by Amy Sparling
“Are you moving back to LA?” I ask.
“I'm not moving back there. I live there. My home is there.”
My heart cracks in half. “Oh,” I say quietly, moving my fork around on my plate. I'm not hungry anymore.
Jace asks if I want to hang out at his house after dinner. I agree even though it feels pointless because he'll be gone soon. I know I should make the best of the time we do have, but, in the end it's all just a big waste of emotions. I like Jace. Jace is leaving. End of story.
I rest against his shoulder on the couch while we watch TV, his hand holding mine while his thumb traces circles on my palm. His phone rings and he pulls it out of his back pocket. “It's my mom,” he says, getting up from the couch. “I'll be back in a second.”
He ducks into another room to answer her call and I go to the kitchen to grab a drink. I hear him talking about his uncle's unruly dogs and something about obedience training. The shiny surface of Jace's IPad seems to call to me from the kitchen table. I glance around the corner into the living room but Jace is still in his room on the phone.
Quietly, I pull out a chair and sit in front of the IPad. There's probably nothing good on Facebook, but I can't help myself. I log in and find three more messages from Ian, each one more desperate and pleading than the last. Why does he care so much about me now? He didn't care when I was there and now that I'm gone, he's suddenly mister romantic?
I type a reply to his messages. Sorry but you had your chance. I press send. It feels good to throw off Ian's emotional shackles and stick up for myself. He doesn't deserve me. The screen lights up a moment later.
Ian: Seriously Bayleigh, WTF. You can't just change your mind about me that much.
Me: I've learned that people can treat me better than you did.
Ian: Are you screwing someone else now? I see how it is.
Me:
I stare at the blinking cursor on the screen, unable to think of a good reply. Part of me wants to say yes just to make him jealous. But the other part of me can't help but like seeing this side of Ian. He's all but begging for me back. He didn't like me this much when I left, but he likes me now. And at the end of summer, I won't be returning home to Jace, I'll be returning home to Ian.
Jace has another better life without me. Jace is just a summer fairytale.
I type out a reply. We'll talk when I come back. Then I log out of Facebook and look up to see Jace watching me from the couch.
“Why can't you just forget about him?” Jace asks with disappointment in his eyes.
“You don't know who I was talking to,” I say a bit too defensively. I sit across from him on the loveseat and return his questioning look with a look of defiance.
“Then who were you talking to?” he asks.
I look away.
“That's what I thought,” he says. “You know I was actually dating this girl before I came here, she was my real girlfriend, not a sort of girlfriend. But I know better than to keep toxic people in my life so I haven't spoken to her since that night at the bonfire. I thought you were on the same page as me, but I guess I was wrong. I guess you prefer guys who treat you like shit.”
I stand up and grab my purse off the end table. “Shut up, Jace. You aren't allowed to care what I do. You're leaving. You're going back home, and you're leaving and everything we've done together will mean nothing. I pull open the front door. “So don't even act like I deserve better than Ian, because better guys don't stay around.”
Chapter 16
The next day, my grandparents get all dressed up and leave in the afternoon to attend a fiftieth anniversary celebration for the town's police chief. They tell me not to wait up for them because they'll be late getting home. Grandma doesn't trust me behind the stove, which is probably a good idea on her part, and leaves me money for food. I order Chinese food and eat it on the front porch swing in a miserably failed attempt to stop thinking about Jace.
I really need to get a hobby.
I'm picking through my shrimp fried rice when the sound of a car engine catches my attention. I peer down the road and wait for the car to get closer, hoping it's the red Malibu that's been missing all morning from the driveway next door. As the car approaches, it slows down and my heart sinks when I notice the black paint job.
Then my heart flips over in my chest. I know this car.
My legs drop out from under me, stopping the porch swing. I sit rigid, holding my fork with my food in my lap, hoping that I won't be noticed. The car's window rolls down as the tires slow to a crawl on the gravel road. I swallow. I should run inside the house, lock the door and close the windows, but I'm paralyzed on the porch swing.
The car turns into the driveway and parks at the end of it, near the mailbox. Ian steps out. I close the lid on my Chinese takeout box and stand up on wobbly knees.
Ian throws his arms open wide. “There she is!”
I step off the porch, glancing around even though I know we're alone. Ian's wearing a tight black shirt and ripped up jeans. His hair hangs in his eyes and his smile is exactly the way I remember it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, holding the container of food in front of me as a barrier between him.
He puts a hand to his chest as if he's hurt. “I missed you. I couldn't wait all summer to see you.”
“How did you know where I am?” I ask.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Well, uh, you posted what town you were in on Facebook. In case you didn't know, Salt Gap has a population of two hundred and fourteen. Geez, Bayleigh I thought you'd be happy to see me.”
“So did you just drive around until you found me? What if I hadn't been outside?”
Ian shakes his head in frustration. “Why do you have to question everything like I'm some kind of dumbass? No, I didn't fucking drive around. I used a phone book. There's only one person with your last name in this town and that's where I drove.” He lets out an obnoxious sigh. “But since you're ungrateful as shit about me driving out here then maybe I should just go home.”
