lighter. Almost normal.
Kendall crossed her arms and frowned. “What are you smiling at?”
“Sorry,” Summer said, pulling her attention back to Kendall. “I got a little sidetracked.”
“That seems to be happening a lot.”
Summer climbed in her car and started home. As she buzzed down the familiar road, she turned up her music, letting Three Days Grace transport her to somewhere else for a while.
Blue and red lights flashed behind her, and Summer automatically glanced at the speedometer. In her hurry to get home, she hadn’t been paying attention to how fast she was going. Groaning, she pulled her car to the side of the road.
Stupid cop, ruining her Three Days Grace bliss.
“Ugh, could this day get any worse!” she yelled at her dashboard. She grabbed her purse off her seat and dug through it for her driver’s license.
The police officer moseyed over to her car and motioned for her to roll down her window. When he leaned down and looked at her, he had a scowl on his face. “Turn down your music.”
Summer lowered her eyebrows. “That’s why you pulled me over? It’s not even that loud.”
“No,” the cop said, irritation filling his words. “Turn it down so you can hear me.”
Since she doubted saying she could hear him just fine would be helpful, she silenced her tunes. She handed him her driver’s license, not really knowing how this was supposed to go. Dad followed the law to the letter, so he never got pulled over. Already, Summer could hear the lecture he was going to give her when he found out she’d been speeding.
The cop studied her license. “I also need to see your registration and proof of insurance.”
She turned to get her papers out of the glove box.
Gabriella materialized in her passenger seat, and Summer threw her hand over her heart. “Holy crap you scared me! What are you doing here?”
“You were speeding,” the cop said.
Summer turned her attention back to the uniformed officer. “Oh, not…” She trailed off, not knowing how to finish without making things worse. She shot him a quick smile, then reached for glove box again.
“Be careful,” Gabriella said. “You better tell him what you’re doing so he doesn’t think you’re reaching for a weapon.”
“Why would I have a weapon?”
“What did you say?” The cop asked, tensing.
Summer’s pulse quickened as she saw his hand hovering over his gun. “I said registration. I’m trying to remember where my dad said my registration is. I think it’s in the glove box, so I’m going to get it.”
“Do you have a weapon in the car?”
“No. Well, I have some mace.”
“I strongly suggest you don’t. You better keep your movements slow.”
Summer wanted to tell Gabriella to get out of here before she made things worse. Since she couldn’t talk to her without looking crazy, though, Summer reached past the Angel of Death and retrieved the necessary papers.
“Here you go.” Summer handed the information to the cop. She smiled up at him again, trying to soften him. It didn’t have the desired effect.
He gave her a stern look and then headed back to his car.
“I don’t think that went very well,” Gabriella said, shaking her head and then pursing her lips. “Getting grounded right now would be a detriment to your job. You can’t afford any time not working on Ashlyn.”
Summer frowned. “It’s not like I
“I can’t change the past,” Gabriella said. “We need to focus on the problem at hand.”
“So, you think my dad’s going to ground me?”
“That’s why I decided to pop in, even though I really don’t have time for it. So, instead of getting all dramatic and defensive with your dad—like you always do with me—explain your bad day. Tell him that you realize how dangerous speeding can be, and promise you’ll pay better attention to keep it from happening again.” Gabriella nodded to herself. She looked even more out of place in Summer’s car than she did in her bedroom. “Yes, I think that’ll work.”
“You haven’t already seen the future conversation all played out?”
“Don’t be silly. I don’t see the future; I’m going off a hunch. My hunches are reliable, though.”
“I think this is the most helpful you’ve been.” Summer leaned back in her seat. “Of course, you might be wrong.”
“Oh, Summer Dear, you always know exactly what to say to make me feel like a failure at a job I’ve done for… Well, longer than I care to admit.”
“Sorry.” Summer’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, then back to Gabriella. “You seem kinda sensitive for someone who delivers death sentences on a daily basis.”
“Oh, you think when I was a little girl I dreamed of spending eternity doing this? That I was like, that’ll be such fun, delivering messages of imminent death and dragging souls away from their bodies? I assure you, I didn’t. But ordinarily I do a pretty good job of it. If you saw the big picture, you’d realize that death isn’t the end. I know my job is important, and it’s hard work. Just because I’m used to delivering tough news doesn’t mean my feelings never get hurt.”
“Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I appreciate the advice about my dad.”
“Just stay out of trouble. You can’t afford another complication.” Gabriella glanced out the rear window. “Your cop’s coming back with a ticket. It’s too late to talk him out of that one.” She was transparent when she added, “Now, get back to work on Ashlyn.”
The cop handed Summer a ticket listing damages in the hundred-dollar range, then told her to be safe. Like he actually cared about her safety.
Summer eased back onto the road and started thinking about what she was going to say to Dad. Convincing him she’d had a bad day shouldn’t be much of a challenge. She had enough ammo on that subject to last for days.
Chapter Fourteen
Summer killed her car’s engine and looked over at Ashlyn. “Are you ready?”
Ashlyn shook her head. The whole drive to Kendall’s, she’d tried talking Summer out of going to the party. Since she was already on Kendall’s blacklist, though, skipping the party wasn’t an option. In fact, she felt lucky Gabriella’s advice had worked so well—that she hadn’t gotten grounded. Dad had been surprisingly understanding about the speeding ticket, only giving a short-by-his-standards, ten-minute spiel on safety on the road before letting her off with a warning.
“Come on. It’ll be fun once we get inside.” Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Summer exited the car. Witnessing Cody and Jenna making out all week had been gut-wrenching. Being forced into tight quarters with them would make the awkwardness almost impossible to avoid.
Music filled the air, getting louder the closer she and Ashlyn got to the house. Summer knew it was supposed to be a small party. Judging by the cars around the house and the noise coming from inside, it looked
