Read Meg at Sixteen for Free Online Page A

asked. “Have you been hitting the champagne?”
    â€œI’m happy, Clark,” Meg said. “That’s your problem. You’ve never seen me happy before.”
    â€œYou won’t stay happy once Grace gets through with you,” Clark said. “Look you, Sebastian, whatever, if you really care for Meg the way you claim you do, you’d better bring her back to the party and apologize like crazy to her aunt. Otherwise Grace will take it out on Meg for what you’ve done.”
    â€œLet her,” Meg said. “I don’t care.”
    â€œYou heard her, Clark,” Nick said. “Will you leave us alone now, please?”
    â€œI don’t know who you are,” Clark said. “And I don’t know what you’re doing to Meg to make her act this way, but I’m going to tell Grace, and that will be the end of that. Meg, I’ll do what I can for you, but Grace is furious already, and your best chance is to go back to her alone and apologize like the blue devil.”
    Meg shook her head. “Aunt Grace can’t do anything to me anymore,” she said. “Nick will protect me.”
    â€œIt’s drugs,” Clark said. “You slipped her some kind of drug, didn’t you. If you hurt one hair of her head, I’ll kill you.” He paused, and Meg used all her self-control to keep from laughing at him.
    â€œCalm down,” Nick said. “You’ve done your good deed for the evening. You’ve earned your merit badge. Go back to the party and have a good time. It’s been a pleasure knowing you. Good night, Clark.”
    â€œMeg, please,” Clark said, but Meg took Nick’s hand in hers, and entwined her fingers with his. Clark looked at them, shook his head with funereal solemnity, and walked back to the party.
    â€œWe don’t have much time,” Nick said. “May I see you tomorrow?”
    â€œOf course,” she said. “We’ll find a way.”
    Nick nodded. “I love you,” he said. “Do you know that?”
    Meg smiled her reply.
    â€œWe’ll get married, you know,” Nick said. “I suppose we’ll have to wait a couple of years, but we will get married. I’ll make you so happy, Daisy. I’ll give you everything you want.”
    â€œYou already have,” Meg said. She looked up at him, to commit his face to her memory, and saw a small scar by his right ear.
    Nick turned his head slightly away from her. “I’m imperfect,” he said. “Damaged goods.”
    â€œHow did it happen?” Meg asked.
    â€œThe truth?” Nick asked, and Meg realized he wasn’t being flippant.
    â€œThe truth,” she said. “You can tell me anything.”
    â€œMy stepfather hit me there,” he said. “With a skillet. We were fighting and he wanted to kill me. My mother was so scared she called the police, and I wound up living in foster care for a few months. No one knows that about me, none of that. No one. They think my parents … they think I’m respectable.” Nick looked straight into Meg’s eyes. “You have power over me now,” he said. “I’ve trusted you with who I really am.”
    â€œI won’t fail you,” she said, and she kissed him. “No matter what, I won’t ever fail you.”
    â€œDaisy,” Nick said, and there was so much in just that one word, so much past and future, that Meg felt free of all fears and burdens, yet tied to time, to place, and reality.
    â€œIt will be all right,” she said. “I never knew that before, but now I do.”
    â€œWe’ll save each other,” Nick said. “That’s it, isn’t it.”
    â€œOf course it is,” Meg said. There was so much she wanted to tell him, even more she wanted to hear, but the sound of footsteps interrupted them.
    â€œYou’d better get out of here,” Clark said to Nick. “Grace has called