SOLVED. YA book about a girl who moves to an area with a beach and meets a gender fluid/ queer teen deals with bullying. [s]

[Jennifer]

I read this book around 2002/2003. I borrowed it from the school library as a physical book. It was in English. Do not remember the author or the cover. It took place during modern times. It was a young adult/mid-teen read. Nothing explicit.

It was about a girl who moved to a new town that was either an island or near beaches. It introduced a gender fluid/queer character that was feminine and had to deal with bullying from the small community especially the jocks.

At the end (and I may only be vaguely remember this), the queer character disappeared into the ocean. Ultimately it was about meeting this person and the effect that it had on the girl and how it opened her up to the unique differences in people.

[Becca]

What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci, maybe?

[Jennifer]

I think that's it! I believe I got some of the character roles swapped around, but after reading the synopsis it sounds like it's right. I'm going to borrow it from the library and read through.

Thank you! I've been trying to remember the title of this book for years!