That Summer (Part One)

by Lauren Crossley

  “Fine.” I mumbled, realising how pointless it would be to try and argue against him.

  “Anyway, I’ll let you go so you can enjoy the rest of your dinner hour.” He concluded. “But I will see you very, very soon.”

  “Ok. I’ll speak to you later.” I said, readying myself to say goodbye to him.

  “Oh, there’s just one more thing.” He added. “Make sure you actually eat something before you go to your next class. You’ve been playing around with that food of yours since you first sat down.”

  “What? How do you know that? Where are you?”

  “See you later, Green. You look beautiful, by the way.”

  He hung up before I could say another word to him, leaving me bewildered and confused by his last statement. Was he just playing games with me or could he really see me? Was he watching me or was he at home in his bedroom, laughing at my expense. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing around the cafeteria once more, half expecting to spot him in the corner with a mischievous smirk on his face.

  “I’m guessing that was him?” Lisa inquired, watching me closely.

  “Yeah, it was.” I answered, distracted and more than a little unnerved by my phone call.

  “And?” She prompted me, encouraging me to continue. “What did he have to say for himself? Was he the one who told Jonathan’s friends to fix your locker for you?”

  “Yeah, it was him. He’s also told Louise to say sorry to me for what happened yesterday.”

  “Good!” She exclaimed exuberantly. “I’ll be forced to to bitch slap her myself if she doesn’t.”

  “Don’t even joke about it, Lisa.” I reprimanded my friend, hating the idea of anyone hurting someone on my behalf.

  “I’m sorry, Serena. It was just a joke.”

  “It’s fine.” I assured her, forcing myself to smile. “But I think I’m just going to head on to my next class early. I really can’t face eating anything right now.”

  “Are you sure? I can walk with you if you want me to.” She offered, more than willing to go with me.

  “No, I’m ok. I’ll just meet you at our usual spot after school.”

  “Ok, if you’re sure? Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  “You too.” I replied, grabbing my things before I made a dash for the exit.

  I was consumed by the thoughts of my phone call with Cole, making my way up the empty staircase when I saw her.

  Louise.

  She was heading down them and I knew there was no chance in hell that we could manage to avoid one another.

  Shit. Louise was the last person I wanted to see after the conversation I had just had and I was also pretty sure that she felt the exact same way about me. Confrontation is something I avoid at all costs but Louise always gives off the impression that she enjoys it, especially after what she said to me the day before in the girl’s bathroom.

  I lowered my gaze and kept my head down as I walked past her, hoping she would ignore whatever she had been told to do by Cole and leave me alone.

  “Serena, I need to talk to you.” She said, cutting across the staircase so she could block my path.

  “Ok, what about?” I asked, pretending to be clueless.

  “I just want to say how sorry I am about what happened yesterday. I should never have said any of those things to you and I just hope that you don’t think I was threatening you in any way.”

  “I have to admit… that’s what I thought.” I confessed, forcing myself to make eye contact with her.

  “Well, like I said… I’m really sorry.” She apologised again. “I promise I won’t bother you anymore and I really hope that you and Cole will be very happy together.”

  My mouth fell open, wondering how on earth she knew anything about me and Cole. Sure, I know people are bound to make assumptions about us but had he really been telling people that he and I are together?

  “Cole and I aren’t… we’re not…” I paused, struggling to complete my sentence. “Um thanks.”

  “So we’re ok? You’re not mad at me or anything?” She asked, leaning back against the bannister behind her.

  “We’re fine.” I replied sincerely. “And I do appreciate the apology.”

  “Ok, well I guess I won’t take up any more of your time.” She finished, giving me a feeble smile. “Bye, Serena.”

  “Bye.” I murmured, slowly making my way back up the stairs.

  I couldn’t understand how the girl I just spoke to could be the same one as the girl I dealt with just twenty-four hours before. None of it made any sense to me and that’s why I shouldn’t have been surprised when she called me back.

  “Wait up, Slut.”

  She hurried back up the stairs towards me, glaring at me with pure hatred in her eyes.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You didn’t seriously believe that little performance, did you?” She taunted, looking me up and down like I was a speck of dirt on her shoe.

  “W-what are you talking about?” I stammered, trying my best to process the abrupt change in her behaviour once again.

  “Cole is the one who made me apologise to you.” She told me, clearly unaware that I already knew this. “He also demanded that I provide him with the evidence of that apology.”

  She held up her phone for me to look at but I couldn’t see anything on it.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I was recording the little chat we had just now and sent it to him.” She revealed triumphantly, gloating over her victory. “So as far as he’s concerned, I did exactly what he asked.”

  “Your apology was just for show? You didn’t mean any of it?” I blurted out incredulously.

  “That’s right.” She confirmed, narrowing her eyes at me in contempt. “And if you tell Cole anything different, I’ll make sure you pay for it.”

  She turned away from me and walked back down the stairs, leaving me alone and even more perplexed than I was before by her sudden change in personality.

