Read Online The Shore by Todd Strasser - Free Book Online

Just fantastic! Oh, Owen, I knew you were a good guy.”
    Owen groaned to himself. Now he almost wished he hadn’t made the suggestion. Good guy? There goes my image, he thought. A second ago I was top stud, now I’m Mr. Sensitive Fix Your Problems!
    â€œOne thing?” he quickly added. “Let’s pretend it was your idea, not mine.”
    â€œWhy?” Polly asked.
    â€œJust do it, okay?” Owen said. “It’s no biggie.”
    Before Polly could press further, Lucas returned to the kitchen in shorts and a T-shirt, having ditched the wet suit.
    â€œClambake tonight at six thirty?” Polly asked.
    â€œGreat, I’ll be here,” Lucas said. “But right now, I’ve got to book.”
    Owen needed to leave too, to get to work. Today was his first day on the parasailing boat and he had to get checked outon the equipment. He and Lucas left the house at the same time. Personally, Owen didn’t get the dreadlock thing on blond white guys. But Lucas gave off an aura of confident self-assurance that Owen inwardly wished he possessed.
    They went through the front door together, into the morning sunlight. “Need a ride?” Owen asked.
    â€œNo, thanks,” Lucas said. “I can walk.”
    â€œWhat? I’ve got cooties?” Owen joked.
    Lucas grinned. “Okay.”
    The sun was already hot and heating the air. Owen squinted in the brightness and felt a stab of pain in his skull—a sign of the hangover he’d been trying to avoid all morning. He put his hand up to shield his eyes.
    â€œYou all right?” Lucas asked.
    â€œThe sun, it hurts us,” Owen said in his best Golem impression.
    Lucas chuckled. Owen smiled back. The smell of the surf was in the air. There were other scents as well, most of them sweet and sugary and sure to be coming from the boardwalk.
    Owen could hear laughter and playful screaming from the direction of the beach. He pictured some girl squealing as a guy splashed her with water. His thoughts slipped back to Sabrina. Why did she have to be so bitchy that morning? It didn’t make sense. Usually he was the one who woke up disgusted, not the girl. There was something about her that was different, though. He had woken up half a dozen times before she did and justlain there and stared at her. Her beautiful blond hair fanning out around her face on the pillow. He’d wanted to reach out and—
    â€œUh, Owen, your car?” Lucas asked, interrupting his thoughts.
    Owen shook himself out of the daydream and pointed down the street to a red Mustang convertible. A minute later they were in the car and Owen relaxed into the familiar black leather seats. “So, where do you work?” he asked Lucas as he put the car in gear.
    â€œSurf shop,” Lucas said.
    â€œDown on Main Street?” Owen started to steer in that direction.
    â€œYeah, but I’m not going there now. If you could drop me downtown I’d appreciate it.”
    â€œSure, anyplace in particular?” Owen asked.
    â€œNah, anywhere’ll be fine,” Lucas said. “So what are you doing this summer?” It was a subtle change of subject, but Owen wasn’t going to push it. If Lucas didn’t feel like telling him why he wanted to go downtown, that was his business.
    â€œThe parasailing boat,” Owen said.
    â€œNever tried it,” Lucas said. “Is it fun?”
    â€œThe chicks are,” Owen said. “It’s a great way to meet them. You meet a lot of chicks at the surf shop?”
    â€œA few,” Lucas replied noncommittally. “You can drop me here.”
    Owen pulled the car over to the curb. They were on a block with a bunch of storefronts—a deli, a check-cashing place, a nail salon—not exactly high rent. Why here? he wondered.
    â€œThanks for the ride,” Lucas said, and got out.

Three
    Later that afternoon as he left his and Avery’s room on the second floor, Curt