Poison Ink Read Online Free PDF Page A

had all become friends. The girl spent most of her time either with the swim team or swimming on her own, and the rest of it studying. In the summer, she taught swimming and was a lifeguard at the Covington Swim Club, a private pool in town. But when she was with the rest of them, Katsuko seemed to come alive.
    “Right now?” Sammi asked.
    Caryn scowled. “No, next week. Of course right now.”
    Her phone vibrated. that hrtz .
    Send me a pic of u, she sent back.
    Sammi expected him to hesitate or to ask for one back, especially since she’d told him they were all in lingerie, instead of the pajamas, shorts, and sweatpants they were really wearing. A couple of minutes went by, and then the phone vibrated again.
    Adam had sent his picture with a message. do i get thmbs up?
    “Wow,” Letty said as Sammi showed the picture around. “He is cute. What a smile.”
    T.Q. glanced away after checking out the photo. “Guess I have to learn to play guitar.”
    “He wants to know if he gets a thumbs-up from you guys,” Sammi told them.
    “Oh yeah,” Caryn said. “He passes.”
    You’re cute, apparently, Sammi texted him. Personally, i don’t see it. ouch, the message came back.
    See u friday, she typed. g2g. Night.
    Night.
    Only when she had closed her phone and glanced around did she realize that the others had gone on watching Entourage without her. For a couple of minutes, she’d been completely focused on her exchange with Cute Adam. Now, though, when she stuffed the phone into her backpack and slid over beside Caryn, she felt a moment of tension in the room.
    “You’re not gonna be one of those girls, are you?” Caryn asked. Her tone seemed light, but her expression was grim.
    “What are you talking about?” Sammi said.
    “You know. The girls who get a guy and blow off their friends.”
    “Are you kidding?”
    But she could see it was no joke, and as she looked around, she realized they were all waiting for an answer. Her stomach gave a little twist, and Sammi shifted away from Caryn, turning to face them all like they were some kind of jury and she the defendant. At the moment, that was how it felt.
    “That’s…” She shook her head, glanced away for a moment, and then focused on Caryn. “That really sucks that you would think that. You should know the answer to that question. Never mind that I, like, just met the guy and he’ll probably turn out to be an asshole. He could be Prince freakin’ Charming and I’d never do that.”
    Sammi looked at each of them in turn. “Being here with you guys…you know what it means to me. We’ve talked about it. Nothing’s as important as that.”
    She ended up on Caryn again, staring at her, and eventually Caryn looked away.
    “Sorry, Sam. I’m sorry. You’re right. It means that much to me, too, or I wouldn’t have said anything.”
    T.Q. piped up. “I hope he is Prince Charming, Sammi. I hope he’s the greatest guy in the world.”
    Katsuko reached out and took Sammi’s hand. “You deserve that.”
    “We all do,” Sammi said. “Except Letty. She deserves—”
    “Jessica Biel,” Letty interrupted.
    They all grinned. “Yes. You deserve Jessica Biel,” Sammi said. “Someday, you two will find each other. It’s destiny.”
    “Damn straight.” Letty rolled on her back and threw out her arms, closing her eyes as though offering herself up. “Come to me, Jessica.”
    “Maybe Cute Adam is your destiny, Sam,” Katsuko said.
    Sammi rolled her eyes. “And in a couple of weeks, we won’t remember his name. You guys know what my luck’s been like. Or have we forgotten Tim? And Matt? And Bobby McCann?”
    “Bobby McCann?” Caryn said, scowling. “Wasn’t he from, like, fifth grade?”
    “Still, it’s a pattern,” Sammi argued.
    “That just means it’s your turn,” Letty assured her.
    “To answer your question,” T.Q. said, “yes, we’ve forgotten those guys. And so should you.”
    Sammi smiled. “Maybe.”
    Katsuko cried out and swung