Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Author:Sarah Dessen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Babies, Romantic Love, Bicycling, Self-Discovery, Change (Psychology), Insomnia, Fiction, Children of Divorced Parents, Interpersonal Relations, Guilt, Change, Dating (Social Customs), Divorce, Infants, Insomniacs, Self-Discovery in Teenagers, Friendship, Realistic Fiction, Identity, Guilt in Teenage Boys
ISBN: 9780670011940
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2009-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Wallace’s apartment was the lower level of a green house two streets back from the beach. The yard was mostly dirt with a few clumps of grass; there was a washing machine on the side porch, and a sign hanging over the garage read, inexplicably, SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY.

‘Interesting name choice,’ I said as I followed Maggie and Esther up the driveway, the bag of condiments we’d bought at the Gas/Gro – ketchup, mustard, mayo, and chocolate sauce – in my hand. Leah was lagging behind, her phone to her ear, still networking in hopes of finding a better destination.

‘It wasn’t up to the guys,’ Maggie explained over her shoulder. ‘The landlords picked it. It’s a beach thing, you know, naming houses. The last place Wallace lived was called GULL’S CRY.’

‘Which was a terrible name,’ Esther said. ‘Hey, Mags, remember when Eli and Abe were living over in that dump on Fourth Street? What was that –’

‘SUMMER LOVIN’,’ Maggie finished for her as we climbed the front steps. ‘And there was nothing to love about it, let me tell you. Such a dump.’

Just as she said this, Adam appeared in the open door, an oven mitt on one hand. ‘Hey,’ he said, holding it over his heart, offended. ‘You haven’t even come inside yet!’

‘I wasn’t talking about this place,’ Maggie told him as he stepped aside, letting us in. ‘This is… very nice.’

Which was kind of an overstatement. The living room was small, crowded with worn, mismatched furniture: plaid couch, striped recliner, very beat-up coffee table, stained with rings upon rings upon rings. Clearly, though, someone had taken steps to spruce it up, as was evident by the bowl of nuts on the table and what looked like a brand-new scented candle burning on the bar that led to the kitchen.

‘Decor,’ Adam said, having caught me noticing this. ‘It really makes a difference, don’t you think?’

‘Still stinks like beer,’ Leah informed him as she came in, dropping her phone in her purse.

‘Does that mean you don’t want one?’ Wallace yelled from the kitchen.

‘No,’ Leah said.

‘Didn’t think so,’ he replied, emerging with a twelve-pack of cans. He moved down the line, handing them off. I was going to pass but ended up taking one anyway, if only to be polite.

‘There are coasters to your left,’ Adam said to Leah as she popped her can.

‘Coasters?’ she said. ‘On this coffee table? It’s already covered with rings.’

He glanced at it, then at her. ‘Just because something’s damaged doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be treated with respect.’

‘Ad,’ Wallace said, ‘it’s a coffee table, not an orphan.’

Esther snickered. But Maggie, true to form, reached over and set a coaster on the table before putting her beer down. As she did, Adam reached behind him to the island, grabbing a camera sitting there. ‘Our first hot-dog party,’ he said, raising it to his eye. ‘I have to get a shot of this.’

The reaction in the room was swift, and unanimous: every single person except me raised their hands at once to cover their faces.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.