Stanford.”
“More than that, Maggie. I’m not coming back.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m gonna go live with my dad. I’ll go there for holidays and summer vacation.”
“In California?” Maggie gawks at Tyler as if he’s just said he’s moving to the moon.
Tyler shrugs. “My dad thinks I need to be near a hospital so we can really fix this eye thing. My mom’s dating Clarence Able, you probably know that, and I think she’d like a little time with me out of the house. Anyway, Mom and Dad decided, then told me.”
“Didn’t they ask you first?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“This sucks,” Maggie says, discovering she means it. “Life’s going to be so boring without you. Who’s going to make me laugh?”
“Yeah, well.” He looks away from her, finds a pebble, throws it down the hill.
“I meant because you say such funny things,” Maggie clarifies, sorry to have hurt him.
“I know what you mean.” His voice cracks.
She hates him for being pitiful. “For God’s sake, we all get insulted.”
Tyler clutches his backpack and digs around in it. “I want to give you something.” He pulls out his scrapbook: Official Register of Secrets .
“Wow, I’d forgotten all about this.” Maggie scoots closer to him, watching as he turns the pages. “You know,” Maggie says, tracing a sketch of a pond with one fingertip, “these drawings are really good.”
“Nah.”
“Yeah, they are. Oh, man.” She sighs, leaning back, looking up at the impartial blue sky. “It was a lot of fun being little, wasn’t it? I loved all those fantasy games.”
“You were the only one I knew who liked to play that kind of stuff,” Tyler admits. “That’s why I want you to have this book.”
“Oh, I can’t have that! Why not take it with you?”
“Because it belongs here on the island.”
“Then leave it with your mom.”
“If she marries Clarence, they’ll move into his house. She’ll pack up my stuff while I’m living off island.”
“But—”
“Look!” Tyler jumps up, pacing angrily away, then turning back. “This doesn’t come with any kind of obligation . I won’t bother you, Maggie. I won’t be phoning you or writing you or expecting anything from you. It’s just, my whole life is changing, I won’t have any one place to call my own. You’re the only person in the universe who knows about this stupid book, and the only one I can trust not to destroy it.”
“Okay, geez, take a chill pill,” she snaps. “I’ll keep it. You can come take it whenever you want.”
“I won’t be back next summer. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back.”
“Oh, Tyler.” Maggie clutches his book against her chest. In a way she’s hugging him, and in a way she’s using the book as a shield. “This is terrible.”
Tyler starts to say something, then changes his mind.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Oh. Okay.” Standing, she brushes sand off her jeans.
“Can you bike home, holding that?” he asks.
“I think I’m probably just about that coordinated.”
Tyler approaches her. “Good-bye, then.” He holds out his hand.
Maggie feels absolutely freaking weird. She wants to kiss him, and at the same time, she knows if he tries to kiss her, she’ll hurl. She loves him, or maybe she finds him repulsive, she doesn’t want him to leave, she’ll die if he kisses her. “I’ll take good care of your book.”
“Thanks.” Turning, he picks up his dirt bike, jumps on it, and pedals away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Emily’s parents are at some yacht club dance. Maggie’s babysitting. Emily’s so bored she’s actually considering walking all the way home to ’Sconset. It’s not even seven o’clock on an early August evening.
She’s dawdling along Orange Street, headed out of town, when a Jeep slides up next to her.
“Want a ride?”
Emily rolls her eyes as she turns to say something dismissive—but it’s Ben. Her breath catches in her throat.
“Where are you going?”
“More than that, Maggie. I’m not coming back.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m gonna go live with my dad. I’ll go there for holidays and summer vacation.”
“In California?” Maggie gawks at Tyler as if he’s just said he’s moving to the moon.
Tyler shrugs. “My dad thinks I need to be near a hospital so we can really fix this eye thing. My mom’s dating Clarence Able, you probably know that, and I think she’d like a little time with me out of the house. Anyway, Mom and Dad decided, then told me.”
“Didn’t they ask you first?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“This sucks,” Maggie says, discovering she means it. “Life’s going to be so boring without you. Who’s going to make me laugh?”
“Yeah, well.” He looks away from her, finds a pebble, throws it down the hill.
“I meant because you say such funny things,” Maggie clarifies, sorry to have hurt him.
“I know what you mean.” His voice cracks.
She hates him for being pitiful. “For God’s sake, we all get insulted.”
Tyler clutches his backpack and digs around in it. “I want to give you something.” He pulls out his scrapbook: Official Register of Secrets .
“Wow, I’d forgotten all about this.” Maggie scoots closer to him, watching as he turns the pages. “You know,” Maggie says, tracing a sketch of a pond with one fingertip, “these drawings are really good.”
“Nah.”
“Yeah, they are. Oh, man.” She sighs, leaning back, looking up at the impartial blue sky. “It was a lot of fun being little, wasn’t it? I loved all those fantasy games.”
“You were the only one I knew who liked to play that kind of stuff,” Tyler admits. “That’s why I want you to have this book.”
“Oh, I can’t have that! Why not take it with you?”
“Because it belongs here on the island.”
“Then leave it with your mom.”
“If she marries Clarence, they’ll move into his house. She’ll pack up my stuff while I’m living off island.”
“But—”
“Look!” Tyler jumps up, pacing angrily away, then turning back. “This doesn’t come with any kind of obligation . I won’t bother you, Maggie. I won’t be phoning you or writing you or expecting anything from you. It’s just, my whole life is changing, I won’t have any one place to call my own. You’re the only person in the universe who knows about this stupid book, and the only one I can trust not to destroy it.”
“Okay, geez, take a chill pill,” she snaps. “I’ll keep it. You can come take it whenever you want.”
“I won’t be back next summer. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back.”
“Oh, Tyler.” Maggie clutches his book against her chest. In a way she’s hugging him, and in a way she’s using the book as a shield. “This is terrible.”
Tyler starts to say something, then changes his mind.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Oh. Okay.” Standing, she brushes sand off her jeans.
“Can you bike home, holding that?” he asks.
“I think I’m probably just about that coordinated.”
Tyler approaches her. “Good-bye, then.” He holds out his hand.
Maggie feels absolutely freaking weird. She wants to kiss him, and at the same time, she knows if he tries to kiss her, she’ll hurl. She loves him, or maybe she finds him repulsive, she doesn’t want him to leave, she’ll die if he kisses her. “I’ll take good care of your book.”
“Thanks.” Turning, he picks up his dirt bike, jumps on it, and pedals away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Emily’s parents are at some yacht club dance. Maggie’s babysitting. Emily’s so bored she’s actually considering walking all the way home to ’Sconset. It’s not even seven o’clock on an early August evening.
She’s dawdling along Orange Street, headed out of town, when a Jeep slides up next to her.
“Want a ride?”
Emily rolls her eyes as she turns to say something dismissive—but it’s Ben. Her breath catches in her throat.
“Where are you going?”
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