Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles Read Free Book Online Page B

not fond of name-calling. Lenny, if you've got an itch, scratch it yourself please."
    Erin looks like she's going to throw up just looking at Lenny's cream-colored face.
    Lenny walks to the window overlooking the grassy courtyard below "Check this out, Caleb! Hot college chicks laying out in bikinis."
    Ignoring him, Caleb heads for the guys' bedroom with his duffle.
    "Get settled, guys," Damon says as he walks into his own room. "I want to have a group meeting in a half hour."
    "Great," Caleb mutters sarcastically from the doorway to the guys' room. "Just what I need."
    Damon swings around. "You do need it. And before you ask to get out of it, you'll participate just like everyone else." His tone makes clear this is nonnegotiable.
    Trish, Erin, and I pick our beds in the girls' room.
    "Erin, how come you don't talk?" Trish demands.
    Erin shrugs as she unpacks her suitcase and hangs her clothes in the small closet.
    "You know this trip is supposed to be about sharing your experiences, right? What did you do, besides get too many tattoos on your arms?"
    Erin doesn't answer. She fidgets with a shirt she's trying to fold and put in one of the drawers.
    "Leave her alone, Trish," I say. "She'll talk when she wants to."
    "Okay, if that's the way it's gonna be, that's fine," Trish says, giving up. "But just so you know, I'm not gonna pretend to be all buddy-buddy if you hold back on me."
    I think Erin will stay silent like usual, until her hands still and she turns to us. Her eyes are glassy, as if she's holding back tears.
    "My boyfriend is in jail for three years for killing someone in a drive-by. My parents kicked me out of the house. And..." She wipes at her eyes and says in a soft voice, "I'm pregnant."
    "Holy crap," Trish says. "No wonder you don't talk."
    I elbow Trish in the ribs, hoping she'll get the hint and not say anything that will upset Erin. She's pregnant? With a boy who'll be in jail for three years? Hearing her story makes my problem with Caleb seem about as important as a hangnail.
    "If you need anything, we're here for you," I tell her. "Right, Trish?"
    "Yeah," Trish is quick to say. I think Erin just earned Trish's loyalty by sharing her story. Maybe Trish practically forcing Erin to talk was a good thing.
    "And what about you?" Trish says, turning to me.
    I lift my head from my suitcase. I must look like a deer in headlights. "What about me? I told my story at the campfire last night."
    "Not about the accident. Caleb said something today about you and him in a gazebo. Care to go into details?"
    I quickly shake my head. "Maybe later. We don't want to be late for Damon's meeting." I shove a stack of my clothes into a drawer.
    "I think you're stalling."
    "You're right, Trish," I say. "I don't want to talk about it.
    "Suit yourself." Trish opens the closet door and looks confused. "Wait, where's the bathroom?" she asks as she holds out a plastic bag with her toiletries.
    "In the common area, I guess," Erin offers. "We're probably sharing one."
    Trish shakes her head as if she heard wrong. "No way. All seven of us can't share one bathroom."
    She hurries out to the common area to investigate. Erin and I follow her. Sure enough, there's a bathroom between the guys' room and Damon's room.
    Damon comes out of his room. "What's going on?"
    "Damon, did you know there's only one bathroom for all seven of us?" Trish asks.
    Damon shakes his head. "That's not true."
    You can feel the sigh of relief from Trish, Erin, and I ... until Damon says, "I have my own bathroom. Only the six of you have to share one."
    Trish puts her hands on her hips. "That's not fair."
    Damon chuckles. "Didn't anyone tell you that nothing in life is fair, Trish?"
    She peeks her head inside the common bathroom. "Eww!" She points to the toilet. "The seat is up. And there are little droplets of pee and stray pubes on the ring. That's not okay."
    As if on cue, all three guys join us. "What's the problem?" Matt asks Trish.
    "The problem is that six of us