Summer Secrets by Sarah Webb

Author:Sarah Webb [Webb, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781406316940
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2010-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Clover lies back and hits her head on a rock. “What is it with this beach?” She rubs the back of her skull. “A beach isn’t a beach without sand. We should have stayed at the other one.”

We’re sitting on a stony beach on the far side of the island, away from the noisy babies who invaded the sandy beach with their buckets and spades.

“We shouldn’t be relaxing on a beach, anyway,” I remind her. “We’re supposed to be working. The new agony-aunt pages won’t wait, you know.”

Clover laughs. “You sound just like Saffy. Scary biscuits. Why does everyone keep going on about work? Work smirk. Gramps is just as bad.”

“Why?”

“He keeps going on at me about college. It’s trés boring.”

“What are you up to in September? Are you going to take another year out?”

Clover’s really clever – she never did a tap of work at school but still managed to get in to do English and history of art at Trinity College, which is pretty good going.

“I haven’t decided. I might see if I can defer another year. The magazine’s keen to keep me on. As long as Saskia doesn’t nab my job, that is.” She bites her lip.

“Can’t you do both? It’s only arts.”

She throws a pebble at my feet. “Less of that, Beanie. Arts are hard, I’ll have you know. What are you going to do, then? Rocket science?”

“Maybe. I am good at maths.”

Clover puts on a smug voice. “Hello, I’m Amy Sylvie Mabel Green. I’m an absolute genius at maths; I know pi to ten places after the decimal point and I’m not afraid to use it.”

I laugh nervously. The thing is, I do know pi to ten decimal places. (It’s 3.1415926535.) I also know it in binary numbers. Well, a bit of it – 11.0010 – and I know it’s 3.24 in hexadecimals. (Don’t ask!) I have a bit of a thing about pi. It’s just so interesting and really important too. Loads of maths and science formulas depend on it.

“But seriously,” I say, “what are you going to do about college?”

“We’ll see,” she says noncommittally. “But speaking of the magazine, how’s Mills getting on with her American boy?”

“OK. She’s doing her best to attract his attention, and at least he talks to her now, but nothing’s really happened yet.” I read Mills’s latest email last night. She sounds a bit fed up. “And Marlon and Betty are driving her crazy.”

Clover snorts. “I’m not surprised. With any luck they’ll be gobbled up by Miami gators. That’s what the Miami mafia do with all the murdered bodies.” She pulls her laptop out of her bag and opens it up. “I suppose we’d better get cracking.”

Just then a stone lands inches away from Clover’s head.

“Hey!” She swings round.

Denis is staring down at us.

“Denis, you little—” Clover stops herself. “Denis, that wasn’t very nice. Get down here.”

To my surprise, he actually does what she says, standing in front of her, a black look on his face.

“What do you say?” she asks.

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