She Died Too Young by Lurlene McDaniel Read Free Book Online Page B

DJ have been a twosome ever since we were in eighth grade together.”
    A quick calculation told Chelsea that DJ’s romance with Shelby had been going on for three years. No simple little schooltime crush by that measure, she told herself.
    Jillian continued. “I figured that if she meant that much to DJ, I should try to like her. But she’s impossible to like.”
    “How so?”
    Jillian dropped her head downward so that her thick head of red hair half hid her face. “I heard her making fun of me to some other girls. I was waiting by the gym after a football game. DJ plays on the high school team,” she explained. “Anyway, I was standing sort of to one side in the shadows, and I heard Shelby imitating me for her friends … you know … the way I sound when I can’t catch my breath, when I’m wheezing and trying not to black out because the pain is so bad.”
    Chelsea knew. Shelby’s insensitivity made herfurious for Jillian’s sake. “That’s not right,” she said.
    “They laughed at her imitation. All those girls stood there and laughed, like it was one big joke. And Shelby went on and on making fun of me and making them laugh at me.”
    Jillian’s hurt seemed real enough to touch. “Why didn’t you tell DJ? I’ll bet he would have broken up with her over it.”
    “He probably would have,” Jillian agreed, raising her head. “But I won’t stoop to her level. And besides, if I did, then their breakup would always be
my
fault instead of hers. And I want DJ to see her for what she really is and break off with her because of that, not because I tattled on her.”
    Chelsea wasn’t sure she would have chosen such a course had it been her instead of Jillian, but she felt a growing respect toward Jillian because of her philosophy. “Hurting people just to get even isn’t your style, is that what you’re saying?”
    Jillian grinned shyly. “I guess that’s it. See, I knew you understood me.”
    “But what if DJ
doesn’t
catch on?” Chelsea asked.
    “Given enough time, he will.” Jillian sounded ruefully confident and gave Chelsea a lopsided smile. “My daddy didn’t raise a bunch of dummies.”
    Chelsea poked Jillian’s arm playfully. “You’re right. He didn’t.”
    Jillian’s eyes locked with Chelsea’s. In that instant, Chelsea felt totally connected with her. Thetwo of them might be sick, but at that moment, Chelsea felt she’d never known anybody like Jillian Longado, and she realized that never would she know anybody like her again.
    Jillian broke the connection by clearing her throat and asking, “You tell me all the time about this Jenny House and what fun you had there. I think maybe I should check the place out. What do you think?”
    “I told Katie the same thing,” Chelsea exclaimed. “You’d really like Jenny House. There’s no place else like it.” Chelsea’s face clouded momentarily. “The only problem I see is getting there. Katie thinks our doctors at the transplant program would give us a few days to go away, so long as we’re attached to our beepers.”
    “Wouldn’t that be a trauma,” Jillian said. “Just our luck to be off on vacation and have our beepers go off.”
    “So, I guess that may be a problem. Jenny House is in North Carolina—that’s a long drive by car.” Chelsea was remembering when Josh had driven down from Michigan to surprise Katie. He’d driven almost around the clock.
    “By car?” Jillian wrinkled her nose. “Who goes by car? We’ll fly down.”
    Chelsea wasn’t so sure her parents could afford such a weekend excursion for her. Nor was she certain Katie would be able to spend money on such a trip either. Still, it would be so much fun to show Jenny House to Jillian. The virtual reality games, the room where she’d spent the summer,the portrait of Jenny, maybe even the mountain plateau that held the makeshift memorial to Amanda. “Flying’s expensive,” Chelsea hedged.
    “So, who cares?”
    “You can’t pay for all of