This Summer (13 page)

“What the hell man?” Carter’s face is screwed up. He bends over, picking up one of the hammers used to fling the frogs into the small spinning pond with lily pads.

I raise my hands up. “My mistake.” His shirt is streaked with water, I’m guessing from the missed tries.

He puffs out his chest. “How about I throw one of your darts at you?”

I chuckle. “I’d like to see you try. I remember your aim.”

His eyes narrow to slits. “Just because you blow back into town, it doesn’t mean you return to Golden Boy status. Things are different now.”

The nickname strikes me and before I know it, I’m up and over the other side of the booth. He was the one to give me that name his first year on the Varsity baseball team even though I was a senior. My face is close to his, but I can tell he isn’t backing down.

“What is your problem? I didn’t throw the hammer. It was an accident. Now, if there’s something else you would like to discuss, please enlighten me.”

Carter’s eyes dart over my face then quickly over my shoulder before he grins. Not the reaction I was expecting but his silence is making my pulse jump through the roof.

“Guys,” Hadley warns.

I step away from Carter, keeping him in front of me. His anger has disappeared and he’s looking at her as if she’s a prize to be won.

“What’s going on?” She glances at the small crowd that has formed at the two booths.

Carter steps back, holding his hands in front of him.

Hadley leans over the divider and I go to her. She smiles warmly at the teen couple at our booth.

Wham
!

I jerk my head in Carter’s direction and Hadley lets out a surprised squeal, nearly dropping the darts in her hands. Carter’s rolling the hammer over his hand as the lever in front of him rights itself.

Carter shrugs. “This one sticks, I was just checking it.” He waggles his eyebrows and grins at her. She looks between us, before turning to the couple.

We obviously don’t know the same Carter.

I ignore his lame attempt at impressing her or threatening me and deal with the customers. I make an effort to fall back into the routine of the booth. I take the money and Hadley gives the prizes. After another hour, we slow down again.

“You should take your break,” I say.

Carter pops his head into our booth. “I was just about to go on mine. Let’s go.”

I bite back the urge to shove his face back over the divider.

“Okay,” Hadley agrees, and heads to the back of the booth. Carter dips under the front of his and stands up, avoiding our booth.

Hadley appears around the corner to face me. “Do you want anything?”

“No thanks.”

Carter clicks his tongue and turns around, slipping his arm around her shoulder. They walk a few steps before she dips down and fiddles with her shoe lace. He stops and watches her. When she’s “done” she walks far enough away from him to make it awkward for him to do it again.

I grin, leaning on the front of the booth.

“Does she have, like, a golden vagina or something?” Isabelle’s voice is close to me.

I tilt my head. “Excuse me?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s obvious you and Carter are both interested in her. I just figured she might have something you two would want.”

“We’re just friends. Have been since we were kids. Why it’s any of your business is beyond me.”

She scoffs. “Rude, I was just making an observation,” she snaps.

I should apologize, but Carter rubbed me the wrong way, plus this girl has no idea what she’s talking about. “Yeah, well, you have customers.” I point at the group of kids practically jumping out of their skins, holding dollar bills in the air as if they’re their lifelines.

“Ass,” she mutters and walks away.

I go to the other side of the booth and sit in the chair. I lean forward, elbows on my legs.

“Where’s Hadley?” Lily asks from the side of the booth.

I indicate the rest of the carnival crowd. “Her and Carter went to get food.”

Her eyebrows nearly fly off her face.

“His idea,” I explain.

She slurps soda through a straw as she absently looks over the crowd. “I’m surprised she didn’t come find me first.”

I stand up and cross my arms over my chest in an attempt of nonchalance.

“Now that we are alone,” she says, taking advantage of the situation. “What
is
your deal with her?”

I really don’t need any more accusations about Hadley tonight. “What are you talking about?”

“As Hadley’s best friend and loyal guardian I need to know your intentions.”

“My intentions?” I choke.

