It Was You Read Online Free PDF Page A

down to Law Street.
    She brushed at the sand on her forearm. “Why the hell would you change your mind about State?”
    Her reaction had been just about the same as my parents had been when I shared the news. Utter disbelief.
    “I can't believe you even have to ask.”
    She chewed on her lip and thought. “I just can't believe you're giving up school because of that bitch.” Tana was the one person who had no illusions about how I felt about my sister.
    “I'm not,” I said.
    When she lifted her sunglasses, her eyes narrowed, I said quickly, “Not really. I mean, yeah, I don't want to be there with her. Hell, I don't even want to be in the same stupid city as her. So I guess she was the impetus for it.” I smiled at the word. Senior English again, coming in handy.
    “Yeah, I'd think I'd want to do more than just un-enroll from the same school if my sister had just sucked off the guy I was crushing on,” Tana muttered.
    I waved my hand. “I don't really care about that.”
    Her mouth dropped open.
    “ I don't,” I insisted. “Kevin means nothing to me.”
    “ No,” she said. “But he could have. If the Wicked Twin of the West hadn't waltzed in and done him in the bathroom...”
    “ Stop.”
    I sipped my soda. I didn't want to relive the image of Annika on her knees in Adam Mularkey's bathroom. But Tana waited, her expression doubtful.
    I sighed. “Sure, I liked him. But it's not like we were a couple or anything. So, yeah, I was pissed about seeing her, knowing she was with him just to get to me. But it just started the ball rolling. I want to be away from her, Tana. I've lived my whole damn life in her shadow, you know?”
    She nodded. “I know. And, uh, I think I've been telling you that for years.”
    I smiled. “You have.”
    She reached for my soda and took a drink. “It's too bad you can't come with me.”
    My smile faded. “I know.”
    Tana was leaving for Cal-Poly on Wednesday. She'd gotten a full scholarship and they had a great architecture program, one of the best in the country, but she was still reluctant to go.
    Because she'd be leaving me.
    “ It's only a few hours away,” she said. I didn't know if she was saying this for my benefit or for herself. She'd lowered her sunglasses but they were lightly tinted and I could see her eyes focused on the water, far out on the horizon. “You'll still be here in San Diego. Just a different school.”
    “ Yep.” I forced the smile back to my lips and flipped over on to my stomach. “And you won't have to come visit me in a dorm.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, you totally need to dish how you managed to score that with your parents.”
    I hadn't scored the apartment yet, but I was close. I'd expected my parents to freak when I mentioned wanting my own place but they'd remained remarkably calm about it. Mom twisted her hair tight and Dad grabbed his soda, probably wishing he could knock back something heavier at that moment. But they'd asked questions and listened to my answers. More importantly, they said they'd talk about privately. I could only hope they'd consider all of my reasons and decide they made sense.
    A spray of cold water hit my back and I squealed.
    “Oops. Sorry.” A male voice.
    I flipped over. Kevin Swigert stood in front of me, his blond hair slicked back, water beading on his chest, his board shorts hanging loosely on his hips.
    I shook my head. “Whatever.”
    He ran his hand through his hair and more drops rained down on me. “So last night was pretty crazy...”
    “Yeah.”
    He shifted from one foot to the other. “I was sorta hoping I could talk to you. You know, about it.”
    Tana lifted her sunglasses and watched openly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
    “ Alone,” he said, glancing at her.
    “ What's there to talk about?” I asked.
    “ You know,” he said, his eyes widening just a little. “The bathroom...”
    I didn't know what he thought he needed to talk to me about. He'd been caught with