Chapter Seven Rowan
Chapter Seven
Rowan
“Here, put this on.” I hand Summer an emerald FLU T-shirt.
“Why?” She looks down at her country club uniform shirt.
“You look like you work here.”
“I do.”
“Not right now you don’t.”
She rolls her eyes but takes the shirt and pulls it on over the polo, then does some weird shifting around to take the polo off underneath. I watch unabashedly, almost as impressed by this party trick as I am intrigued by her. Almost.
Despite her best efforts, both shirts ride up on her stomach, flashing me a few inches of fair, smooth skin. My gaze drops, holding there, until she pulls off the polo and the green shirt falls into place.
“Impressive.”
“Years of changing on the sidelines,” she says by way of explanation. She balls up her work shirt and glances down. “Better?”
The shirt is two sizes too big for her and hangs loose around her neck. Her collarbone and part of her shoulder are visible.
“You look great.”
She huffs, like my comment is bullshit, and takes her seat with me again.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are shit at taking compliments?”
“Maybe,” she says, with a timid smile. “What are we supposed to be doing exactly?”
“Man the table. Answer questions about FLU.”
“Do you know a lot about FLU?” she asks me.
I point to the brochures. “Most people just want the free merch, or that’s what I’m told. It’s my first day on the job.”
“Not a bad gig.” She leans back in the chair. “Beats cooking hot dogs and cleaning out the popcorn machine.”
I drop a hand to my stomach. “You’re making me hungry.”
She laughs and stares out at the golf course. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, but there’s still so much I don’t know about her. I’m not even sure where to begin.
“How’s practice going?” I ask because I know she likes talking about soccer. It’s the one topic she doesn’t seem guarded about.
“Better, I think, since Amanda stopped openly hating me so much.” She looks over at me. “She told me you talked to her about me.”
“I only told her to lay off. She had ideas about you being a spy for Oakley.”
“Well, whatever you said, thank you. She’s including me at practice now, so it’s a vast improvement.”
“Good.”
“She thinks there’s something going on between us. I told her there isn’t, but I’m not sure if she believes me.”
I cringe, thinking about what Amanda might have said to her. “She can believe whatever she wants.”
Summer studies me, gaze narrowed.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m trying to figure out if you really mean that or if you’re deflecting. You both said there isn’t anything going on, but everyone else seems to think you’ll get back together.”
I shrug. I don’t know either.
Our conversation is cut short when Kristy and Val come back from lunch. I make the introductions.
“Summer Lindsey. She’s a senior at Frost Lake High too. I asked her to help me out. She knows a ton about FLU.”
Summer blushes. “I toured it with my brother when he was choosing a school. He ended up taking a soccer scholarship out of state, but I fell in love with the campus.”
“She’s also a killer soccer player,” I add.
“No way,” Val says. “I play on the women’s team. What position are you?”
“Midfielder.” Summer is blushing but beaming.
“I’m a striker,” Val says.
“I know. I’m a big fan. I came to a couple of games last year. That last-second goal you made against Colorado is forever imprinted in my brain. And that game against Grand Rapids in the conference tournament where you went into the penalty kick shoot-out.”
“You really are a fan,” Val says, grin widening.
“That’s great,” Kristy says. “Are you applying next fall?”
“Yes, of course. I’ve already started working on my application letter.”
We’re interrupted by groups of golfers and high school kids looking for free shirts and Frisbees for the next couple hours. Summer and Val chat on the side and it’s fun to see her excited and animated. It makes me think I’m seeing the real Summer for the first time.
When it finally dies down, Val is the first to go.
“I have to get to practice,” she says, then smiles at Summer. “Good luck this season. Hope to see you next year.”
“Thank you and same.” Summer is beaming and I’m beaming right back like a proud brother. Except I’m not sure my feelings for her are very familial. There’s something about her. She’s intriguing as hell.
“Oh wow. I didn’t realize how late it is.” Summer’s eyes widen at the time on her phone, and she stands. “Thank you so much for letting me hang out.”
I let out a quiet snort. She’s such a nerd, thanking us like she wasn’t doing us a favor.
“Thank you,” Kristy says. “I appreciate the help.”
“You’re welcome.” Summer shifts and then looks at me again. “I guess I’ll see you at school Monday.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
I can’t wait.
She takes a step backward and then turns and heads toward the parking lot. When she’s ten feet or so away, she glances back. And I’m still smiling at her like an idiot. I wave, and then she swivels around and steps out of view.
