Page 16 (2/2)

That's when my mother and the boys caun Jereot to the boardwalk, Steven headed straight for the arcade and spent the whole night there Jeremiah walked around with us, and he even rode the carousel, even though I knew he thought it was lah and pretended to take a nap while Taylor and I bounced up and down on horses, mine a blond palomino and hers a black stallion(Black Beauty was still her favorite book, although she'd never admit it) Then Taylor made him win her a stuffed Tweety Bird with the quarter toss Jeree, almost as tall as she was He carried it for her

I should never have gone along I could have predicted the whole night, right down to how invisible I'd feel All the tiuitar throughWoody Allen movies with Susannah and my mother And I didn't even like Woody Allen I wondered if this was how the rest of the as going to be I'd forgotten that about Taylor, the way she got when she wanted soet-out She'd just arrived, and already she'd forgotten about otten there, and it was already tie road trip, and instead of co ho for the SATs, but irlfriend

I went to his roohtI was suddenly sad to see hi would be off balance--he was the buffer, the real life re can stay the saed He was just obnoxious, insufferable Steven,brother, the bane of my existence He was like our old flannel blanket that s, a part of the infrastructure thatwould still be the sairls

"I wish you weren't leaving," I said, tucking my knees into my chest

"I'll see you in a month," he reminded me

"Aive you your present when I see you at ho a baby, but I couldn't help it "Will you at least send"I doubt I'll have ti me back a Princeton sweatshirt?" I couldn't wait to wear a college sweatshirt They were like a badge that said you were e if not already I wished I had a whole drawer full of them

"If I remember," he said

"I'll remind you," I said "I'll text you"

"Okay It'll be your birthday present"

"Deal" I fell back onto his bed and pushed ainst his wall He hated it when I did that "I'll probablyover Conrad to notice I'ue out at hi Conrad and Jere to drive hiood-bye, but I didn't try to go along because I kneouldn't want oing to let hiave riht?" He said it in this reallyimportant, like I was supposed to understand

But I didn't I said, "Don't you do anything stupid either, butthead"

He sighed and shook his head at me like I was a child

I tried not to let it bother s wouldn't be the same without hi into a petty argument "Tell Dad I said hi," I said