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Panic
Panic
Panic
Ebook358 pages4 hours

Panic

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a captivating, thrilling novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that will leave readers gasping for air. Now a television series on Prime Video, starring Olivia Welch, Mike Faist, Jessica Sula, Enrique Murciano, Camron Jones, and Ray Nicholson!

E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls Panic "a thrill a minute." Kirkus says: "Will have readers up until the wee hours," School Library Journal raves: "Fast-paced and captivating."

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Read the book that inspired the series, which the New York Times described as “Reminiscent of ‘The Hunger Games’ but grounded in the real world.”

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMar 4, 2014
ISBN9780062285591
Author

Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of media and content development company Glasstown Entertainment, where she serves as the President of Production. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica and Lauren's bestselling first novel, Before I Fall, were acquired by Awesomeness Films. Before I Fall was adapted into a major motion picture starring Zoey Deutch. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, garnering a wide release from Open Road Films that year. Oliver is a 2012 E. B. White Read-Aloud Award nominee for her middle-grade novel Liesl & Po, as well as author of the middle-grade fantasy novel The Spindlers and The Curiosity House series, co-written with H.C. Chester. She has written one novel for adults, Rooms. Oliver co-founded Glasstown Entertainment with poet and author Lexa Hillyer. Since 2010, the company has developed and sold more than fifty-five novels for adults, young adults, and middle-grade readers. Some of its recent titles include the New York Times bestseller Everless, by Sara Holland; the critically acclaimed Bonfire, authored by the actress Krysten Ritter; and The Hunger by Alma Katsu, which received multiple starred reviews and was praised by Stephen King as “disturbing, hard to put down” and “not recommended…after dark.” Oliver is a narrative consultant for Illumination Entertainment and is writing features and TV shows for a number of production companies and studios. Oliver received an academic scholarship to the University of Chicago, where she was elected Phi Beta Kappa. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from New York University. www.laurenoliverbooks.com.

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Reviews for Panic

Rating: 3.9404761904761907 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carp is a small town where there's not much to do, so the high school students made up a game called Panic. Everyone pays in, but only the seniors compete the summer after graduation. There's always at least $50,000 at stake, but each round of the game has higher and higher risks. It starts with everyone competing jumping off of a cliff into the water below, and ends with two cars facing off in a round of chicken. Everything in between is made up by two unknown judges. Heather and her best friend Natalie are competing for the money, but Dodge, who quickly becomes their friend, is more interested in revenge. Very suspenseful story, and I'm excited to hear that it's already been optioned for a movie. I think it's going to be a great, action-packed film.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first Lauren Oliver book that I really liked. Panic is a game that has been created for senior students about to graduate from high school in the small, rural town of Carp. The challenges are risky, scary and increasingly dangerous, where accidents and death occur. The chapters alternate between Heather and Dodge, two competitors in this year's Panic. Although I usually like alternating points of view, I didn't like how the chapters were told in the third person, and Dodge seemed more like a secondary character than a main protagonist. However, despite some gaps in the plot, "Panic" moved along at a fast pace, with more and more secrets being revealed along the way, which made for a surprisingly entertaining read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was spoiled by reading Lauren Oliver’s previous books. I first red Before I Fall then I read the Delirium Trilogy, and I fell in love with all four books and with Miss Oliver herself. Her writing style flowed well, the story lines and plots were interesting, and the characters were relatable. Panic, however, did not live up to my expectations. Panic centers around high school seniors in a small town named Carp. The seniors graduated and the summer after graduation any senior is allowed to compete in the game, in ‘Panic.’ Sounded like an interesting concept when I first heard of the book, but it was a letdown.

    The two main characters are Heather and Dodge who both have their own personal reasons for competing in Panic. For Dodge playing Panic was for revenge. His older sister competed in the game and in the last challenge, the joust, she was paralyzed. Dodge decides a brother for a sister, and wants the little brother to pay for what his older brother did. I love the story line of revenge and how it eats up a person. Dodge was full of grief at what happened to his sister and what she couldn't do that he stopped seeing his sister. I love his character at first but I didn't think he actually had any development throughout the story. Dodge is not the one who decides to not exact his revenge; Heather and her best friend stopped him. Dodge was filled with revenge that the idea of not completing the game angered him, even when his sister tried to stop him.

    Heather entered the game on a whim after seeing her (ex)-boyfriend kiss another girl. She continues to compete for her little sister, Lily, and to get out of Carp. Heather’s home life was atrocious. Her mother has different men in and out of her life and is a drug addict. Through certain events that happen during the book it looks like Heather is going to start to pursue custody of Lily. Heather’s character was much more appealing to me than Dodge’s. Oliver wrote the book going back and forth between Heather and Dodge, and Heather’s chapters were the ones I wanted to read.

    Overall, though, the book was a disappointment. I kept reading because of my love of Oliver’s previous books and with the hope that it would get better. The story line and plot ended up being boring for myself. And I know in the first few pages it says Panic was created out of boredom but I was still hoping for a reveal of why at the end. However, the pace of the book made it a quick read and never truly slows down. But I would recommend one of Oliver’s other books before this one.