Tears swell up in my eyes as Ian yells at me. I didn't mean to annoy him. “I'm sorry,” I say. “I'm just surprised.” I glance toward Jace's empty house for a second and then back at Ian. His brows draw together and he turns around, trying to find what I was looking at before turning back to me. His arms open wide. “Can I get a hug?”
I draw in a deep breath and walk into his open arms. Images of that girl in his Facebook photos flicker across my mind and I use them as reinforcement that I should not accept him back. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly, exactly how he used to. I can't believe it hurts so much. Ian was everything to me a couple weeks ago.
Maybe he still can be.
Chapter 17
Ian's hands have this magical tendency to grab parts of my body even though I keep shoving him off. We sit on the porch swing for an hour and I only allow Ian to go inside to use the bathroom. I told him I can't risk pissing off my grandparents by having some strange guy in their house when they get home, and for once, he's not being an asshole about it.
“You're still avoiding that question I asked you,” I say with an innocent tone as I poke him in the rib cage. His arm tightens around my shoulder and he leans in closer to me.
“So many questions,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “Let's just be happy we're together.”
Hating Ian was a lot easier when he was still back at home and I was stuck here. Now that he's right in front of me, with all his gorgeousness just smacking me in the face, it's really hard to remember why I hated him.
But it doesn't take much to make me remember that blonde girl. I square my shoulders, and speak quickly before I chicken out. “Becca said some girl added you as being in a relationship with her on Facebook.”
He gives me a dismissive roll of his eyes. I pull his arm off me and place it back in his lap. “I'm serious. I want to know who she is and why I'm supposed to trust you again.”
Headlights turn down our road, sending a
shriek of panic through my chest. Grandma and Grandpa aren't supposed to be home this early—I'll have to make sure I tell them my made up plan exactly as I rehearsed: My best friend is in the hospital and our mutual friend Ian drove over here to tell me about it.
The car's lights don't slow down near our driveway though. They keep going and turn into Jace's house. My anxiety morphs into another form of panic. Only this one isn't so bad. It's dark outside and Jace can't see us on the porch since I kept the light off. His car comes to a stop and he gets out, then walks over to the passenger side to retrieve something from the front seat.
Ian's hand touches my cheek, gently pulling me back to face him. “I want you to forget about all that stuff, babe.” He goes in for a kiss, but I turn slightly and he gets my cheek instead. I have no butterflies with Ian this close to me. I always had butterflies before.
“What the hell, Bayleigh?” He pulls back with a look of disgust. “I drive all the way out here and I don't even get a kiss?”
“Shh,” I hiss, trying to shush him from talking so loudly. The last thing I need is for Jace to walk over here. “I'm just having a hard time accepting that I should forget about that girl. That's all.”
Ian throws himself off the porch swing and punches a wooden wall post. “You need to learn to let shit go. I got over everything bad about you.”
“What's bad about me?” I ask, forgetting to keep my voice quiet.
He counts off on his fingers. “Your mean as shit mother, your constant knack for getting grounded, you never put out, you are completely jealous of some bitch on Facebook,” he points to this thumb but then stops midsentence. “Who the fuck is that?”
I jump off the porch swing and spin around to find Jace crossing the yard, coming straight toward us. His car keys jingle in his hand until he slides them in his pocket. His other hand holds a long stem pink rose with the stem wrapped in white ribbons. My stomach twists in knots. He probably heard everything.
What am I going to do?
“Bro, this has nothing to do with you,” Ian calls out when Jace is only a few steps away from the porch.
He steps onto the porch. “It is my business if you're yelling at Bayleigh.”
My cheeks flush and my heart feels like it's going to burst right out of my ribcage.
“Like hell it is,” Ian growls. Jace takes a step forward, his eyes glaring at Ian as he approaches me. He holds out the rose to me. “For you,” he says with a smile. With a shaky hand, I reach out and take the flower. Our eyes meet and he winks at me.
Ian shifts on his feet, looking like he's about to explode. “What the fuck is this? You're gone two weeks and you replace me with this dipshit?”
“I'm guessing you're Ian,” Jace says.
Ian glares at me. “If you know who I am then you know you need to leave now.”
Jace shoves his hands in his pockets and leans against the wall, making it clear he has no intention of leaving. “If you'd like directions back to the interstate, I'd be happy to help you out.”
“I'm not going anywhere.”
Jace lifts an eyebrow. “I'm afraid you are.”
Ian grabs my arm and pulls me across the porch and away from Jace. “Tell him I'm not going anywhere.” I look from Ian to Jace and back, knowing who I would choose if I had the liberty of making that choice. Jace.
But Jace won't be here after summer, and Ian will.
But Ian has never given me flowers. I twist my arm from Ian's grasp and swallow. “I'm sorry,” I tell him. “I think you need to go.”
Ian's fists clench tightly at his side. From the corner of my eye, I see Jace still leaning against the house, a small grin stretching across his lips. Ian grabs his keys from the porch swing and scales the three stairs down to the grass. “Fuck both of you. Don't bother calling me when you get home, Bayleigh.”
