Every Single Lie

by Rachel Vincent

  However, I am happy to say that my mother not only survived her opioid addiction, she kicked its teeth in. Not quickly. Not easily. But soundly.

  Several other parts of this story were inspired by real events. My husband served honorably in the military and retired after twenty years of service in the U.S. Air Force. He was in the desert several times. He was in Saudi Arabia when our daughter took her first steps.

  That daughter grew up and applied to West Point, as well as to the other service academies. The application process alone is grueling and prolonged, and waiting for an acceptance or a rejection was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever gone through. And I wasn’t even the one applying. So it made perfect sense to me that Penn would channel his grief into an obsession with getting into the United States Military Academy, especially considering his dad’s history as a vet.

  The inspiration for the most prominent event in the story was a rumor from my high school days, when a girl I went to school with was pilloried much like Beckett was in the book. Fortunately, those were the pre-internet days, so the rest of the world did not get involved. Equally fortunately, the baby rumored to have died at birth—or been killed—wasn’t actually found in the school. I have no idea if it was ever even real. But the rumors were real, and the former students I mentioned them to as I was writing this book still remembered them, twenty-seven years later. Everyone told me a different version of the rumors they remembered—how and where the baby was found, and who the father was.

  According to the version I heard when I was in high school, the father of the dead baby was the boy I was dating at the time. I didn’t have the nerve to ask him if it was true. To say that the rumor stuck with me is an understatement. Unfortunately, I suspect it also stuck with the girl rumored to be the mother.

  I really wish I could say I never repeated that rumor.

  I am not Beckett Bergen. She’s much stronger and smarter than I ever was. Much more determined and resilient. She is who I wish I could have been, and I hope she’s found a place in your heart.

  Rachel Vincent

  RESOURCES

  The following resources offer additional information or assistance on the topics covered in this book.

  American Pregnancy Association—Teen Pregnancy Helpline

  Available 24/7, this helpline is a safe place for pregnant teens to talk about their options. The corresponding article offers a comprehensive list of all the different aspects of being a pregnant teen, and also includes additional resources for more in-depth information.

  1-800-672-2296

  americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/pregnant-teen

  National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

  For those struggling with mental illness, such as PTSD or depression, the National Alliance on Mental Illness site includes information on different illnesses, ways to find support or treatment, as well as coping mechanisms you can begin at home. Their website also has the ability to search for local resources using your zip code or city.

  NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–6 p.m. EST)

  Text NAMI to 741-741 for 24/7 crisis support via text message

  nami.org

  Findtreatment.gov

  An extension of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this federally funded site offers resources for better understanding addiction, finding treatment, and understanding the correlation between addiction and mental health. Their website also has the ability to search for local resources using your zip code or city.

  findtreatment.gov

  Help and Resources—National Opioids Crisis

  Backed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this site offers information to understand the opioid epidemic from a wider perspective, as well as specific links for help with prevention, treatment, and recovery—for individuals struggling with addiction as well as their loved ones.

  hhs.gov/opioids

  Make the Connection

  For veterans and their families, Make the Connection offers information, resources, and solutions to the issues affecting their lives, including PTSD. Their website also has the ability to search for local resources using your zip code.

  maketheconnection.net

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This story is very personal for me, and many of the details were inspired by events from my own past, but Every Single Lie could not exist without the input and efforts of many others. With that in mind, I would like to thank the following people:

  Infinite thanks go to Maegan Chaney-Bouis, MD, for answering my medical questions about teen pregnancy and delivery. Any mistakes made are my own.

  Thanks also to Clayton Westbrooks, for answering my frequent and specific questions about small-town police procedure. Again, any mistakes are my own.

  Thanks, as always, to Jennifer Lynn Barnes, my frequent lunch and writing buddy, for all the suggestions and advice. I hope to see you again, when this pandemic finally ends.

  Thanks to my daughter, whose stressful experience applying to West Point made such an impression on me that it became Penn’s obsession and coping mechanism.

  Thank you, of course, to my agent, Ginger Clark, for all the things a literary agent handles, not the least of which involve hand-holding and talking me off ledges.

  Thanks to the amazing production team at Bloomsbury, including Claire Stetzer, for all the work that went into Every Single Lie, at every single level. (See what I did there?!?)

  And finally, all of my gratitude goes to Cindy Loh, my editor, for taking a chance on this book. On me, and on a story that gutted me with every word I wrote. This book would not exist without you, your patience, your enthusiasm, and your invaluable input.

  BLOOMSBURY YA

  Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018

  This electronic edition published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

  First published in the United States of America in January 2021 by Bloomsbury YA

  Text copyright © 2021 by Rachel Vincent

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Dana Ledl

  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 unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  Bloomsbury books may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at specialmarkets@macmillan.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Vincent, Rachel, author.

  Title: Every single lie / Rachel Vincent.

  Description: New York : Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2021.

  Summary: High school junior Beckett’s life is turned upside-down when she discovers a dead baby in her small-town high school’s locker room, and her police detective mother investigates while cyberbullies claim it is Beck’s child.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020029392 (print) | LCCN 2020029393 (e-book)

  ISBN: 978-1-5476-0523-1 (HB)

  ISBN: 978-1-5476-0524-8 (eBook)

  Subjects: CYAC: High schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Cyberbullying—Fiction. | Criminal investigation—Fiction. | Babies—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.V7448 Eve 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.V7448 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029392

  Book design by Jeanette Levy

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