    2.5/5
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Interesting, but I felt like I was watching a train wreck the whole way through. Yes, the protagonists (mostly) come out of it okay, but the book is about the subtle forces destroying a community, individual by individual.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Panic was a thrilling and tense book filled with high stakes and danger. It was a bit like Fear Factor, but with life-or-death tasks and much more at stake than just money. THE THEMESDesperation, greed, and courage were what the biggest themes revolved around. In order to play Panic, the characters had to dig deep for every bit of courage they could spare--they needed it to not just get through the challenges but to forward in life. In the meantime, they all had to deal with the greed they felt for the prize for winning the game (money, a better future, etc.). They all did things out of desperation to win the game or get further in life. There were many other focuses and themes in Panic, but those were the ones that stood out the most to me.THE GAME OF PANICI simply loved the game! I've never seen one like it. At first, I was puzzled over what the point of it was and how it worked, but once I figured it out, the game proved to be very dangerous and exciting. It kept me on my toes--the challenges the characters felt were pretty scary, so I was constantly worried over what would happen to them. The game and its progression from one dangerous task the next, even more dangerous one was the best part of the book for me. It added a lot of excitement to the story, as well as some different twists than I was expecting.HEATHERShe definitely changed over the course of the story, and since character growth is one of my favorite things to see in a book, that stood out to me. Through pushing determinedly through the high risk tasks, she had to muster up much more courage than she ever had. She had to strip away her weakness and start seeing things in a new light in order to win Panic. The main reason for her competing in the game was to give her chance to grow. I loved how the game helped her do that.OVERALLThe minute I discovered this book, I knew it would be a good read for me. And I was right. Panic was my type of book. It was a contemporary with great themes, exciting events, and character growth--some of my favorite things. The game, too, was something that I absolutely love to find in books: a level of freshness. The tasks each player were given made the book feel quite different. Panic was a great read that I already know that I want to reread sometime. If you are looking for an exciting contemporary and haven't given this one a try yet, I suggest doing so. You may enjoy it as much as I did!*I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not bad. Not as good as her other, but not bad.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed Panic, but I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped I would. In the book Panic is a game, and throughout the book I think it was the main thing that kept me reading. I liked the characters, but I didn’t particularly love or really care about any of them. I didn’t mind following their stories and their romances, but mostly I just wanted to find out what would happen during Panic and how it would end.The book is told from two points of view, Heather’s and Dodge’s, but I didn’t particularly enjoy one of their stories more. I didn’t really care about either of their romances, but I did appreciate both of their loves for their siblings and what they did for them. Thankfully, neither were characters that I struggled to read because they did not annoy me, but they failed to make me love them.Panic was the best thing about this book. It’s basically a game where a group of teens risk their lives doing challenges so that one of them can eventually win quite a lot of money. For a book about a group of regular teenagers, the challenges they have to complete are pretty extreme, to the point where I was often fearing for people’s lives because what they were doing seemed so crazy sometimes.The challenges in Panic are set by anonymous judges, whether or not it was supposed to be a shock when who those judges were was revealed I’m not sure, but I was able to guess who at least one of the judges was about 1/3-1/2 of the way through the book, the other I was iffy about but was leaning toward the person who it actually was. This made it both fun and a bit annoying, it was fun because I liked figuring it out and waiting for the other characters to figure it out, but also annoying because how could the other characters not see it when to me it was pretty obvious. It would have been even better if I was wrong though.Overall I enjoyed Panic, but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be. I thought the characters were alright, but Panic was the most interesting thing about the book – 3.75/5
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    PANIC takes place in Carp, New York - a depressed town with little employment. Panic is a game that the seniors play. It involves secrecy, challenges, and possibly even death. However, the pot this year is $67,000.Heather Nill wasn't going to play but her boyfriend broke up with her by flaunting his new girl right before the opening event. Dodge Mason was always going to play. He didn't want the money but he wanted revenge. His sister wound up second and paralyzed from the waist down at the conclusion of the game when she was a senior. Dodge wants to get the younger brother of the guy who won and hurt him as his family had been hurt. Heather's friend Nat is playing but her best friend Bishop isn't. In fact, he tries to convince her not to take part. Events run from jumping from a cliff into the quarry swimming hole, to crossing a plank from one water tower to another, to spending a night in a haunted house, and playing Russian roulette. All of those events are tests for Heather who has enough stress in her life already. She is reconciling herself to the fact that Bishop is going away to college in the Fall. She also has to protect her younger sister from their alcohol and drug-addicted mother. But one thing Panic does is test everyone to their limits and beyond. Heather and Dodge are going to find out just what they will do to win the game and who they will be when it is over. I can't say that I enjoyed the story but I was involved in it. I hated the situations that Heather found herself in. I hated that she didn't have supportive parents. I hated that she felt so unhappy and so locked into life in Carp. I hated Dodge's situation too. Living on the idea of revenge isn't the best way to live. His changing relationship with his sister is adding more stress to an already stressful situation. I really disliked Nat for most of the story but could understand what was fueling her bad choices.This was a powerful story and well-written. I felt a sigh of relief at the hopeful ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Panic takes place in the town of Carp where there is not much excitement for a teenager. So one year the graduating seniors decided to design their own entertainment by creating the game called panic. Every year each student in the high school pays a dollar a day for every day that school is in session. That money goes into the fund that becomes the prize money for the winner of the game. The challenges in the game can be dangerous and even deadly but a prize of $50,000 is an incentive to the players to complete almost any kind of test. The players are the main characters in the book and their friendships take many twists and turns as they go through not only the panic challenges but also the challenges that they face in their personal lives. The book caused me to panic as I read about these teens taking on the high stakes challenges required for the participants of the game. I also felt rather sad for all of them since they were facing so many stumbling blocks in their search to be happy and successful. Thus to me it was a rather depressing read with a so-so ending. However, I would imagine the teen reader would be excited to read about each new challenge in the game while trying to determine who would be the winner of Panic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Panic is the latest from teen author Lauren Oliver, who churns out sensational novels that my middle grade readers snap up like candy. Personally, I've never been able to stomach an Oliver novel all the way through, but I did get through Panic.Panic follows a quartet of high school friends in a small New England town as they navigate through an extremely dangerous "game" called Panic. I think that is the most interesting part, the game itself, as it mirrors what teens do today for "fun." It resonates with the "thrills" that our youth will partake without realizing the sometimes deadly consequences. However, this novel loses steam halfway through, when the police "bust" the game. I think having the audience of the town participate with the game would have made the novel more exciting; the novel just seemed to flag and was not intensely interesting.Another plot point I found unbelievable was Anne's tigers. If Anne is as truly caring, rational, and a savior as she is portrayed in the novel, she would not have done such a selfish thing and kept illegal tigers on her property. It is obvious the tigers were a deux ex machina for later plot points in the novel, since they were so incongruous.Overall, though, quite interesting, and it is interesting to discuss this novel with students/young adults and draw parallels to today's society.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This story begins the day after the protagonists have graduated from high school, at which time the traditional secret game of “Panic” begins. Each participant has to pass a series of ridiculously risky challenges, with two unknown judges (acting via flyers and an anonymous email account) determining what they will be, allocating points, and knocking losers out of the game. The final remaining contestant wins a large pot of money.In the seven years the game has been played, four players have died and one has been left paralyzed. But the prize money - this year it is $67,000 - is too tempting for these teens to resist. They are desperate to get out of of their dead-end small town of Carp, New York, and maybe realize their dreams, most of which are pretty much impossible without lots of cash.The danger involved doesn’t deter them from putting their lives on the line; unfortunately, all of the characters, most of whom come from broken homes, are very deficient in self-esteem, and looking for love in all the wrong places. The focus is primarily on four main protagonists: two females graduates - Heather and Nat, and two males - Bishop and Dodge.Discussion: I found some aspects of the plot very unrealistic. Parents and police are pretty much absent most of the time, especially considering the deaths and life-crippling injuries associated with the game. And the "requirement" that every high school student from this impoverished community contribute $100 each year to the game, and they somehow manage to come up with the money? I wasn’t buying it.I also did not think some of the main characters were especially well-developed. Nat, for example, apparently has obsessive-compulsive disorder, but this complication is only briefly alluded to, and then mostly forgotten. Nevertheless, it probably plays a large role in her behavior which was otherwise unexplained (and inexplicable). Why would Oliver assume most kids would understand this syndrome? Some other issues were only touched upon and then dropped, such as Heather’s insecurity about her size, and her dependence on appeal to boys for her sense of self-worth. Bishops’ behavior also went largely unexplained, even though much of what he did seemed quite contrary to the person he was supposed to be. The character of Dodge was better drawn than the others. His devotion to his paralyzed sister was juxtaposed with the reinforcement he got from her dependence on him, and to his resistance to her improvement because it meant he was less important to her. That complex and contradictory situation was very well done. While the tension level of the book built nicely, the "mystery" of the plot was obvious. I was also disappointed with the cluster of events comprising the ending, which seemed even more unrealistic than the rest of the story. Evaluation: It's hard not to give Oliver consideration after loving some of her other work, particularly the book Before I Fall. But with Panic, I felt there were some problems with story believability and with the characterization, and there were a few examples of overly trite writing (“Nothing and none of us will ever be the same”).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Panic is a legendary game played only by high school seniors during the summer in Carp, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. The game consists of a series of dares that become more and more dangerous as it goes on. Only one winner goes home with thousands of dollars, but many go home with injuries and people have died before. Heather was never really interested in Panic, but participated on a whim after her boyfriend broke up with her. She's terrified every step of the way, but wants to see it to the end. Dodge, on the other hand, has been planning to participate in Panic for a year because of a deep dark secret. He doesn't fear the game at all and is fueled by his secret to do anything to win. Panic will bring both of them new friends, new enemies, shocking revelations, and turn their lives upside down.I read Nerve by Jeanne Ryan a few weeks ago and it's a book that really wanted to be Panic. Panic goes to the extremes that I expected and (way) beyond. Each of the challenges pushes further and further and touches on real fear. However, I felt about half of them were unrealistic in how life threatening they were. $10,000 is not worth anyone's life. It should have been a lot more to make it plausible, but teens have to be able to put together this money, so more money still wouldn't be plausible. Anyway, there are some problems with the concept in general.The characters and writing are what make the book successful. I related to or empathized with each character and their situation. Heather's mother was an abusive drug addict, so Heather took her sister and lived out of their car. Despite her fear, she was a lot stronger than she thought and used her Panic outlook in her real life. Dodge was kind of weird because of his painfully obvious "secret" and his blind need for vengeance. Other than that, he's a decent person who cares for his family. The only character I had no connection with was Nat. She used people, lied, manipulated, and was generally mean to people. There seems to be no reason for people to be her friend or like her in any way. Lauren Oliver's writing never fails to suck me into her stories. I didn't even notice some of the flaws of the book until the very end because of her prose.Panic is a thrilling read, but the logistical problems and one major unlikeable character distracted from the story. It's a decent stand alone book and I would definitely read other books by Lauren Oliver.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really lovely. Better than the Delirium series, not as good as Before I Fall.

