Lauren Takes Leave by Gerstenblatt, Julie (ebooks children's books free txt) 📕

me down. Thepalms rustle overhead and I feel more relaxed than I have in a long time.

My mind has a moment to empty. But just as I try toimagine a clear, blank slate, a question pops into my head that I cannotignore. “Kat,” I whisper. “How do you know that Leslie needed six stitches?”

Jodi and I both look at Kat. She’s holding a beautifulTree pose, but what I see before me is a classic double pause followed by atriple fidget. I’ve caught her at something.

“I’m just guessing,” she says, trying to stay balanced.

“Bullshit.” Surprisingly, this comes from Jodi and not me.

“Ladies, if you cannot be quiet, I will have to ask you toleave the group,” Debbie says, pseudo-sweetly, biceps flexing. I remind myselfthat underneath the calm façade is the body of a woman who could seriously kickmy ass.

“Fine.” Kat tilts her head skyward and stares at thedarkening blue expanse for a moment, neck arched, liked she’s stretching. Shesighs. Then she turns toward us. “This morning I friended Shay on Facebook. Shetold me.”

“Really? Why would you do that? I thought the goal was todistance yourself from the crime scene, not leave your fingerprints all overher, metaphorically speaking.”

“Do you know how many people probably friended Shay aftershe won the election?” Kat says, expertly switching her Tree pose to the otherleg. “On Facebook, I’ll hardly stand out from her admiring crowd.”

This is true. It’s probably a nonissue, I think, relaxinginto Pigeon pose. I close my eyes, the sun’s glow trapped inside my lids,turning my inner vision a bright tangerine. Inhale, exhale.

Kat clears her throat as we stand up and switch positions oncemore. “Of course, now that Shay’s asked me to be her PTA liaison to thefaculty, I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time working together. Afternoons,evenings. Perhaps just the two of us.” She raises an eyebrow meaningfully.

“Kat! Are you joking or are you insane?” I shout.

“Shh,” Jodi says, looking around apologetically. “You’rekind of yelling, Lauren.”

“I don’t care! Ever since Peter broke up with her, she’sbeen, like, on a mission toward self-destruction. She’s completely lostit!” I turn my head to Kat, maintaining my Warrior pose, if not my composure.My arm reaches out in her direction, accusingly. “Do you have a death wish? Imean, we left town because of your little tryst with Shay last night.”

“Eagle!” Debbie cries desperately.

We ignore her.

“Newsflash, Lauren. You have it backward: I didyou a favor.”

“Um…keep it down, psycho yogis,” Jodi adds. “Let’s playnice and have fun here. I came for a break from stress!”

We let that sink in. I turn away from Kat and face the oceanonce more.

“Namaste and all that shit,” Jodi adds.

Lowering my voice to the level of one appropriate in yogaclass, I try for a softer, albeit still defensive, tactic. “Kat, do you reallywant to lose your job and perhaps cause a scandal for Shay Greene and her wholeperfect family?”

“My job that I hate, you mean?” Kat yoga-yellsback. “And why does Shay get to have it so easy? Everything’s so perfect, huh?Maybe her life needs a little bit of messing up like mine!”

“Happy Baby!” Debbie cries. “Happy Baby, everyone!”

I lie on my back, grabbing my toes with my hands. “Youdidn’t just say that, Kat.” I’m trying to relinquish some of my anger byrocking back and forth in the pose. “You want her to go down with you?In some sort of suburban Desperate Housewives scene, where you guys arefound making out in the janitor’s closet at the elementary school? I know youare hurting, and maybe this all seems like fun in your head, but are you reallythat demented?”

“It doesn’t even matter what I do, Lauren. There’s a nannycam somewhere that will ruin both Shay’s and my life anyway, remember?”

“You’re right,” I concede. “But that doesn’t mean youshould just give up on having a future that’s drama-free. Your past has beenchaotic, true, but your world doesn’t have to resemble a nighttime soap operaforever. You deserve better, Kat.”

Her eyes hold mine for a second. I can just about seethrough them, into the machinery of her brain as gears shift and slide intoplace.

“Guys! People are staring,” Jodi says. “Get up.” I lookaround and notice that Kat and I are the only two morons still on our backs inHappy Baby pose.

“I thought you liked people staring at you,” I sayto her. And before I can think better of it I add, “Bring on the paparazzi!Let’s get famous for nothing!” I’m on a roll now, truth-telling pouring outfrom my pores, and it feels freeing. “Three kids and no excitement, so…”

“That was a secret!” Jodi protests.

“Ooh…time to unburden,” Kat snarks.

“And speaking of secrets, Lauren,” Jodi adds,“you’re basically cheating on your husband.”

“Which is not much different than basically stealing fromyours,” I say.

This is not what our beachy vacay is supposed to soundlike. This is certainly not what sunset yoga in SoBe is supposed to look like.We glare at each other in stunned silence, having never fought like thisbefore.

I’m suddenly not feeling quite so free.

I change my mind; honesty sucks. I wish I could stop timeand rewind the clock, put Pandora back into her box.

“That’s it! Good-bye,” Debbie says, managing, despiteeverything, to be holding the most perfect Half Moon I have ever seen.

“Kumbaya?” Jodi calls, trying to make amends with Debbieas we gather our belongings and quickly step away from the group.

“Well, that went really well, Lauren, dontcha think?” Kataccuses. “Now my chakras are all misaligned!”

I pivot on the sand and face her. “This is not only myfault, you know. First, you got kicked out of school and now Jodi just got uskicked out of sunset yoga! Which I didn’t even want to participate in, I mightremind you.”

Digging my toes into the sand, I wait for a response.

No one speaks.

I look at Jodi, who looks at Kat, who looks at the ground.

Now that we’re silent, this would have been the perfecttime to join the yoga class.

“Um, ladies…if I may?” a man calls out.

I turn my head in the direction of the voice, which holdsthe slightest hint of southern charm.

Jodi takes one look at the