Sixteen and Dying Read Online Free PDF Page A

and now all the boys from that gang are dead. He’d be dead too, he said, if it hadn’t been for this place and the Donaldsons’ influence. According to him, this place turned his life around.” Marti sounded angry.
    “You’re in a gang?” Anne could scarcely believe that the trim, raven-haired girl in front of her ran with a street gang.
    “Not me. My boyfriend, Peter Manterra. My family thinks he’s bad for me. What do they know? They don’t remember what it’s like to be in love.”
    Anne saw that Marti was hurting, but she couldn’t imagine feeling such sorrow over being separated from a boyfriend. “It’s only for a summer. Maybe time will pass more quickly if you’re busy.”
    “I doubt it. Did you leave a guy back home?”
    “Not me. I wanted to spend the summer here. I’m with my father. He’s the only guy in my life! I thought a summer out West on a ranch sounded like fun.”
    Marti made a face. “I don’t mind the work, but I miss Peter so much. What if he finds another girlfriend? What if he forgets about me?”
    “But if he really loves you, why would he look for another girl?”
    “You sound like my mother,” Marti retorted.
    Anne laughed. “I’m sorry. I guess that was a parent-type thing to say. But the way you’re complaining about being here reminds me of my father. He gripes constantly about the fresh air and open spaces.”
    Marti smiled tentatively. “I didn’t mean to complain about the ranch. Actually, I think it’s a pretty nice place. I live in L.A. near the barrio, and summers are hot and mean. I guess that in some ways, this is a change for the better.” She cut her eyes sideways.
“Un pocito
. That’s Spanish for a
‘very
little.’ ”
    “You can write to your boyfriend, can’t you? Every day if you want to.”
    “I guess, but it’s hard being separated from him. I love him so much. You must know what it’s like.” Anne didn’t want to admit that she had no idea what it felt like to be in love. “Why are you here just with your dad?” Marti asked, blowing her nose. “Are your parents divorced?”
    “My mother died years ago. It’s just me and my dad. I’m used to it, I guess.” Then, changing the subject, she asked, “Will you get to go on any trail rides with us? Maybe riding horses can take your mind off your boyfriend.”
    “The workers are kept pretty busy. We got here over a week before you guests arrived. Our free time’s our own whenever we can grab some of it. I hope to do a lot more riding. A couple of the hands, some of the younger guys, have offered to take me along. The owners’ nephew, Morgan, works on the ranch like an ordinary hired hand, and he’s been nice to me,” Marti added.
    Morgan’s image sprang into Anne’s mind. “What’s so unusual about that?”
    “You can bet that if I were related to the owner, I wouldn’t be working like a hired hand.” She paused thoughtfully. “But you know, he’s a regular person, not bossy or mean one bit. He’s kind of reckless though. He reminds me of my brother, Luis … kind of
loco
, you know, crazy.” Marti made a face. “But if it weren’t for Morgan and his friend, Skip, I’d have gone crazy last week.”
    Anne could hardly believe that Marti was describingthe same guy she’d had words with at the corral. “You sure Morgan was really nice?” she said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Nothing, forget it.” Anne peered at Marti more closely. Her tears had completely dried. “Feeling better?”
    Marti nodded. “Thanks. I guess I really did need to talk to someone—someone female and my age who’d understand.”
    “Since we’re both going to be here for the summer, maybe we can do things together,” Anne offered. Although Marti was different from Anne’s friends in New York, Anne already liked her. She was open and honest about her feelings.
    “I’d like that. The other girls working with me are older—sophomores and juniors in college. We don’t have much in