Beach Blondes: June Dreams, July's Promise, August Magic (Summer) by Katherine Applegate Read Free Book Online Page A

“You’re staying with Diana Olan? Wait a minute—you’re related to Diana Olan?”
    “She’s my cousin, on my dad’s side of the family. You know her?”
    “Sure. She’s in school, or at least she was, because now she’s graduated. You can’t be related to Diana,” Marquez said. “You seem way too nice and normal.”
    Summer winced. There it was again—the N word. Nice. Nice, meaning average, meaning who cares?
    “You’re the second person who’s said that,” Summer said.
    “Who was the first?”
    “This guy named Seth.”
    “Mr. Moon! Mr. Moon is back? All right, the summer is starting to pick up,” Marquez said. “He’s a nice guy.”
    Summer nodded. Some nice guy. A nice guy who lied about having a girlfriend so he could…Summer shuddered a little. Why wasn’t she able to just forget that stupid kiss? Why did it still seem to reverberate through her body whenever she thought about it?
    “Nice and cute,” Marquez said appreciatively. “Not my type, though. Besides, he’s got this girlfriend he’s been going with forever. Was she with him?”
    “No. Lianne, right?”
    “Yeah, Lianne.” Marquez stuck her finger down her throat and made a gagging noise.
    “You don’t like Lianne?” Summer asked, trying not to sound hopeful.
    “She’s okay. She’s just one of these totally dependent types. You know, hanging all over Seth and not letting him have fun. I wish I had her body, though. She shops petites. Complains because she can’t find things in size two.”
    Summer nodded. Lianne would have to have a great body.
    Forget about it, Summer, she told herself firmly. Get over it. Put it behind you. Jeez, it was just a kiss. Big deal. Actually, it was two kisses. That doesn’t matter; it was just something that happened. Forget about it.
    Marquez interrupted her thoughts. “So, Summer, since you’re staying with Diana, tell me this—is it true she sleeps in a coffin at night? Oh, maybe I shouldn’t say things like that. I mean, she is your cousin and all.”
    “I don’t really know her that well,” Summer admitted.
    “Actually, she’s not so bad,” Marquez said. “Just strange, you know? Stays to herself, especially in the past year. I mean, she was always kind of private, right? But this last year it’s like no one is even allowed to talk to her because she’s become just way too cool.”
    “She isn’t a really friendly person,” Summer agreed cautiously. “But that’s okay.”
    “Yeah, not a real friendly person,” Marquez said, and laughed. “She used to at least hang out, and she was going out with Adam Merrick. She was going with him, and he goes everywhere so she was being more social. Then, boom. Like maybe last July she suddenly dumps Adam cold. He’s totally great looking, also totally rich and nice and not stuck-up, and she dumps him.”
    Summer digested this information. Whatever Diana was lacking in terms of friendliness, Marquez certainly made up for. The girl talked a mile a minute and had barely paused to breathe.
    “So ever since she broke up with Adam, it’s been bye-bye Diana. She showed up at school, and that’s it. We’re all thinking it’s like some R. L. Stine book or something, like she’s turned into a teen vampire, you know?”
    “I’ve seen her in the sunlight, and she hasn’t burst into flames or anything,” Summer said.
    Marquez laughed appreciatively, an infectious sound that brought answering laughter from Summer. “You are definitely all right, girl. I like you. Come on and I’ll do something really mean to you. I’ll get you a job at the C ’n’ C.”

8
Marquez’s Rules and Diana’s Dolphins
    Marquez waited outside the restaurant on the wharf and kicked back, leaning against a rough wood piling, legs stretched out in front of her. She looked down at them critically. They weren’t pudgy, exactly, but they weren’t as hard and lean and muscular as she’d have liked. And her behind, well, that didn’t even bear thinking