Pepped Up Read Free Page A

mimicking the way other girls sounded when they talked about him. “Or Wes,” I quickly added, remembering that I now knew exactly what Tina and Dana had been talking about. “He’s sooooo dreamy.”
    “Maybe you can make some new friends in your grade this year,” Jace offer ed.
    “Yeah, maybe.” Jace would have no problem making new friends, and I was terrified he’d forget all about me.
    “Are we gonna stay friends?” I ask ed quietly.
    “Hell yes.” He s at on the edge of his chair with his hands on his knees and gave me his serious look, which made his green eyes darken. “Pep, you’re my best friend. Even more than Wes. You’re like family, you know?”
    “Yeah. Gran sure thinks of you like a grandson.”
    “Tell Buns I’m still comin’ over all the time for dinner. My dad’s cooking is shit and I gotta eat good if I wanna be starting quarterback.”
    “You think you can? I mean, I know you’re really good and you’re pretty big for a freshman, but isn’t the starter that dude, Reese something? He’s a senior now, isn’t he?”
    “Yeah, he’s good. But you’ll see. I trained my ass off this summer. Coach is fair. If I’m good enough, I’ll get to play.”
    Wes came back outside , followed by three girls. One of them giggled like an idiot when she saw Jace. I rolled my eyes under my sunglasses. Jace stood up and hugged each girl like he knew them really well. “This is Pepper.” Jace gestured to me and I waved from my chair.
    “Hi.” I noticed Jace didn’t introduce the girls and he looked relieved when they told me their names. I wondered if he had them listed on his phone as “the blonde,” “big boobs” and “too much make-up.” I tucked it away as some good teasing material for later.
    “So, how do you guys know each other?” I asked.
    “Oh! We’ve been practicing cheer all week and Jace has been at football so we met at school the other day,” the girl named Stacy told me. “I live down the street so when Jace called, we just walked on over!”
    I nodded. I was slightly alarmed by the energy bubbling from these girls and I really didn’t like the way that Jace was looking at them.
    “So, you guys bring your suits? We have hoops for pool basketball,” Wes suggested.
    The girls eagerly took off their clothes to reveal their bikini-clad bodies. I was wearing a bikini too, but I didn’t fill it out like they did. The boys eyed them appreciatively and I felt very small and plain. I wondered if my body would ever fill out. I wondered if Jace would ever look at me like he was looking at those girls.
    “Do you wanna play, Pep?” Jace asked, spinning the basketball on the tip of his finger.
    “Nah, I want to keep reading. I’m at a really good part,” I lied. I had no idea what was happening in the book I was so engrossed in moments ago.
    I watched discreetly from the protection of my sunglasses as the boys played basketball against the girls. They touched each other frequently and unnecessarily. My chest felt tight and my entire body was tense. My physical reaction startled me and it took a few minutes before I realized it was a manifestation of my feelings. I was angry. And jealous. These girls didn’t know Jace, yet he was letting them touch him.
    When Jace took one of the girls to the pool shed I felt like crying. Wrapping a towel around myself, I walked inside the house while Wes continued flirting with the other two girls in the pool. Without my own cell phone, I had to ask Mrs. Jamison if I could use their land line to call Gran.  Jace would be annoyed when I left without telling him, but I didn’t care.
    I waited outside for Gran. When she saw me, she didn’t ask any questions -- she could see that I was upset. After dinner, she made my favorite dessert – banana bread pudding - and we watched Titanic for the hundredth time. And when Jace called after dinner asking for me, she didn’t need to say anything. She knew.
    “She’s not feeling good ,” Gran