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

Katie’s shoulders. “I don’t like giving advice, Katie. I don’t take it very well either, come to think of it.”
    Katie smiled in spite of herself. “I didn’t want you engineering that ‘romance’ between Jeff and Amanda this summer, but in the end, things turned out all right.”
    “Maybe so in that particular case. However, noone can decide what’s the right thing to do in your case except you. Breaking it off with Josh would hurt a lot. But so would sticking around if you’re not right for each other. I’ve always believed in playing the field.”
    “But you refuse to play around with Jeff,” Katie observed dryly.
    Lacey dropped her arm and backed away. “That’s different. You know my reasons for avoiding Jeff. As for you, you may need to have a fling with this Garrison in order to decide what’s best for you. Just don’t do it behind Josh’s back.”
    “I wouldn’t.” Katie chewed her lower lip nervously. “It’s such a big decision. I don’t want to hurt Josh. I really do love him.”
    Lacey offered a wry smile. “Love is a four-letter word, Katie. Be careful how you toss it around.”
    Katie nodded and returned Lacey’s smile. “Come on—let’s go back. It’s getting late, and it’s getting colder. Your lips are starting to look as blue as Chelsea’s and Jillian’s.”
    Lacey made a face and joined Katie on the trail, where together they walked back to the warmth and light of Jenny House.
    After breakfast Saturday morning, Chelsea took Jillian down to the rec room at Jenny House. A number of other kids were already there, kids Chelsea didn’t know from the summer, but who were obviously enjoying the unique environment. She saw that the staff had added another virtual reality game, one that enclosed up to two players in acocoonlike bubble lined with video screens so that the players were surrounded.
    She chose a program and sat on the double-size chair with Jillian and in minutes became absorbed in a fantasy featuring downhill skiing. The experience was so encompassing, so totally immersing, that during one sequence of having to leap a precarious chasm, Chelsea felt Jillian grab her arm and heard her gasp.
    “That was something else,” Jillian said. “Totally real. I’ve always wanted to ski, but of course, I never could.”
    “VR is the next-best thing,” Chelsea said. “All the fun and none of the risks.”
    Jillian tipped her head and looked thoughtful. “That’s true, but I like knowing there’re risks. Risks are what make life fun.”
    They left the game room and took the elevator up to the main floor. They sat on the long sofa in front of the fireplace. Logs burned in the great hearth, taking the November chill from the air. “Why take risks if you don’t have to?” Chelsea asked.
    “Because risks make a person feel excited and alive.”
    “The game makes me feel excited.” Chelsea defended her choice of VR over real life. “It seems to me that taking risks can also mean losing out on something. At least in VR, you know you’re safe.”
    Jillian waved off Chelsea’s comment. “Who wants to be safe? Don’t you like living on the edge?”
    “The edge of what? Death? No, thanks. … I’ve lived there all my life. All I want now is a nice, safe life.”
    Jillian shook her head. “Life should be an adventure. Once I get my transplant, I may go save the rain forests. Do you ever think about doing something grand with your life, Chelsea? I mean, if I hadn’t been born sick, what would I have done with myself? Would I spend time volunteering in a hospital, helping people? Or would I have been like Shelby, thinking about no one but myself? Sometimes, people who are born perfect, who never have to hurt or want for anything, seem stunted.”
    “Life’s not an adventure to me, Jillian. It’s a scary place full of pain. I’ve never told a living soul this, but I’m more afraid of getting that transplant than of not getting it. So afraid that I’m not even