She Died Too Young Read Online Free PDF Page B

just what a coward Chelsea James really was.

Six

    Dear Chelsea
,
    So, you and Katie have gone and gotten yourselves a new friend! I’m wounded. All right, maybe just jealous. Even though I’m back in school in a big way, and even though all my friends are still around, I feel like an outsider. I know it’s the crummy diabetes that sets me apart. Of course, I never talk about it to my friends … what with perfection being one of the highest criteria for social acceptance around Miami High
.
    My parents badgered me into attending a diabetes support group. I hate it! Not a cute guy in the bunch. But that’s not my real problem. It’s the sitting around and revealing the secrets of your soul to strangers that gets to me. Why should I
spill my guts to kids I don’t even care about? It’s not like this summer with you and Katie and Mandy. (Not that I talked about this stupid disease much with you all, but at least I didn’t feel like a specimen or a lab experiment.)
    On the home front, things have gone steadily downhill. It’s like a war zone at my house. Dad and Mom hardly speak, and then only to argue. What’s the matter with them? Don’t they know how this is tearing me up? It’s barely October, and I’m already worried about the holidays. How are we ever going to make it through?
    Excuse me. I don’t mean to unload on you. I know waiting around for some transplant operation can’t be a picnic. The one thing I’m looking forward to is the school play coming up in the spring. I’ve signed on to do makeup. (Especially on the male lead—Todd Larson. Really cool guy!)
    Believe it or not, there are times I wish I was back at Jenny House. I know I groused tons about the place when I was there, but looking back, I see it was a pretty special place. Remember your promise for us all to meet there next summer. (Don’t let me down!) As for Jeff, yes, he’s written me and called, but I won’t answer his letters, and I cut him off on the phone. I
refuse
to get involved with some guy who’s got hemophilia. All I want is to party and have fun and forget about sick people! (Present company excluded, of course.)
    So, share this letter with Katie, and know that I’m pulling for you. You have Katie call me the
minute
you get beeped and go in for your transplant. And tell that Jillian girl hello for me. If you two like her, then I will too. I promise I’ll be nice to her
.
    Bye for now
,
Lacey
           
    Chelsea put down Lacey’s letter when she finished reading it aloud to Katie and said, “Do you notice anything different about Lacey?”
    Katie shrugged. “Sounds like our same old friend to me … refusing to deal with reality.”
    “I think she sounds desperate.”
    “If you mean about her parents—”
    Chelsea fluttered her fingers impatiently. “More than her parents. It’s like everything in her life is falling apart.”
    “You got
that
out of this letter?”
    “I’m reading between the lines. I think she’s in bad shape. Sure, in the letter she comes across as only annoyed, but I’m telling you, it goes deeper than that.” Chelsea stabbed at the paper with her finger. “There’s an unwritten volume here about ‘perfection’ and ‘social acceptance.’ And what about this Todd guy? Since when has Lacey let on that any guy appeals to her?”
    Katie shook her head. “You’re the one with the ESP, Chelsea, so if you say so, I believe you. But so what if it’s true? What can we do about it? Until Lacey wants to face reality, how can anyone help her?”
    “Jeff could help, if she’d let him. The guy is crazy about her.”
    “Forget it. I fought that battle all summer. Trying to run interference between Jeff and Lacey and Amanda almost did me in.”
    “But Amanda’s gone now,” Chelsea said quietly.
    The cold reality of that sad fact couldn’t be forgotten. All at once, Katie jumped up. “I’ve got to go. Josh is dropping me by the UM library so that I can work on my lit