Starcrossed Read Online Free PDF

Helen
    go to the girl’s trailhead, but warned her that she still expected
    wins. And more than just a few.
    As she ran the trail, Helen looked at the ground. An academic
    scholarship would be great but that would mean competing with
    Claire for grades, and that was out of the question.
    “Hey, Giggles,” Helen said, easily catching up. Claire was panting
    and sweating away already.
    “What happened? God, it’s so hot!” she exclaimed, her breath
    strained.
    “I think the entire faculty is trying to see if they can climb up
    onto my back at the same time.”
    “Welcome to my life,” Claire wheezed. “Japanese kids grow
    up . . . with at least two . . . people up there. . . . You get used to it.”
    After a few more labored moments of trying to keep up with Helen,
    Claire added, “Can we . . . slow down? Not all of us are from . . .
    planet Krypton.”
    Helen adjusted her pace, knowing that she could pull ahead in
    the last half mile. She rarely exerted herself in practice but she
    knew that even without trying hard she could easily finish first.
    That fact scared her, so she did what she usually did when the subject
    of her freaky speed came up in her head. She ignored it and
    chatted with Claire.
    As the two girls ran down Surfside and out across the moors to
    Miacomet Pond, Claire couldn’t stop talking about the Delos boys.
    She told Helen at least three times that Lucas had held the door for
    her at the end of class. That act proved he was not only a gentleman,
    but already in love with her as well. Jason, Claire decided,
    was either gay or a snob because he had only glanced at her once
    before quickly looking away. She also took offense at how nice a
    dresser he was, like he was European or something.
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    “He’s been living in Spain for, like, three years, Gig. He kinda is
    European. Can we please stop talking about them? It’s giving me a
    headache.”
    “Why are you the only person in school that isn’t interested in the
    Delos family? Aren’t you even curious to get a look?”
    “No! And I think it’s pathetic that this entire town is standing
    around gawking at them like a bunch of hicks!” Helen shouted.
    Claire stopped short and stared at her. It wasn’t like Helen to argue,
    let alone start yelling, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
    “I’m bored to death of the Delos family!” Helen continued, even
    when she saw Claire’s surprise. “I’m sick of this town’s fixation
    with them, and I hope I never have to meet, see, or share breathing
    space with any of them!”
    Helen took off running, leaving Claire standing by herself on the
    trail. She finished first, just like she’d promised, but she did it a
    little too quickly; Coach Tar gave her a shocked look when she recorded
    the run time. Helen blew by her and stormed into the locker
    room. She grabbed her stuff and bolted out of school, not bothering
    to change or say good-bye to any of her teammates.
    On the way home, Helen started crying. She pedaled past the
    neat rows of gray shingled-sided houses with their black or white
    painted storm shutters and tried to calm down. The sky seemed to
    sit particularly low on the scoured land, as if it was pressing down
    on the gables of the old whalers and trying to finally flatten them
    after a few centuries of stubborn defiance. Helen had no idea why
    she’d gotten so angry, or why she’d abandoned her best friend like
    that. She needed a little peace and quiet.
    There was a car accident on Surfside; some gigantic SUV had
    tried to turn onto a narrow, sandbanked side street and turned
    over. The drivers were okay, but their beached whale of a car
    blocked off traffic from end to end. Annoyed as she was, Helen
    knew she couldn’t even pedal past the boneheaded off islanders
    without losing her checkers. She decided to take the long way
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    home. She turned around and headed back toward the center of
    town, passing the movie theater, the ferry, and the library, which,
    with its Greek temple architecture, stuck out