Would You Rather… – Book Tour and Giveaway

Deej stared at his card for a long time. Then he shot Mr. Trinkley a dark look. “This is effed up.”

Mr. Trinkley said, “Read the card aloud, Mr. Nolty.”

Deej’s mouth twisted like he was chewing something nasty. He read, “ ‘Would you rather die of cancer or be killed in a vehicular collision?’ ”

A horrified silence followed. Jared mumbled, “That’s harsh.”

Deej said flatly, “So either way I’m screwed.”

“Some may see it that way,” said Mr. Trinkley. “Regardless, you must choose. Surely one scenario is preferable to the other.”

Deej shook his head, his lips pressed together. Mr. Trinkley glanced around the classroom. “Thoughts, anyone?”

For the longest time no one spoke. Finally, Charlie said, “If you die fast, you don’t suffer. Dying slow gives you time to reflect back on your life.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” said Mr. Trinkley.

“Fine,” said Deej. “Then kill me in an accident. I’ve only lived for sixteen years. I don’t have much to reflect back on.”

Blake wondered if everyone else was as eager for class to end as he was. He glanced at the clock. Twenty-five minutes to go. He wished the bell would ring before his turn came up, but that was unlikely. There were only six people between him and would you rather.

His heart thudded sickly, a fight-or-flight response with no rational basis. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm himself. Everything is fine. It’s just a silly game.

But was it? His gut insisted something was very wrong.

Mr. Trinkley moved to the next desk and then the next. Blake felt like a fly caught in a web, waiting for the spider to scuttle over and devour him. Would you rather scenarios flowed into his ears and took root in his imagination, like horror-movie shorts.

Would you rather live in a house infested by bedbugs or by spiders?

Would you rather roast to death or freeze to death?

Would you rather have a grotesque rash or chronic diarrhea?

The room blurred and shimmied around him, and he clutched the edges of his desk to steady himself. This whole situation seemed surreal, like a dream. A nightmare, actually. Why were so many of the scenarios bad? Nobody’d had a good one since Jared.

A shape materialized at Blake’s side, dark as a shadow. “Your turn, Mr. Pedley.”

Blake wondered suddenly how Mr. Trinkley knew everybody’s name. Had he memorized the seating chart before class started? That didn’t seem possible unless the guy had a photographic memory.

Blake eyed the tray apprehensively. The cards were no longer lined up neatly but had gotten jumbled, like objects jostled around by an earthquake. The card backs were ivory in color, though it was possible they’d started out bright white and had yellowed over the course of many years. Each one featured a dark blue star with a staring eye in the middle of it. A fancy curlicue design danced around the border.

Blake reached for a card near the middle of the pile but then withdrew his hand. He almost chose a card that was half hidden under several others but changed his mind. He finally selected a card that was off by itself in a corner of the tray.

He winced as he turned it over.