  “Louise!” I called after her, determined to find out the answer to one question. “Why do you hate me? What did I ever do to you?”

  She hesitated for a moment, maybe debating whether or not she should be honest with me.

  “The only thing that should concern you is what I’m going to do to you.” She threatened, speaking quietly. “What I have planned for you will come when you least expect it.”

  She turned away for the last time and carried on down the staircase, leaving me alone, scared and more vulnerable than ever.

  I close my eyes, trying not to relive every single moment on that staircase. It’s been several hours since school ended and Lisa dropped me off at home. I came home to an empty house as usual and a note which said my mum had already left for work. I decided to watch a couple of my favourite movies and order some Chinese food before I ran myself a hot bubble bath.

  Cole has been texting me since I got home, wanting to arrange a time for him to come over tonight. A part of me wants to put him off and ask him to come round another night instead. Another part of me is desperate to see him and spend some time alone together. If only I didn’t have school tomorrow… I’d invite him over in a second.

  I’m lying on my bed right now, restless and nervous as I stare up at my bedroom ceiling. Cole sent me a text just a few minutes ago to let me know that he’s coming over and I’ve had a mad rush to get ready since then. I was just stepping out of the bath when I read his message and experience a moment of pure panic when I thought he might turn up early and catch me in nothing but my towel.

  I really want to make sure that what happened between us last night doesn’t happen again. Things between us have been moving so fast, I know it’s really important that we take some time to process everything which has happened so far and focus on slowing things down a little. We haven’t even had our first kiss yet and I’m still majorly embarrassed about what I let him do to me last night.

  My cheeks turn crimson whenever I think about it, remembering it all in such
graphic detail and I cover my face with my hands, trying to force out the explicit image of us together. I really need to cool down and gather my thoughts before Cole gets here, determined to remain calm and composed.

  Of course, all of my rational thinking goes out the window as soon as my phone receives a new message from him. I sit up and reach for it, opening my new text with trembling fingers.

  Cole: I’m outside xx

  I take a deep breath and rake my fingers through my hair, exhaling deeply before I make my way downstairs.

  He’s at the back door again, even though no one is home so it really wouldn’t matter if he used the front door. I scurry across my dark living room and into the kitchen, flinging the back door open in eager anticipation.

  A soon as my eyes fall on him, I have no idea why I was nervous. It’s him. The one I’ve been fighting against since the moment I first saw him. I know it might have only been a few weeks but it almost feels like a lifetime. The enthralling, irresistible pull I experience whenever I’m around him is impossible to ignore and I’m done trying to deny it.

  The gaping hole that’s always been there, the same one I’ve always been aware of ceases to exist when I’m with Cole. He completes and ignites something deep inside of me and it’s the most terrifying feeling I’ve ever experienced. It frightens me but it’s addictive. He’s my addiction and I still don’t know how to handle it.

  “God, I missed you.” He groans, taking me by surprise when he pulls me in for an embrace.

  “You did?” I mumble against his chest, allowing him to hold me tightly.

  “Of course, baby. I’ve been thinking about you all day. I couldn’t get you out of my damn head.”

  “Same here.” I admit, gazing up at him as soon as he releases me.

  “Your mum’s at work right?” He asks, slowly making his way into the living room as he takes a look around.

  “Yeah, she does plenty of night shifts.”

  “She’s always left you alone like this?” He questions, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he watches me intently.

  “For as long as I can remember.” I answer truthfully, vaguely recollecting all the nights she would leave me curled up on the sofa with a bag of crisps for my tea.

  I guess that’s how I’ve got so used to my own company, I learnt how to take care of myself from an early age and it’s not something I would recommend for any child. A lonely childhood can be the worst of all.

  “It’s not right.” He retorts sharply. “I hate the thought of you spending the whole night here by yourself. Why don’t you ask Lisa to stay over with you?”

  “She sometimes does but I don’t like to ask her all the time. I don’t want her to feel like she has to babysit me.”

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t feel that way.” He assures me, slowly closing the distance between us as he walks towards me. “It’s what you girls like to do, right? Sleepovers and movie nights.”

  “Well, you and I could always have a movie night together if you wanted to.” I smile, reaching up onto my tiptoes to I can place a soft kiss against his strong jawline.

  “Damn, now you’re tempting me.” He whispers huskily, circling his arms around my waist.

  “Behave!” I scold him playfully. “And make yourself at home by going through into the living room. Would you like a drink or anything?”

  “I’ll have anything you’ve got.” He replies amiably, sounding good-natured and light-hearted as he heads on into the sitting room.

  “Orange juice?” I call out to him, searching through the contents of our fridge.

  “That’s fine.” He shouts through to me. “Is it alright if I sit down?”

  “Of course. I want you to make yourself at home when you’re here.” I tell him, handing him his drink once I join him on the sofa.

  “Thanks. You have a really nice house, by the way. It’s so warm and cosy.”

  “I can’t bear the cold so the central heating and fire are always on when I’m at home.”

  “My mum isn’t what you’d call great at paying the bills.” He divulges bitterly. “We never have the heating on at our place.”

