep as if she’d never interrupted our game, a smirk still playing on her lips. I grabbed a Swedish Fish from the open bag in the console with the intent of launching it at her cleavage, but Alec distracted me.
“So why a spy?” he asked. “Don’t most kids dream about being an astronaut or the president?”
“Because my mom is in love with Tom Cruise.Risky BusinessandMission: Impossiblewere pretty much Saturday night staples in our house.” I popped the candy into my mouth and chewed quickly. “I didn’t want to be president because I was afraid of being assassinated.”
His forehead furrowed. “But you wanted to be a spy…”
“Yeah, like Ethan Hunt. He’s unkillable.”
“Are you sure you’ve seen the movie? His entire team dies within the first ten minutes.”
“Well, yeah. That’s just to set up the plot. Besides,” I added, “I was mainly in it for the cool gadgets.”
