This Summer At The Lake

by Daphne James Huff

  At least it would let him see what a ‘real party’ at Columbia might look like. Hideki had been to tons this summer, and promised they were all the same. Logan still couldn’t think of the city without seeing Cassie there next to him, but maybe tonight, surrounded by so many other people, he could finally get his mind off of her. Maybe he could start to see a future in New York on his own.

  It had been nine days since his phone had lit up with a message from her but it felt like months. He couldn’t bear to delete their conversation, so he would see the counter every day, telling him exactly how long it had been since the last message. 5 days. Then 6. Now almost 2 weeks.

  This would end tonight. He was moving on.

  The second he walked in to the party, however, he regretted it. This was not the way to forget about Cassie; all he saw were copycats. The same long blond hair, the same expensively frayed cutoffs and designer hoodies worth more than he made in a week. They all looked like her but not one could even hold a candle to her.

  The beautiful, lying, rich girl who’d broken his heart.

  “Hey guys, glad you could make it.” One of the copycats came up to them. Logan thought her name might be Brittney. He remembered singing her happy birthday at the restaurant earlier in the summer.

  She started talking to him, and Hideki caught the eye of someone he knew from the boat shop and wandered off. Logan’s pulse quickened at the thought of talking alone with Brittney; he had no idea what to say. But she seemed happy to chatter away, her hand lingering on his arm. All he had to do was nod and smile.

  At some point Hideki shoved a cup into his hand as he passed by, and Logan didn’t even look to see what was in it. He drank it in a few gulps. Brittney laughed and said something about bartenders being the best drinkers. He’d laughed at that too, and she beamed. His heart gave the tiniest flutter. Maybe he just had to give someone else a shot in order to start getting over Cassie. Logan ran a hand down Brittney’s arm, just to see what it felt like.

  Nothing. Not even the hint of a spark.

  Someone walked by with a tray of shots. He took two and downed them both.

  “Woah, Logan, slow down!” said Hideki over the music. When had he shown up again?

  Logan shook his head with a glance towards Brittney.

  “Best summer ever, right?” he yelled back. Brittney flashed him a grin that showed all of her perfect white teeth. Her tank top was so low he could see the top of her bra.

  “Yeah, but not if you can’t remember it.”

  Logan didn’t want to remember.

  Everything he’d been holding in so carefully, so that Hideki and his aunt and uncle wouldn’t know the pain he was in, was bursting free tonight. Seeing what life would be like for him, without Cassie at his side, was painful and depressing and no amount of Brittney’s bra showing would fix that. But he didn’t really have any other options.

  He took a third shot for good measure.

  It felt good to be numb. He forgot everything. He laughed at Brittney’s not very funny jokes, and let her lead him outside, where he danced with her, letting his arms drape over her hips as she shimmied close to him. His stomach did a funny flip at one point. It wasn’t a spark, not even close to what holding Cassie in his arms had done to him. But it was something. And maybe it could help drown out everything else he was feeling right now.

  And then he saw Spencer.

  A rage Logan hadn’t felt since the night he’d yelled at Cassie’s dad boiled up inside of him. Spencer was standing at the door to the house, a cocky grin on his face, an arm slung over the shoulder of a tiny redhead with a giant chest. The complete opposite of Cassie’s tall and lean curves.

  No. Logan shook his head. He wasn’t thinking about her tonight. He turned his attention back to Brittney gyrating in front of him. But his eyes kept glancing back over her shoulder to Spencer, and Cassie wormed her way to the front of his mind again. How could she not, with her ex standing right there, his smug face just asking to be punched?

  Logan leaned into Brittney and told her he needed to find the bathroom. She waved in the direction of the house, spouting off its location but he wasn’t paying attention. He kept his eyes trained on Spencer, formulating a rough semblance of a plan as he approached. Hideki appeared at his side with a drink, but backed off when he saw who Logan was staring at.

  “Just let me know if you need back up!” he shouted over the music, and shoved a cup into Logan’s hand.

