Read The Children for Free Online

hypothermic. I had read that when you freeze to death, a sense of euphoria sets in. I was still noneuphoric; that had to be a good sign. I was pre-euphoric.
    Laurel laughed again and Everett laughed again. Laurel commented on the weather and Everett commented on the weather. Everett asked her about her flight, and finally I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Everett!”
    They both jumped, and Everett dashed across the beach and into the water.
    â€œJesus, babe, sorry,” he said. “I forgot.”
    I snatched the towel from him and wrapped it around myself. He forgot. Forgot all about me, freezing in the lake. He smoked way too much weed. He did shit like this all the time.
    Laurel said, “Oh. My. God.” And here’s something I’ve forgotten to mention. She does that annoying thing with the single word as sentence on her blog and her Facebook posts. That thing people were doing five years ago because it was funny then. She often places a period After. Every. Word. I had no idea that the people who do this online actually do it in real life when they speak.
    â€œI. Am. So. Sorry!” Laurel said. “I thought I heard somebody out there. You must be freezing.”
    â€œNo. I’m. Fine,” I said, deciding to speak her weird language. I was shivering under the towel. Everett was rubbing my arms up and down to warm me, but I shrugged myself away from him. Spin and Sally knew about Everett and me; that’s probably why he was being so casual. But I didn’t like others to know. We had just met this Laurel person, and here he was practically humping me on the lawn. I tried to pull my thick, wet hair away from my face, but my fingers were getting caught in the tangles.
    â€œI’m Charlotte,” I said, turning to face Laurel, and then I almost dropped my towel when I found myself in her arms. She had actually pulled me to her and was hugging me.
    â€œI’m so, so, so glad to finally meet you, Charlotte,” she said, pressing her warm cheek against mine. Her arms were still around me. I was clutching my towel to keep from being in a naked embrace with this stranger. It was insane. Who does that? Who would hug an unclothed stranger? I knew that if I looked at Everett, he would crack up, so I stared off into space. Later he told Sally that I looked like I was in a “fugue state.” Of course they were both stoned and helpless with laughter when he told her about it. Sally wouldn’t have been laughing if it had happened to her.
    â€œLet’s go inside; I need to get some clothes,” I muttered into Laurel’s bosom. Finally, she released me. I walked toward the house, pulling my towel tightly around me. Everett and Laurel followed.
    â€œOh, so clothes are allowed,” Laurel said. “It’s an optional thing, then.”
    â€œYup,” Everett said. “Totally your call.”
    Laurel laughed, Everett laughed. I pushed the screen door open, and if Everett hadn’t caught it with his foot, it would have slammed in his face.
    *   *   *
    I pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt and brushed the hair away from my face. When I went back downstairs, Everett was alone in the kitchen. He was poking around in our fridge.
    â€œHey, Lottie,” he said. “Think it’s okay if I have some of this pie?”
    â€œWhere’d she go?” I asked. “Where’s Laurel?”
    â€œShe left. She said she wanted to come back and meet everyone tomorrow with Spin. Said to tell you good-bye. What is this pie, strawberry? Strawberry rhubarb, or what?”
    The kitchen windows were suddenly flooded with light. A car had just pulled into the driveway, and a moment later, Joanie was in the kitchen with us. My mom “cleans up good,” as Whit used to say. She’s so active with her tennis and running and gardening that she usually wears no makeup and pays little attention to her hair. But when she does