ALL RIGHT, WHAT to do with an evening that went wrong before it had even started? I dropped my suddenly exhausted self onto a bench close to the road and fished in my pocket for my cell phone. I had called my parents several times since coming to my aunt’s place, and I always made sure to sound happy and not convey how much I missed them. But when I called my mom tonight, I just sobbed into the phone.
I told her about Chloe’s unexpected bitchiness and that she was turning my stay into hell. I also told her about Anthony Mitchell’s verbal slaps in the face. My mom listened to my rant for minutes without disrupting me, then she took a deep breath before she turned into the angel I knew. She asked me about the good moments I’d already had in Grover Beach. I remembered Susan, Lisa, and Simone, who seemed to instantly like me, and I also told her that Nick Frederickson had done the fish dissecting for me when I couldn’t.
As usual, my mom’s soft voice soothed me. By the time I said good night and promised that I would call her after school tomorrow, I’d dabbed at my tears and was able to breathe again without my chest and throat feeling like they were being acupunctured.
I sat for a little while, regarding the darkening sky, wondering whether I should just go home and go to bed. Yeah, great idea, coming home with eyes bloodshot from crying. My aunt and uncle would freak out. And Chloe would have my head for it. I planted my boots on the bench and hugged my knees to my chest, skimming through the new names in my cell phone. Maybe one of the girls was up to having a cappuccino with me in Charlie’s café.
My thumb hovered over the call button with Lisa’s name on the display. She was probably with her boyfriend, and I didn’t want to be the odd one out. I called Susan instead.
“Hi, Sam, what’s up?” she greeted me with a happy giggle. “We were just talking about you.”
“Um…hi. Who is we, and why were you talking about me?”
“I’m with Lisa, Simone, and then some. Wanna come hang out with us?”
I hesitated, deliberating who some would be. But she could mean anybody, and I desperately needed a little distraction right now. “Sure. Where are you guys?”
“At Hunter’s beach house. Where are you? I can come and get you.”
Chloe hadn’t gone far before she’d kicked me out, so I figured it was best to walk back home and have Susan pick me up from there. “Do you know where Chloe lives?”
A snort traveled down the line. “Yes.”
I laughed at her obvious disgust. “Know what? I’ll wait for you at the corner down the street. How’s that?”
“Much better than picking you up right from her driveway. I’ll be there in ten.”
I rang off and walked toward the point where we were supposed to meet. Susan and I arrived there at the same time. She was fast.
The window rolled down on the passenger’s side. A beaming Susan leaned over. “Get your pretty ass in.”
I did, and she drove off in silence. After a couple of minutes, she asked, “What’s with your eyes?”
“Long story.” And nothing I really wanted to talk about.
But obviously Susan did. “Trouble in the house of Summers?”
Gazing out the side window, I sighed. “Sort of.”
“Chloe gave you shit again, didn’t she?”
Now I turned to her. “Again?” What did this girl know?
“Right before you called me, Lisa told us what happened Saturday night down at Charlie’s.”
A grunting sound traveled up my throat. “Let’s just say it’s not as much fun to live with her as I’d hoped.”
Susan glanced at me, then back out the windshield. She was silent, but I knew she was dying to hear the full story—all the gory details.
All right. “I tried to make up with Chloe, and she said I could come with her and her friends to see a movie. But it was just a show for her parents. In fact, later, she kicked me out, making it clear in no uncertain terms that she wanted me gone, not only from her car, but also from her house and her family.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah…ouch.” And Susan didn’t even know half of how much this really hurt.
“Ah, forget about that bimbo. You can hang out with us any time you want. Just give me a call and I’ll spring you from the Summers’ dungeon.”
Her humor cheered me up, and by the time we arrived at Ryan’s place, which was a nice bungalow down on the beach just outside town, a smile curved my lips again. Susan steered her car into an empty spot that looked like it was waiting just for her, then we climbed out. A weird feeling settled in my gut as she led me up to the wraparound porch and knocked on the door. Laughter drifted from inside. And familiar voices. Damn. My heart lurched to my throat. Tony was with them. I didn’t know how much more of him I could bear tonight.
Lisa opened the door a few seconds later, smiling at me. She ushered me in after Susan when I was hesitant. “What are you waiting for, Sam? Come on in.”
