passionate about. I have no idea what Iâm going to do after school.â
Sarah nodded. âMe, neither. And school isnât even an option for me.â
I looked at her curiously. âWhy not?â
She hesitated. âMoney, for one thing,â she finally said.
I was surprised. Sometimes, it felt like I was the only one in the world who worried about paying for school and stuff. âWhat else?â
Sarah shrugged. âWhat does it matter? If I canât afford it, thereâs no point. I made enough as a nanny to travel, but the money will run out eventually, and then Iâd better come up with a plan.â
I sighed and sat back. âIt sucks, doesnât it?â
Sarah nodded, but Joelle answered. âIt doesnât have to. So what if weâre confused? Nobody said we had to have it all figured out.â
âMy mom did,â Sarah and I spoke simultaneously, and we both started to giggle.
Joelle waved her hands in the air. âLike they had it so figured out when they were our age! Actually,â she hesitated, thinking, âI think my mom may have already been pregnant with Charlie when she was twenty.â
I shuddered. âI canât imagine that.â
âI could,â Sarah spoke quietly, and Joelle and I both stared at her. She looked at the two of us, confused, and then panic stole across her face. âOh God, no! Iâm not pregnant or anything.â She paused. âOh God, what if I am?â
Joelle slapped her leg. âSweetie, stop making up things to worry about. You guys were safe, right?â
Sarah nodded slowly, her face pinched, and I exhaled loudly. Joelle studied us for a moment, and then she hopped up.
âYou guys need cheering up. Itâs time for an attitude adjustment.â She grabbed her bag and marched off across the sand, and Sarah and I watched, mystified, as she went back to the beach hut where weâd rented our chairs.
I turned to Sarah. âI didnât know about all that.â
She shrugged. âI didnât know your stuff, either.â
âItâll work out somehow, right?â
She shrugged again. âI hope so, but most days, it doesnât feel like Iâm doing anything but stalling. I mean, how is this trip going to help me figure out what I want to do with my life?â
I nodded. âSometimes I think I should just give up and go home.â
Sarah shook her head. âI canât even do that.â She paused, considering. âMy dadââ
Before she could finish her thought, Joelle reappeared, carrying three bottles of golden beer with limes stuck in the tops.
âAll right, negative Nellies. Itâs time for us to remember how awesome it is that weâre sitting on a frigginâ beach in Italy right now!â She passed me a beer and handed one to Sarah. Lifting hers in the air, Joelle waited for us to do the same. After a beat, we did, and she grinned. âThatâs more like it. Hereâs to this perfect moment!â
We clinked bottles, and I almost smiled. I looked out at the water. It really was perfect.
Chapter Twelve
We decided to stay in Cinque Terre for one night, and after a second day of lying on the beach, drinking beer, and talking about inconsequential things, we dragged our tired selves back to the train station as the sun was beginning its afternoon descent.
âGod, I am SO sunburned!â I complained, resisting the urge to scratch my flaming shoulders.
Sarah shook her head. âI told you to wear the sunscreen.â
âIâve never been burned like this! I feel like a lobster.â
Joelle grinned. âYou sort of look like one, too.â Her tan skin was a shade or two darker, but she didnât seem to be burned. Sarahâs nose was a little pink, but no one else had suffered as much as I had. I didnât want to look in a mirror for a week; I probably had raccoon marks from my sunglasses.
The train