Sneak Peek: the shifting
Sarah smiled.
(excerpt from Chapter 3) Allison K. Hymas
It felt great to go to the Jersey Shore and know she wouldn’t have to reapply sunscreen every five minutes to squirming toddlers while her parents got a well-deserved rest. She looked forward to her night of freedom. Ryan had been early picking her up, but John hadn’t minded. At least she thought he didn’t; he hadn’t looked up from his puzzles when Sarah told him she was leaving. Hopefully he’d look up when one of the younger kids needed him. Sarah wore a simple T-shirt, green windbreaker, and jeans over her swimsuit just in case it got cold later. And sneakers, of course, in case there was a hike. Ryan wore his swim trunks, a yellow polo, his red jacket, and flip-flops. The ride was two hours long, and Ryan spent the whole drive alternating between teasing Sarah about how long it would take her to strip down to her swimsuit and talking about his big idea without actually saying anything. It would be a surprise, he said, and what kind of friend would he be if he spoiled that for her? They arrived a little after five at Atlantic City. It was still light out, so the casinos still looked like any other building, and the souvenir shops, with their brightly painted surfboard signs, were still open. The air smelled like cigarette smoke, sea salt, and vinegar from boardwalk fries. The partwood, part-cement boardwalk stretched between the stores and the pale sand, where families were beginning to pack up their things and go home. Ryan swung out of his black Jeep and raced across the boardwalk to the piece of the beach his parents had rented for the evening. “Hey, everyone! The party’s finally here!” He was instantly mobbed by teenagers. Sarah followed, recognizing almost everybody. It looked like everyone from their school was there: the jocks, the rich kids, even the brainy ones. There were a surprising number of people here early, all busily wishing Ryan a happy seventeenth birthday and getting his approval on activities they wanted to do. About seventy percent of the guests were girls, but that was to be expected at one of Ryan’s birthday parties—in emerald sky - 61