  He weaved his way closer, slowly, so he didn’t spill his drink. His legs felt heavy and the music had gotten louder all of a sudden.

  Then Spencer suddenly glared in his direction. Logan’s heart started beating faster as he prepared for a confrontation. But as he kept walking, he realized Spencer wasn’t looking at him, but through him. He moved to the right a little, and Spencer’s gaze didn’t shift. Logan looked around, now relatively sure that he wasn’t the intended target.

  There, behind him. There she was. Cassie.

  Logan turned away, his fuzzy mind not even able to process what he was seeing. She looked even better than he remembered. Her silky top hugged every curve and the skirt she had on was the shortest he’d ever seen her in. He remembered that none of it was for him, and he most definitely hated her, but yearning tugged at his bruised heart.

  Spencer was still glaring at her, a dark look in his eyes. Logan had to hold back a laugh. What did Spencer have to be pissed about? He had everything he could ever want, while Logan got nothing.

  When Spencer made a move in Logan’s direction, he shrank back into the crowd. Had he spotted Logan after all? Did he even remember who he was? He probably only registered as ‘that waiter who didn’t served me alcohol’ on Spencer’s radar.

  Cassie was talking to some guy, a tall beefy looking dude who must have been at least twenty-one. Logan wouldn’t have dared to card him if he’d ever been to the bar. But he didn’t seem like the type to frequent Chez Pierre. His huge motorcycle boots over ripped jeans and leather jacket looked very out of place in the midst of all the Hollister and American Eagle. Logan had worn his best shirt and still felt like trash, but this guy didn’t even seem to notice anyone else, much less care what they thought of him. All his attention was focused on the blonde in front of him. Cassie threw her head back and laughed at whatever he was saying.

  So she didn’t care about people seeing her out with someone like this guy, but she’d snuck around with Logan. The final knife twisted in his already shredded heart and he turned to go. But a movement from Spencer caught his eye. He was approaching Cassie from behind, a fierce look in his eyes.

  Logan shifted on his feet, ready to…to do what exactly? Go save a girl who clearly didn’t care about him? Who’d lied to him and had been too embarrassed to be seen in public with him?

  Spencer sidled up next to Cassie, his hand poised over her drink. Logan narrowed his eyes as Spencer slipped one hand around her shoulder and the other dropped something into her cup. She turned to look up at him, not even noticing her drink, her eyes flashing anger.

  Spencer help up his hands, and Logan could hear his loud defense from where he stood.

  “Hey, just trying to be nice. Looked like you were in need of saving.”

  Logan couldn’t hear her response, but she rolled her eyes and turned back to beefy-motorcycle-boots guy. Her cup was still at her side, and Logan held his breath, waiting to see if she’d take a drink.

  Should he stop her?

  Her laugh ringing across the lawn gave him the answer he needed. She was doing fine on her own. She’d been to parties like this before, and would keep going to them long after she’d forgotten all about him. This was her world, not his.

  Let her deal with the consequences herself.

  Logan turned on his heels and went to go find Hideki. He was ready to go home.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Watch out!” Marissa shrieked and stumbled into Cassie, knocking her drink out of her hand.

  As if this night cou
ld get any worse. Cassie looked down at her silk top, now totally drenched. The guy she’d been talking to cursed about the two tiny drops that had fallen on his boots, and Cassie rolled her eyes. He hadn’t been that interesting anyway, but he’d started talking to her and she couldn’t help but be polite as she’d been taught. And he had been kind of funny, but the multiple shots she’d done probably had more to do with that than any innate humor he might have possessed.

  As the guy walked away, still cursing, a giggling Marissa clung to her, drunker than Cassie had seen her in ages. But then again, she hadn’t seen her at all in weeks, Cassie reminded herself.

  She hugged her best friend back, trying to be happy about having at least one thing going right in her life.

