Read Turtle Bay for Free Online

Leslie, Paris, and Farrah—or the Unwelcoming Committee, as I would now think of them.
    Buttercup was working in the front yard when I got home. "How was the beach?" she asked, kneeling in front of the inexpensive planter we had bought for her herbs.
    "Nice. The ocean is a beast though." I launched into a description of how the waves had tossed me around like a rag doll. Buttercup smiled at my narrative and didn't comment on the dangers of being reckless in the ocean. It wasn't that she didn't care. She and Butch were just the kind of parents who felt the best lessons in life were learned from experience. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would be infinitely more careful the next time I went into the water. She would be right. I had learned a new respect for waves today after the ocean made me its plaything.
    "Where's Butch?" I asked, pouring myself a glass of lemonade from the pitcher that was resting on the small table on the porch.
    "He's working in your room with the plumber. Looks like you'll have your own bathroom before you know it."
    "Yay! I thought my bladder was going to explode when I had to skate around that bug. Speaking of which, where's Player?"
    "He's in the flower power room. I figured Butch wouldn't be venturing in there anytime soon, so he should be safe with his allergies."
    "Smart idea. I'm going to go catch a shower and then I thought I would hit the pavement to look for a job."
    "Why?" she asked, surprised, sitting back on her heels.
    I shrugged, unsure of how truthful I wanted to be. "There's a few things I want before school starts in the fall," I finally admitted.
    "Like?"
    "Um, books, supplies—maybe some new clothes?" My confession didn't evoke any response other than Buttercup's eyes boring into mine as she waited for me to elaborate further. "I want to look different this year," I added defensively as she quirked her eyebrows.
    "Clothes do not—"
    "Define a person," I finished for her. "I know you always say that, Mom, but new clothes are nice. Maybe I want to experience the bliss of not worrying about whose ass last filled out the jeans I'm wearing."
    "Language," she warned.
    I rolled my eyes. Was ass really a bad word? It is an animal too, after all. I considered debating the point, but saw no reason to provoke her when I was trying to talk her into letting me get a job.
    "I'm pretty sure I wash out any butt germs before you wear them, Rainbow," she teased, dropping seeds in the hole she had made in the soil with her finger.
    "Rain," I corrected automatically, not bothering to address her comment. It was a fight we'd had so many times that a stalemate was the closest resolution we were going to reach. I knew Buttercup struggled to understand the changes she and Butch had seen in me during the past few years. I went from wearing whatever homemade or hand-me-down clothes that were provided for me to begging for new ones. Combine that with my track record for trouble since middle school and getting kicked out of Huntsville High and I was pretty sure my parents assumed aliens had taken over my body. "I want new stuff. Don't worry. I'll buy it," I said with an uncharacteristic edge in my voice. I just wished they'd see my side of things. Butch and Buttercup could live any way they wanted to, and I should be able to make my own choices. I didn't see the problem.
    She sighed. "Butch and I have no problem financing your other wants, but we can't justify wasting money on new clothes when there are dozens of thrift stores offering the same thing for so much less. Now, if you want us to buy you a sewing machine so you can try your hand at making your own, that's a different story. Maybe you'll have more success than I did," she added, shuddering slightly since her own attempts at making clothes had been a complete bust. Buttercup had mad skills when it came to gardening and making jewelry, but she was a disaster when it came to sewing.
    "Pass," I answered, heading for the front door. This