Summer Love (Senior Year (Vol. 1))

by Marysue Hobika

  I laughed. Becca was always enthusiastic when she first met a guy. It wasn’t until several dates later that she would get bored, claiming all boys were the same—all they ever thought about was sex. Becca wasn’t shy when it came to boys, and I knew she enjoyed fooling around as much as they did, but she complained that the boys she dated never wanted to do anything else. Sooner or later, she’d get fed up and dump them.

  Becca’s new “flavor of the day” glanced our way and waved. Becca waved back. I looked over at Gillian and Marlena and saw their scowls at the exchange. Normally I’d be scared by the look on their faces, but screw that. Becca and I had just won another round, and it felt good.

  “You aren’t going to believe this,” Becca said.

  “Did he ask you out?”

  “Yes,” she smirked, “but that wasn’t what I was going to say. Turns out you know his brother.” I raised my eyebrows, encouraging her to explain further. “His brother is sort of a friend of yours.” Becca air-quoted with her fingers around the word friend.

  I narrowed my eyes at the hot lifeguard. He’d taken off his sunglasses to lather sunscreen on his face, and I could see why Becca had said his eyes were amazing. They were a brilliant shade of blue, the exact color of the Bahamian water in the Bahamas where my dad took us every year during Thanksgiving break. I sucked in a breath. I would recognize that unique color anywhere. “That’s Gavin’s older brother?” I turned to face her, not hiding my disbelief.

  “Yes,” she grinned.

  “Is his name Nathan?”

  “How’d you guess? They look nothing alike.”

  I sat staring in amazement, mentally comparing the two brothers. At first glance, Becca was right. They looked nothing alike. Nathan had short, sandy-colored hair with streaks of blond, no doubt due to the time he spent outdoors, and his skin was lightly tanned. He wore an easy smile, making him appear friendly. Gavin was the complete opposite. His hair was dark, almost black, and his skin olive. His appearance matched his brooding personality. Despite their obvious differences, there were similarities that went beyond their matching blue eyes. Same height, similar builds, except Nathan was bulkier. I was willing to bet that Gavin had the same rock-hard abs hiding underneath the dark T-shirts he was so fond of wearing—said abs looked pretty good on Nathan in his lifeguard uniform.

  “Did Gavin ever tell you how hot his older brother was?” Becca asked, like an excited child on Christmas.

  “Um, no,” I laughed. That was the last thing I could ever imagine Gavin, or any other guy, saying.

  “Come on, he must’ve said something about his brother. I mean, just look at him.” Becca stared off in his direction.

  Talking about himself or his family was not something Gavin ever did. It amazed me that after being lab partners with Gavin for a whole year and him coming over to study a few times, I still knew very little about him. He’d been a new student in the fall, transferring from an all-boys’ Catholic high school. It was clear he didn’t want to be at Crownwood High, but he had shared with me it was necessary because his parents were divorced, and paying tuition was no longer an option. I never questioned him further because it was obvious by the set of his jaw that the subject was off-limits. We only ever talked about the lab we were working on, or the material we were studying.

  “Please, Car, give me something to work with.” She turned and looked at me over the top of her sunglasses, bottom lip in full pout.

  I laughed. “Does that look actually work on boys? Is that how you get them to do your bidding?”

  “Guilty as charged.” She continued to pester me for details until I finally caved. I knew Becca wouldn’t stop until I told her something, even if I had to make it up.

  “Let’s see.” I closed my eyes and thought back to the week before our final exam. Gavin came over to study and was in a particularly dark mood, so I made a joke about him not biking over like he usually did. Unfortunately, the joke didn’t go over well and he seemed angry about my teasing. He gave a brief response and said his brother Nathan dropped him off and would pick him up later. Until then I hadn’t even known he had an older brother. The remainder of the study session was tense. When he left, I tried to figure out what had set him off. I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong, but I felt like I should apologize for something. I glanced over at Becca, still waiting for an answer. I cleared my throat. “He said that his brother had just gotten home from college.”