    Review to come!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars. I'm going to review it on my 11th House Blog and will elaborate more when I do.

    It was fast-paced, engaging, and had a edge-o-seat premise. There were a few gaps in editing with repeated words and phrases, and a few plot-stoppers for me, but overall a good book and an insightful read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In the poor town of Carp, New York, a group of teens enters a high-stakes game that involves a series of secretive, possibly deadly challenges throughout the summer, with the winner receiving more than $50,000--enough money to start a new life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Heather and Nat, Dodge and Bishop are high school graduates, with the entire summer stretched out in front of them. Living in Carp, NY, this also means the start of the secret game called Panic, where each participant has to pass a series of testing challenges until only one contestant is left, who leaves with the big pot of cash.Taking place over a few weeks in the summer, the narration alternately follows Heather and Dodge as they navigate each new challenge, how they form friendships and alliances, have arguments and fall out, fall in love and, most importantly, overcome their innermost fears. To the teenagers growing up in Carp, their town is not a place where they want to stay by choice, and winning the jackpot in Panic will enable them to leave and make a fresh start, a chance to fulfil their dreams. The teenagers are all of them very believable characters: fragile, wracked by insecurities and anxieties and not always likeable, and Lauren Oliver depicts their mindset very accurately, so that anyone who’s ever been a teenager will readily identify with them. The novel shows real character progression, it asks pertinent questions and also gives a few answers, and for all of Panic’s terrifying – and often downright dangerous – challenges, this is ultimately an uplifting book. Yet despite some genuinely tense moments, I can’t help feeling that the author has played it too safe as the outcome of the game and the resolution of the personal relationships are never in any doubt. The novel is well written and will almost certainly find a large readership among the young adults, but the lack of real surprises means that it doesn’t stand out enough for me to make it a fantastic read.(This review was originally written as part of Amazon's Vine programme.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 StarsSummary:No one knows how it began or who created it, but each summer graduating seniors in the small town of Carp participate in daring challenges of a dangerous tradition called Panic, hoping to become the sole winner of tempting cash reward. For some, the grand prize is a shot at a better future. For Heather, it's the unplanned opportunity to escape her desperation after a sad breakup; for Dodge, it's the perfect pass to revenge for his sister's injury. But for all contestants, this is a game that will push them beyond their limits, physically and emotionally. Some will die, and some will lose, but they will have the chance to explore the true meanings of family, friendship, loyalty, and love.My Thoughts:Lauren Oilver did a great job at portraying this dull, small town in Panic and its people's rough realities. Her detailed and realistic depictions of this young group's struggles and their imperfect lives give this story an authentic and genuine touch.The story is told via alternating third person perspectives between Heather and Dodge, and there are also two supporting characters, Nat and Bishop, Heather's best friends. The author created diverse, interesting, believable, and well developed characters. I really liked the two romantic relationships. They are light (for a contemporary YA) but sweet and are essential in adding to the tensions and troubles that plague these teens.There are just enough suspense throughout the story to keep the pages turning, and as these characters confront the game and their conflicts in real life, we are able to observe their adventurous journey and transformation. I loved and sympathized with these teenagers, and it's great to see how the effects of the game mold them into strong and mature characters. From time to time, I did find this book very dark, and again it was due to the author's realistic descriptions of the suffocating realities that these characters face.This is an extremely well written and enjoyable book, but it does contain minor flaws. My biggest concern was with the premise of how Panic works. It's hard to believe that such a risky and illegal game was able to be carried out for so many years even though Carp is such a small community and the game involved majority of the graduating class. Also, the challenges seemed a bit stupid to me. Panic is suppose to be a test for bravery. Instead, it's more like a series of reckless and cruel stunts that resemble college hazing rituals.The book was quite slow for the first 50% but quickly picked up after that. Overall, this is an exhilarating and fantastic read. The plot is interesting, characters are likable, and Lauren Oilver is a great writer and an amazing storyteller.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Random Thoughts Would be a fabulous book for class discussion and opening up communication The adults were mostly caricatures - the typical self involved and neglectful parents that can be found in most ya novels (You must remember I am a 43 yr old mom and am a good parent). That being said it does explain the actions of the teen characters Great message without being preachy Author had a good understanding of the teenage mind with all its turmoil, confusion and angst. Especially of those teens growing up in such a poor and depressed town. I didn't feel a real connection to any of the characters, with the exception of Heather, and some of their actions (Bishop's for example), didn't really makes sense to me. Fast paced and interesting - ir was a hard one to put down - even when I wanted to slap these kids upside their heads for some of their stupid actions (yet I still remember being a teen so I can see how they would react the way they did) Oliver does a brilliant job of creating a town that is in an economic downturn and the feeling of desperation permeates throughout the story and all of the characters The towns name is Carp (hmm play around with those letters LOL!) Could totally see this situation happening Memorable Quotes/Passages"The sky was deepening, the light was fading and so were the colors, swirling away behind the line of trees beyond the ridge, as though someone had pulled the plug""...about her fears that she would never get out of Carp and it would eat her up, swallow her as it had her mom, turn her into one of those brittle, bitter women who is old and drug-eaten and done at twenty-nine." "My point is, when you love someone, when you care for someone, you have to do it through the good and the bad. Not just when you're happy and it's easy."3.75 Dewey'sI received this from HarperCollins at work as part of my job. I am in no way obligated to review or sell any copies. One of the perks about being a bookseller which almost makes up for crappy retail pay LOL - love the job though so I really shouldn't complain - just miss my cushy library job that had benefits and paid vacation time
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wanted to read Panic because I enjoyed Lauren Oliver's other contemporary and even though this one sounds different, I liked the direction it was going in. The idea of this big game and stunts, and where these two characters could face such things and possibly fall in love along the way intrigued me. Which I have to say, when reading the synopsis I almost thought that there was a supernatural or dystopian element to the story, but I think that it makes it more realistic, and it is set that it could happen in real life and it wasn't really forced on the kids, but more like a town tradition. I liked both of the main characters, Heather and Dodge. They had secrets, and reasons why they were entering the games, on why they needed the money. Both of their families have their own backstories and play into the reasons they are playing and want to win. They are both sisters as well, and I loved the individual bonds, and how they grew and changed through the story. The games though really shocked me. What they planned and the extremely dangerous element to them. They went over the previous years' deaths and that made me think that there was an even higher risk to this year's game. I think that these types of stunts though are def not out of character of a small town summer with nothing for the teens to do. I do think that