Read Summer for Free Online Page B

weekend.”
    The hurt in Jenny’s heart was as strong as if she’d heard the news about one of her own kids. “Oh, Bailey . . . I’m sorry. Marissa was a virgin, wasn’t she?”
    “One of the last.” Bailey dug her elbows into her knees and stared at the baseball field. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who cares, Mom. The only one left.”
    Jenny was careful with her answer. Her daughter’s feelings were real and couldn’t be easily dismissed with assurances that she wasn’t the only teenage girl desiring to save herself for marriage. Jenny ran her hand along Bailey’s back. “The right choices are never easy, honey.”
    “Yeah, and then there’s Alec. He smoked hookah with half the baseball team every weekend, and now that the season’s started, he’s switched to taking speed.” She looked at Jenny. “Speed! Can you believe it? How crazy is that? He says he’s stopped, but whatever. He always lies to me.”
    The blood drained from Jenny’s face. Alec’s parents were also friends of hers and Jim’s. “That’s serious, Bailey.”
    “I know. In health class we learned how you can have a heart attack or a stroke taking the stuff. You could even die right there on the spot.” She crossed her arms and straightened again. “It’s like I have fewer friends every week.”
    Jenny had to agree. “What about Tim Reed? He’s trying out for the next CKT show, right? He’s always been a good friend.”
    “He’s trying out, but I don’t know.” She waved her hand in the air. “I barely hear from him anymore.”
    On the field, with runners at second and third, the batter connected with the ball and sent it straight toward Ricky. He caught the ball off its first hop, tagged out the runner leaving second base, and fired the ball to the catcher.
    “Double play!” Jenny was on her feet again. “Way to go, Ricky! Good work, Reds!”
    Cole and the other Reds were hooting and howling their approval at Ricky. Those two outs made three, and the Reds were up to bat.
    Jenny sat back down and thought about what Bailey had told her. A quick phone call and she could be in a conversation with either Marissa’s or Alec’s mother. She’d want them to call her if it were Bailey making those kinds of choices.
    But Jenny had no real proof other than what the kids had told Bailey. Once, two years ago, Alec had lied to his parents and gone to a party where there was drinking. Jenny found out about it and called his mother. The woman’s response had not been what Jenny expected, and she would always remember the hurtful comments spoken that night.
    “I can handle my son, Jenny Flanigan.” Alec’s mother’s tone was beyond irritated. “With six kids, you might have enough to worry about without keeping tabs on other people’s children.”
    It was the last time Jenny had ever betrayed her daughter’s confidence. When Bailey told her about the kids at school, she didn’t hurry to the phone to call one of their parents, and she wouldn’t. Not unless one of Bailey’s friends was in danger. If Alec had promised to stop with the drugs, that would have to be enough for now. Same with Marissa. At this point, telling Marissa’s mother would only bring a heartache Marissa apparently wasn’t ready to share with her mother.
    Even so, Jenny wanted to stay up on the situation. She drew a long breath. “Marissa needs to get away from the guy, and she needs to tell her mom.”
    “I know. I told her that.”
    “And?” Jenny slid closer to her daughter, her voice still low.
    “She says she’s going to marry him. And she’ll tell her mom when she’s ready.”
    A sigh slipped from Jenny’s heart. Ricky was up to bat, and Jenny glanced over her shoulder. Jim and Cody were jogging over the hill, trying to reach the bleachers before Ricky took his first pitch.
    Bailey clapped. “Let’s go, Ricky! Keep your eyes on the ball.”
    Jim hurried across the grass, his eyes on Ricky. “Like I told you, buddy. Nice and