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I started to say so nice about the dress, but suddenly I felt ice-cold alu to the back of my neck I shrieked and there was Cory Wheeler, crouched down next tohis head off

I sat up and glared at hi off o home “What the crap , Cory!”

He was still laughing, which made me madder

I said, “God, you’re so immature”

“But you looked really hot,” he protested “I was trying to cool you off”

I didn’t answer him, I just kept ht, and I could feel all the other girls staring at me And then Cory’s smile sort of slipped away and he said, “Sorry You want this Coke?”

I shook ed and retreated back over to the pool I looked over and saw Katie and Evelynmean to a German shepherd puppy There was just no sense in it Too late, I tried to catch Cory’s eye, but he didn’t look back at me

In a low voice Taylor said, “It was just a joke, Belly”

I lay back down on my towel, this time faceup I took a deep breath and let it out, slowly Theme a headache It was too loud And I actually was thirsty I should have taken that Coke from Cory

Taylor leaned over and pushed up lasses so she could see my eyes She peered at me “Are you mad?”

“No It’s just too hot out here” I wiped sweat off my forehead with the back of my arm

“Don’t bean idiot around you He likes you”

“Cory doesn’t likeaway from her But he sort of did like me, and I knew it I just wished he didn’t

“Whatever, he’s totally into you I still think you should give him a chance It’ll take your mind off of you-knoho”

I turned my head away from her and she said, “How about I French braid your hair for the party tonight? I can do the front section and pin it to the side like I did last time”

“Okay”

“What are you going to wear?”

“I’m not sure”

“Well, you have to look cute because everybody’s gonna be there,” Taylor said “I’ll coether”

Justin Ettelbrick had thrown a big blowout birthday party every July first since the eighth grade By July, I was already at Cousins Beach, and home and school and school friends were aout, not even when Taylor told me about the cotton candy machine his parents had rented one year, or the fancy fireworks they shot off over the lake at ht

It was the first summer I would be at hooing back to Cousins And that, I ht I’d be in Cousins every summer of my life The summer house was the only place I wanted to be It was the only place I ever wanted to be