“So,” Kendall said, stepping next to Summer. “I was thinking tomorrow night we make our boys take us to dinner. There’s this great new seafood place on the beach where The Shack used to be, and Jack said it’s really good.”
“Cody and I broke up last night.” Saying the words aloud made Summer want to start crying all over again.
Kendall came to an abrupt stop, her eyes going wide. “Shut up!”
Summer told her friend the same thing she’d been telling herself since last night: “It’s for the best. He and I weren’t working anymore.”
Kendall slid her arm around Summer’s waist and gave her a quick side hug. “I’m so sorry. I know it seems like the end of the world now, but you two just need some space. He’ll realize what he’s lost and come crawling back, you mark my words.”
“Kendall, it’s over. There’s nothing he could say…” Summer rubbed her temples, the headache she’d had since last night growing with a vengeance. “I don’t want to talk or even think about it anymore.”
“Well, it explains why you look so rough this morning.” Kendall’s gaze dropped to the T-shirt Summer had thrown on, disapproval filling her eyes. “I know how to make you feel better, though. You can come over tonight and we’ll have a girls’ night. We can eat ice cream and watch a movie.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to a show with Troy and some other friends.”
“But you’re planning on eating lunch with the girls today, right?” Kendall’s eyebrows shot up. “People are starting to wonder about you, you know. Everyone’s asking me why you’ve gone all weird lately.”
Summer pushed through the front doors of the school. “Let them wonder. I don’t have the energy to deal with it. Besides, they’ll all be happy I’m not there. It’ll give them a chance to gossip about me and Cody’s break up.” She gave a half-hearted wave to Kendall and weaved her way through the crowded hallway, headed toward her locker.
She froze when she saw Cody standing in the hall, her heart stopping along with her feet. While she imagined she looked all mopey, he seemed to be perfectly fine. In fact, he had his arm around Jenna Cambell, the very skank who’d thrown herself at him when Summer had been out of town last month. If there was any truth at all to Jenna’s reputation, Cody shouldn’t have a problem getting what he wanted from her.
Pain radiated through her chest. She wished that his being a jerk last night erased all feelings she had for him. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way.
Doing her best to bury her sorrow deep, where no one else could see it, she retrieved her books as quickly as possible and charged down the hall. When she got into her first period classroom, she sat down and took big breaths, trying to erase the images and hurt feelings, and failing at both.
“Ready for the show tonight?” Troy asked. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Summer glanced at Troy and did her best to sound enthusiastic. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”
Troy’s eyebrows drew together. “You look kind of sad, Sunshine. What’s up?”
Summer shook her head, not wanting her voice to betray her. Her throat burned with the effort to keep from bursting into tears, but she managed to choke out, “Nothing.”
Troy opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Mr. Jennings stood and started his lecture. He dove into the topic of ionic and covalent bonds, managing to add even more to Summer’s misery.
Summer stuffed her money into her pocket and hurried out of her bedroom. As she descended the stairs, Troy and Dad came into view. They stood in the entryway, their voices too low for her to make out words. When she’d first started dating Cody, Dad kept asking what had happened to Troy. He hadn’t been very subtle when it came to his preference about who he’d rather her spend time with. Even after she explained that she and Troy were still friends, but they were both with other people, Dad continued to ask about him.
Dad stuck his fingers between the blinds, creating a gap large enough to see out the window, and peered outside. “You’re still driving the Cherokee, I see.”
The first time Troy had picked her up to go to Equinox, Dad had gone out to inspect the Jeep. Instead of acting annoyed like most people did, Troy had gotten down on the ground and proved how much he knew about his vehicle. Dad ate it up.
“I am,” Troy said. “And all the maintenance is up to date.”
“Good.” Dad turned away from the window and looked at her. “Just you and Troy tonight?”
“No, we’re picking up a couple more people. It’s not a raging party unless you’ve got lots of peeps.” Summer stuck out her tongue and threw both hands up in the rock and roll sign.
Dad let her know he didn’t think her joke was funny by furrowing his brow. “You’ve got your mace?”
“Dad, they won’t let me into the club with mace.”
“Right.” Dad gave Troy a stiff pat on the back. “Then I’m counting on you. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
Troy slung his arm over Summer’s shoulders, jostling her against him. “I’ll take good care of her, Mr. Davis, I swear.” He grinned, obviously happy with his over-the-top performance—she couldn’t help but smile at it either.
Dad gave one sharp nod. “I like this guy. Troy, you should come over more often.”
“Oh, I’m sure Summer’s boyfriend would feel differently.”
“You didn’t tell him?” Dad asked, glancing at Summer. “In theory, Cody’s history. Right, kid?”
Summer breathed through the sting those words caused and nodded. “Right. Now we’re going to be late if you don’t let us go. We’ve still got more people to pick up, and who knows how long their parents’ protective speeches are going to be.”
“Okay, okay. Be good, and be careful. Remember, defensive driving is smart driving.”
“Later, Dad.” Summer grabbed Troy’s arm and pulled him out the door, wanting to forget about everything and get on with this night. An entire week had gone by since she’d first seen Gabriella, and so far, she didn’t have anything to show for her efforts. Tonight’s mission was to get Ashlyn over her prejudice so Summer could start with the rest of her job, which she still had no clue how to do.
Troy opened the passenger door of the Jeep for her. He got in, and fired up the engine. “So, you and Cody are finished?”
“We broke up yesterday.”
Troy glanced over his shoulder, then pulled onto the street. “Why?”
Summer took a deep breath, trying to figure out how much to share.
“Sorry,” Troy said. “I guess I shouldn’t be prying.”
“I really just want to forget about him and have fun tonight.” She picked at a thread on her jeans, not wanting to say more, but not wanting things to be weird. “Hey, you think they’ll play Obligatory tonight? I’ve always wanted to hear it live.”
“They better. It is the song our friendship was founded on. That and the keys.”
Summer grinned, remembering the first day she met Troy.
Feeling a little lost and lonely at her new school, Summer had put in her earphones, turned up her music, and found an empty bench outside. A group of boys were skateboarding around the parking lot, jumping curbs and doing tricks. She watched them, remembering her brief stint as a skateboarder back in Chicago—she’d taken it up to impress a guy. She crashed a lot, never got a hang of the really cool tricks, and ended up realizing the guy was totally wrong for her, though he ended up being a great friend.
Troy’s tricks brought him closer and closer to the bench. After a few minutes, he rolled up to her, tapped the end of the skateboard with his foot, and caught it in his hand. “So, what are you listening to?”