“That’s not true. Besides, you’re fabulous just the way you are.”
“I don’t think so, but thanks for saying it anyway.”
Troy walked up before Summer could say anything else about moms or how awesome Ashlyn was. “So, that was a little more fun than I bargained for.” He put his hand on Summer’s back. “Come on, Sunshine. I better take you back to the school to get your car.” He glanced at Ashlyn. “Need a ride, Ash?”
Ashlyn shook her head. “I’ve got my car. I’ll take Nelson home and see you guys later.”
“Wait,” Summer said. Even though she and Ashlyn had never hugged, she just went for it. No weird visions. Her breathing was normal. And, well, when Ashlyn squeezed back, it was hard to convince herself to let go. “See you tomorrow.”
On their way back to the Jeep, a cold breeze kicked up, sending goose bumps across Summer’s skin. Troy put his arm around her and tucked her in next to him. “I’ve got a jacket in the car. Sorry yours got ruined.” He ran his hand up and down her arm. “You were really great with Darren tonight. You calmed him down when he was about to freak out.”
“I just had to speak a little math lingo.” Images of the night flashed through her head. Pizza, skateboarding with her friends, the crazy ending. “Now that everyone’s okay, is it bad to say that I had a good time?”
“I think even Darren’s going to like re-telling the story. If he can get over his chess hand being busted, anyway.”
Summer looked at Troy’s hand on her arm—the long fingers, the fat silver ring he wore on his index finger—and tingly butterflies erupted in her stomach. She glanced up at him and found his green eyes looking right back at her. Her heart thudded in her chest. All day she kept seeing him in a different light. But she was still fresh from a breakup, and she had too much other stuff going on her life to even consider the possibility of her and Troy being more.
Right?
Curled up against him, though, she felt safe and warm, the worries from earlier today so far away now. Realizing she was staring, she decided she should say something before she simply started drooling, or some other equally cool thing. “Um, so your plan worked. I’m successfully cheered up.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks.”
Troy tightened his grip and his lips brushed her temple as he spoke. “Anytime, Sunshine. Anytime.”
Chapter Sixteen
Things between Summer and her old group of friends got progressively worse with each passing day. Practice was a battlefield. Girls glared, insulted, and made it clear how much they didn’t want to be around her.
“Nice moves,” Kendall said to Summer as she gathered her stuff. Only the way she said it didn’t seem like a compliment. “Looks like you’ve been putting a little too much effort into being a nerd and not enough into dancing.”
Something inside of Summer finally broke—that last shred that cared about salvaging her friendship with Kendall. Her getting-walked-over-days were over as of now. “I was on with the rest of you.”
“You call those spastic movements on? Maybe you were on beat, but you looked ridiculous.”
Summer lowered her voice and leaned in. “Kendall, why are you doing this? It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Why do you think? You made your choice, and your choice was to snub me, so yeah, it does have to be this way.”
“I didn’t snub you. I still want to be your friend. Not as much now that you’re being such a…” Summer clenched her jaw and shook her head, barely catching herself in time.
“A what?” Kendall asked. “Go ahead and say it.”
“Fine. A huge bitch!” Summer had intended to hold it in, no matter how hard Kendall pushed, but apparently her mouth didn’t get the memo.
The girls all around gasped in horror. Kendall’s nostrils flared as she narrowed her eyes on Summer. “Did you guys know that Summer scrapes most of her clothing from the bottom of an outlet clearance bin? All her shoes are knock-offs.”
Summer rolled her eyes. “Really, Kendall? Who gives a crap about that stuff?”
“Outlets are icky,” Lexi said.
“I think it’s dumb to pay ridiculously high prices, when you can get it for cheaper somewhere else. In fact, I don’t even care about name-brand stuff.”
“Because you can’t afford it,” Kendall said.
Shouldering her bag, Summer faced the circle of girls that had gathered behind Kendall. “Did you ever think that there are more important things than name-brand clothes and perfect hair?”
Kendall shot her a smile that was all ice, not even a hint of warmth to it. “That’s what poor people with frizzy hair say.”
I give up. Biting back all the retorts she had ready to fire off, Summer headed toward the gym’s exit, making sure to hold her head high.
“Are you just going to run away now?” Kendall asked. “Don’t act like you’re above all this. You’ve sat gossiping with me tons of times. Lexi, Summer thinks you’re a malicious gossip with nothing better to do than discuss other people’s lives. And Georgia, Summer said that your dance moves are rubbery and awkward looking.”
Summer swiveled back, mouth hanging open. She shouldn’t be surprised. A few months ago, Kendall had pushed Alyssa out of the group because she’d had the nerve to disagree with her. Summer had been naïve, thinking it wouldn’t happen to her. Thinking that she and Kendall were too close. And instead of helping Alyssa, Summer had watched it happen, just like the rest of the girls were doing now. The entire team glared at her, shaking their heads and acting like they’d never said anything bad about anyone in their lives.
Kendall had made most of the derogatory comments when she and Summer had their gossip sessions, but she doubted anyone would believe that now. Besides, she’d joined in. Guilt mixed in with the rage heating her veins.
Kendall stepped toward Summer, a smug look on her face. “Don’t bother coming back. We’ll find someone to fill your spot.”
“You can’t throw me off the team,” Summer said. “You can be mean and judgmental, say whatever you’re going to say about me, but I’m here to stay. I can dance as good as you, if not better, and I won’t be pushed around.”
Summer pushed out the gym doors, hoping the loud noise would give her the same satisfaction it had before. She wanted to feel strong. Proud that she’d just stood up for herself.
But all she really felt like doing was breaking down and crying.
By the time she’d made the drive home, she’d shed a few tears and was considering letting loose a few more. She turned up the Metric pumping through her speakers and closed her eyes. Then she realized she could cry and feel sorry for herself or she could call reinforcements.
Troy had somehow got control of the remote and flipped to one of those shows that played shocking videos. Ashlyn seemed pretty into it, too, so they watched people fall, wreck their skateboards and end up with bones sticking out at wrong angles, and suffer all sorts of other catastrophes that ended with someone holding their crotch or bleeding.
“If Nelson’s video gets enough hits, then Darren could end up on this show,” Troy said, as if that’d be the coolest thing ever. Darren, who now had a cast on his broken right hand, probably ranked higher in the social hierarchy than Summer did. The video of his death-defying leap (accidental plunge) had circulated the net, and he was obsessed with checking the comments now. They almost made him happy enough to be okay with Aaron taking his place in his upcoming chess tournament.
During the commercial break, a preview for a movie came on. The voiceover had all the normal praise that they like to pepper throughout them. One reviewer claimed it was “The best movie I’ve seen all year.”