the planning system and that everyone pays into the pot is kinda unrealistic, but I went with it for the sake of the story. It was def high adventure and had me scared for what my characters might face next as the group of players gets smaller and smaller. It had me glued to the pages, and I read it quickly, but I don't think this will be one that sticks with me and I think about after, hence the 3.5 I think that Heather really grew and learned a lot through the games as well as through the things that she had to deal with at home. I love the side plot with the lady she gets a job with Anne. Anne has a farm of sorts and rescues animals and hires Heather to help her. The bond that they form is special and I appreciated reading about it and how it developed. The ending worked out pretty well and matched what I expected from the book. It wrapped things up and even gave up a glimpse at the near future of the characters. Bottom Line: Fast paced and demanded my attention while reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Intense story with intriguing characters and unique premises. This was a very enjoyable read and Lauren Oliver fans will be very pleased.Opening Sentence: THE WATER WAS SO COLD IT TOOK HEATHER’S BREATH away as she fought past the kids crowding the beach and standing in the shallows, waving towels and homemade signs, cheering and calling up to the remaining jumpers.The Review:Panic is a game that was created in the small town of Carp, New York. Only graduating seniors are allowed to compete in the games and participation is completely optional. The judges are completely anonymous and they pick tasks that tend to insight fear in people. Each round there are people eliminated and there is a final showdown where one person is crowned the winner. Not only do they get to say they won Panic they also win the money pot that has been collected since they were freshmen in high school which is usually close to $50,000.Heather never planned to contend in Panic, she never considered herself fearless or brave, which to win Panic you have to be both. But on the night of the first task fate would have it that she catches her long time boyfriend cheating on her, and she decides that she has nothing to lose by playing the games. Then as things at home get rough she finds that winning all that money might solve a lot of problems for her.Dodge has always planned on playing Panic, and he has another reason to win the games besides the money. His older sister was paralyzed from the waist down two years ago in the final show down of the games, and Dodge has never forgotten. He is out for revenge and he will stop at nothing to get it.The story alternates between Heather and Dodge’s POV. First you meet Heather, and to be honest, I really didn’t like her at first. She has a very negative attitude and some serious self esteem issues that got on my nerves a little bit. She grew up with no father and a mother that partied all the time. So her home life was a mess, but she had a couple great friends that got her through all the hard times, and a little sister that made it worth sticking around. At first the games are just to pass the time, but eventually it becomes more important to win. While I didn’t like Heather at first, I loved her by the end. Her character grows so much throughout the pages that it’s hard not to admire her, and respect her determination.I liked Dodge from the very beginning. He was always sort of a social outcast in school and never very outgoing. But he knew that he would do well at Panic, because he wasn’t afraid of the consequences. He also had more motivation than the others to win. I liked that Dodge was a little awkward and different, it added to his charm. I could easily sympathize with his situation and found him to be a likeable guy.Panic was an intense read that was very unique. Oliver did a fantastic job keeping the suspense running high throughout the whole book. I will admit that the first hundred pages or so were a little slow, but once you got through the background story it was pretty much non-stop drama and action. I thought that the premises was very unique and different from anything else I have ever read, so I liked that and it made the story more intriguing. The ending was left slightly open ended but I thought that it was a perfect fit for the story. Oliver is just one of those authors that know how to write amazing stories. Her style and form is always so captivating and I will always be a fan of her work. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a great YA realistic contemporary read, it will not disappoint.Notable Scene:Heather fought for breath. Tears were pushing at the back of her eyes. She knew they were being too loud. Too loud. Everything was all wrong. The gun in her hand felt awful, cold but also alive, like some alien creature that might suddenly roar to life.“What are you doing here?” she finally said. “You were supposed to get proof for us and get out.”“I heard something,” Dodge fired back. “I thought it might be one of the other players—”The lights came on.Jack Donahue was standing in the doorway, eyes wild, chest slick with sweat. Then he was shouting and the barrel of the gun was swinging toward them and there was an explosion of glass, and Heather realized Dodge had just hurled a chair straight through the window. Everything was fracture, roar, blur.“Go, go, go!” Dodge was shouting, pushing Heather toward the window.FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Panic. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Read on December 26, 2013While reading this book I had flashbacks to my Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine reading days. No idea why...it's been years (maybe even a couple of decades) since I read either author. Maybe it was the game itself (or the vast group of teenagers making really bad decisions). Panic tests to see how much fear you can handle and even despite fear, how long you can last in certain situations. It's not a game for the faint of heart. That part of the book was interesting -- seeing the tests these characters are put through. I also generally liked the characters. I could relate to being the tall girl that wears flats and slouches so she doesn't look like a giant next to her friends. In fact, the thing that bothered me most about this book was kind of silly and is probably me being a little nit-picky. Carp is a town of 12,000 with a graduating class of around 100 -- it has a BUS SYSTEM?! I grew up in Florida so maybe I'm incorrect in thinking that bus systems are only in large, more urban areas, but a town that small with public transit? Is there a county system that covers this in upstate New York?AND she forgave Bishop?! Seriously? And the kidnapping of Dodge? Too much.I had more thoughts as I was drifting off to sleep last night about other things I found a little too absurd, but now I've forgotten. Bottom line: It doesn't have all the feels of Before I Fall, which is kind of what I was expecting. But it's a good read, just not Oliver's best.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Ok, I'm officially taking a break from young adult books for a while. While this was a pretty good listening candy while on long bike rides, just not what I want to be feeding into my head. Recent high school graduates choose to take part in a game of "Panic" involving dangerous stunts that become ever more stupid in order to win a pot of money collected throughout the year from all seniors ($67K). Typical teenage relationships and peer pressure.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Okay, I'm just going to start by saying that this is by far my favourite summer read so far! I loved this book. I could not put it down.The story is told from the point of view of Heather and Dodge (although Heather is definitely the main character). They are acquaintances, joined together by a dangerous, high stakes game called "Panic".The pacing in this book was excellent. It is on par with Oliver's other works (Delirium and Before I Fall being my favourites). There is tons of adventure and danger, a bit of romance, a splash of mystery and a lot of true angst.I fell in love with the main character, Heather, and her struggles with a difficult home life, the adjustments a new high school graduate makes and her changing relationship with her best friend, Bishop.It's hard for me not slip into spoilers with this book, so I'm just going to say: READ IT!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked this book. It had a lot of good sub-plots and i liked the way the relationships developed between the charaters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I think the premise of this book is interesting, but the characters left it feeling a little flat.

