Free Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

chest and arms. Giselle Dollson wasn’t even bothering to hide the fact that she was staring, and Jenna Liu was standing too close, curling her hair around her finger as she talked to him.
    Figures. The day I discovered a guy I might actually like, everyone else in town discovered him too.
    “I thought you said he didn’t hang out,” I said.
    Rachel frowned. “He doesn’t. I’m not sure what he’s doing here.” She sounded irritated. “The surprise was that I told Ky and Luke to leave their stupid Frisbee at home. Thought you and Luke might finally get a little time to yourselves.”
    “What did you do?” I demanded, heart sinking.
    “Just texted him. Nothing! Don’t get all weird about it.”
    I found Luke in the crowd, tossing Fritos into the air and catching them in his mouth. He missed about half the time. I had a feeling Jack Dimaunahan didn’t have a lot in common with the rest of the guys here, but before I coulddwell on it, Rachel let out a whoop and ran straight into the clump of kids. At the last moment Ky picked her up and carried her to the water’s edge, pretending to throw her in, while I did my usual last-minute pep talk and tried to convince myself that this time I’d actually be able to relax enough to have fun.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    R ELAXING WAS HARDER THAN USUAL TONIGHT , given what had happened with the denim jacket and the presence of Jack, who turned out to be pretty good at volleyball. He and a few of the other guys split into teams, switching to a glow-in-the-dark ball when night fell. He had a wicked serve, and every time he spiked, the ball crashed down onto the sand on the other side of the net, guys falling on the ball a split second too late. I noticed the way his team moved back to give him space.
    I wasn’t the only girl who watched, but I was the only one with my own personal bartender. “Okay, okay,” I protested the fourth time Rachel filled my plastic cup with Diet Coke, adding rum to her own cup. “But unless you want me to float away, how about you slow down?”
    “Sorry, I’m going off the clock.” Rachel laughed and, true to her word, she disappeared with Ky. Apparently Hopper had been given the bad news that he was being dumped—Rachel had been thinking of breaking up withhim for a while—and Ky wasn’t about to let his friendship with Hopper get in the way of a chance with Rachel.
    I sipped my soda and talked to Jenna and Lara Prytowsky and Victoria Abelson—actually, I mostly listened, enjoying the sound of their laughter, the salty air on my skin, and the cool night breeze. I had hoped to have some time alone with Rachel tonight; I was thinking about telling her about the jacket. But first I’d have to tell her about my visions. I had thought that after she had a drink or two it might be easier for me to tell her—and maybe easier for her to hear it—but I hadn’t gotten my nerve up before the party got into full swing and it was too late.
    I wanted to trust my friendship with Rachel, but something was keeping me teetering on the edge. Occasionally she got quiet and seemed to retreat into her thoughts. Sometimes she snapped at me for no reason. It wasn’t just me—I’d seen her do it to her other friends, too, and she could be impatient with Adrienne. She could also be really sweet, and most of the time she was upbeat and positive. Her dark moods were so dark, though, it sometimes worried me.
    For the thousandth time I found myself missing Lincoln, and I promised myself I’d call him soon. I’d been so busy with my life that I hadn’t talked to him in over a week. He had a few flaws as a best friend—chief among them that he had no interest in clothes or fashion—but he was a good listener and I knew I could trust him. Rachel had never done anything to make me regret sharing my thoughts with her, but she wasn’t an open book the way Lincoln was.And what would happen if she ever figured out that I wasn’t cool enough for this crowd after all?
    As if