  So what if she’d caught Logan looking at her with more hatred in his eyes than she’d ever seen on a person? New York was a big city and Columbia was a big school. He clearly realized he had options, thanks to the ever-attentive Brittney, and wasn’t wasting any time moving on.

  And so what if Spencer was officially the most douchey person on the planet? He couldn’t even stand to see her talking to another guy. ‘Saving’ her is what he’d said. Cassie snorted as she thought about his lame excuse to try yet again to claim what he still saw as his territory. She wished now she’d have thrown her drink on him for the second time that night, and avoided ruining one of her favorite tops.

  At least she hadn’t slept with him, she reassured herself. Poor Marissa would be dealing with that emotional fallout for a while. For the handful of days they had left together, Cassie was determined to support her best friend in any way she could.

  But not if that meant standing around drinking cheap alcohol and talking to random guys.

  “Let’s go,” she said. “I’m totally over this party.”

  Marissa nodded, her eyes bright.

  “Let’s get food!” she declared. Cassie sighed, but smiled. She was so happy to have Marissa back in her life she’d gladly take her drunk ass anywhere she wanted.

  Except for the tiny fact Cassie was about five drinks too wasted to be able to drive either.

  “Who’s driving?” she yelled over the music, wondering if Marissa even remembered driving here in her little red VW. There was no way Cassie was driving that thing, not in this state, and not ever again, she’d decided. No need to tempt fate.

  Marissa looked at Cassie in confusion. Clearly she didn’t realize quite how drunk they both were. Cassie sighed and tried to find someone who looked familiar in the crowd. There were faces she knew from school, from her summers at the lake, but who did she trust? With a pang, she thought of the last time she’d been at a party and wanted to escape and she’d called Logan.

  But she wasn’t thinking about him. That was over. Brittney could have him.

  After another final scan of the room, she realized she’d have to call her sister. It wasn’t that late, but she knew she’d get an earful in the morning.

  What were sisters for?

  “Cassie there’s someone here to see you,” Di called at her bedroom door barely 7 hours after Cassie’s head had hit the pillow. She groaned and rolled over. She’d been having a very nice dream about an afternoon she’d spent with Logan at the lake. Waking up and realizing it would never happen again was like a cold shower on a winter night.

  “Who is it?” It couldn’t be Marissa or she would have just come right in herself. Then she remembered Marissa had slept over and was in the guest room. That brought a smile to her face.

  “He says his name is Hekiki or something.”

  “Hideki!” she said, and shot up in bed, her smile vanishing. She shot a glare at her sister. “It’s not that hard of a name.”

  “Whatever.” Di rolled her eyes. “He’s waiting outside. I thought it best he not come in. Dad might think he’s the new landscaper.” Cassie glared at her sister as she floated out of her room. Had her family always been this awful? Or was she only just now realizing the extent of their messed up priorities?

  Cassie jumped out of bed and ran to the front hall, in her rush not even bothering to put a robe over her thin tank top and sleep shorts. She flung open the door and shivered a little in the cold morning air. She couldn’t wait for a proper summer on the east coast with months of heat instead of a few measly weeks.

  “Hey, Cassie,” he said, wide eyed as he took in her sleepwear. He cleared his throat. “Sorry-not-sorry to wake you up.”

  Cassie huffed in frustration and crossed her arms over her chest. She stepped back from the door, and he followed her into the entryway.

  “What is it?” She ran through the possibilities of why he might be there. Had she forgotten something at their house he was only returning now? At 8 a.m. the day after a party? That was just rude.

  Or maybe Logan had a message for her? Her heart started racing.

  “Does Logan…”

  Hideki shook his head.

  “He’s, uh, not doing too great. He doesn’t know I’m here, actually. He’s in the hospital.”

  The floor must have dropped out from under her, because Cassie could barely stand.

  “What? Why?” She leaned against the wall for support, her legs refusing to support her.

  “Spencer beat the crap out of him last night.”

  “Oh, my gosh!” She took a deep shuddering breath, her stomach threatening to release last night’s shots.

