The Girl Death Left Behind by Lurlene McDaniel Read Free Book Online Page A

me.” Jared snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Is it something I said, or do you just check out on people?”
    “Sorry.” Embarrassed, she stood. She hadn’t expected to be blindsided by such an innocent memory.
    Terri, rushing up, saved her from having to explain. “Sorry I’m late, but I got to talking—”She stopped abruptly when she saw Jared.
    He rose and grabbed his books. “Catch you tomorrow.”
    He walked away. Terri grabbed Beth’s arm. “All right,
cousin
. Just what do you think you’re doing?”

11
 
    “W hat’s that supposed to mean?” Beth asked.
    “I told you at the party I liked Jared. I thought you understood that he was ‘hands off.’ ”
    “But I wasn’t—”
    “I
saw
you sitting here making friendly with him.” Terri’s face had turned red, and her eyes narrowed.
    Beth almost lost her patience and blasted Terri, but a car’s horn interrupted her.
    “Over here!” Aunt Camille called, waving.
    “This isn’t over,” Terri hissed as the twoof them hurried to the car. Beth settled in the backseat, and Terri took the front.
    “I know I’m late, but I got hung up at a meeting,” Aunt Camille said. “Hope you haven’t been waiting too long.” When neither girl answered, Camille asked Beth, “How was your first day?”
    “Aren’t you going to ask about
my
day?” Terri asked before Beth could answer.
    “Well, of course. But you’ve done this before at Westwood. Beth hasn’t.” Camille caught Beth’s eye in the rearview mirror. “So tell me about it. Do you like your classes? Did you find your way around easily? Meet any interesting new kids?”
    “Yes. No. Yes.”
    “Okay, I promise not to badger you. I’m not trying to pry, honey. I’m only trying to make sure you’re happy.”
    How could Beth tell her that she wasn’t happy? That she didn’t know how to be happy anymore?
    “Tell you what,” Camille said. “Since Jack’s on the road, why don’t we go out for dinner? Chinese all right?”
    Beth and Terri agreed, but once they’d been served their food, Beth could hardlyswallow it. She kept remembering every other first day of school in her life. How she and her brother and sister sat around the table and took turns telling about their new classes. And how Doug and Allison always argued over who went first. And how their mother would have made one of their special desserts. Last year she’d baked a chocolate cake with white icing—Allison’s favorite.
    “You’re not eating much,” Aunt Camille said to Beth.
    “I’m not real hungry.”
    “No matter. We’ll take it home.”
    Home. If only
, Beth thought.
    That night Beth had an e-mail from Marcie.
    Hi Beth—
    Geez, what a day. Red Bank HS is like, HUGE. And incoming freshmen are the lowest life-form in the universe. I was late to every class. I have English in one end of the building and phys ed in the opposite end. There’s no way I can make it over there and change to my gym clothes in time. I’m doomed to be late .
    I don’t have a single class with anybody I know and only ran into Teddy at the bus stop after school. We decided that we’ll give it just two weeks and if it doesn’t get better, we’re dropping out! It goes without saying that we both miss you. But Teddy surprised me and asked me to sit with him at the first football game Friday night. If you were here, the three of us would go. But you’re not here .
    Teddy says the renters in your house have four kids—all under ten! And they pester him all the time. Please write and tell me how the first day went for you. Hope it was better than mine .
    Beth felt renewed homesickness. Still, she had to admit that her first day hadn’t been as horrible as Marcie’s. Ninth-graders were at the top of the food chain at Westwood, so she wouldn’t have to hit the bottom until next year. That was a good thing. And then there was Jared. He was a good thing too.
    Terri walked into Beth’s room uninvited.
    “If you came to