Kristy stands and starts placing the leftover merch in plastic tubs. “You’re on the schedule next week for the career fair, right?”
“Yes.” I nod.
“You should ask Summer if she’d like to join as well.”
“I’m sure she’d love that,” I tell her, and I would too.
“You two are cute together.” Kristy’s smile is knowing, except whatever she thinks she knows isn’t correct.
I open my mouth to tell Kristy we aren’t a couple, but before I can, her phone rings. Kristy looks down at it and frowns. “I have to get this,” she says as she takes a step back. “You’re free to go. Thanks for your help today, Rowan. See you next week.”
* * *
Monday morning, the halls of Frost Lake are filled with first-day excitement. Lacey and the other cheerleaders have the halls decked out in glittery signs.
“Seniors. Finally,” Vaughn says as we stop in front of our lockers. The letters S-E-N-I-O-R-S are spelled out in big, white letters down the row of lockers that have historically been reserved for the seniors at Frost Lake. And now I guess that’s us.
“Yeah. Finally,” I say, but it doesn’t feel real.
“We have to take a photo,” Lacey says, sliding in next to Vaughn. She’s dressed in her cheerleading outfit and even more smiley than normal.
“Another?” Vaughn asks.
“Yes.” She elbows him in the side. “This is our last first day of school.”
Lacey holds her phone out as the three of us squeeze together. She takes two or three, then darts off to another group of seniors, presumably to make them pose with her as well.
“Do you think she’s going to be like this all year?” Vaughn asks, but instead of his old grumpiness, he sounds like the thought amuses him.
“Definitely.” I open my locker and put my backpack inside.
“Hey.” Claire comes to stand next to me and opens the locker to the right of mine. “We’re locker neighbors this year.”
She proceeds to hang up a mirror and a pencil box. I love the shit girls put in their lockers.
“Nice.” I duck in front of her and check out my reflection, pretending to smooth out my hair.
She laughs. “You look good.”
“I know. I know. Just wanted to stare at my handsome mug for a sec.”
Claire pushes me out of the way. “Excited?”
“Eh…” I bob my head side to side. “Kind of.”
Today’s a trip. I’m happy to be a senior this year.
Stupid or not, I feel a little more important walking the halls today.
It’s just that I don’t have any idea what’s next.
Everyone else is soaking up the beginning of the end, but they’re so clear on what they want that it seems to leave them free to enjoy today all the more.
I’m not sad, but it’s definitely bittersweet.
High school is cool, and I’m excited to graduate and do other things.
I just don’t know what that something is yet.
“What about you? Ready to crush senior year?” I ask her.
“Hell yeah.” As she answers, Austin wraps his arms around her waist from behind. She squeals and then leans back in to him. He drops a kiss to her cheek.
I look to my left where Vaughn and Lacey are holding hands in front of his locker. Well, shit. I’m between the two couples. Getting to my locker this year is going to be tricky.
I look down the hallway. A flash of red catches my eye.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” I say to the couples, who likely aren’t listening to me anyway, and head toward Summer.
Her back is to me as I approach. She stares into the empty locker. I can feel the nerves practically radiating off her.
I lean against the locker next to hers. “Ready to do this thing?”
She startles, then closes her locker. “This thing being school?”
I nod.
“Yeah. It’ll help me focus on something other than how weird it is.” Her gaze lifts and roams over the halls. I try to see it from her point of view. If I were to walk into Oakley today, I’m sure I’d feel uncertain too.
“What do you have for first period?” I ask.
She takes her phone out of her front shorts pocket and unlocks the screen.
“First period psychology in Room 301.”
“With Mr. Hayes. Me too.” I grin at her. “What else?”
She holds her phone out and I slide over to read from it as she does, “anatomy, literature and composition, academic prep, calculus, and, finally, photography.”
“Tough schedule.”
She hums. “You?”
“My schedule isn’t nearly that rigorous, but we have psych and academic prep together.”
“Two hours of the day that I’ll know someone.”
“I’m sure you’ll know a few other people.” Like the entirety of the girls’ soccer team. I’m surprised none of them are here making sure she’s finding her way.
Summer lets out a long breath like she’s steeling herself for battle.
“Do you want me to show you around?” I offer. “I’m going the same way anyway.”
She hesitates a beat before nodding, almost like she wants to say no even though it’ll make her life easier. It makes me laugh how stubborn she is.
“Come on. I’ll point out your other classes on the way.”