“Will Carson, you know I know when you lie. You twitch, right there,” she points to a spot above my eyebrow. I swat her hand away, but she grabs my wrist, nearly pulling herself into the booth. “It’s a simple question. I just need to know how to handle all of this.” She takes a step back, and her hand away. “I don’t want a repeat of—” she waves her hand at the crowd like I did, indicating Hadley I assume. “You really messed her up.”

How many times did I need reminding?

“But that’s the past,” she continues. “She was perfectly comfortable with Carter and even though that is over, I don’t want her to go to college only having him as her experience.”

I swallow a nasty taste in my mouth at the thought of her doing anything with Carter. Or anyone else.

“If you aren’t interested then it shouldn’t bother you.” She pauses. “But you know her. The only guy she ever opened up to was you. And then you up and leave her behind. Carter was her first date, almost a year after you left. And see what happened there? I don’t think she needs to date the next guy she meets. Being in the city will give her plenty of opportunities to move on from this place.”

“Get to the point please,” I say.

“You know if you get involved with her she’s going to get attached. So I need to know if you are going to string her along like you did since she was fifteen or let her move on.”

“Isn’t Carter proof of her moving on?”

“Puh-lease,” she says. “Stop avoiding the question.”

This conversation has gone on way too long, and since when is it her business how Hadley and I act? We were friends long before Lily showed up.

“Jordan is a really cute and nice guy and I think he will be perfect for her,” she continues. “At least for part of the summer. Then there’s the sleepover part of camp. Sebastian already filled us in on the guy situation.”

“All right!” I say, exasperated. I forgot how much she can talk about absolutely nothing.

“All right, what?”

“I’m not interested in Hadley!” I say. “I’m here for the summer and then I’m leaving. For good. So whatever master plan you two have, don’t let me get in the way.”

She’s speechless for once in her life. Her demanding attitude has disappeared and she looks almost disappointed. Her eyes widen when something behind me catches her attention.

I turn around and see Hadley, balancing a plate of pizza and fried dough in one hand and a soda in the other. Her normally pale skin looks ashen.

“My break’s over. See you later Hadley!” Lily says, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Hadley hovers in her spot for a moment and then nods at her friend.

I roll over what I just said to Lily. Hadley couldn’t have heard. Could she? The way she slowly moves around the booth, setting down her food, makes me think one hundred percent that she did.

Dammit.

***

Hadley

Carter bumps my arm as we walk toward the pizza truck.

“What was that all about?” I ask.

“The Golden Boy?”

I bite my lip. “Will. Yes.”

“He’s always looking for an excuse to hit something. Not much has changed.”

When in fact, everything has changed. At least from where I stand. I glance at the boy I dated for almost a year and I see a stranger. “Why did you have to goad him though?”

We get in line and Carter turns to face me. “Why are you defending him?”

“I’m not.”

“Yeah you are.” He crosses his arms. “You still have feelings for him. Even after all this time.”

I sigh. “Carter, we’re working together.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lily hasn’t been keeping any secrets about your plans this summer.”

“What can I get you?” a pimply face kid in the truck asks when we are next in line.

I hand him my coupons. “Pizza and a soda.”

Carter does the same. “Fried dough and soda.”

The kid turns around and starts our order.

I turn to Carter. “Whatever Lily said. I can guarantee it had nothing to do with Will.”

“When it comes to you, it’s always about Will,” he says, annoyed. “I don’t even know why I bothered to think otherwise.”

“Carter,” I say, touching his arm.

He looks down at my hand and I pull it away. “We’re never getting back together are we?”

Not this again. I don’t know what to say to the hurt in his eyes.

He scoffs and waves his hands between us. “You know what? I’m not even hungry anymore.” He looks at the kid holding our food. “You eat it!” he barks and turns, walking away.

“Carter!” I call. “That’s not fair!”

He raises his middle finger but doesn’t turn around.

My jaw drops and I stare at his retreating form.

“Miss?” the kid says.

A rock settles in my stomach but I take both plates from him and slide the sodas down the counter so he can take the next customer. I stack the two plates on top of each other and take my soda, leaving the other. Maybe Carter will come back for it. But even as I think the question I know it won’t happen.

