When You Were Mine Read Online Free Page B

me over to Olivia. “He makes me feel dirty,” Charlie says. Olivia raises her eyebrows, and Charlie clarifies, “Not in a good way. Like I just showered in fish oil.”
    “You’re going to make me lose my bagel,” I announce, even though I still haven’t consumed a thing.
    “Watch that,” Charlie says, reaching over to cap Olivia’s water. “So what’s the deal with you two, anyway?”
    “Who?” Olivia fans out her tank top.
    “My brother?”
    Olivia stops, drops her shirt, and takes a huge gulp of sparkling water. “Three months,” she squeaks out while swallowing. It surprises me. I figured they were getting close this summer, but this means they were together at the end of school. Before Rob even left.
    “Three months?” Charlie’s face is turning red. You can tell because she gets these little splotchy marks where she isn’t wearing a lot of foundation.
    “Yeah, but it was the summer,” Olivia bleats. “You know, we weren’t really around.”
    “What are you talking about, ‘we weren’t around’? We were at the beach together, like, daily,” Charlie says.
    Olivia scrunches up her lip. “I like him,” she says.
    “At least we know they’re not sleeping together,” I offer.
    Olivia swats me on the shoulder, but it’s playful, and even Charlie has to smile. Olivia is saving herself for marriage or until she can legally drink or something. Her mom got kind of religious after she married Olivia’s stepdad. They all go to church on Sundays. We’ve never talked about why, exactly, she’s waiting, but my guess is she has a better handle on all of it than I do. The moral part, anyway. So far as I know, she’s only just made out. I would bet money that’s all she has done with Ben, too.
    Olivia starts adjusting her tank top in the glass window. I slump into a seat and open my sparkling water. I haven’t even touched my bagel yet. Every time I try, my stomach launches a counterattack. Turns out, I’m completely terrified about seeing Rob. It’s totally messing with my morning. My hands are tingling and my fingers feel numb. It reminds me of the way I used to feel when I was in The Nutcracker as a kid. Complete and total stage fright.
    I see Len leave the PL and Lauren following out behind. He says something over his shoulder, and Lauren laughs. Probably making fun of us.
    “Shall we?” Charlie comes over, chewing a piece of blueberry bagel, so I know she and Olivia have made up.
    “Mhm.” I stuff my bagel into my book bag and stand.
    “Let’s roll,” Olivia says behind us, which makes Charlieimmediately snap to attention. She tosses her red hair over her shoulder and slides her book bag on.
    “Do you think we should try to get Len to join SAC?” Olivia asks. Charlie shoots her a look like, Don’t even think about it, and turns on her heel, the two of us following behind.
    “I’m kidding,” Olivia says. She mouths “Jesus” to me and rolls her eyes, miming her best Charlie impression. We walk out of the PL, across the breezeway, and down to assembly. The only thing I can think is that the second we walk through the doors, Rob will be there. And then, how completely and totally unprepared I am to see him.

Scene Three
     
    If you’re a senior, like we are, then you sit in chairs on the right-hand side of the auditorium during assembly, instead of up in the bleachers. Like by making it to senior year you have earned your right to sit in a chair . The whole thing becomes unbelievably political, with senior seats ending up like concert tickets. The chairs by the right far side and in the front are the most valuable and are reserved for popular people. The ones in the back and on the left are for everyone else.
    Then there are the Trenches, which are on the other side of the bleachers, where people stand if they’re late. The Trenches are mostly for kids like Corey Masner, John Susquich, and Charlie’s ex, Matt Lester, who always smoke before class and just can’t be bothered.