Turtle Bay Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn't mean to freak you out. You had a little sand on your face."
    "Oh," I said, feeling like an idiot. What was it with Florida? Both Turtle Boy and Evan had managed to throw me off my game within a few minutes of meeting them. I was usually more adept at handling guys trying to pick me up.
    "Come meet my friends before you head off. They'll all be at my bash tomorrow night, so you might as well get to know them." He grabbed my hand and pulled me along before I had a chance to object.
    "The twins there are Trevor and Steve. Careful with them. They'll switch identities just to screw with you. They're identical, but you can tell them apart by their tics," he whispered in my ear.
    "Tics?"
    "Yeah. Trevor tugs on his ear when he gets nervous or is trying to prank us, and Steve rubs a hand over his face, which is always a dead giveaway. They don't know I've got them figured out," he answered out of the corner of his mouth as we approached the twins who were dressed in the same style of board shorts as Evan. They were both handsome but lacked Evan's movie star looks and the self-confidence he seemed to carry himself with.
    "Guys, meet Rain," Evan said, sliding his arm across my sun-warmed shoulders like I was a prize he had claimed. The twins not so subtly eyed me with open admiration.
    "Who's your friend, Evan?" a ridiculously attractive blonde girl asked as she approached with two girls flanking her on either side. Her eyes narrowed as she studied me from head to toe. She looked like she had walked off the pages of some fashion magazine. Everything about her was perfect, from her tanned lean body that glistened in the sun, to her full chest that made me want to cross my arms over my own modest bosom.
    "I'm Rain," I said sheepishly. Not that I was intimidated by her. She just had a way of making you feel slightly inferior.
    "Leslie," she returned, eyeing me like a riddle she was working out in her head. Her eyes focused on Evan's arm that was still draped across my shoulders.
    "Nice to meet you," I replied as I debated shrugging off Evan's arm. I got the sense that Leslie had some kind of stake on Evan. Getting in the middle of some kind of couple drama wasn't exactly the best way to make new friends.
    "I'm Farrah," one of the other girls chirped with open friendliness. She wore the same awkward smile as me, but I returned her greeting nonetheless. She was also cute, but wasn't a waif like Leslie. Not that anyone would call Farrah fat. Her frame just didn't scream anorexic model like Leslie's.
    "Paris," the third girl said with a slight curl of her lip as she eyed me up and down. She held her hand out like a dead fish for to me to shake, so I must have passed her inspection.
    Evan removed his arm from my shoulders and turned to talk to the twins while Leslie, Farrah, Paris, and I continued staring at each other in an awkward silence. It felt like a game of chicken to see who would break first.
    "Well, I better head home," I said, nodding at the group around me."I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow night."
    "We'll be here at the beach tomorrow morning," Farrah said, much to the dismay of Paris and Leslie, who exchanged a look. I guess I knew where I stood with them even though Farrah seemed nice. As tempted as I was to accept the invitation just to make them squirm, I planned on pounding the pavement over the next few days to find a job. Now that I was sixteen, I was ready to earn my own dough to buy the things I wanted. Still, it would be fun to show Leslie she didn't intimidate me.
    "I have plans tomorrow, but maybe I can head over after," I said, taking my beach chair from Evan.
    "Sweet," Evan said, stroking my shoulder where my bikini strap rested. "See you tomorrow," he added, eyeing me like I was something he'd like to nibble on. With one last grin he jogged off to join Trevor and Steve, who were now standing in the waves throwing the Frisbee to each other.
    Pasting a nice fake smile on my face, I tossed a nonchalant goodbye to