pulled away.
“Here’s a little FYI for you. Girls don’t like to be called moody! Ever!” Summer stormed toward her car, glad she’d insisted on driving.
Cody caught up to her in the parking lot. “Summer, I’m sorry. I keep screwing everything up.”
“Yes you do.” She unlocked her doors and got into her car. She tried to pull the door closed, but Cody grabbed it. “I’m done, Cody. I’m going home.”
“But if you go home now, your dad won’t let me come over anymore. Remember his strike out rule? I swear I was trying to be funny. I see now that it wasn’t funny. Just cut me some slack.”
Summer looked up at him, her chest tightening. “I think I need a break from us.”
“I don’t want to take a break. We’ll get past this rut we’re in. Like when you decided to treat me like shit for a month. It sucked, but we worked it out. Because that’s what you do when you care about someone.” He squatted down and grabbed her hand. “I don’t know why everything’s so hard with us lately. I just know I love you.”
She hovered the key over the ignition. A couple months ago, she was angry and depressed, not doing a good enough job of keeping that door in her mind closed, and everything Cody did irritated her. He’d been supportive and understanding, holding her tight and talking her down, even when she’d been horrible to him. The harder she pushed him away, the nicer he’d been. She apologized once she snapped out of it, and he forgave her without making her feel guilty.
“Baby?” Using his grip on her hand, he brought it to his chest. She felt his pounding heart, his warmth. “Let’s just forget about this weekend and start over. Will you let me do that?”
Summer looked into his blue eyes and thought of that dark period when they’d steadied her time and time again. They were a mess together, but she felt like even more of a mess when they were apart. She let out a long exhale. “Get in.”
Chapter Four
Summer dumped her notebook and chemistry book on the desk Monday morning and flopped into the chair. Her day had barely started, and she was already irritated at life in general. The ups and downs with Cody were still eating at her. She wasn’t sure she was ready to go back to happy, cuddly couple, like he wanted. But then she’d think of life without him, and she couldn’t decide if that meant she cared or she was just weak.
Troy took his usual spot to her left and draped his long arms across his desk, leaning in her direction. “I’ve got some scoop for you.”
She pushed away her stormy thoughts and spun to face him. “Sweet! I’ve always wanted my very own gossip girl.”
Troy scowled and sat back in his seat, arms crossed. “Now I’m not going to tell you. You don’t deserve to know.” He tried to pull off angry, but a twitch in the corner of his mouth gave him away.
Summer nudged his shoe with the toe of hers and shot him a smile. “Oh, come on. I’m
Troy raised an eyebrow, letting the suspense build. Just when she was about to ask if she had to beg, he ran a hand through his messy dark hair and said, “Unicorn Stench is playing at Equinox on Friday night.”
Her heart skipped a couple beats as she thought of seeing one of her favorite bands live. “But I thought they broke up. I heard Johnny and Francie couldn’t play together after their relationship went sour.”
“They got back together. Now they’re playing together again, too.”
“Apparently, the breakup inspired them to write some awesome new songs.” Troy propped his elbows on his desk and leaned in close. “So, you down? I’m sure you have to check with Studmuffin and all, but you shouldn’t miss it.”
Summer lowered her eyebrows. “I don’t need permission from him. He’s my boyfriend, not my dad.”
Troy threw his hands up. “I just know that things got messy last time. You’re welcome to come with the group I’m getting together if your boyfriend doesn’t want to go.”
Summer and Troy used to go to Equinox together all the time. Kristen, his tattooed, leather-jacket-wearing girlfriend at the time, wasn’t exactly pleased with their friendship. Then Summer started dating Cody, and he wasn’t a big fan either. The last time she and Troy went to a show together, it had caused a major fight with Cody. Right now, though, Summer was annoyed enough with him not to care.
Mr. Jennings stood and cleared his throat, his way of telling everyone class was starting. “Get out your notebooks. This information is going to be on your next test.” He stood at the white board and started writing notes with his green marker.
“I’ll let you know about the show,” Summer whispered to Troy. She turned back to her desk and opened her notebook.
Ashlyn Moore’s name glared back at her in giant print. Summer quickly flipped to another page. And another. Every page had Ashlyn’s name written across it. Her heart rate picked up speed, each beat bringing pang of panic. She slammed her notebook closed. Engraved on the top of the desk, in giant, square letters, was Ashlyn’s name.
“What the hell?” Realizing where the message had to be coming from, she said, “I mean, heaven. Maybe.” Over the weekend, she’d decided the conversation with Gabriella had never happened. It had just been a weird dream. And that odd desire to meet Ashlyn at the beach party, that was just a coincidence. Her mind playing tricks on her. She even convinced herself that the brochure had come in the mail or slipped into her backpack somehow.
“You have a question, Summer?” Mr. Jennings asked.
Summer looked up from the engraving. Most of her classmates were staring at her, eyes wide. “No. I…I grabbed my wrong notebook. I’ll, um, just use the one I’ve got.”
Mr. Jennings took up his lecture again, and Summer’s gaze returned to her desk. The name wasn’t there anymore. She ran her hand over the surface of the desk, feeling the smooth, unblemished top underneath her fingertips. When she re-opened her notebook, she found the pages blank.
She exhaled a shaky breath, her heart still pumping way too fast.
Obviously, she couldn’t put off her supposed assignment any longer. Meeting Ashlyn Moore just got bumped to the top of her to-do list.
The bell rang, and Summer gathered her books. She checked the desk one more time, expecting to see the name again, but found nothing. She put her hand on Troy’s arm. “Hey, do you know Ashlyn Moore?” she asked, wanting to see how well he knew her, and get any possible insight she could.
“Yeah. Cool girl. Good skater, too. I know she’s a fan of Unicorn Stench, so I was going to ask her if she wants to go with us to the show.”
“Can you introduce me to her? Like at lunch or something? I need to get to know her.” That last sentence was supposed to stay in her head. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.
Troy’s dark eyebrows drew together. So he noticed. “Suuure,” he said, drawing it out. “But why?”
“Um, long story. I…” No possible way to explain popped into her head. “Can you introduce me or not?”
His eyes bored into her, and she felt heat climb into her neck. She forced herself not to squirm under his scrutiny—if she’d known it was going to be this awkward, she would’ve skipped it and gone it alone. “Meet me by the front of the cafeteria and I’ll take you over,” he said.
“Thanks.” The heavy feeling she’d been carrying around since Friday afternoon lifted, and her muscles relaxed. Even if it turned out she was suffering from hallucinations and nothing more, the safe bet would be to at least introduce herself to the girl. If she was lucky, she’d simply meet someone new, there would be no follow up, and no one would be worse for wear.
