Chapter Twenty-seven Rowan
Chapter Twenty-seven
Rowan
Sunday afternoon, I find myself outside Summer’s house. I sit in my truck one house down, staring at the tree I once climbed to get to her.
I woke up with the world’s worst hangover, but I don’t think that’s why I feel so awful. With one last deep breath, I get out of my vehicle. The sun is bright and mocking, and halfway to the front steps I have serious regrets about what I’m doing here.
I raise my hand to the door, hesitate, then knock. While I wait, I step back. Maybe no one is home, and I can turn right back around and go home.
The door swings open. Well, fuck.
“What are you doing here?” Silas asks, staring at me like he hopes lasers shoot out of his eyeballs. “Summer isn’t here. Not that she’d want to see you.”
“I’m not here to talk to her.”
His brows lift. “I don’t have anything to say to you either.”
“I didn’t expect you to, but regardless I wanted to say I’m sorry.” My palms sweat and I think I’m oozing Jack Daniel’s out of my pores.
“You’re sorry?” He repeats the words with enough skepticism to have me doubting myself for thinking this was a good idea.
“Two years ago. I wasn’t trying to hurt you, but you broke your foot and that sucked. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need or want your apology so if that’s all…
” He crosses his arms over his chest. He’s broader than he was last season, and if he throws a punch I’m probably going to have to let him hit me.
The only way I can think to make this situation worse is by hitting Summer’s brother.
She might be pissed at him in the current moment and want nothing to do with me, but I know how much he means to her.
“The shit talking on the field was mutual. You gave as good as you got. I think we’re even.”
“Yeah, except the part where you fucked around with my sister.” He steps forward.
“I never meant to hurt her.”
“Lot of good that does. Do you have any idea how hard she’s worked to play college ball? And then you come in and get her involved in your bullshit and ruin everything.”
“You are not putting yesterday on me. You’re the one who made a scene.”
“How the fuck did you expect me to react when I show up and you’re all over my sister?”
“To be honest, I didn’t care.”
His gaze narrows on me, and he clamps his mouth shut. A muscle in his cheek flutters like he’s grinding down on his molars.
“I didn’t come here to pick a fight with you,” I redirect before I cause more harm than good.
“I care about Summer. I’m sorry that pisses you off, and I’m sorry that it played any role at all in her missing an opportunity to show the coach at FLU what she’s capable of. That’s the last thing I wanted.”
“I told her to stay away from you.” He shakes his head. “She should have listened.”
“Yeah, well, we ended things, so you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“Then why are you here?” He quirks one brow.
“To tell you that she didn’t lie to you. We were faking it, and then…things changed. She never meant to hurt you. She looks up to you. Fuck knows why.” I mutter the last part.
He works that tight jaw back and forth.
“Be mad at me. Hate me. But don’t hold it against Summer. You two were tight before I came into the picture. Whatever happened shouldn’t come between you.”
I told her once that when things were over, she and Silas could sit around and commiserate about how much they hated me. Maybe I wasn’t so far off from reality.
“That it?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
“Wish I could say it was nice chatting with you.” Silas unfolds his arms and steps back. “See you never, Blakenship.”
* * *
The second Summer walks into the lunchroom on Monday, I can feel it. My gut twists, and I bounce my leg under the table.
Austin must feel the tension radiating off me. He glances at me, then follows my line of sight. “Have you talked to her since Saturday night?”
“No.” I shake my head, not taking my eyes off her. She looks good today. Jeans, white T-shirt, hair down. She tucks a strand behind one ear, and I catch the glint of her mood ring under the lights. I wonder what color it is today.
I was late this morning and missed first period. I sat in the parking lot for an hour, picturing her face when I walked in. Best-case scenario, it was going to be awkward as fuck. Worst case was a toss-up between her giving me the cold shoulder or avoiding me all together.
“You were pretty fucked up,” he says.
“I wish I still was.” I look down at my tray and push it away. I’m not hungry.
“You should try to talk to her again,” Claire suggests. “Now that you’re sober and things have had time to settle.”
“There isn’t anything to talk about. She doesn’t want to be with me.”
“Are you sure?” Lacey asks from across the table.
I dip my head in a small nod.
“Have you tried groveling?” This from Vaughn. “I hear a protein bar is the way to a girl’s heart.”
“It worked for me.” Lacey beams.
I smile, but I don’t have it in me to laugh. Last year when Vaughn was trying to win over Lacey, I suggested he get her a gift. I did not mean a protein bar, but it worked out, so what the hell do I know?
“I don’t think that’s going to do the trick in my situation,” I say. “Besides, we’re both better off. Relationships are dumb. They’re messy and complicated. It’s way easier to just hang out and keep things casual.”
The table is silent and all four of them are staring at me. Claire, Austin, Vaughn, Lacey.
“Ahem.” Lacey’s brows rise.
“What, like you don’t know it?”
None of them looks like they’re going to admit all the trouble it caused them, so I shake my head.
“When Disco first moved to Frost Lake and fell for Claire, Vaughn literally punched him.” Vaughn and Claire had been a thing before that, and it caused a whole lot of drama.
Then I look at Lacey. “And you and Vaughn spent months trying to decide if you hated each other or wanted to rip your clothes off.”
“That is not how that went down,” Vaughn says.
“Close enough. My point is, think of all the pain you caused each other. And for what? High school relationships are fucked. What are the odds that either of you will make it after graduation?”
“Rowan.” The way Claire says my name, voice full of hurt and shock, gives me pause but they know I’m right.
“He’s upset. He doesn’t mean it,” Austin assures her.
“No, I do. Enjoy it while things are good, boys, but don’t be too surprised when it blows up in your face.” I stand and grab my tray.
“Don’t be an asshole. Sit down,” Vaughn says.
“No. I…” I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m being a dick, and I know it, but I can’t sit here another second. “I’ll see you guys later.”
I dump my trash and put my tray away. As I’m leaving the lunchroom, my gaze snags on Summer. She’s sitting at the end of the soccer table. MJ is across from her, but everyone else is putting a good four feet of distance between them. My gut twists.
Some junior football player walks over. He glances over his shoulder at his buddies before asking, loud enough that the whole lunchroom can hear, “Yo, Summer. Wanna fake date me?”
I head toward her before I’ve decided to intervene.
She’s responding, but I can’t hear her, and there’s a red haze blurring the edges of my vision. I still see it when the guy looks up and sees me coming though. His eyes widen.
“Fuck off,” I say to him.
He chuckles. “You can’t blame me for trying.”
Someone else yells out, “I’ll fake fuck you.”
I want to find the jerk and smash his face in with a lunch tray. Instead, I focus on the kid in front of me.
“I can and I do.” I motion with my head for him to get lost. His smirk stays in place, but he goes.
I finally turn to Summer. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She stands with her tray. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“It’s my fault they’re giving you shit.”
“I can handle myself,” she says, then brushes past me.