Changed? (Hearts to Follow Book 2)

by Dana Burkey

  "But, not because you're embarrassed to be my friend?" Summer nibbled on her lip while she waited for an answer. She did not have to wait long.

  "Of course not!" Nick stopped walking and turned to face her. "I like that we are getting to know each other without my friends breathing down my neck about it. I haven't had this kind of freedom to just be friends with a girl since...well, since before I started dating Annie."

  Summer wanted nothing more than to ask Nick about Annie then. Or about Gina. Or even about this mysterious Cam girl. Instead she decided changing the subject would be a better idea.

  "Cool. So," she paused to take a sip of her drink. "I get that we're winning right now and everything, but why do we have 7 points if we only scored once and kicked the ball that one time?"

  "You don't know anything about football do you?" Nick look both amused and mortified at the same time.

  "Not really. This is only my second game ever," Summer admitted with a laugh.

  "Okay, that's it!" Nick announced putting an arm around her to steer her in the direction they had just come from. "You need to sit and watch the game and get a real lesson on football!"

  "I refuse to sit in that obnoxious cheer section!" Summer protested as they dodged others on the track.

  "Fine. We will sit in the old man section," Nick compromised, still leading her with an arm around her shoulders.

  *****

  Much to Summers surprise the “old man” section was actually an area filled with football fans over the age of 60. There were a few women, but it was the men here who were the most prominent as they yelled at the field, chatted about the team from years ago, and cheered just as much as the high schoolers in the Cheer Zone.

  “Why does that one guy always throw the ball?” Summer asked shortly after finding their seats. This was the first of many questions, all of which Nick answered with an amused smile.

  “He’s the quarterback. It’s his job.”

  The question also got some looks from the crowd around them. It was clear the long time football fans were not impressed with Summers lack of knowledge of the game. Trying to ignore the looks being shot their way, Nick and Summer leaned in close together for the rest of the game so their conversation would be just between them. Summer made sure to keep that conversation on the game, and by the final quarter she was no longer asking obvious questions. Instead she was cheering on the team, enjoying the game now that she understood it.

  “So are you and your friends heading the after party again this week?” Nick asked as the last few minutes of the game played out on the field. The Eagle were on their way to a second win of the season.

  “I think so. It’s just another bonfire, right?” Summer asked still facing the game.

  “I don’t think so,” Nick explained slowly. “It’s at Gina’s house, and she is known for her parties.”

  “Gina, like cheerleader Gina?” Summer turned to look at Nick now.

  “Yeah,” he replied without making eye contact.

  “Are you going?” Summer was suddenly worried for his answer. If he was going then she could maybe have someone to hang out with a little. But then again, if he was there who knows what might happen with him and Gina. Nick told Summer he had not had a drink since the night he stumbled into Heathers attic, but hanging out at Ginas seemed like a bad idea even still.

  “I told my friends I’m going to stop by, but I don’t really want to be there around Gina too long. She’s still a little mad at me.” Nick tried a shrug, but Summer could tell he was not looking forward to the evening.

  “Well, I guess I will go then,” Summer decided, “and as long as you think no one will talk about it too much, we can hang out if things with Gina get too intense.”

  Nick’s smile was all the answer Summer needed. On the field the game was ending, the Eagles up by 14. Tonights party was sure to be a rager, but Summer was just hoping it would be a chance to spend more time with Nick. She was still not sure where their friendship was heading, but for now she was just going along for the ride.

  *****

  “Want a drink?”

  Summer ignored the voice and instead bundled up tighter in Nicks hoodie. Although she was in the back yard next to the bonfire, she was feeling the fall weather. She could head inside, but only a few people were out braving the cold versus the dozens of drunk party goers in Gina’s house.

  “Not even going to say hello?” the guy standing next to her asked.

  Glancing over Summer was surprised to see Nick as he moved to sit in a lawn chair next to hers.

  “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize it was you.” Summer pulled the hood off of her head.

  “Here,” Nick smiled handing her a red party cup. “It’s water, but that way people won’t try to offer you anything stronger.”

  “A new trick of yours?” Summer asked taking a sip of the water.

  “Yup, gave it a try last week and it worked like a charm!” he laughed. “I just keep it full of ice and as long as the ice keeps melting and I keep moving around the party no one even notices.”

  Summer wondered why skipping the charade entirely was not an option, but knew the popular crowd was much harder to understand than football. Even with what she was learning from listening to Tonya and Morgan talk, she was certain she would not catch up anytime soon.

  “So when did you get here? It took me a while to find you.” Nick scooted his chair closer in case any of the people around the fire were listening in.

  “An hour ago,” Summer signed after a glance at her watch. “And who knows how long it will be before they decide to leave.”

  “Well at least in the mean time you have some good company,” Nick touched their cups together as a cheers before taking another drink.

  They kept their conversation casual, but mostly sat in comfortable silence starting at the fire. The party was still going inside, but even with the cold others were still enjoying being outside as well. Summer wanted to ask Nick so many things, being here at Gina’s house, but was not sure if this was the time and place for that. Summer began planning in her head a good time to ask. Not over text. Not at school at all. Maybe next game? Or, maybe if they hung out alone somewhere?