  “Are you serious? You must be freezing.”

  “Why do you think I came over? I need you to warm me up.” He jokes flirtatiously, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Ha ha, very funny.” I say, rolling my eyes at him.

  “How was the rest of your day then? No one said anything to you, did they?”

  “No, everyone was nice to me.” I lie, deliberately averting my gaze from his.

  “Did you move your things into my locker?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not?” He demands firmly.

  “I just wanted to make sure it would still alright with you before I did it.”

  “I told you it was fine and I don’t want you using that piece of shit locker with that shit scrawled over it.”

  “I told you I’m not using my old one. I’m sharing Lisa’s.” I remind him patiently.

  “I want you to have mine. It will reassure me that no one will touch any of your stuff from now on and it will also help people realise that we’re serious.”

  “Ok, ok.” I acquiesce reluctantly. “I’ll switch lockers again tomorrow.”

  “That’s great. I won’t say another word about it.” He replies smugly.

  I narrow my eyes at him, equally infuriated and flattered by the idea of him wanting to keep my belongings safe. However, I don’t appreciate him thinking he can order me about and tell me what to do. I’m actually considering whether or not I should ignore his instructions tomorrow and keep on sharing Lisa’s locker.

  “How did you even find out about what had been done to it?” I ask him, unable to control my curiosity.

  “It’s not important. What matters is I did find out about it.” He growls, clenching his jaw in anger.

  “And then there’s the thing you mentioned on the phone about me not touching my food.” I add. “How did you know that?”

  “Serena, I told you I would watch out for you today. I told you that everything would be ok and all I did was make sure I kept my promise to you.”

  It suddenly dawns on me that he really might have been there at school today. He must have been keeping watch over me in or around the school’s premises. This is the one and only explanation of how he came to see the state of my locker.

  “Cole, I really don’t think I can handle you spying on me. It’s just not right.” I confess, tugging my fingers through my hair.

  “Who said I followed you?” He challenges me, fixating those dark brown eyes of his on my own.

  “There’s something else I want to ask you about.” I say, eager to change the subject. “I want to ask you about Louise.”

  “What about her?”

  “I know you told her to record her apology to me and send it to you.” I inform him. “What I don’t understand is why you would make her do something like that.”

  “I just wanted to make sure that she said she was sorry. I knew there was a big chance she would lie to me about it and I thought the only way I could be certain was to have her send it to me. How the hell do you even know about that?”

  “She told me.” I explain truthfully.

  “She had no right to.” He snaps bitterly.

  “Listen, it doesn’t matter about the recording or anything else for that matter. I just want you to be honest. I’d rather Louise say nothing to me at all than offer me some fake apology just for the sake of it.”

  “What do you mean fake? She told you she didn’t mean any of it?” He asks me, raising his voice in indignation.

  “No, no. She was sincere.” I lie, realising I have no choice but to try and diffuse the situation before it gets out of hand. Even if it does mean lying to him again. “I’m just saying… if you asked her to record something, there’s not much chance of it being genuine.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” He agrees, somewhat begrudgingly.


  He interlaces his fingers and leans forward on the sofa, resting his elbows on the top of his knees.

  “I always am.” I joke, nudging him playfully.

  “Ha ha, very funny.” He replies, mirroring the exact same comment I made earlier.

  “So, do you want to pick a movie or something to watch?”

  “So long as it’s not a chick flick.” He wisecracks, allowing his heated gaze to wander up and down my body closely.

  I feel slightly uncomfortably and start to search for a film we can both agree on. We eventually decide on watching the horror film ‘The Strangers.’ It’s one of my scariest movies but I’ve seen it so many times, I think I’ve become desensitised to it. We’re approaching one of the most frightening parts of it when Cole startles me with his question.

  “I would never have guessed a girl like you would enjoy watching a movie like this.”

  “I swear to God I didn’t enjoy it when I first saw it.” I tell him, remembering that night all too well. “I was terrified and refused to be alone for days after I watched it.”

  “Who did you watch it with?” He asks, tightening his arm around my waist as we stay curled up on the sofa together.

  My head is on his chest and I can hear his heart beating erratically. It’s thrilling to know that being in such close proximity to me is enough to excite him and the knowledge of this ignites my own arousal deep inside of me.

  “Erm… Lisa brought it round one Friday night and we stayed up late so we could finish it. Neither of us slept properly that night.” I say, smiling at the memory of it.

  “That’s cute.” He chuckles lightly “I would have offered to stay with you if I knew you back then.”

  “I bet you would have and I know the reason why.” I laugh, poking his toned, athletic stomach in a teasing manner.

  “Seriously, I would control myself, Serena. I know we’re going to have to take things slowly and that’s ok with me.”

  “Like we did last night?” I taunt, forcing him to remember exactly what happened just twenty-four hours previous.

  “I really am sorry about that.” He sighs heavily, as though he’s disappointed in himself. “I got carried away and wish I hadn’t taken it so far with you so soon.”