Chasing William by Therese McFadden Read Free Book Online

could
help Amanda understand. I miss my friend so much. She doesn’t seem
to care too much about me.
    “Hey, hey, everyone!” Pru comes downstairs
and helps dissipate the mood. She travels everywhere with her
guitar. I’m not sure why. I guess it’s something left over from her
parents’ hippie past. “Doesn’t look like I missed much. I think Liz
and Mars are right behind me, so we should all be here soon.”
    “Sweet! That means Crissy should get on
ordering that pizza.” Amanda doesn’t even look up from her phone. I
want to be angry and upset with her but I just keep thinking how
much I miss my friend. I’d had her back just minutes ago. It isn’t
fair.
    “Hey! I brought food stuffs! The unhealthy
variety, of course.” Mars never went anywhere empty-handed, and she
always brought quality stuff. If her career as a pediatrician
extraordinaire didn’t work out she’d have a brilliant fall-back
option of pastry chef.
    “Yup, why do you think I keep agreeing to
drive this chick everywhere? Who cares about gas money. She keeps
me overweight and stuffed with deliciousness. Would you believe she
had two tins of those cookies when she got in my car?” Liz winks
and follows Mars downstairs. She’s still loud but more subdued than
usual. I actually really like Liz when she’s taking life just a
little more seriously than usual (too bad that doesn’t happen more
often).
    “Pizzas are on their way. We could always
have a reverse dinner and get the cookies first.” I’m feeling a
little more relaxed. Things are starting to feel normal again, even
if William is dead and Amanda has moved to a quieter corner to
text. I hate when people think they need quiet to text. Just
because you’re on your phone doesn’t mean you have to listen to it.
People almost never use their phones for vocal conversations
anymore.
    “Pru, what’s with the guitar? Seriously,
does this look like a drum circle to you?” Liz puts the case on the
floor so she can sit on the couch.
    “I just like having it here in case I get
inspired. Or in case anyone asks me to play. I could use the
practice.” Pru lets the unspoken request dangle in the air.
    “I’d love to hear you play!” Mars is always
the one who gives her the okay. Not that the rest of us mind. Maybe
we should have gone out of our way to be a little more encouraging.
If I loved something as much as Pru loves her guitar I’d want to do
it all the time. Mars seems to be the only one who really
understood, maybe because she is the only other one of us to know
what her passion is.
    “Yeah, Pru, it’s been awhile since we’ve all
heard you show off.” I smile so she knows I’m kidding. At least I
hope she knows I’m kidding. Sometimes people take things too
personally.
    “Okay,” Pru smiles, not looking at all
offended. She looks excited as she picks up her guitar. She plays
classical guitar, an odd choice for a hippie-child, but it’s
impressive. I’ve never seen anyone’s hands move so fast so
gracefully. I wish I had that kind of talent.
    “Seriously, Pru, knock it off! I have to
talk to Jake!” Amanda snarls from her corner. I guess she’s
switched from texting to talking after all. I’m not sure what it is
that bothers me so much about Amanda. Sure, she is a little bitchy
and I’m not too crazy about her boy (not that I have the greatest
taste either, apparently), but that isn’t all that bad when you
looked at the world as a whole. I think I might be jealous. Not
jealous of their relationship exactly, just jealous of their “we’re
in this together and the world is just perfect” bubble. I want that
back. It shouldn’t have been taken from me. I’m still a teenager;
we all are. It’s cruel how unfair life is sometimes, and it just
keeps getting worse.
    “Sorry.” Pru mouths and she puts her guitar
away lovingly. She looks at that guitar like it’s a person, and of
all the people in the world I think she loves that one the most.
She looks sad