    I think the game of Panic is amazing. It’s dangerous, and scary as hell. It’s not something I’d ever participate in, but I can see why others would. I had to know what the next challenge was while I was reading. Each one is deadlier than the previous one. I was freaking out while reading some of them.

    Panic is told from the perspectives of Heather and Dodge. I had a hard time with them as narrators because I felt like they didn’t have much of a personality. They both have had hard lives, and ones that I wish wasn’t a reality. But the way they portrayed things felt like it lacked passion, I guess. I didn’t feel their anger, or anything. It’s like it just happened. I’m not sure that makes sense, but it does in my head. lol

    While the characters left me wanting more, the story is engaging.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    With more than $50,000 at stake and a way out of her desolate small town, Heather impulsively enters Panic, a dangerous game played every summer by graduated high school seniors. The concept of the game of Panic – six challenges moderated by secret judges, a fierce competition where players can get hurt – may not be fully believable with its layers of secrecy and organization, but is a convincing exaggeration of very real high school senior games and competitions (e.g. water wars). The town of Carp sets a backdrop perfect for Panic, with players desperate to win their way out of town, and conveniently abandoned or unsupervised areas to complete the challenges. Some of Oliver’s characters are better developed than others and while Heather is fortunately among the less grating characters, some of the supporting cast isn’t so fortunate. In particular, her best friend Nat reads as rather obnoxious (a fact not helped by the audiobook narrator voicing this character excessively shrill) and Lily, her younger sister, is supposedly eleven but is at times written as if her character were five. Like the characters, Panic’s plot is also uneven, with some of it being enjoyable and well paced, but some elements of it being flat-out groan inducing. Certain twists are hammered on a bit hard and it should be obvious who wins Panic before long, possibly before even starting the book. Still, readers might enjoy the adventures of Heather and her friends and will be kept on edge during the game’s challenges. A good choice for Lauren Oliver fans, Panic is recommended for ages fourteen and up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enter an impoverished rural community full of teenager dreams of leaving for the big city life. Now enter the town where the graduating class participates in an annual contest where the winner gets the grand prize worth thousands--the ticket to leaving the town--the ability to leave behind family sorrows and start a new life. Friendships will be renewed and broken and made stronger. The impending finale promises to push readers to the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was actually really good. That's for me, though. I see mixed reviews but I really liked it.
    I was just kinda disappointed by some characters' slowness and I think that Lauren Oliver isn't really good with ending her books *coughs*Requiem*coughs* but other than that, this book was full of suspense and action and some really heart-pounding scenes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Panic by Lauren Oliver is a tense novel and overcoming fear in order to take home $67,000.The setting is in Carp, NY, and everyone is desperate. Desperate to get out. So desperate they will risk their lives. After graduation, seniors are required to put money in the pot and anyone can participate in the game Panic in order to win the money. It begins with jumping off a cliff into water. Heather has no intention of participating; but, when her boyfriend dumps her, she finds himself jumping. Throughout the summer, Heather, Bishop, Nat, and Dodge navigate the increasingly dangerous game while trying to elude the police who want to stop it. If anyone gives the police information, he/she is severely punished. In this atmosphere of desperation, lying may be the only way to survive.Heather loves her little sister and wants out of Carp because her mother is a drunk drug addict; Nat wants a career as an actress or model and is willing to do whatever it takes; Bishop is heading to college and only wants Heather safe; and, Dodge wants revenge for his sister's accident in Panic a few years ago that left her paralyzed. Only one person can win, so how can these four help each other yet be the last one standing with the money?This novel has mature content. These are kids from difficult lives who use coarse language because they see it at home and school. I think this will be a popular book because it's intense--almost too intense. The characters are their own worst enemies and then they each have their own secrets. The suspense comes in whether their secrets can be revealed before someone dies. There are death-defying challenges, tigers, tense relationships, and desperation to hook you in.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book started off slow for me. I tried starting it a few times and couldn't get into it. Once I finally sat down and forced myself to read past the first few chapters I was hooked. I couldn't wait to see what the Judges would think of next, and ultimately who would win Panic.