  “Did he say which college?”

  “He didn’t.”

  “What else did he say?”

  “Nothing. This is Gavin we’re talking about, remember? We talk about chemistry, not our personal lives.”

  “Chemistry, huh?” Becca smirked.

  I recognized that look and knew I wasn’t going to like what Becca had in mind. I cut her off before she could suggest anything. “No. Don’t even think about it.”

  “What?” she said, sounding innocent.

  “I’m not going to double with you. No way. No how. Don’t even ask.”

  Becca threw up her hands. “Okay, I won’t.”

  “And don’t forget we told Drew we’d hang out. Lucas is throwing a big party to celebrate.” Drew was my twin and Lucas was his best friend. We’ d run into them on our way out of the exam, and they’d reminded us about the party.

  “Yeah, but that’s not until later. Things won’t even begin until after eleven.” Becca settled into her chair. “You have to admit that Gavin is hot, in a dark and dangerous sort of way.” Her words were true, and like most girls at school, I harbored a secret crush on him. He was smart and hot as hell. But something warned me that getting involved with Gavin could lead to heartache. Plus, he never hinted that he wanted to be anything other than friends.

  Chapter Two

  Gavin

  “I still think this is a bad idea.” I ran my hands through my shaggy hair. Now that I no longer went to a Catholic school, I had let it grow out. We waited outside the restaurant for the girls to arrive. They were late, which was typical, and it added to the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glared at Nate, wishing I hadn’t let him talk me into this.

  “It’s not a bad idea. It’s a great idea,” Nate said, making me want to punch him in the gut. His happy-go-lucky attitude got under my skin. “What else would you be doing right now?”

  I didn’t respond. The truth was I’d be lounging on my bed with my ear buds in while I worked on my drawings. Same as every other Friday night for the past year. As lame as that sounded, it was what I enjoyed. Ever since my parents’ divorce, I’d become a different guy. My life had been turned upside down. I’d spent months partying and getting drunk. Now I stayed locked away in my room. In an instant I went from being happy and secure, to hardened and cynical. The worst part was I had a hard time trusting people. I began to question everything and everyone. I broke up with my girlfriend because I doubted her. Every time she said she was with one of her friends, I thought she was lying. It drove me crazy. And since it didn’t really matter because all relationships ended, I broke it off and vowed not to get close to anyone again.

  “Exactly.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “I don’t get you, bro. You should be excited. It’s not every day that a hot girl agrees to go out with you. And I know she’s smoking hot because she was rocking it in her string bikini at the pool today. You should have seen her—all curves.” He licked his lips, and this time I gave in to my urge with a straight body shot.

  “What the hell was that for?” Nate rubbed his midsection.

  I hit him harder than I’d originally intended. I didn’t like the fact that he’d seen Carly wearing only a bathing suit. And it sounded like it was a skimpy one at that. But I knew Nate, and he was a total douche bag when it came to women. He would give a girl the token eye-fuck and comment on her ass and physical attributes without thinking twice. He only cared about good looks and hot sex. Carly was too good to be seen as mere eye candy.

  He watched me and threw his hands in
the air. “I get it,” he said. “Don’t worry, dude—she’s all yours. She’s hot and all, but Becca is more my style. You know, I’m into blonds. I could just see myself lying next to Becca, that silky hair fanned across my pillow, and something tells me she’d be more than happy to oblige. You should’ve seen the way she flirted with me. I’m really glad I was sitting down.”

  I felt minutely better that Carly wasn’t his type. I didn’t want her getting hurt.

  “And look at you,” he waved his arm at my clothes—cargo shorts and a navy blue T-shirt, which was as dressed up as I got these days. “You clean up good. Not as good as me, but still good.” Nathan smoothed out his shirt. He never could give a compliment without turning it around and mentioning himself.