The confusing feelings I had right after breaking up with Carter flood me once again as I head back to the game booth. I smile at a group of high school acquaintances as they enjoy the carnival, even though each step I take my chest tightens even more. I’ve never seen Carter that mad. And he flipped me off like I was another guy! Maybe Will saw something in Carter that I didn’t. How could I be so blind? But Lily’s remark earlier that week reminded me that he was hurt. I could understand that. But not hurt enough to give me the middle finger.

Speaking of Lily. I spot her at my booth, but she’s on the defensive for some reason. My pace slows as I near, neither her or Will seem to realize I’m here.

“I’m not interested in Hadley!” Will says. “I’m here for the summer and then I’m leaving. For good. So whatever master plan you two have, don’t let me get in the way.”

I stop in my tracks. I never rationally thought Will would be interested after all this time apart, but hearing it from the horse’s mouth takes me back to the day I realized he wasn’t coming home. My chest squeezes. But this time a sliver of relief cuts through the hurt. Hearing him say the words makes it minutely easier to move on, just like Lily and I planned.

Lily’s eyes lift to mine and her body stiffens.

I continue toward the booth and she bounces over to me. “My break’s over. See you later Hadley!” She kisses my cheek. “Sorry you heard that,” she whispers.

“Later,” I reply and she leaves my side.

I enter the booth and hand Will the fried dough. “They made an extra one.”

Will reaches over, tearing a piece of the dough and pops it into his mouth. “Thanks.”

I avoid his eyes.

“Where’s Carter?” he asks.

“No idea,” I say to the pizza.

The last hour is torturous as I roll his words around in my head. But luckily the crowd grows enough that I’m more distracted with the patrons than worried about what Will had said.

“How does it feel to be done with your last carnival?” Will asks, checking his phone. Probably wanting to get far away from me.

I keep my eyes on the dwindling crowd. “It’s bittersweet, but I’ll probably come back next year to visit.”

“Ah.” He starts taking the balloons off the dart board and popping them. “But it will be different. You can just enjoy it.”

“I enjoyed it,” I say.

“Did you?” he asks, his eyebrows raised.

“Of course. Especially the fried dough.” In the last hour, the flames inside turned to a slow burn within me but bearable. Carter returned to his booth shortly after me, but we both made a point to keep our distance.

I rip the last piece of dough in half and move it around the powdered sugar pile on the side of the plate. Will approaches me until all that is between us is the plate. He drops his finger in the tiny white mountain and holds it in the air before sucking it into his mouth.

He rolls his eyes in pleasure and I can’t help but laugh. “At least use some dough.”

He smirks and dips his finger in the powder again but I’m quicker and pull it away. But not before he reaches for the plate. He catches me by surprise and the plate bows under our grip. The pile of sugar flies up in the air in a white cloud and the sugar clings to the tips of Will’s hair, reminding me of the month he thought bleaching his tips was cool.

A giggle bursts from my lips and I stumble back, overwhelmed with laughter.

He shakes his head, furiously running his fingers through his hair, enlarging the cloud as it flurries to the ground. He looks up and his face is a shade lighter.

“You look like a ghost,” I say, clutching my stomach.

He steps closer to me, his eyes trained on mine. “It’s not nice to laugh at people.”

My laughter ceases and I take a step back. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Before I know it, tiny particles of sugar cling to my skin. I manage to duck under his arms but he reaches out, pulling me back towards him. I shriek and try to move away but his hands wrap around my body as he continues to shake his head.

“That was mean,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

I lick my lips. “At least I taste good now.”

His eyes drop to my mouth as his hand moves up from my arm and cups my cheek. I lean into his electric touch. His hand follows the shape of my neck and when I face him again his finger trails over my jawline. He swipes at my nose and brings that finger to his mouth. “You do taste good.”

I tilt my head back, laughing. “At least we’re the same shade of sugar now.”

His hand drops to his side. I want to put his hand back on my face but the conversation between him and Lily echoes in my mind. I turn around and grab the pile of napkins that I took from the food booth. I hand him a few. He pats his face with the napkins while grabbing a few more balloons to pop.