Book preview

Panic - Lauren Oliver

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

heather

THE WATER WAS SO COLD IT TOOK HEATHER’S BREATH away as she fought past the kids crowding the beach and standing in the shallows, waving towels and homemade signs, cheering and calling up to the remaining jumpers.

She took a deep breath and went under. The sound of voices, of shouting and laughter, was immediately muted.

Only one voice stayed with her.

I didn’t mean for it to happen.

Those eyes; the long lashes, the mole under his right eyebrow.

There’s just something about her.

Something about her. Which meant: Nothing about you.

She’d been planning to tell him she loved him tonight.

The cold was thunderous, a buzzing rush through her body. Her denim shorts felt as though they’d been weighted with stones. Fortunately, years of braving the creek and racing the quarry with Bishop had made Heather Nill a strong swimmer.

The water was threaded with bodies, twisting and kicking, splashing, treading water—the jumpers, and the people who had joined their celebratory swim, sloshing into the quarry still clothed, carrying beer cans and joints. She could hear a distant rhythm, a faint drumming, and she let it move her through the water—without thought, without fear.

That’s what Panic was all about: no fear.

She broke the surface for air and saw that she’d already crossed the short stretch of water and reached the opposite shore: an ugly pile of misshapen rocks, slick with black and green moss, piled together like an ancient collection of Legos. Pitted with fissures and crevices, they shouldered up toward the sky, ballooning out over the water.

Thirty-one people had already jumped—all of them Heather’s friends and former classmates. Only a small knot of people remained at the top of the ridge—the jagged, rocky lip of shoreline jutting forty feet into the air on the north side of the quarry, like a massive tooth biting its way out of the ground.

It was too dark to see them. The flashlights and the bonfire only illuminated the shoreline and a few feet of the inky dark water, and the faces of the people who had jumped, still bobbing in the water, triumphant, too happy to feel the cold, taunting the other competitors. The top of the ridge was a shaggy mass of black, where the trees were encroaching on the rock, or the rock was getting slowly pulled into the woods, one or the other.

But Heather knew who they were. All the competitors had to announce themselves once they reached the top of the ridge, and then Diggin Rodgers, this year’s sportscaster, parroted back the names into the megaphone, which he had borrowed from his older brother, a cop.

Three people had yet to jump: Merl Tracey, Derek Klieg, and Natalie Velez. Nat.

Heather’s best friend.

Heather wedged her fingers in a fissure in the rocks and pulled. Earlier, and in years past, she had watched all the other gamers scrabbling up the ridge like giant, waterlogged insects. Every year, people raced to be the first to jump, even though it didn’t earn any extra points. It was a pride thing.

She banged her knee, hard, against a sharp elbow of rock. When she looked down, she could see a bit of dark blood streaking her kneecap. Weirdly, she didn’t feel any pain. And though everyone was still cheering and shouting, it sounded distant.

Matt’s words drowned out all the voices.

Look, it’s just not working.

There’s something about her.

We can still be friends.

The air was cool. The wind had picked up, singing through the old trees, sending deep groans up from the woods—but she wasn’t cold anymore. Her heart was beating hard in her throat. She found another handhold in the rock, braced her legs on the slick moss, lifted and levered, as she had watched the gamers do, every summer since eighth grade.

Dimly, she was aware of Diggin’s voice, distorted by the megaphone.

Late in the game . . . a new competitor . . .

But half his words got whipped away by the wind.

Up, up, up, ignoring the ache in her fingers and legs, trying to stick to the left side of the ridge, where the rocks, driven hard at angles into one another, formed a wide and jutting lip of stone, easy to navigate.

Suddenly a dark shape, a person, rocketed past her. She almost slipped. At the last second, she worked her feet more firmly onto the narrow ledge, dug hard with her fingers to steady herself. A huge cheer went up, and Heather’s first thought was: Natalie.

But then Diggin boomed out, "And he’s in, ladies and gentlemen! Merl Tracey, our thirty-second gamer, is in!"

Almost at the top now. She risked a glance behind her and saw a steep slope of jagged rock, the dark water breaking at the base of the ridge. It suddenly seemed a million miles away.

For a second the fog cleared from her head, the anger and the hurt were blown away, and she wanted to crawl back down the rock, back to the safety of the beach, where Bishop was waiting. They could go to Dot’s for late-night waffles, extra butter, extra whipped cream. They could drive around with all the windows open, listening to the rising hum of the crickets, or sit together on the hood of his car and talk about nothing.

But it was too late. Matt’s voice came whispering back, and she kept climbing.

No one knows who invented Panic, or when it first began.

There are different theories. Some blame the shuttering of the paper factory, which overnight placed 40 percent of the adult population of Carp, New York, on unemployment. Mike Dickinson, who infamously got arrested for dealing on the very same night he was named prom king, and now changes brake pads at the Jiffy Lube on Route 22, likes to take credit; that’s why he still goes to Opening Jump, seven years after graduating.

None of these stories is correct, however. Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

The rules are simple. The day after graduation is Opening Jump, and the game goes all through summer. After the final challenge, the winner takes the pot.

Everyone at Carp High pays into the pot, no exceptions. Fees are a dollar a day, for every day that school is in session, from September through June. People who refuse to pony up the cash receive reminders that go from gentle to persuasive: vandalized locker, shattered windows, shattered face.

It’s only fair. Anyone who wants to play has a chance to win. That’s another rule: all seniors, but only seniors, are eligible, and must announce their intention to compete by participating in the Jump, the first of the challenges. Sometimes as many as forty kids enter.

There is only ever one winner.

Two judges plan the game, name the challenges, deliver instructions, award and deduct points. They are selected by the judges of the previous year, in strict secrecy. No one, in the whole history of Panic, has ever confessed to being one.

There have been suspicions, of course—rumors and speculation. Carp is a small town, and judges get paid. How did Myra Campbell, who always stole lunch from the school cafeteria because there was no food at home, suddenly afford her used Honda? She said an uncle had died. But no one had ever heard of Myra’s uncle—no one, really, had ever thought about Myra, until she came rolling in with the windows down, smoking a cigarette, with the sun so bright on the windshield, it almost completely obscured the smile on her face.