After a deep breath, I followed her through a spacious living room and into the kitchen. A bunch of people sat squeezed around a rectangular wooden table. Some of them I knew, others I didn’t. They all turned our way when we came in and shouted greetings or waved at me.
Tony was rocking on two legs of his chair, his eyes narrowed to a scowl. Of course he didn’t say anything.
I forced my gaze away from him and said, “Hi, all,” to everyone else.
Lisa pointed a chair out to me, across from her and between Nick Frederickson and a dark-haired woman I hadn’t seen before. “This is Rachel and her husband, Phil,” Lisa introduced us. “Rachel’s Ryan’s sister.”
I shook hands with her, noticing the stunning likeness of the siblings.
They were all sharing pizza from five huge boxes. Ryan offered me a piece on a paper plate the moment I sat down. In spite of my smile, I still felt utterly miserable inside, and pizza was the last thing I wanted. But I figured it would be rude to refuse. I really wanted to blend in, so I forced a few bites down but declined a second piece.
“Chloe is being a glorious bitch again.”
I nearly choked as a sip of Sprite went down the wrong pipe at Susan’s announcement.
Lisa looked at me as if she totally knew what horror I’d been through. “What did she do this time?”
I could do nothing but shake my head as I coughed, fighting to get air into my lungs again. Susan didn’t shut up. She babbled out all the information she’d wrung from me on the drive here. The boys rolled their eyes, and the girls scrunched their faces in sympathy.
“That’s so ugly of her,” said Simone and smacked Alex on the shoulder. “I can’t believe you made out with her last year, too. Does no man ever see what a bitch she is?”
Alex rubbed the spot on his shoulder where he got hit and grinned. “Hey, don’t give me that. I didn’t know her back then. And seriously, you don’t care about things like bitch or not if you’re a guy.” He smirked at Nick, who burst out laughing, then he leaned in and kissed Simone on the mouth. “But now I’m with you, so no need to worry, baby.” He took a big bite from the slice of pizza she held in her hand, which was obviously the end of their argument.
The conversation soon focused on soccer. I pulled a lollipop from my pocket, unwrapped it, popped it in my mouth, and leaned back in the chair, just listening. Until I noticed Lisa watching me. One eyebrow raised in inquiry, I waited for her to tell me what was on her mind. She leaned on the table and lowered her voice so as not to interrupt her boyfriend and Nick. They were having a discussion about the best tactics to score a goal on a team from L.A. that apparently called themselves the Rabid Wolves.
“I’m having a sleepover at my place on Friday,” said Lisa. “Just us girls. Allie will be there, too. Wanna come?”
That sounded like a nice idea. I yanked the lollipop out of my mouth. “Sure. Where’s your place?”
Lisa tore off a piece of pizza box and scribbled her address on it. Apart from one number, the address was totally identical to Tony’s. Of course, she’d told me they were best friends, but I didn’t realize they lived next to each other.
“You two are neighbors?” I said, looking from her to Tony and back, which gave me everybody’s immediate attention. Well done, Sam.
“Yeah, always have been,” Lisa said with a light quirk of her brows. “So you know where Tony lives?”
I wasn’t prepared for the innuendo in her question. In fact, it was totally out of place. An annoying warmth crept to my cheeks.
“Oh, come on, don’t be ridiculous,” Tony said before I could answer. His laughter sounded irritated. “My aunt forced me to give her my AVE notes, and she came to get them this afternoon. I’m not hanging out with another Summers. You should know me better than that.”
Even though I was prepared for shit coming from him, the way he emphasized my name stabbed me in the chest.
“By the way, tiny.” He turned his pissed glare at me. “Shouldn’t you be home drawing?”
Yeah, right. Maybe he wanted to show me to the door, too? Could it be that he and Chloe shared the same gene pool? Their manners sucked, and I was so at my limit tonight. So I snapped back, “And shouldn’t you be in a café wiping tables, busboy?”
The others sucked in a collective breath. Apparently I’d hit a nerve, and I regretted my words the instant they left me. Tony’s glare turned from stone cold to freezing. His mouth curved in the parody of a grin. “Only on weekends, hun.”
