Between us

Chapter three

Summer

"Wake up Summer! Wake up!" I opened my eyes and saw Mabel staring down at me as if I had just woken up from a ten-year coma. "What?" I managed to blurt out. "Come on, class starts in ten minutes! I thought you were already on your way!" I didn't even realize what time it was, so I put on the hoodie that's been laying on the floor for the past week and my sneakers. I didn't have time to brush my hair or eat breakfast, so I took the last couple of cheez-it crumbs left in the box and ran to class.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late miss." I said as I walked into my biology class. I looked around for my usual bio partner Clare, but she was sitting with her new boyfriend Danny. "Great" I said to myself as I searched the room for a place to sit. The only seat left was with the new girl.

"Hi, I'm Aditi by the way, we met before, but I didn't catch your name?" "Summer, It's Summer."

I was in a bad mood already because I was hungry and wearing mismatched... everything but something about her asking me that calmed me down a bit.

"Alright class you will be doing a project for the next two weeks on cell division. It's due on Monday the 22nd and your partners are sitting next to you. Any questions?"

For the rest of the class, I was falling asleep, I've spent the night studying and thinking about a new training plan. Every time I looked at Aditi, she was drawing in her notebook, also seemed to be bored to death. I looked at the time and excused myself to the bathroom.

I don't think I can do this... with her. I noticed my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Well, that was a site. My messy blonde hair and the bags under my eyes made me look like a drugged Jennifer Aniston.

I heard someone come in. It was Corrine. "Oh my god, Summer, you look atrocious. What have you been doing?" She gave me a fake shocked expression, then laughed sharply in my face. "Tell me, did you actually try yesterday, or did you just lose that race on purpose?" I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my voice steady. "You know what, Corrine, can you just leave me alone?" Well I can't help but wonder if you have been taking someth-" "God no!" I shot back, feeling my face flush with anger. "You're such a snake, Corrine."

"Oh, I'm the snake?" she said, arching a brow. "Well, at least I know how to win. I'm running for council president, did you hear? Just about everyone's already talking about it. Not that you'd know anything about being at the top of anything, right?"

My fists tightened even more. "Corrine, no one cares that you're running for council, okay?" I saw the look on her face. She was more than enjoying torturing. "Well, I think our parents might when I'll call in the afternoon, but I think your case is far more important." She walked out the bathroom leaving me far more angry than sad, but I still cried.

I went to the stall and locked it. I hate how much power she has over me. If she wanted, she would've told everyone that I'm on drugs. Which is not true, but it would tear up my reputation and take away any chances to get on a good uni track team.

I sobbed for another couple of minutes when I heard a knock on the door. "Summer? Are you here?" It was Aditi. "Summer?" I opened the stall and revealed myself crying which was stupid. "Why are you here?" I asked.

"I just wanted to check on you. It's been ten minutes Summer." The way she said my name made me turn around. I looked at her. My vision still blurry but I wiped my tears away. "Thanks" I said. She kneeled down beside me. "What happened?" -She gave me a worried expression. "I... I do-n't reall-y wan-t to talk right no-w." "Do you wanna talk about it later? Maybe we can get coffee after school?" And then I did another stupid thing. "That would be nice" I replied. She smiled at me. "Ok well promise me you'll go to your next period. We only have five more minutes of bio sooo... meet me in front of the library at four, okay?" I nodded "By the way your hair looks nice when it's messy." She said as she tucked it behind my ear. I simply stared at her as she walked away.

"Hey you came! Doing better?" She asked me as she was putting away her earphones. "Yeah, thanks" we walked to the nearest coffee shop Maple and Moon Café.

The café was alive with quiet conversation and the comforting hiss of the espresso machine. I clutched my hot chocolate, feeling its warmth seep into my hands, trying to shake off the leftover sting of my argument with Corrine. Across from me, Aditi flipped open a sketchbook and looked up, her gaze meeting mine with a gentle curiosity. Her eyes were this deep, warm brown that seemed to see right through the stress I'd carried in.

"So," she began, a soft smile spreading across her face, "I know we haven't really met before... I'm Aditi. You're Summer, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." I smiled back, and it was surprisingly easy. "Sorry if I seem all over the place. I don't usually do this—dump all my drama on people I just met." I shifted awkwardly. "It's just... my sister. Corrine can be, um, kind of intense."

Aditi raised an eyebrow knowingly, and it made her look a little mischievous. "I noticed. I had the... pleasure of sitting behind at the assembly yesterday." She wrinkled her nose, laughing, and the sound made me want to laugh too. "She kind of commands the room, doesn't she?"

"She commands everything," I said, shaking my head. "And she knows it, trust me. She actually threatened to spread rumors about me earlier if I didn't just let her run her show. She loves knowing she has that power."

Aditi's expression softened, and she looked at me like she really understood. "That sounds rough," she said quietly. "I have a little brother, George—he's nine, and yeah, he can be a handful sometimes. Not quite a Corrine, though," she added with a chuckle. "But I get what you mean."

Her voice was soft and steady, and I found myself hanging on every word. She actually seemed to care about what I was saying, which was something I wasn't used to. "Thanks for listening," I said, feeling a little shy. "It's just nice to talk to someone about this stuff who isn't already on her side." I paused, feeling like I should say something else. "So, what do you like to do? You know, when you're not wrangling your brother?"

Her face lit up, and I felt my chest flutter a little. "Well," she said, pulling her camera out of her bag, "I love photography. Capturing moments that most people overlook—details, expressions, that sort of thing. And I draw, too. Mostly faces. I think they can say so much without needing words, you know?"

I nodded, mesmerized by the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her art. "I get that," I said, feeling myself grin a little too widely. "Running feels like that for me. It's like... finding these moments that are just mine, a place where everything else fades away." The words sounded sappy, but Aditi's smile only softened, like she understood.

"I'd love to see you run sometime," she said, her voice warm. "Maybe I could even take some shots—if you don't mind, of course."

"Yeah, I'd... I'd like that," I managed, trying to keep the smile from taking over my face. "And maybe I could see some of your sketches too? I mean, if you wanted to share them."

Aditi's cheeks flushed just slightly, her gaze flickering away for a moment before meeting mine again. "I'd like that," she said, her voice soft.

For the first time in forever, my thoughts of Corrine faded into the background, replaced by this nervous energy that had me hanging on Aditi's every word. There was a warmth between us that I hadn't felt before, and I knew I wanted to see her again.

A/n: Hiiiii everyone! Hope you liked this one, It's a bit more emotional but I had so much fun writing the fight scene. Btw thank you so much for 3 views! Comment what you thought of this one! xoxo