  That must have been Spencer’s big plan for revenge for her. But he didn’t know she’d been with Logan. Who could have told him?

  “He thought something happened to you, that Spencer did something.”

  Cassie’s heart fluttered. He’d been protecting her? From what? She frowned.

  “Why would he think that?”

  “It’s a little complicated.” Hideki flushed. “I’ll let Logan explain it though. I can drive you over if you want. I mean, if you want to see him.”

  “Of course I want to see him! Let me just change.”

  “Cassie you can’t go see him.”

  She turned and saw her dad standing in the hallway, blocking the route to her room.

  “I’ll just…wait outside,” she heard Hideki say and a minute later there was the sound of the front door slamming. Cassie still hadn’t taken her eyes off her father.

  “What do you mean I can’t go?”

  “We have the party today. Your mother will be here in an hour. She’ll need your help getting ready.”

  “Di is here.”

  “We need the whole family together. It’s what people expect.”

  The twist in her heart was familiar. She always did what they expected. She had to.

  From down the hall Marissa appeared, bleary eyed and taking in the scene with a frown. Cassie couldn’t leave her friend here while she ran off to see Logan. She’d done that once before and it had just started a chain of events that had ended with a broken heart for Cassie and so much worse for Logan.

  She shouldn’t get involved again. She had to accept things were over. They all expected her to stay and help them. So that’s what she should do.

  Right?

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Every breath was painful, but Logan knew it had been worth it to see Spencer bleed. He just wished he hadn’t gone quite so far and ended up in the hospital. This was going to cost a fortune.

  He took stock of his body. A cracked rib, a re-dislocated shoulder, bruises all over his face and chest, and they’d even had to reset his jaw. Miraculously no teeth had gotten knocked out. He closed his eyes. Going off to Columbia with a few teeth missing was not how he wanted to start his Ivy League career.

  In the end, it hadn’t saved Cassie though. He’d been too late. Spencer had already done whatever he’d wanted to with her. Or at least, Logan assumed. He hadn’t exactly given Spencer the time to explain himself.

  He’d wanted to save her so badly. Wanted to prove that he could help her. Even when she’d betrayed him. Why?

  With a painful sigh that made his entire bod
y scream, he turned to one side.

  Because despite everything, he loved her. He’d been so close to telling her that night when it all ended. It had been easy enough to tell himself he’d imagined feeling that way, that it hadn’t been real.

  The agony ripping through his heart right now was proof enough that it had been and still was very real.

  He’d never forgive himself for not getting there in time.

  The panic he’d felt when he’d run back into the sweaty mess of bodies had been like a shot of adrenaline as he searched desperately for her blond head amongst all the others. Brittney had beamed when she’d seen him, but he’d brushed her away.

  How could Cassie be gone already? He’d thought. Had she fallen into the water? He’d made his way through the yard to the lake, scanning the dark waves for a body.

  Would he ever see her again?

  Lying here miserable in a hospital room was what he deserved. He curled up in a ball on his side, the tears that had been collecting there through the pain finally falling.

  He heard the door open and quickly wiped them away. It was probably his mom. He didn’t want her to feel worse than she already did.

  “Logan?”

  He whipped his head around and didn’t even regret the pain that shot through his head. Cassie was standing there in front of him, her green eyes filled with worry. She was wearing boots with sleep shorts and a giant hoodie, her hair not even brushed.

  She’d never looked more beautiful.

  “You’re okay!” He sat up, and winced. She ran over to the bed and put a hand on his chest.

  “Don’t get up! Look at you!” she cried. He looked down at her hand and she withdrew it in a flash. He wished she hadn’t. The warmth that had started to spread through him at her touch had been like a balm for his countless wounds.

  “I can’t believe you’re okay.” He wanted to take her in his arms, make sure she was really here. He’d been imagining the worst and to have her looking tired but perfectly fine was like the weight of the world had lifted off his shoulders. His bruises and pain seemed worth it a hundred times now, to know that she was safe.