The term of endearment had the effect of a combine harvester running down my spine. Our gazes locked in a scowling battle as he continued, “So if you intend to show up with your sweet cousin, let me know and I’ll hold a table for you. In the basement. Where we keep the other snakes.”
My chin dropped to my chest and my throat tightened painfully. I’d run out of comebacks to his low blows.
Lisa punched his arm. “Hey, don’t give her crap. She’s already getting enough of it from her cousin.”
“Why? She started it.”
“How?” I suddenly screamed at him. “By coming in this house? By moving to this town? Or simply by being born a Summers?” My vision misted. I quickly blinked the welling tears away and rose from the chair. Clearing my throat, I turned a pleading look to Lisa. “Could you show me to the bathroom, please?”
“Sure.” She stood and smacked Tony upside his head. “Sometimes you’re such an idiot.”
I followed her out of the kitchen to the back of the house, where she pointed out the bathroom. “You okay?” she said, rubbing my arm.
“Yeah. I just need a minute.”
“Look, normally Tony isn’t such an ass. His poor male brain is just taking a while to understand that not every person named Summers is like Chloe.”
I nodded but didn’t want to discuss it right now when new tears were crowding my eyes. Lisa squeezed my hand, which was comforting, then headed back to the front and I locked myself in the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the peach-colored tub for a couple of minutes, blowing my nose on toilet paper. Eventually, I went to the double sink and splashed cold water on my face.
With my hands braced on the soft-pink marble counter, I looked at myself in the mirror. Oh, what a fine appearance I made. Shoving my hair out of my eyes, I took a few deep breaths. Just why did this bastard get under my skin so much? He was a jackass. Someone not even worth a second thought. But it was impossible to brush off his jibes. The truth was they hurt more than I wanted to admit. I didn’t want to face him again.
However, staying in here for the rest of the night was not an option. My stomach knotted as I turned the lock. I slipped out and silently closed the bathroom door just as a harsh whisper drifted to me from a room at the other end of the hall.
“What the hell was that in there?”
I recognized Lisa’s voice and stopped dead.
“What do you mean?” That was Tony, sounding arrogant as usual.
Instinctively, I stepped back and pressed myself against the bathroom door. This could only be about me. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to eavesdrop. But what other choice did I have? If I walked back to the kitchen now, they’d see me and know I heard them. I wanted that even less than hearing what they had to say.
“I mean you and Sam. I wasn’t sure if you two were going to make out on the kitchen table or tear out each other’s throats.”
Oh boy, had she completely lost it?
Obviously, Tony thought the same. “Are you out of your mind, Liz?” He stressed each word.
“Tony, I’m certainly the person who’s known you best for most of your life. But ever since Sam entered the café on Saturday, it seems like I don’t know you at all. Why are you such a dickhead when she’s around?”
“Because…”
“Because what?” Lisa demanded when he fell silent.
I, too, tensed for his answer. But Tony decided to counter with his own question. “Why would you think I’d want to make out with her? Have you looked at her? She’s totally not my type.”
Okay, I knew that, but still…ouch.
“She’s a pretty girl.”
“She’s not. She’s short. And snappy. Did you hear how she called me busboy? That is totally Chloe’s word. And what’s with her hair? Does she comb it with a firecracker or what? Someone should tell her she looks like a hobbit.”
“Anthony Jason Mitchell, that’s a friend of mine you’re talking about! Why are you suddenly turning into a complete moron? Someone should spank some sense into you.”
“Knock it off, Liz,” he said, annoyed. “You sound like my mother.”
“If Eileen Mitchell could hear you now, she’d ground you for the rest of the century,” Lisa whispered harshly. Then she continued, sounding a little calmer, “By the way, I like Sam’s hair. It’s cool and something new. I’m thinking about getting a similar style myself, actually.”
Tony chuckled. “Yeah, do that and Hunter will spank your ass. And if he doesn’t, I will.”
A moment later, he came out of the room and walked straight for the kitchen. He didn’t see me pressed against the bathroom door, horrified by what he’d just said.
Lisa, however, spotted me the instant she came out after him. With a grimace, she stopped in her tracks. “Oh no. You heard it all, didn’t you?”
I nodded, unable to speak.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have cornered him in there.”
