Read Online On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tracey Garvis Graves
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handed the rest to me.
“It wasn’t fun. I was in and out of the hospital a lot.”
“How long were you sick?”
“About a year and a half, I guess. For a while, I wasn’t doing very well. The doctors didn’t know what to think.”
“That had to be really scary, T.J.”
“Well, they tried to keep me in the dark, which I hated. I only knew it was bad because suddenly no one would look me in the eye when I asked questions. Or they’d change the subject. That scared me.”
“I bet it did.”
“At first, my friends visited me all the time, but when I didn’t get better, some of them stopped coming around.” I took another drink of water and handed the bottle to Anna. “You know my friend Ben?”
“Yes.”
“He came every single day. He spent hours watching TV with me, or just sitting in a chair by my hospital bed when I felt too sick to move or talk. My parents and the doctor would have these long conversations, out in the hall or whatever, and I’d ask Ben to try and listen. He’d tell me everything they said, no matter what. He knew I just wanted to hear it straight up, you know?”
“Of course,” she said. “He sounds like a great friend, T.J.”
“Yeah, he is. Do you have a best friend?”
“Yes, her name is Stefani. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”
“That’s a long time.”
She nodded. “Friends are important. I understand why you wanted to spend your summer with them.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking about everyone back home in Chicago. They probably thought I was dead.
Anna stood up and walked to the woodpile. “Will you tell me if you notice any symptoms?” She grabbed some wood and threw it on the fire.
“Sure. Just don’t ask me if I feel okay all the time. My mom did, and it drove me nuts.”
“I won’t. But I’ll worry a little.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
Chapter 13
—
Anna
The bright sunlight woke me, illuminating the interior of the life raft. T.J. was already gone, out gathering firewood or fishing. I yawned, stretched my arms and legs, and crawled out of bed. My suitcase was in the lean-to, and I reached in and grabbed a bikini, returning to the life raft to change. Dressed, I lifted the nylon flaps to let in some fresh air.
T.J. walked up with the fish he caught for breakfast. He smiled. “Hey.”
“Good morning.”
I checked the breadfruit and coconut trees, scooping up everything on the ground and bringing it all back to the lean-to. T.J. cracked coconuts while I cleaned and cooked the fish.
After breakfast we brushed our teeth, rinsing with rainwater, and I marked off the date in my datebook. September already. Hard to believe.
“Want to go swimming?” T.J. asked.
“Sure.”
Last week, T.J. had spotted two fins just outside the reef. We panicked and left the water, but as we watched they came all the way into the lagoon. Dolphins. We waded slowly into the water and they didn’t swim away, waiting patiently as we approached them.
“They almost act like they’re here to introduce themselves,” I said in amazement.
T.J. petted one and laughed when it blew water out its blowhole. I had never seen such social creatures. They swam with us for a while and then left abruptly, on some sort of marine schedule.
“Maybe the dolphins will come back today,” I said, as I followed T.J. down to the shore.
T.J. stripped off his shirt and waded into the lagoon. “That would be cool. I want to ride one.”
We entertained ourselves by using one of the collapsible plastic containers as a snorkel mask. There were schools of brightly colored fish—purple, blue, orange, and yellow and black striped. We spotted a sea turtle and an eel poking its head up from the ocean floor. I swam away fast when I saw that.
“No dolphins,” I said after T.J. and I had been swimming for at least an hour. “We must have missed them.”
“We can try again after our nap.” Suddenly, he pointed toward the shoreline. “Anna, look over there.”
A crab leg
“It wasn’t fun. I was in and out of the hospital a lot.”
“How long were you sick?”
“About a year and a half, I guess. For a while, I wasn’t doing very well. The doctors didn’t know what to think.”
“That had to be really scary, T.J.”
“Well, they tried to keep me in the dark, which I hated. I only knew it was bad because suddenly no one would look me in the eye when I asked questions. Or they’d change the subject. That scared me.”
“I bet it did.”
“At first, my friends visited me all the time, but when I didn’t get better, some of them stopped coming around.” I took another drink of water and handed the bottle to Anna. “You know my friend Ben?”
“Yes.”
“He came every single day. He spent hours watching TV with me, or just sitting in a chair by my hospital bed when I felt too sick to move or talk. My parents and the doctor would have these long conversations, out in the hall or whatever, and I’d ask Ben to try and listen. He’d tell me everything they said, no matter what. He knew I just wanted to hear it straight up, you know?”
“Of course,” she said. “He sounds like a great friend, T.J.”
“Yeah, he is. Do you have a best friend?”
“Yes, her name is Stefani. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”
“That’s a long time.”
She nodded. “Friends are important. I understand why you wanted to spend your summer with them.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking about everyone back home in Chicago. They probably thought I was dead.
Anna stood up and walked to the woodpile. “Will you tell me if you notice any symptoms?” She grabbed some wood and threw it on the fire.
“Sure. Just don’t ask me if I feel okay all the time. My mom did, and it drove me nuts.”
“I won’t. But I’ll worry a little.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
Chapter 13
—
Anna
The bright sunlight woke me, illuminating the interior of the life raft. T.J. was already gone, out gathering firewood or fishing. I yawned, stretched my arms and legs, and crawled out of bed. My suitcase was in the lean-to, and I reached in and grabbed a bikini, returning to the life raft to change. Dressed, I lifted the nylon flaps to let in some fresh air.
T.J. walked up with the fish he caught for breakfast. He smiled. “Hey.”
“Good morning.”
I checked the breadfruit and coconut trees, scooping up everything on the ground and bringing it all back to the lean-to. T.J. cracked coconuts while I cleaned and cooked the fish.
After breakfast we brushed our teeth, rinsing with rainwater, and I marked off the date in my datebook. September already. Hard to believe.
“Want to go swimming?” T.J. asked.
“Sure.”
Last week, T.J. had spotted two fins just outside the reef. We panicked and left the water, but as we watched they came all the way into the lagoon. Dolphins. We waded slowly into the water and they didn’t swim away, waiting patiently as we approached them.
“They almost act like they’re here to introduce themselves,” I said in amazement.
T.J. petted one and laughed when it blew water out its blowhole. I had never seen such social creatures. They swam with us for a while and then left abruptly, on some sort of marine schedule.
“Maybe the dolphins will come back today,” I said, as I followed T.J. down to the shore.
T.J. stripped off his shirt and waded into the lagoon. “That would be cool. I want to ride one.”
We entertained ourselves by using one of the collapsible plastic containers as a snorkel mask. There were schools of brightly colored fish—purple, blue, orange, and yellow and black striped. We spotted a sea turtle and an eel poking its head up from the ocean floor. I swam away fast when I saw that.
“No dolphins,” I said after T.J. and I had been swimming for at least an hour. “We must have missed them.”
“We can try again after our nap.” Suddenly, he pointed toward the shoreline. “Anna, look over there.”
A crab leg
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