He's With Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

nearly beaning the instructor with it. She
    was pretty sure that Sally was laughing at her, and that tales of Lexie’s
    incompetence would be traveling straight back to Bree.
    By lunchtime, Lexie’s arms ached and her hair was sticking to her face. She
    was so relieved when the instructor let them go, she didn’t even care that now
    she’d have to face Bree and Jake again.
    Lexie was gathering her stuff when a voice said, “Hey,” behind her, and she
    jumped.
    “Sorry to startle you,” Sally said, bouncing on her heels. “I just wanted to
    day, don’t worry, you’ll get better. I was pretty bad when I started. I’m still not
    good enough for Intermediate or Advanced.”
    Lexie couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. “Um. Thanks,” she
    managed.
    Sally kept looking at Lexie, as if she was thinking, How did a girl like you
    snag Jake Atkinson? Lexie thought, I’ll answer that if you can tell me why you agreed to be best friends with the scariest girl in school.
    “Well?” Sally said.
    “Well what?” Lexie asked.
    “Aren’t you starving? Let’s go to lunch.”
    Let’s? As in “let us”? Us? Me and Sally Kim? There’s an us there?
    Sally spun her racket impatiently and Lexie quickly grabbed her bag with
    the hat, the extra sunscreen, and the brown-bag lunch her mom had packed. She
    followed Sally up the walkway to a bunch of picnic tables under the trees. The
    other Tennis for Teens campers were gathering there, along with the lifeguard
    training class from the pool and a group of basketball campers.
    Jake was already sitting at a table, unwrapping his lunch, His hair was half-
    wet from the showers and drying in the sun, so it was kind of spiky and darker
    than usual. That day his T-shirt was light blue, making his eyes even bluer. He saw
    Lexie and waved.
    “Wow,” Sally said. “Did you see his face light up when he saw you? That’s
    so cute. My boyfriend never looks that excited to see me.”
    Yeah, I guess Jake’s a really good actor, Lexie thought.
    “You have a boyfriend?” she said, but too quietly, so Sally didn’t hear her
    and she had to repeat herself.
    “Oh, sure,” Sally said. “Ian Montgomery. Bree set us up in April.” That made
    sense. Ian was athletic and blond and agreeable and would fit in well with Bree’s
    idea of who her friends should date. For one thing, she’d never wanted to date him. Anyone she’d dated was off the menu for everyone else.
    Sally peeled off to join Bree and her Glare of Death in the line for pizza, and
    Lexie hesitantly went over to Jake’s table. See, this is why Colin should be there.
    She’d know exactly who to sit with and how. And if she wanted to spend
    lunchtime reading her book, he wouldn’t mind. But of course she had to sit with
    Jake, right? A girlfriend would normally sit with her boyfriend. That was the
    normal thing to do.
    She set her lunch bag down on the table, opposite him, and he immediately
    reached out and grabbed it.
    “Hey,” she said. “Eat your own lunch.”
    “Sit next to me,” he whispered frantically. “Or else she will.”
    Lexie looked up and saw Bree heading purposefully their way. She scooted
    quickly around the end of the table and managed to sit down next to Jake just
    before Bree plunked her tray down on the table.
    “Oh, Jakey,” Bree said, ignoring Lexie, “I saw you playing tennis when I went
    by the courts earlier. You are so talented.”
    “Thanks,” Jake said, opening Lexie’s lunch. “Wow, Lexie, your mom really
    likes carrot sticks doesn’t she?”
    “We suspect she owns stock in them or something,” Lexie joked. Jake
    laughed; Bree didn’t.
    “Not to mention,” Bree went on as if they hadn’t spoken, “you looks so hot
    in shorts. Not every guy can pull off that look – right, Lexie? It must be so hard for you to concentrate with your boyfriend right there looking that hot.”
    “Oh, we’re in two different classes,” Lexie said awkwardly.
    “So which celebrities do