I look away, unable to meet his eyes or say anything else. Ian seems to be frustrated that I'm not fighting for him to stay. He spits on the ground. “It's my fault for dealing with some whore still in high school.”
Jace flies off the porch. I watch in horror as he grabs Ian's shoulder and turns him around. Ian's eyes go wide as Jace throws his arm back, preparing to punch him. “Jace, no!” I run after him, grabbing his elbow just in time to stop him from beating the hell out of Ian.
Jace's muscles flex under my grip and I know I'm not strong enough to stop him. But he lowers his hand anyway. Ian stares, mouth open in shock. I grab Jace's lowered arm with both hands and don't let go. “Please, don’t,” I whisper loud enough for him to hear. Jace's cologne smells amazing as he turns back to look at me. His eyes look into mine while Ian lets out a string of profanities.
“Come on, Bayleigh,” Jace says, linking his fingers into mine and pulling me back toward my grandparent's house. “He isn't worth it.”
I don't look back as Ian's car starts up and peels out of the driveway, sending rocks scattering everywhere. Jace leads me into the house, up the stairs and into my room. Tears pour down my cheeks as I dive face first onto my bed, not wanting to talk to him but not wanting him to leave either. The bed sags as he sits in the middle of it. I open my eyes and turn my head to the side. Jace places the pink rose on my pillow.
“I had no idea he was going to show up like that,” I say after a few moments of silence.
Jace runs his hand over my hair. “I figured as much when I heard him yelling at you.”
I turn over onto my back and Jace lies down next to me, staring at the ceiling. He grabs my hand and holds it close to his chest. “You shouldn't do that,” I say under my breath.
“Why?” He turns his head on the pillow to look at me. I wish he wasn't so cute.
“Because you're leaving. Because holding my hand is a pointless comfort right now. It means nothing.”
“It doesn't mean nothing to me.” Jace's words are calm, secure. It frustrates me how he doesn't realize the seriousness of our situation.
I pull my hand away. “You can't hold my hand, Jace. You can't kiss me and you can't bring me flowers. Because pretty soon you're leaving forever and I'll never see you again and it'll be the most pointless summer of my life.”
He laughs. I punch him in the arm.
“Bayleigh, Bayleigh, Bayleigh,” he says, sitting up and pulling me into a sitting position with him. He cups my face in his hands. “I have something exciting to tell you.”
“Exciting for you, maybe.” I know I shouldn't be bitter towards him. His good news is probably something to with his motocross career and I should be happy for him. But I'm finding it hard to be anything but sad right now.
“Exciting for both of us,” he says, trailing his hands down my arms until he grabs my hands. Excitement dances across his face. “I just got back from Mixon Motocross Park.”
“Okay….” I say, still failing to see the exciting part of this.
“The owner offered me a job. My own motocross school—giving lessons and stuff at his track. It pays a lot of money and it's the perfect alternative since I can't race professionally anymore.”
I bite my lip. “Where did you say this track is located?”
He smiles. “About thirty minutes from your hometown.”
My heart flips in my chest. “What are you saying?” I ask.
He leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. “I'm staying in Texas. I'm going to move to Mixon and work there. I'm not going back to LA.”
“Are you sure?” I whisper, inhaling his scent as chills prickle my arms.
He nods. “I have nothing in LA worth going back for. Here, I have you.” Just when I think my grin can't possibly get any bigger, he says, “That is, of course, if you'll be my girlfriend.”
###
End of Summer Unplugged
Bonus Content
Note from the Author
I may be responsible for the first book, Summer Unplugged, but the rest of the series is all because of you, the readers. I remember very clearly when I wrote Summer Unplugged. I had an idea ab
out a girl getting in trouble with her cell phone and having to go all summer without it. Even as an adult, I don’t think I would survive that challenge. I started writing about the girl, and then when she got bored at her grandparent’s house, I imagined the boy next door. I didn’t want him to be just any boy, I wanted him to be the boy who would pull her out of the life she’d fallen into, a life of doing whatever it took to please some jerk who didn’t even like her that much. I wanted Jace to be the kind of guy we all deserve. And so I wrote him that way.
This was originally just a sweet quick story I wrote for fun. I didn’t even know if people would like it since it was a novella instead of a full length novel. But the next thing I knew, readers were asking me for more. I ended up writing a second book, and then a third. Then, because I was still getting requests for more of Jace and Bayleigh, I ended up writing an entire 10 book series! Then Becca’s story was told and now recently I’ve published Jett’s story. I am so grateful for my readers who have loved my characters so much that they asked me to grow this series into such a big thing!
I’m actually still getting requests for more of these characters and my answer is always: let’s see what happens! I can’t force out books if my heart isn’t in them because then they’d be awful and it wouldn’t do the characters’ justice. So I have to wait until the characters inspire me to write a new part of their story. This is exactly how I wrote Unplugged Summer—a few weeks ago, I had the idea to see what Jace was thinking when this whole romance started. I hope you all enjoyed his story as much as I did!
