Seasons in the Sun by Kristen Strassel Read Free Book Online Page B

about?” My heart was pounding against my ribs. This was too much.
    “Did Tristan tell you why we’re here this summer?”
    “Yeah, because of your parents fighting and getting divorced.”
    Taryn shook her head with slight frustration. “Okay, so that might be some of it, but it’s not enough to ship us off to some island for the summer. We’re seventeen, not seven. We’re here because Tristan is totally out of control, and we needed to get him away from it.”
    “Away from what?”
    “Does he ever drink when he’s around you?”
    My mind still spun. I could almost taste the sharp surprise of the vodka he’d put in my soda as she said it. “Just once, I think,” I said softly. “At my dad’s show.”
    Taryn nodded almost like she was doing the math in her head as I said it. “I was hoping you said no. He’s been so much better this summer, but I’m not surprised. Drinking’s not the worst of it, either.” She almost seemed apologetic as she heaped on another layer.
    I sighed sadly. Tristan had joked about drinking with me, but to hear he had such a problem was nothing short of mindblowing.
    “Why? How?”
    Taryn thought for a few minutes about her answer. “I don’t know. Somehow, I think he likes the attention, even if it’s all negative. I mean, we can have anything we want,” she sounded almost embarrassed. “Nobody ever tells us we can’t have something, especially if we’re out and about. My dad’s too famous and has too much money. So Tristan has access to everything, and he likes to try it all. The problem is, nothing ever makes him happy. So he wants more. Then he gets to the point where he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he makes a mess for us to clean up. And stupidly, we always do, so there’s no reason for him to stop.”
    I wanted to cry listening to this. Tristan, although he could be absolutely maddening, was always smiling, always laughing, always joking. “It just doesn’t even sound like you’re talking about the same person.”
    Taryn’s eyes shined with unshed tears. “I know. I wish he could stay here forever, but he’d wind up messing this up too. It’s just what he does, Callie. I love him, but he’s a mess. And I wish there was something to do to stop him before he winds up hurting himself. Or someone else.”
    A tear escaped down Taryn’s cheek and she used one of her napkins to blot it away. “We should head back, don’t you think?”
    I nodded. I followed her back down Main Street and to her car in stunned silence.
    As we drove back home, I finally worked up the courage to ask, “What can I do?”
    She looked at me and gave me a watery smile, shaking her head just slightly. “Just enjoy the rest of the summer. And please just don’t sleep with him.”

Chapter Ten
    Taryn rocked my world with her revelation. I almost wished she hadn’t said anything. Now I had a hard time acting normal around Tristan. I watched him more closely, looking for signs of trouble. I asked him more questions, waiting for some grand confession that probably wasn’t going to come.
    If he caught on, he didn’t show it. I couldn’t help but wonder if Taryn had told him about our talk.
    I would never ask him.
    “You need to ask Keisha to switch days off with you so you don’t work next Thursday,” Tristan announced between cappuccino customers.
    “Why?”
    “Warped Tour is coming. I want to go. You need to come with me.”
    He might as well have told me that in a foreign language. “What’s the Warped Tour?”
    Tristan laughed. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. Now you really need to go to experience its awesomeness.”
    Honestly, if he told me he was bringing me to watch grass grow, I’d go. But this sounded like a lot of fun. Too much fun to be happening on Martha’s Vineyard.
    “Where is it?”
    “Some fairgrounds ….” He racked his brain.
    “Barnstable fairgrounds?”
    “Bingo!” He put up his hand to high five me. When I returned it,