Laguna Cove Read Online Free PDF Page A

exasperated sigh. “No, I cannot. Because she’s doing me a big favor by driving me to school. And if your son and daughter-in-law would just buy me a car, once and for all, then I could drive myself and you’d be spared the honking,” she said.
    “What did she say?” Abuela asked, looking to her daughter-in-law for help with the translation. But Lola knew better. Abuela ’s perfect English always seemed to fail in the most convenient moments.
    Lola’s mom shook her head. “Get your grades up, and we’ll talk.”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Lola slung her book bag over her shoulder and walked out the door. She’d gotten only one B in an all-A lineup, but that had been enough for her overly strict parents to refuse her a car. True, the deal had been all A’s gets the wheels, but still. Lola had done her very best, and just because she got four wrong answers on that chemistry test ( Chemistry! It’s not like she wanted to be a scientist!), she was relegated to another semester of being chauffeured to school by her friends. And it was really getting old.
    Usually she didn’t mind being driven everywhere, but in the last few weeks she’d found a very good reason to get her own car and a little more privacy. So now she was very motivated to get straight A’s and not screw up.
    “Hey, El.” Lola opened the passenger door of Ellie’s new jetblack Mini Cooper convertible and plopped down onto the seat next to her. “Are we picking up Jade?”
    “No, she’s meeting us there,” Ellie said, turning onto the street as Lola released her long, dark hair from its tight ponytail and removed her high-necked sweater to reveal the tight little T-shirt underneath. Her family may call her Lola, but her friends, knowing the real Lola was only revealed when her parents weren’t looking, often called her Lolita. “You missed some good waves this morning,” Ellie said, taking in her friend’s transformation.
    “I just can’t wake up that early anymore. I don’t know how you do it.” Lola applied shiny peach lip gloss while checking out the cute guy in the black Jeep Wrangler right next to them.
    “Discipline, that’s how I do it.”
    “Yeah, discipline and no social life,” Lola said, smiling at the guy with her newly shiny lips.
    “Excuse me? I have a social life. For your information, I’m planning on yet another year as your class president, yearbook committee, Surf Club president …”
    “I mean a social life that takes place after the final bell,” Lola said, interrupting her friend and laughing.
    “Not all of us stay out all night, Lolita!” Ellie said, looking over at her and smiling. “Oh my God, are you flirting with that guy?” She stared in disbelief.
    “Maybe.”
    “Oh my God, he’s like, old. ”
    “No, he’s not. He’s probably twenty-five, twenty-six tops. And he’s sooo cute,” Lola said, rolling down her window to get a better look.
    “He’s probably married, with three kids, and a wife at home who’s gonna come after you when she hears about this,” Ellie said, half joking and half worrying it could be true.
    “I never flirt if they’re wearing a ring, or a girlfriend is present. I’m very old-fashioned that way,” Lola said, all her attention focused on the cute driver of the black Jeep.
    “Well, could you please stop? The last thing I need is to have some pervert following us to school,” Ellie said, sounding more than a little uptight.
    “Relax; it’s over. He’s turning right. Well, it was good while it lasted,” Lola said, waving at the back of his Jeep. “Hey, can you drop me off at the corner up there?”
    “What? Why?” Ellie looked at her.
    “I’m meeting someone,” she said, running her fingers through her long dark hair and double-checking her lip gloss in the mirrored visor.
    “Do you want me to wait for you?” Ellie asked, slowing to a stop.
    “No. I’ll see you at school.”
    Ellie gave her a suspicious look.
    “Really, I’ll catch up with you