Two judges, picked in secret, sworn to secrecy, working together. It must be this way. Otherwise they’d be subject to bribes, and possibly to threats. That’s why there are two—to make sure that things stay balanced, to reduce the possibility that one will cheat, and give out information, leak hints.

If the players know what to expect, then they can prepare. And that isn’t fair at all.

It’s partly the unexpectedness, the never-knowing, that starts to get to them, and weeds them out, one by one.

The pot usually amounts to just over $50,000, after fees are deducted and the judges—whoever they are—take their cut. Four years ago, Tommy O’Hare took his winnings, bought two items out of hock, one of them a lemon-yellow Ford, drove straight to Vegas, and bet it all on black.

The next year, Lauren Davis bought herself new teeth and a new pair of tits and moved to New York City. She returned to Carp two Christmases later, stayed just long enough to show off a new purse and an even newer nose, and then blew back to the city. Rumors floated back: she was dating the ex-producer of some reality TV weight-loss show; she was becoming a Victoria’s Secret model, though no one has ever seen her in a catalog. (And many of the boys have looked.)

Conrad Spurlock went into the manufacture of methamphetamines—his father’s line of business—and poured the money into a new shed on Mallory Road, after their last place burned straight to the ground. But Sean McManus used the money to go to college; he’s thinking of becoming a doctor.

In seven years of playing, there have been three deaths—four including Tommy O’Hare, who shot himself with the second thing he’d bought at the pawn shop, after his number came up red.

You see? Even the winner of Panic is afraid of something.

So: back to the day after graduation, the opening day of Panic, the day of the Jump.

Rewind back to the beach, but pause a few hours before Heather stood on the ridge, suddenly petrified, afraid to jump.

Turn the camera slightly. We’re not quite there. Almost, though.

dodge

NO ONE ON THE BEACH WAS CHEERING FOR DODGE Mason—no one would cheer for him either, no matter how far he got.

It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the win.

And Dodge had a secret—he knew something about Panic, knew more about it, probably, than any of the other people on the beach.

Actually, he had two secrets.

Dodge liked secrets. They fueled him, gave him a sense of power. When he was little, he’d even fantasized that he had his own secret world, a private place of shadows, where he could curl up and hide. Even now—on Dayna’s bad days, when the pain came roaring back and she started to cry, when his mom hosed the place down with Febreze and invited over her newest Piece of Shit date, and late at night Dodge could hear the bed frame hitting the wall, like a punch in the stomach every time—he thought about sinking into that dark space, cool and private.

Everyone at school thought Dodge was a pussy. He knew that. He looked like a pussy. He’d always been tall and skinny—angles and corners, his mom said, just like his father. As far as he knew, the angles—and the dark skin—were the only things he had in common with his dad, a Dominican roofer his mom had been with for one hot second back in Miami. Dodge could never even remember his name. Roberto. Or Rodrigo. Some shit like that.

Back when they’d first gotten stuck in Carp (that’s how he always thought about it—getting stuck—he, Dayna, and his mom were just like empty plastic bags skipping across the country on fitful bits of wind, occasionally getting snagged around a telephone pole or under the tires of some semi, pinned in place for a bit), he’d been beat up three times: once by Greg O’Hare, then by Zev Keller, and then by Greg O’Hare again, just to make sure that Dodge knew the rules. And Dodge hadn’t swung back, not once.

He’d had worse before.

And that was Dodge’s second secret, and the source of his power.

He wasn’t afraid. He just didn’t care.

And that was very, very different.

The sky was streaked with red and purple and orange. It reminded Dodge of an enormous bruise, or a picture taken of the inside of a body. It was still an hour or so before sunset and before the pot, and then the Jump, would be announced.

Dodge cracked a beer. His first and only. He didn’t want to be buzzed, and didn’t need to be either. But it had been a hot day, and he’d come straight from Home Depot, and he was thirsty.

The crowd had only just started to assemble. Periodically, Dodge heard the muffled slamming of a car door, a shout of greeting from the woods, the distant blare of music. Whippoorwill Road was a quarter mile away; kids were just starting to emerge from the path, fighting their way through the thick underbrush, swatting at hanging moss and creeper vines, carting coolers and blankets and bottles and iPod speakers, staking out patches of sand.

School was done—for good, forever. He took a deep breath. Of all the places he had lived—Chicago, DC, Dallas, Richmond, Ohio, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, New Orleans—New York smelled the best. Like growth and change, things turning over and becoming other things.

Ray Hanrahan and his friends had arrived first. That was unsurprising. Even though competitors weren’t officially announced until the moment of the Jump, Ray had been bragging for months that he was going to take home the pot, just like his brother had two years earlier.

Luke had won, just barely, in the last round of Panic. Luke had walked away with fifty grand. The other driver hadn’t walked away at all. If the doctors were right, she’d never walk again.

Dodge flipped a coin in his palm, made it disappear, then reappear easily between his fingers. In fourth grade, his mom’s boyfriend—he couldn’t remember which one—had bought him a book about magic tricks. They’d been living in Oklahoma that year, a shithole in a flat bowl in the middle of the country, where the sun singed the ground to dirt and the grass to gray, and he’d spent a whole summer teaching himself how to pull coins from someone’s ear and slip a card into his pocket so quickly, it was unnoticeable.

It had started as a way to pass the time but had become a kind of obsession. There was something elegant about it: how people saw without seeing, how the mind filled in what it expected, how the eyes betrayed you.

Panic, he knew, was one big magic trick. The judges were the magicians; the rest of them were just a dumb, gaping audience.

Mike Dickinson came next, along with two friends, all of them visibly drunk. The Dick’s hair had started to thin, and patches of his scalp were visible when he bent down to deposit his cooler on the beach. His friends were carrying a half-rotted lifeguard chair between them: the throne, where Diggin, the announcer, would sit during the event.

Dodge heard a high whine. He smacked unthinkingly, catching the mosquito just as it started to feed, smearing a bit of black on his bare calf. He hated mosquitoes. Spiders, too, although he liked other insects, found them fascinating. Like humans, in a way—stupid and sometimes vicious, blinded by need.

The sky was deepening; the light was fading and so were the colors, swirling away behind the line of trees beyond the ridge, as though someone had pulled the plug.

Heather Nill was next on the beach, followed by Nat Velez, and lastly, Bishop Marks, trotting happily after them like an overgrown sheepdog. Even from a distance, Dodge could tell both girls were on edge. Heather had done something with her hair. He wasn’t sure what, but it wasn’t wrestled into its usual ponytail, and it even looked like she might have straightened it. And he wasn’t sure, but he thought she might be wearing makeup.

