their butt cracks showing.
?Stand up straight,? Claire snapped automatically when she saw
Helen slouching, and Helen obeyed. Claire had a thing about good
posture, something to do with her super-proper Japanese mother
and even more proper, kimono-wearing grandmother.
?Okay! On to the main topic,? Claire announced. ?You know that
huge kazillion-dollar compound that the New England Patriots guy
used to own??
?The one in ?Sconset? Sure. What about it?? Helen asked, picturing
the house?s private beach and feeling relieved that her dad
didn?t make enough money at his store to buy a house any closer to
the water.
When Helen was a child she had very nearly drowned, and ever
since had secretly believed that the Atlantic Ocean was trying to
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kill her. She?d always kept that bit of paranoia to herself . . . though
she still was a terrible swimmer. To be fair, she could tread water
for a few minutes at a time, but she was rotten at it. Eventually, she
sank like a rock no matter how saline the ocean was supposed to be
and no matter how hard she paddled.
?It finally sold to a big family,? Claire said. ?Or two families. I?m
not sure how it works, but I guess there are two fathers, and they?re
brothers. They both have kids?so the kids are cousins?? Claire
wrinkled her brow. ?Whatever. The point is that whoever moved in
has a bunch of kids. And they?re all about the same age. There are,
like, two boys that are going to be in our grade.?
?And let me guess,? Helen said, deadpan. ?You did a tarot reading
and saw that both of the boys are going to fall madly in love
with you and then they?ll tragically fight to the death.?
Claire kicked Helen in the shin. ?No, dummy. There?s one for