Now I shook my head, wanting her to stop apologizing. It certainly wasn’t her fault Tony was an asshole. In fact, I was the idiot for listening in on them. “Could you give me a ride home?” I begged. “I don’t want to go in there again.”
Lisa waited a moment, as if deliberating whether to attempt to persuade me to stay. Finally, she nodded in resignation. “Sure. Just let me get Ryan’s keys.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
With a spinning mind, I trudged through the front room and out onto the veranda, where I slumped down on the wooden steps. Only twenty feet away, waves crashed on the beach, and I wished I could drown all my anger and pain in them. I was so sick of this whole moving thing and the troubles that came with it.
Sniffing, I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. When the door opened behind me two minutes later, I glanced over my shoulder. It wasn’t Lisa coming out but her boyfriend. He jingled a bunch of keys in his hand. My butt remained rooted to the floorboards as he walked down the steps, turned around, and squatted in front of me.
“Tough day, huh?” he said, looking me in the eye.
“You have no idea.”
“I told Lisa I’d take you home. You cool with that?”
“Um, sure.” As long as I would get away from Tony, all was fine with me.
“Okay, let’s go.” He rose and reached for my hand, pulling me up.
In a car that certainly commanded attention wherever it was, Ryan drove me home. Most of the way we were silent, but when he turned into the street where my family lived, he slowed down and looked at me for the first time. “You know, he isn’t really such a jerk.”
“Who, Tony?” Yeah, right. “That’s a bit hard to believe,” I muttered.
“Seriously. He’s a nice guy. A good friend. I’ve known him for a long time.” He parked the car in front of the house and cut off the engine, which made me wonder if he had more to say.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned toward him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because my girl likes you, and from what I’m getting, you’re cool. Seems like you’ll be hanging out with us a lot in the future. I just want you to feel comfortable when you do.”
“Comfortable?” I gave a bitter laugh. “With Anthony Mitchell around? Oh, sure.”
“Give him a chance. He just needs some time to…adjust. He’ll work it out, I’ll make sure of it.” When Ryan started the engine again, he smirked at me. “Mitchell is a soccer player. It’s all about defense. He doesn’t like it when somebody’s getting under his skin.”
My brows pulled into a nonplussed frown.
“Never mind.” Ryan laughed. “Go to bed and get some rest. I think you need it—you look chewed up and spat out. See you at school. Lisa will save a seat for you at lunch.”
I didn’t know if I should be happy about that or scared. Hanging out with Lisa and her friends was nice. Hanging out with Tony was…like a tonsillectomy without anesthesia. “Thanks for the ride,” I told him and heaved a sigh.
Ryan said good night, then I climbed out of his car. As he drove off, I headed inside, grateful that I had my own keys this time. All the crap I’d had to take tonight had exhausted me, and I fell asleep within minutes.
*
Before school the next day, I ran Tony’s notes through the copier in my uncle’s office. I would give them back to him at lunchtime and then find a seat with Allie and her friends. I had strained Tony’s generosity enough by borrowing his notes. From now on I would give him a wide berth. After I got my school bag from my room, I left the house a bit early, so there was no need to run this morning.
Science was fun, with Nick crying because we had to dissect an onion, and I was looking forward to the classes in which I would sit next to Susan again. She’d asked me to sit over with her in science, too, but Nick wouldn’t let me go.
Lisa, Susan, Simone, and I ran late at lunch because we’d gotten distracted by a poster hanging in the corridor that announced an upcoming soccer game. Apparently, the day was the date of Lisa and Ryan’s three-month anniversary. Lisa didn’t like the fact that Ryan hadn’t told her he’d be busy.
Ten minutes later, we entered the cafeteria ranting about how boys never appreciated the important things in a relationship. Most of the tables were full and the buffet nearly empty. With a queasy feeling in my stomach, I cut a glance at the long table where Nick and the guys sat, but Tony wasn’t with them. Scanning the entire room, I couldn’t make him out anywhere else either. Shit. I really wanted the notes out of my backpack and the last time I’d speak to him done. But it seemed I’d have to carry them with me a bit longer. At least I could sit with my friends without the tension of his presence.