  “We’re leaving!” Morgan suddenly exploded next to Summer.

  Spilling her drink in her lap Summer stood up, knocking her chair over. She was not sure what was more shocking; ice water all over her, or the sight of Morgan so angry and emotional.

  “Come on! Now.” Morgans words were not slurred, but they were sluggish all the same. Summer fought off her grip on her arm and spun her friend around to face her.

  “How much did you have to drink?” Summer demanded, the smell of Morgans alcohol soaked mouth already reaching her nose.

  “Some,” Morgan roller her eyes. “Now let’s go!”

  Before Summer could try to continue the conversation Tonya, Connor, and Leo stormed from the house looking for Morgan. They were all talking to Morgan at once, trying to explain what had “actually happened.” From what Summer could piece together Morgan walked in on Leo kissing someone. She freaked out and assumed he did not like her, but really it was just a game of truth or dare. Tonya had been playing earlier, so she promised Leo was telling the truth.

  As Morgan finally stopped yelling and crying enough to listen, Connor suggested everyone go back inside, have a drink, and calm down. To Summers shock, everyone agreed. Morgan was clearly not the safe ride home she had promised to be.

  “Are you coming Summer?” Tonya called to her as the group headed back for the house.

  “No. I uh-” Summer paused, suddenly remembering Nick was just a few steps away. “I have a ride home. I’ll see you guys later.”

  Tonya shrugged then followed after Morgan who was stumbling her way up the back patio steps. Turning to face Nick, Summer was glad to see he was standing up holding his keys already.

  “Your chariot awaits!” He grinned, taking her arm and leading her to his car out front.

  *
****

  “So, what ever did happen with you and Gina?” Summer finally got the courage to ask after a few minutes of driving in silence. She was still in shock at her friends behavior, but knew this might be only chance for answers.

  “I was wondering when you would get around to asking that…” Nick frowned as he focused on the road.

  “Sorry,” Summer quickly added. “I just have heard all the rumors and I want to hear what really happened.

  “Okay.” Nick brought the car to a stop in a spot still a few blocks from Summers house. “IBut, I should tell you about Annie first, just in case you heard those rumors too.”

  Summer nodded, but kept quiet. She could tell Nick did not really want to share these stories, but his willingness to do so even still made her heart melt a little.

  “Well,” he began. “Annie and I started dating when I got home last summer. I was at my dads, but we kept in touch so when I got back in made sense for us to finally get together. We dated until Christmas break, but then she was out of town and I there was a party at Gina’s and well, things got out of control. I had a lot to drink and my friends were all off hooking up or throwing up, and that left just me and Gina in the kitchen. We were doing shots and before I knew it she started kissing me. I was too drunk to think about it, so I went with it. Well, apparently Annie’s friend Jamie saw it all happen and sent Annie a text right then telling her everything. I woke up the next morning with a bad hangover, and a break up text from Annie.”

  Summer had heard that story before, but never with Gina as the aggressor. It was always Nick who made the first move in the rumor around school.

  Nick continued after a second. “Annie and her friends would not even talk to me when school started again. Well, Gina did, but her and Annie were never super close. So, with only Gina to talk to, we started dating. And when summer came she begged to come with me to visit my dad since her sister lived close and all this, so I figured why not. But when I got there I realized I had kind of forgotten about my friend Cam. I spend the all of last summer with her and when I showed up I was kind of pissed to see Cam had a boyfriend and was so happy while I was stick with Gina.”

  Nick let out a sign, the memory clearly not that happy for him.

  “I was an idiot all summer,” he admitted with a shake of his head. “I thought Cam was flirting with me, and started flirting back when I knew Gina was heading back for cheer camp. In fact, the morning Gina left I told her I thought we should call it quits. She of course did not like that and accused me of cheating on her with Cam. It wasn’t true, but she would not believe me. She was super mad at me, and really she kind of had a right to be. I was a total jerk.”

  “So you really didn’t cheat on her?” Summer asked, remembering the rumor she had heard before school even started.

  “Not really,” Nick mumbled. “See, after Gina left I did try to hit on Cam. I kissed her after her and her boyfriend got in a fight, but it was no use. She really liked the guy, and still won’t talk to me since it all happened. So, I had to come back to school and deal with Gina hating me and Annie still not talking to me, and then Cam ignoring me too.”

  “So you drank a lot to forget about it?” Summer offered, remembering the night she first helped Nick.

  “That was the plan. Well, it was once I got to the party and saw Gina making out with at least 3 different guys.” Nick had a sneer on his face now. “I was the one that supposedly cheated on her, and broke her heart, but no one seemed to care she was making out with half the football team”

  “What?” Summer exclaimed in shock. “Why did a rumor about Gina never make it around school?”

  “That’s not the first time something like that has happened at one of the parties,” Nick shrugged. “As long as the person is single, no one seems to see anything wrong with it. And besides, Gina is a cheerleader. No one is going to start a rumor about her kissing people if they want to stay popular. The only reason the stories about me got around so fast is because I’m not on the baseball team anymore.”