  “Carly and I are just friends,” I said, making my intentions clear. Just because I didn’t like the idea of Nathan checking her out didn’t mean I wanted her to be my girl. I don’t do relationships anymore. From what I’d seen and experienced, they were nothing but trouble. If this double-date thing had been with anyone else, I never would’ve agreed. But Carly was different than the other girls at school. She was sweet and innocent. Trustworthy. We had worked side by side all year long, and she never got in my business or asked a lot of questions. She gave me the space I needed. In a way, we had become friends. And I couldn’t deny that she was beautiful.

  “Well, now’s your chance to be more than just friends,” encouraged Nate. “I really don’t get you, man. Whatever your problem is, snap out of it.” He whacked me on the back. “Here they come. Don’t ruin my chance of getting with Becca just because you don’t know a good thing when it’s headed right toward you.” He flashed me a warning look and then focused on the girls, turning on his charm full force.

  I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as I watched Carly approach. I’d always thought she was hot, but tonight she blew my mind. She wore a sundress, her long, dark hair falling in waves around her shoulders. She looked exotic with her dark features and glowing skin, literally taking my breath away. I wondered if I brushed my fingertips lightly across her bare skin, would it feel as soft as it looked? Something inside me changed the moment I laid eyes on her. Maybe Nate was right. Maybe I should snap out of my funk and man up. All I knew at this point was that the drawings could wait. I was happy standing here, staring at Carly. I couldn’t form a single thought beyond this moment.

  Thankfully, Nate nudged me hard in the ribs, breaking my trance. What is wrong with me? I can’t have these dangerous thoughts about Carly. I don’t need any complications in my life right now, and Carly would definitely be a complication. My stomach churned, as my uncertainty about the night ahead of us grew.

  “Hi, Nathan,” exclaimed Becca, rushing up and hugging my brother as if they’d known each other forever.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said, swinging her around.

  Smoothing her hands down her dress, she said, “I want to formally introduce you to my best friend. Nathan, this is Carly. Carly, Nathan.” I was surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy as I watched them exchange hellos. I wasn’t the only one who noticed how beautiful Carly looked tonight. I was sure everyone did.

  “Hi, Gavin,” Becca said.

  “Becca,” I nodded. We didn’t shake hands. I had mine stuffed in my front pockets and Becca had her arm looped through Nate’s.

  “You and Carly already know each other, right?” she said.

  “Hey, Carly,” I said, trying to act cool. I didn’t want her to see the effect she had on me or for that matter, read more into this date than there needed to be. Silently, I repeated my mantra: “Relationships are nothing but trouble. Relationships are nothing but trouble.”

  “Hey,” Carly said, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. Her face looked even more beautiful. This is going to be difficult.

  Becca immediately began firing off questions. From what little I knew of her, she loved to talk. “You first met in chem, right?”

  “Yup,” I answered.

  “We were lab partners,” added Carly.

  “I’m curious,” said Becca. “How did you end up working together? Did the teacher assign partners or did you get to choose?”

  Carly responded, keeping it short. “We picked our own.”

  It was part of Carly’s sweet personality not to point out what an ass I’d been that day. I’d been stuck wishing I were back at my old school and I took it out on Carly. She walked into the room late, and everyone else was already paired up. A couple of girls had asked me to work with them, but I turned them down. I was hoping there’d be an odd number of students so the teacher would have to let me work alone. And my plan was working great until Carly walked in. When she introduced herself, I thought she said her name was Girly (it sounded a lot like Carly) and I gave her a hard time about it. To this day I sometimes called her Girly to tease her, although she doesn’t usually appreciate my humor.

  “Sounds like fate,” said Becca, winking. Carly blushed at her friend’s not-so-subtle hint. Without a moment’s pause she continued, “I can’t figure out why you take chem anyway. It’s not a requirement. I know I’m never going to need it. I’m moving to New York when I graduate to work my way into the fashion magazine world.”

  “You’ll fit in perfectly,” Nate said, gazing over at Becca. I could easily picture these two as a couple. They were both overly concerned with their appearance.

