After Summer Read Online Free PDF

no way she could hang out with George.
    She looked over at him to tell him so.
    “I can hear what you’re thinking,” George said, his expression bright. “But you have to eat, don’t you? And we both know that if I don’t make you eat with me, you’ll do something else instead and you’ll forget. And nobody likes an Olsen twin.”
    Beth felt herself waver. Lately, she hadn’t been seeing George as much as she’d like, not with the new swim team coaches taking over her life. That was how they’d introduced themselves: “ We’re here to take over your lives, ” they’d said that first day. “ If you have a problem with that, don’t waste our time—just go. ”
    Beth had stayed, of course. And she’d learned pretty quickly that the coaches weren’t kidding.
    Their names were Katy and Lance. As the rumors had indicated, they were students at Boston College and the hardest coaches Beth had ever encountered in all her years of athletics. She thought on many occasions that she hated them, and yet had the perverse desire to please them—which was how she knew they were doing the coaching thing right.
    But none of that has to do with George or being in love, she thought then as they stared at each other next to her locker. She’d nearly let their relationship slip away over the summer, and she wasn’t about to do it again.
    She would run six miles tomorrow, she vowed, to make up for not running her three miles today. She might have to start getting up even earlier if she was going to get a daily run in, the way Katy had recommended. And her mom could wait a little bit longer for Beth to help put away the summer clothes. Finally, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d stayed up past midnight to finish her homework, or cut her first-period health class to get it done the next morning.
    And she’d be getting a burger and George in the deal, which outweighed all the rest.
    “Okay,” she told George, loving the way he looked so delighted at her answer, in that fully happy way only he could get, from his sparkling eyes down to the way his legs practically vibrated with excitement.
    “ Exx-cellent, ” he said, drawling out the word. “I think I speak for myself and the beef industry when I say you made the right choice.”
    Beth hurried across the wet pool deck, tucking the last strands of her blonde hair up under her swim cap. She was late. She and George had gotten burgers and fries and then spent way too long making out in the parking lot. Beth felt herself flush, almost as if his mouth was still on hers, hishands on her skin. Her heart was still pounding. Beth laughed to herself and adjusted the stiff Lycra cap.
    If there was anything uglier than a swim cap, Beth didn’t know what it was. Except possibly a Speedo racer-back one piece. Her cousin Ella would keel over and die if she ever saw Beth wearing both at once.
    Thinking about Ella made Beth grin. She couldn’t believe she had to wait until Thanksgiving to see all her cousins in one place.
    “Tuttle.” Coach Katy held a clipboard and was wearing an incredulous expression as Beth approached. “You’re fifteen minutes late.”
    “Um.” Beth felt herself flush again. With embarrassment this time. “I’m sorry.”
    She was normally self-assured around other athletic types, but something about Katy made Beth feel like an idiot. Maybe she was a little intimidated. Beth let Ella do the worrying about which girls were cute and which girls wore the right clothes. Beth was the only Tuttle who could look at another girl and see that her sleek muscles and powerful legs meant she could—and probably would—completely kick Beth’s ass.
    Okay, maybe she was a lot intimidated.
    “I’m sorry,” Beth said again, her voice soft.
    “Don’t be sorry,” Katy snapped. “Just don’t be late. Wehave a huge meet coming up. You should be in the water working your butt off, or you shouldn’t be on the team.”
    “I understand,” Beth said, feeling