  “So she can dump you and kiss the whole school, but when you dump her and kiss one girl you’re the bad guy?” Summer asked, trying to wrap her head about it.

  “Pretty much,” Nick nodded, pulling the car back into traffic now that everything had been covered.

  The rest of the ride to Summers house was quiet. Nick was focused on driving, and Summer was focused on trying to understand everything Nick just told her. Sure, Nick did not make the best choices, but it seemed like that was more or less behind him. He seemed to understand his mistakes and now was trying to steer clear of making more. Then again, it had only been three weeks since he dumped Gina to hit on a girl with a boyfriend.

  As they pulled up in front of Summers house Nick turned off the car and repositioned himself in his seat so he could look at her better.

  “So, what do you think?” He asked tentatively.

  “Well,” Summer hoped she could word her thoughts properly. “I think you still have some growing up to do when it comes to how to treat girls. But I think Gina didn’t help. It seems like she was trouble from the start, and even more trouble at the end!”

  “Yeah, tell me about it,” he laughed rolling his eyes.

  “But I think if you keep up this no drinking thing, and certainly stop kissing girls with boyfriends, then you’ll do alright.” Summer smiled, not knowing what else to say.

  “You mean you don’t hate me, and never want to talk to me again?” Nick clarified with a grin.

  “I thought about it,” Summer paused. “But you brought me lemonade so I can never hate you!”

  “Twice!” Nick reminded.

  “Oh yes! Twice!” Summer laughed.

  As Summer walked into her house a few minutes later she could not help but smile. Nick was a work in progress it seemed, but he was still becoming a good friend. Not only that, he seemed to care what she thought about him. Summer doubted Nick cared what his other friends thought about the rumors Gina spread around school. Maybe it was Summer getting her hopes up, but for the evening she allowed herself to imagine Nick caring about her opinion was his way of letting her know their “just friends” status was temporary.

  *****

  The next few days passed quickly as Summer focused on getting ready for her audition. She chatted with Nick a few times, but he understood she was trying to do final prep so gave her some space at the same time. By the time Tuesday night arrived, Summer was confident she would get at least a small roll based on her performance at auditions. Checking the audition e-mail Wednesday morning she was shocked to be asked back for callbacks on one of the supporting rolls. There was no guarantee she would get the part, but even being considered was great.

  “You’re Summer, right?” A girl asked standing next to her that evening at callbacks.

  “Yeah,” Summer smiled. “I don’t think I caught your name, sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” the girl grinned. “I’m Tessa.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Summer remembered seeing Tessa on the callback list. She was up for the lead in the show.

  “So is this your first show?” Tessa asked setting her stuff down and stretching to warm up.

  “My first time auditioning. I did stage crew last year,” Summer explained. “But this last summer I was at a theater camp and was in a few shows.”

  “Really, what camp?” Tessa asked looking at Summer.

  The look on Tessa’s face was pure shock when Summer told her the name of the camp. It was a big deal to go there, and an even bigger deal to get a role in one of the shows. It was very competitive, and also very expensive.

  “Well, then I guess we’ll get to know each other a lot this fall, since you’re totally going to get a part in the show too!” Tessa laughed, clearly confident in her own ability.

  It was not long before everyone in the room was confident in Tessa’s ability. She was called up to read from the script and did a great job. Then sang even better. Summer was nervous by the
time it was her turn, but did what her acting teacher said this summer “fake it till you make it!”

  Two hours later everyone was huddled outside the school trying to stay warm in the rain. The cast list was going to be posted on the main entrance window any second and no one wanted to miss seeing their name.

  Summer stood off from the group, wet but still pretty warm in Nicks hoodie. She was texting him about how callbacks went when Tessa skipped over to her.

  “How nervous are you?!” Tessa was hopping up and down. Summer would not tell if it was nerves, or an attempt to stay warm.

  “Really nervous,” Summer laughed. “But you shouldn’t be. You did great!”

  “Who are you texting?” Tessa asked a second later as Summer giggled at a message from Nick.

  “Oh, uh,” Summer suddenly did not know what to say. Should she call Nick her friend? Should she even mention him?

  “IT’S UP!!” Someone yelled near the door. The list had just been taped to the window.

  The announcement saved Summer from answering Tessa, and sent everyone rushing forward. People cheered, cried, and hugged as they read the names on the list. Suddenly less sure of herself, Summer walked up slowly after most of the others had dispersed.

  Searching for her name on the paper, Summer found it near the top, across from the roll of “Sasha”. It was the role she had wanted the most. She would have a solo and a lot of lines in the show, including a few with “Rosa” the character Tessa was cast to play. Doing her best to hold in her squeals of delight, Summer skipped to the curb and dialed home to tell her mom the good news.

  “Need a ride, Sasha?”

  Turning at the familiar voice Summer was pleasantly surprised to see Nick walking towards her. Not only did he show up to give her a ride, he called her the name of role she just landed. Before she could stop herself Summer launched herself at Nick, giving him a massive hug.