  “How do you think you did on your exams?” I asked Carly. Normally I didn’t initiate conversations. She knew I wasn’t a big talker, but I couldn’t just stand there and not say anything. I didn’t want her to think I was still that jerk from the first day of class, or the jerk from the last time we studied together.

  “I think I did okay,” she answered. I was sure she’d done better than okay. She was the smartest girl in the class. “How about you?”

  “Same,” I shrugged. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Studying with you helped.” The hint of a smile formed on my lips. This is wrong. I should be discouraging her. I reminded myself that I didn’t want a girlfriend.

  “Who are you kidding?” she laughed, hitting me on the arm. A warm tingle surged where her hand had been. I felt her breath on my neck as she leaned closer and whispered, “You’re the one who helped me, but don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I know you don’t want it getting out that you’re smart.” Wow, I really need to be careful, or I am going to break my number-one rule.

  It wasn’t that I cared if people knew I was smart—I just didn’t like drawing unnecessary attention to myself by raising my hand in class. I wasn’t at all surprised that Carly called me on it. She was perceptive.

  “Hey, let’s go put our names in at the hostess station,” interrupted Becca.

  “Already did,” said Nate. “We got here a few minutes early. They said it would be about forty minutes, but that was at least fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Excellent. I’m starving,” said Becca. We made our way closer to the hostess station to wait to be called. “I know you mentioned you went to college, but I didn’t get the chance to ask you which one?”

  “It’s kind of a long story. Last year I was at Dartmouth, but since I still have no idea what I want to study, it doesn’t make any sense to spend all that money if I don’t know what I want to do. I’m staying here for the next year and taking classes at the community college until I figure it out.” He shrugged his shoulders. “In the meantime, I’ll be spending the summer as a lifeguard by day and a musician by night.”

  “You’re in a band?” Becca’s eyes lit up. Why are girls always so impressed by boys in a band?

  “Sort of,” he said. “A few buddies and I have been jamming for a couple years and this summer we want to take it up a notch and enter the Summer Jam Contest.” Carly leaned in closer to Nate, seeming to take an interest in what he was saying. I felt that jealous stab again.

  “That sounds amazing,” gushed Becca. “What’s the band’s name?”

  “We don’
t have one yet. Can’t come up with anything we all agree on.”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  Nate frowned. “What we really need is another band member, preferably someone who can sing. You have no idea how many people have tried out and not one of them can carry a tune.”

  “Carly can sing. She has an amazing voice,” Becca offered up instantly.

  Carly drew in a breath, her face flushing.

  I knew it was true. I’d heard her sing. Sometimes she sang or hummed while we studied. I didn’t think she realized she was doing it; it was just a part of who she was. It was as if the music lived inside her and couldn’t be contained.

  “I’m sure she can, but the thing is, it’s a boy band,” smirked Nate.

  “What’s wrong with having a girl in your band? Maybe she’s just what you need,” replied Becca, sounding offended.

  Carly looked panicked, but Becca and Nate, oblivious to her discomfort, continued to talk as if she weren’t standing right next to them. Each one tried to convince the other that Carly would or wouldn’t be a good fit.

  “I don’t think so,” he shook his head. “The guys wouldn’t like it.”

  “Why don’t you let them decide?” Becca challenged. She turned to Carly, finally including her in the discussion. “What do you think, Car? You’ve always wanted to be in a band. This could be your chance.” Carly remained wide-eyed. “You can totally do this. Remember what you said earlier? This can be another chance for you to test your new skill set.” I had no idea what Becca was talking about, but Carly blushed a deep shade of red. She opened her mouth to speak but fell silent.

  Before I could think twice, words tumbled out of my mouth. Carly looked so upset that I rushed to agree with Nate. “You don’t want to sing for those guys.” I felt relieved to be able to do this one thing for Carly. It was obvious that she didn’t want to hurt her best friend’s feelings, especially after Becca had nagged Nate to give her a shot.