He debated getting up and going over to say hi. Heather was cool. He liked how tall she was, how tough, too, in her own way. He liked her broad shoulders and the way she walked, straight-backed, even though he was sure she would have liked to be a few inches shorter—could tell from the way she wore only flats and sneakers with worn-down soles.

But if he got up, he’d have to talk to Natalie—and even looking at Nat from across the beach made his stomach seize up, like he’d been kicked. Nat wasn’t exactly mean to him—not like some of the other kids at school—but she wasn’t exactly nice, either, and that bothered him more than anything else. She usually smiled vaguely when she caught him talking to Heather, and as her eyes skated past him, through him, he knew that she would never, ever, actually look at him. Once, at the homecoming bonfire last year, she’d even called him Dave.

He’d gone just because he was hoping to see her. And then, in the crowd, he had spotted her; had moved toward her, buzzed from the noise and the heat and the shot of whiskey he’d taken in the parking lot, intending to talk to her, really talk to her, for the first time. Just as he was reaching out to touch her elbow, she had taken a step backward, onto his foot.

Oops! Sorry, Dave, she’d said, giggling. Her breath smelled like vanilla and vodka. And his stomach had opened up, and his guts went straight onto his shoes.

There were only 107 people in their graduating class, out of the 150 who’d started at Carp High freshman year. And she didn’t even know his name.

So he stayed where he was, working his toes into the ground, waiting for the dark, waiting for the whistle to blow and for the games to begin.

He was going to win Panic.

He was going to do it for Dayna.

He was going to do it for revenge.

heather

TESTING, TESTING. ONE, TWO, THREE. THAT WAS DIGGIN, testing the megaphone.

The old quarry off Whippoorwill Road, empty since the late 1800s, had been flooded in the fifties to make a swimming hole. On the south side was the beach: a narrow strip of sand and stone, supposedly off-limits after dark, but rarely used before then; a dump of cigarette butts, crushed beer cans, empty Baggies, and sometimes, disgustingly, condoms, scattered limply on the ground like tubular jellyfish. Tonight, it was crowded—packed with blankets and beach chairs, heavy with the smell of mosquito repellent and booze.

Heather closed her eyes and inhaled. This was the smell of Panic—the smell of summer. At the edge of the water, there was a sudden explosion of color and sound, shrieks of laughter. Firecrackers. In the quick glare of red and green light, Heather saw Kaitlin Frost and Shayna Lambert laughing, doubled over, while Patrick Culbert tried to get a few more flares to light.

It was weird. Graduation had been only yesterday—Heather had bailed on the ceremony, since Krista, her mom, wouldn’t show, and there was no point in pretending there was some big glory in floating through four years of mandated classes. But already she felt years and years away from high school, like it had all been one long, unmemorable dream. Maybe, she thought, it was because people didn’t change. All the days had simply blurred together and would now be suctioned away into the past.

Nothing ever happened in Carp. There were no surprises.

Diggin’s voice echoed over the crowd.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement: school’s out for summer.

It was starting. Everyone cheered. There was another pop-pop-pop, a burst of firecrackers. They were in the middle of the woods, five miles from the nearest house. They could make all the noise they wanted.

They could scream. No one would hear them.

Heather knew she should say something encouraging to Nat—Heather and Bishop were there for Natalie, to give her moral support. Bishop had even made a poster: Go Nat, he had written. Next to the words, he had drawn a huge stick figure—Natalie could tell it was supposed to be her, because the stick figure was wearing a pink sweatshirt—standing on a pile of money.

How come Nat’s not wearing any pants? Heather had asked.

Maybe she lost them during the Jump, Bishop said. He turned, grinning, to Nat. Whenever he smiled like that, his eyes went from syrup brown to honey colored. Drawing was never my thing.

Heather didn’t like to talk about Matt in front of Bishop. She couldn’t stand the way he rolled his eyes when she brought him up, like she’d just switched the radio to a bad pop station. But finally she couldn’t help it. He’s still not here. Heather spoke in a low voice, so only Nat would hear her. "Sorry, Nat. I know this isn’t the time—I mean, we came for you—"

It’s okay. Nat reached out and squeezed Heather’s hand with both of her own. She pulled a weird face—like someone had just made her chug a limeade. Look. Matt doesn’t deserve you. Okay? You can do better than Matt.

Heather half laughed. You’re my best friend, Nat, she said. You aren’t supposed to lie to me.

Nat shook her head. I’m sure he’ll be here soon. The game’s about to start.

Heather checked her phone again, for the millionth time. Nothing. She’d powered it down several times and rebooted it, just to make sure it was working.

Diggin’s voice boomed out again: The rules of Panic are simple. Anyone can enter. But only one person will win.

Diggin announced the pot.

$67,000.

Heather felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach. $67,000. That had to be the biggest pot ever. The crowd began to buzz—the number ran through them like an electric current, jumping from lip to lip. Shit, man, you’d have to be crazy not to play. Nat looked as though she’d just taken a large spoonful of ice cream.

Diggin plunged on, ignoring the noise, and explained the rules—a half-dozen events, spaced throughout the summer, conducted under conditions of strictest privacy; eliminations after every round; individual challenges for each contestant who made it past the halfway mark—but nobody was listening. It was the same speech as always. Heather had been watching Panic since she was in eighth grade. She could have made the speech herself.

That number—67,000—wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed. Without meaning to, she thought of all she could do with the money; she thought of how far she could go, what she could buy, how long she could live. How many miles away from Carp she could get.

But no. She couldn’t leave Matt. Matt had said he loved her. He was her plan. The grip on her heart eased a little, and she found she could breathe again.

Next to Heather, Natalie shimmied out of her jean shorts and kicked off her shoes. Can you believe it? she said. She took off her shirt, shivering in the wind. Heather couldn’t believe she’d insisted on that ridiculous bikini, which would fly off as soon as she hit the water. Natalie had only laughed. Maybe, she’d joked, that would earn her extra points.

That was Natalie: stubborn. Vain, too. Heather still couldn’t understand why she’d even chosen to play. Nat was afraid of everything.

Someone—probably Billy Wallace—whistled. Nice ass, Velez.

Nat ignored him, but Heather could tell she had heard and was pretending not to be pleased. Heather wondered what Billy Wallace would say if she tried to wear a scrap of fabric like that. Whoa. Look at the size of that thing! Do you need a permit to carry that thing around, Heather?

But Matt loved her. Matt thought she was pretty.

The noise on the beach swelled, grew to a roar: hoots and screams, people waving homemade banners and flags, firecrackers exploding like a smattering of gunfire, and she knew it was time. The whistle would blow.

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