The Last Song

Of course, that made the whole thing a little more interesting, if only because he knew all about Will’s weak spot.

He could have some fun with that. Just like he was going to have fun tonight.

23 Will

For Will, the summer was passing way too quickly. Between working at the garage and spending most of his remaining free time with Ro

She’d become part of his life-in many ways, the best part. Even though he didn’t always understand her, their differences somehow seemed to make their relationship stronger. They had argued over his request to accompany her to court, which she had adamantly refused, but he remembered her surprise when she found him waiting for her outside the courthouse with a bouquet of flowers. He knew she was upset that the charges had not been dropped-her next court appearance was scheduled on August 28, three days after he’d leave for college-but knew he’d done the right thing by showing up when she accepted the bouquet with a shy kiss.

She surprised him by getting a part-time job at the aquarium. She didn’t tell him about her plans beforehand or ask if he could put in a good word for her. Frankly, he hadn’t even realized she’d wanted a job. When he’d asked her about it afterward, she’d explained, “You’re working during the day, and my dad and Jonah are making a stained-glass window. I needed something to do, and besides, I want to pay for the lawyer myself. It’s not like my dad has a lot of money.” When he picked her up after her first day of work, however, he noticed her skin had an almost greenish tint to it. “I had to feed the otters,” she confessed. “Have you ever stuck your hand into a bucket of dead, slimy fish? It’s disgusting!”

They talked, endlessly. There didn’t seem to be enough time in the world to share everything they wanted to. Sometimes it was simply talk to fill the quiet moments-when they debated their favorite movies, for instance, or when she told him that even though she was a vegetarian, she still hadn’t decided whether eggs or milk counted. But at other times the conversation turned serious. She told him more about her memories of playing the piano and her relationship with her dad; he admitted that he sometimes resented the fact that he felt a responsibility to be the kind of person his mom insisted he be. They talked about her brother, Jonah, and his sister, Megan, and speculated and dreamed about where they’d end up in life. For him, the future seemed tidily pla

Despite the cages that had been built to guard the turtle nests up and down the beach, raccoons had burrowed beneath the wire mesh and destroyed six nests. As soon as Ro

Scott, of course, couldn’t understand it at all. More than once, Will was late for practice and he’d arrive to see Scott pacing in agitation, wondering what had gotten into his friend. At work, in the rare instances that Scott asked how things were going with Ro

Ro

And about himself, of course, for failing to call her on it.

Other than Ro

One night in early August, Will agreed to take Ro

“I told you I don’t like crabs!” Ro

He laughed. “They’re just spider crabs. They won’t hurt you.”

She squinched up her nose. “They’re like creepy, crawly bugs from outer space.”

“You’re forgetting that doing this was your idea.”

“No, it was Jonah’s idea. He said it was fun. Which serves me right for listening to someone who learns about life by watching cartoons.”

“I would think someone who feeds slimy fish to otters wouldn’t be bothered by a few harmless crabs on the beach.” He swept his flashlight across the ground, illuminating the fast-moving creatures.

She sca