I lowered into the same chair as yesterday, right beside Nick. Leaning across the table, I asked Lisa if Tony wasn’t here because of me. She shifted in her seat and mumbled, “Of course not.” But she didn’t sound at all convincing. I guessed they might have had another argument over me last night, which totally freaked me out. But I didn’t say anything more and just tried to enjoy my small heap of spaghetti.
The meal was a mistake, though, because it kept traveling back up my gullet when we had to do cartwheels and some jumping on a giant trampoline in PE. Or maybe that was just due to the disgust that rose inside me when I thought of facing Tony in my next class.
Before the bell rang for the last period, AVE, I took a deep breath, straightened to my full five-two, and stalked up to Tony at the back of the room. He didn’t notice me. Good, I thought, and dropped his folder in front of him on the desk, not caring that he was just jotting something down on a sheet of paper and the portfolio landed on his hand. “Thank you,” I said in the most emotionless tone I could manage.
Baffled for the length of a breath, Tony looked up and quirked his brows. “You’re done with all the projects?”
Oh. So that’s what he sounded like when he didn’t behave like a pig. Nice. But I knew I’d startled him, and that was the only reason he’d spoken to me in the first place. By now he probably regretted opening his mouth. Anyway, I didn’t want to waste another couple of seconds of my precious time on him.
“I’m done with the first,” I told him in a noncommittal voice. “I photocopied your stuff this morning so I could get it off my desk and not run the risk of spilling nail polish all over it.” Then I flashed a cold smirk at him, turned on the spot, and walked to the front before he could come up with a shitty reply. Sliding into my seat, I exhaled a satisfied breath.
Mrs. Jackson walked in and started the lesson just two minutes later. Soon, the strange sensation of someone’s gaze lingering on the back of my neck had me raking an uncomfortable hand through my hair. I tried to concentrate on our teacher, but the feeling was hard to ignore. After twenty minutes, I dared a brief look over my shoulder, expecting to see Tony’s eyes boring into me with a death glare. But they weren’t. He was focusing on the front of the classroom. Except, after his next blink, he cut a glance at me and we locked gazes. Weird. I couldn’t look away. And he didn’t look his normal, pissed-off self. Just…expressionless.
I gritted my teeth and turned around. Anthony Mitchell, I’m done with you.
Class was over fast, but not a lot had registered. When the bell rang, I had to ask Laura Evans, the girl sitting next to me, about the homework. She let me quickly copy her notes, then I stuffed my things into my backpack and headed out after a small group of students.
Outside the building, I ran into Allie. “Hey, Sam,” she said. “We’re going to meet up for training on the soccer field in a few minutes. You coming?”
Some dancing was just what I needed after getting a stiff neck in class. And since I had decided to give the cheerleader thing a shot after all, I nodded and followed her to the trimmed lawn a few hundred meters from the school. We were the first to arrive. I slumped down under a tree while we waited for the others. By and by, they joined us, and in the end we were a total of eight girls.
Lisa sat down Indian-style next to me and bumped her shoulder against mine. “How was art? Did the oaf behave?”
“Yeah, everything was cool.” I shrugged. “No insults for once.”
“Good. I told him I’d kick his ass from here to Nebraska if he was mean to you ever again.”
So I was right about them having another argument last night. It hadn’t been necessary, because I’d be out of his path from now on anyway, but it was nice to hear that Lisa was standing up for me. I bumped her shoulder back. “Thanks.”
A moment later, Allie had us stretching our muscles before we started the training. With the sole of my right foot planted against a tree trunk, I did some stretches like I used to do in ballet class as a child. I reached for my toes and touched my forehead to my shin then turned my head to the side and let my gaze roll out onto the soccer field. Some boys and girls were running out on the grass. So it was co-ed training today. I tried to find Susan in the crowd. She must have been there somewhere, but I couldn’t spot her. Instead, I caught a glimpse of Anthony Mitchell.
He wore the white shorts and blue jersey again, and now I saw that there was an evilly grinning red shark on everyone’s back. The same as on the banner hanging from the bleachers that spelled Grover Beach Bay Sharks.
Tony swung around, his gaze landing on our small group. Too late, I realized that I’d been watching him pass the ball with Nick. He sure noticed, because his eyes narrowed when our gazes met for a second before he turned away and jogged off toward the goal.