Chasing Jupiter Read Online Free

it’s barely June
.
    I was tired of wearing too-short dresses because of that stupid growth spurt I’d had last September, when my legs suddenly shot out from under me, not only catching me up to all the other sixteen-year-olds in Georgia, but also leaving me taller than most of them. Those long legs made keeping up with Mama’s fast pace pretty easy. But Cliff lagged behind, huffing and puffing as he struggled to catch up.
    I glanced over my shoulder at him and exhaled. “Mama, I’m going to walk behind with Cliff. We’ll make it there just a few minutes after you. I promise we’ll get there on time.”
    “Okay, but don’t linger.” Mama shot us a glance before hurrying ahead with Dad and Juli. “I don’t know what they’ll say when they see that girl’s hair,” she muttered.
    I slowed my steps until I fell into step with Cliff. “Hello!”
    He glared at me and looked at the ground, counting his steps. “Uno, dos, tres …”
    “Oh, so you’re going to be difficult today? Okay, then. I’ll talk to myself.” My eyes wandered around aimlessly as we walked. “Isn’t it a beautiful morning? A little warm, perhaps. Yes, a little warm, but it’s a
dry
heat. At least it’s not raining. But if it was raining, wouldn’t that mean it was cooler out? Perhaps, but—” I stopped mid-sentence, my eyes locking with the eyes of another.
    Frank Leggett, the son of the peach farmer. His light brown hair fell across his forehead, almost shiny in the morning sun. He carried a ragged notebook tucked under one elbow. And he was staring at me like I’d grown two heads.
    I jolted to a stop in the middle of the street, unsure what to do.
Should I say something? Did he notice me talking to myself? Of course he noticed, or else he wouldn’t be staring
. “Um, good morning,” I said weakly.
    Frank’s brows rose. His eyes trailed over me toward Cliff, who was grumpily walking in circles and then back to me. “Why are you talking to yourself?”
    Funny story …
My mind raced, but I couldn’t think of a logical reason. I sighed.
Let him think I’m crazy
. “I’m more pleasant company than any other person I can think of. No one else is as eager to listen to me as I am.”
    He stared at me blankly for a moment. Then a smile broke on his face, slowly at first but then blossoming into a full-out grin. He had a wonderfully handsome face when he smiled, like the difference between a small flame and a blazing fire. His eyes were a gold-green, crinkling up at the corners. For three and a half glorious seconds, I was at a loss for words.
    Then, as quickly as the smile came, it left and he was Frank Leggett again. Frank Leggett, the socially inept. Frank Leggett, the good-looking boy who was too moody for any of the girls to want to go steady with. Frank Leggett, the son of the peach farmer.
    He nodded and turned, heading toward the church. I followedbehind, dragging along Cliff and wanting to kick myself.
Stupid, stupid
.
    Pastor Greene’s voice boomed through the church walls. “Good morning! And isn’t it a wonderful morning to be in the Lord’s house?”
    My eyes squeezed shut.
Oh
,
great
. Frank pushed open the church door, and I braced myself. Sure enough, everyone turned around to watch the three of us slip in the back. Frank seemed unfazed and headed toward his family’s pew.
    Mama frowned at me. Beside her, Juli was holding back a smile, her hair even more hideously blue in the morning light. She looked frightful. Gorgeous, but frightful all the same. Our family would surely be the talk of Georgia that afternoon.
    I lowered my eyes and led Cliff to where our family sat. I settled in my seat directly behind Dotty Greene, the pastor’s wife. Her blonde hair was piled up in a beehive and obstructed my view.
    “Please stand to sing,” Pastor Greene said, pulling out a hymnal.
    I flipped through pages in the hymnal until we came to the right hymn.
How Great Thou Art
. I wrinkled my nose.
Why do they all have