Read Online Sea Change by Aimee Friedman - Free Book Online

that a boy like T.J. had asked about me.
    “Yup,” CeeCee said, pushing the bowl of grits closer to me. “Didn’t I say you two would hit it off? And that was a smart move on your part, sneaking away like that in the middle of everything. Boys love nothing more than mystery.”
    “Um, I didn’t—” I paused, picking up a spoon from the tray. CeeCee wouldn’t understand why I had left the party yesterday, but there was a chance that she knew about Mom’s past with Mr. Illingworth. Before I could raise the subject, CeeCee spoke again.
    “It seems all the summer picks are taking off!” she exclaimed, then began counting on her fingers. “Once the rum started flowing, Virginia and Rick couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and after the party, Jacqueline and Macon snuck off to Macon’s house. And let’s just say Jackie wasn’t in the guest room this morning.” CeeCee winked at me, then plucked a strip of bacon off my tray.
    “Really?” I asked. Once again, I was innocently, immaturely surprised by Jacqueline and Virginia’s effortless conquests. “What about you?”
    CeeCee shrugged. “Lyndon and I kissed on the beach during sunset, and he was an awful kisser, so now I knowBobby’s the one for me,” she replied, flipping her hair over one shoulder.
    “But…what if Bobby’s a bad kisser, too?” I asked, genuinely curious as I dipped the spoon into the grits.
    Not that I would know a good kisser from a bad one; all I had to go on for reference was Greg. I briefly wondered what it would be like to kiss a boy on the sand as the sun sank into the water, and my legs tingled. At sunset yesterday I’d been sorting through Isadora’s filing cabinet while Mom prepared dinner.
    “You’re so negative, Miranda!” CeeCee observed, pouting at me.
    “Just realistic,” I corrected her, and tried the grits. They were soft and buttery, and surprisingly tasty.
    “You mean bo-ring,” CeeCee retorted, giggling.
    CeeCee’s opinion wasn’t of great importance to me, but all the same I felt a pang of hurt. Was I boring? I’d always prided myself on the fact that I hadn’t changed much over the years, maintaining the same style and interests with little regard for trends. Maybe that only made me…predictable. Ordinary.
    “Oh, I was kidding, Miranda!” CeeCee cried. Her mouth turned down at the corners. “I’m sorry, I say whatever pops into my head. Can I make it up to you today?”
    I shook my head, swallowing a big mouthful of grits. You can, by going away.
    “Come on, we’ll do something fun,” CeeCee wheedled. “We can get pedicures in town, or…whatever you’d like to do!” she finished graciously, smiling at me.
    “I have to help my mother sort through the study,” I said, and immediately thought, bo-ring. “And, you know, other things,” I added, taking my hair band off my wrist and looping my hair back into a ponytail.
    “Well, I’m sure if you ask Amelia, she’d let you take a break.” CeeCee shrugged, getting to her feet. “I’ll wait downstairs with our moms, ’kay?”
    Mom would be impatient to get rid of our morning guests, so I quickly finished my grits, wondering if my Southern background made me predisposed to liking them. I threw on jeans and my yellow-and-green Bronx Science T-shirt. When I arrived in the kitchen, however, I found Mom sitting at the table, talking animatedly with Delilah. Their breakfast—a duplicate of mine—was spread out before them, and CeeCee, also at the table, was texting on her BlackBerry Pearl. Sunshine spilled through the lace curtains.
    “You’re awake, my love!” Mom said, smiling and swinging one foot, clearly relaxed. After the party yesterday, she’d been quiet and tense as we split up and tackled various chores around the house. “Wasn’t this a treat from Delilah and CeeCee?” she added, spearing a hush puppy with her fork.
    “Our pleasure,” Delilah drawled, patting Mom’s hand, andMom shot her a grateful look. “What’s