Waveborn

32

                  

Cass ran up to the Mercantile as soon as they returned to the harbor, but Jason had already left for the day. He'd left a note for her on the Andiamo, though, which Jen delivered with raised eyebrows.

Can you come with us to Remembrance tomorrow? We're starting work at noon. –Jason

"From your boy?" Jen asked. She leaned against the Andiamo's rail, hands clasped behind her.

"Yes." Cass hesitated, not sure why she didn't want to tell Jen about him. It felt like talking about him might jinx things. She was as bad as Jen. "You know Joe, the guy who runs the mercantile? That's his grandson."

"And?"

"And I like him. A lot."

"I could tell that much."

"He has a band with a couple of other kids. I'm going to sing with them at the Solstice concert this weekend." She poured the words out in a rush, before she could change her mind. "They're going over to Remembrance tomorrow to work on the stage. Jason wants to know if I can help."

Jen frowned. "What time?"

"Noon until they're done, I guess."

"So you could come help me at the research station in the morning?"

Cass nodded. "We're supposed to practice tomorrow night, after we finish with the stage. That's where I was last night," she added. "At practice, and then Jason biked back with me because it was so late."

"So I noticed." Jen sighed. "I'm not comfortable with the two of you out so late together, by yourselves. Are you having sex?"

Cass flushed. "Jen!"

"Well, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"There's no "of course not". I know some kids your age are sexually active, but it's not a good idea."

Wow, Cass thought. Was she about to tell her about the birds and the bees? "Jen, I'm fifteen."

"Not just because of the pregnancy risk," Jen went on. "Not just because of STDs, either, although that's an important point. When you have sex someday, you need to use protection."

Cass covered her ears with both hands. "Jen! Are you seriously going to give me a whole life's worth of sex ed in one afternoon? I know this stuff. We learned it in middle school."

"But there are good reasons to wait," Jen persisted. She was determined, Cass had to give her credit for that, anyway. "Studies show...."

"Did you and Dan have sex?" Cass interrupted.

Jen blinked at her. "That's kind of a personal question, don't you think?"

"No more personal than you asking me!"

Jen ducked her head. "Not after he met your mother. After that, it was as if I—we—had never happened."

It felt strange not to head over to Jason's house that evening, but Cass borrowed Jen's phone to let him know she could help the next day. "We'll do more than just fix the stage," he told her. "We need to clean up the beach, collect driftwood for the bonfire, all that sort of thing. It'll be fun, though. Evie's bringing snacks, Reis is in charge of tunes, and I'll have a cooler with soda and lemonade and stuff."

Cass cradled the phone to her cheek with a smile. "Should I bring anything?"

"Just yourself."

His voice trailed off; Cass wished she could see his face, so she would know if he looked as worn and tired as the day before. "Last night," she began, hesitant, "did she..."