Read Online Girls We Love by J. Minter - Free Book Online Page A

said quickly.
    â€œYeah, we can just donate them to homeless people or something,” Liv added.
    â€œI brought rice crisps,” SBB added hopefully as they came off the third-floor landing into Flan’s room,which was all normal and covered with pillows and fashion mags. “Oh my God, this is perfect!” SBB said, throwing herself into the big comfy sleigh bed in the middle of the room. Then she noticed the collage of pictures of Leland Brinker on the wall behind the bed, most of them from the album sleeve of his debut album,
Peppermint Girls on the Brink.
    Sara-Beth raised her eyebrows at Flan. “Leland Brinker, huh?”
    â€œWho’s Leland Brinker?” Liv asked.
    â€œOh, you know,” Flan said bashfully, “he’s that folk prot é g é . He’s like eighteen but he sounds like Bob Dylan and hangs out with Norah Jones and people like that.”
    â€œI hooked up with him, you know,” Sara-Beth said, sitting up. “Leland, I mean.”
    â€œYou know that’s been there forever,” Flan said, suddenly even more embarrassed by her bedroom wall collage. “I really meant to take it down by now.”
    â€œDon’t be embarrassed, he’s hot!” Sara-Beth said impulsively. For some reason, she felt a strong urge to make Flan feel okay about everything. “But not as hot as David,” she added.
    Liv and Flan came and sat gingerly on the bed. “How long have you been with David?” Liv asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”
    â€œOh my God, not long at all, but it’s like so… ” Sara-Beth felt all warm inside at the mention of David,and her eyes glazed over as she tried to think of some good way of describing him. “He’s just right,” she said, “that’s all.”
    â€œYeah,” Liv said dreamily. “I know what you mean.”
    â€œDid you have fun on Saturday night?” Flan asked.
    â€œI thought it was a great party,” SBB said. “I mean, I’ve been to so many parties in the last year that they all blur, but that one was special. Because Liesel is special to me. We knew each other when we were little girls. Did you have a good time?”
    â€œOh my God!” Flan clasped her hands together and looked up at the ceiling. “Such a good time! I loved everything about it. The horse and the place and all those flowers and—”
    â€œNow Flan wants her own sweet sixteen,” Liv gushed. SBB could always tell when people wanted to talk to her so badly that they would be unable to do anything but just say whatever came into their heads. Liv was one of those people, but SBB resolved not to let it reflect on Flan. After all, SBB completely understood that you could be a terrific person and still end up being surrounded by other people who could be, well, not so great.
    â€œYou know what—you should
have
a sweet sixteen!” SBB said, beaming at Flan. “Why not? That would be so much fun!” Liv and Flan stared at her like they didn’t know what to say. Sara-Beth, who had hatedsilence since she was a child, felt the need to add, “No, really, why not?”
    Flan scrunched her forehead. “Because I’m only turning fourteen on Friday?” She put her hands up in the air, like she was just taking a shot at a teacher’s really hard question.
    â€œWait—your birthday is
this
Friday?” Sara-Beth brought herself up on her knees on the bed and reached for Flan’s shoulders with both hands. “Don’t wait, sweetie. If you want a sweet sixteen party, don’t listen to small-minded conventional people! You’ve got to live your dream
now
!”

liv only overhears good news
    â€œI’m just going to go get a glass of water, okay?” Liv said, standing up and moving away from the bed. Flan and SBB looked at her like she was a person whose name they couldn’t quite remember. They were both