Monsoon Summer Read Free

and that business of theirs.”
    I choked back my gasp. Boring bodyguard? That busi
nessof theirs?
Miriam and Jennifer were talking about
Steve
. And
me.
I swallowed hard and kept listening.
    â€œHe managed to avoid Julia Canfield, and she’s gone all out for him,” Miriam said. “I heard she even visited their booth. But now that his shadow’s leaving for the summer, I can finally make
my
move. Help me plan it, will you?”
    The voices faded as the girls left the locker room. Somehow, I managed to keep back the tears; Steve could always tell when I’d been crying. I headed for the sounds of laughter and excitement inside the cafeteria. It was just a few days before summer vacation, so the buzz was louder than usual. Grabbing a salad and a slice of pizza, I made my way to where Steve always saved me a seat.
    I only had a few days left of eating lunch with him. The weeks had gone by in a blur of shots, passports, visas, tickets, and travel plans. I’d be gone for the whole summer, and next fall, somebody would probably be sitting in my place. After what I’d just overheard, I had a fairly good idea who that somebody might be.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Steve asked as soon as he saw me.
    Was my face that easy to read? If it was, why couldn’t he see what was written there every time I looked at him? Maybe he was so used to seeing adoration on every girl’s face, he didn’t notice it on mine.
    I kept my eyes fixed on my soggy salad. “Nothing,” I mumbled.
    Steve leaned closer. “Are you worried about going to India?” he asked. “I’ll call every week and tell you what’s going on with the Biz, I promise. And we’ll use the Internet. Three months will go by fast.”
    I took a bite of pizza. It’s not the Biz I Care about, I thought, although I did. And it wasn’t going to India, although I was worried about that, too. Right now I was mainly thinking about Miriam Cassidy and her diabolical plan.
    Looking up, I almost choked on my crust. Miriam herself was gliding over to us now, putting her plan into operation even before I was out of the way. As usual, she drew every eye in the place.
    â€œYour mother’s here,” she purred, perching on the edge of the table right in front of Steve. Her skirt rose dangerously high on her thigh as she crossed one leg over the other. I felt like I’d been dragged onstage as an extra. The low, seductive voice continued: “She’s with Mr. Delancey in the teachers’ lounge.”
    Even though she only had eyes for Steve, I knew she was talking to me. Mr. Delancey was the social studies teacher, and Mom met with him every now and then. Fresh-men could earn extra credit in his class by volunteering at Mom’s refugee center. Last year Steve had set up a sports camp for the Cambodian kids. I’d managed to get an A in the class without the extra credit.
    â€œI knew she was coming,” I told Miriam.
    I didn’t mind when Mom came on campus to meet with teachers, but I dreaded when the principal invited her to speak at assemblies. I was sure everyone left the auditorium wondering how someone as wonderful as Sarah Gardner could be related to somebody like me. Mom mesmerized the crowd with stories about kids our age—kids who’d been in trouble with drugs, on the streets, or who were just poor and desperate. With a little help, each of them had found a better life.
    â€œYou can motivate anybody to get involved,” Helen always told Mom proudly.
    â€œExcept people in my own family,” Mom used to add with a sigh, giving me one of her exasperated looks. Until the Mona episode, that is, after which she’d given up on me completely.
    â€œYou’re driving to Palm Springs this afternoon, aren’t you?” Steve asked, interrupting my thoughts.
    Miriam didn’t give me a chance to answer. “I absolutely adore Palm Springs!” she said.