Chapter Nine
"Man, I'm hungry," Mary said to herself more than anyone else. They were walking along the edge of the beach. Simon and Ruthie were skippng along in the water.
"Yeah, me too," Lucy agreed. "And tired."
"And hot," Jen piped in. "Let's go sit in the shade."
"Can we still splash in the water?" asked Ruthie.
"Sure," Mary replied. "We're gonna sit in the shade right over here."
"Okay," Simon said.
As Mary, Lucy, and Jen sat down, Mary asked Jen if she had a boyfriend. Jen gave a half smile.
"No, not anymore."
"Yeah, me neither," Mary said. "Well, actually, I've never even had a boyfriend."
"Neither have I," chided Lucy.
"Our dad is a minister so it's kind of hard to have a boyfriend," Mary told her. "What does your dad do?"
"Well, actually, I just moved in with my grandmother," Jen replied, not wanting to talk about her parents. "My parents thought it would be good for me."
"Why?" asked Lucy.
"They said I was getting out of control," she replied. "They've thought that ever since they caught me having sex in their bed when I was 12." Mary and Lucy's mouths dropped open. "That's the New York lifestyle for ya."