The Trouble With Two Seasons

Chapter 22 : Boiling Point

"Thank you Sensei, see you next week." Summer bowed down curtly.

The karate instructor returned the bow. He gave her a proud smile as she picked up her duffle bag and slung it across her shoulder.

"Your confidence is growing and so are your skills. Keep it up Summer, we'll be able to nail the finals with this pace! I'm proud of you." He confessed, giving her a little pat on the back.

Finals for the annual karate competition was coming up and Summer was making vigorous preparations. She had to defend her belt, she was the reigning champion.

"Thank you Sensei, I won't let you down." Summer bowed in response.

She exited the Dojo after through the double glass doors and made a quick dash to the changing room where she slid on some joggers and a loose cropped black tee.

Her hair bounced in a ponytail behind her back as she stepped out of the room, making her way to the kid's section in the Dojo.

It was more colorful and spacious as compared to the adult section which she'd just walked out from.

The adult section, was filled with arsenal and high class training equipment as compared to the cushions and play toys which littered the floor.

It was easy to spot Grayer's tall bulky frame standing with Kennedy's instructor at the other end of the room.

"Summer!" Kennedy screamed excitedly making a mad dash Summer's way.

She engulfed Summer in a hug, her little head resting a bit above Summer's belly button.

"Hey firecracker." Summer smiled down at Kennedy. She was like a little flame of fire which ignited every little match.

Kennedy flashed her a toothy grin. She had a purple tiara engraved on the top left upper corner of  her karategi and a matching purple bow held her hair in a French braid.

"How was practice?" Summer asked.

"I kicked some butts!" She giggled, watching Grayer walking towards them.

He wrapped his arms around Kennedy and pulled her to himself.

She giggled in her brother's arms.

"Her Sensei says she's making progress, but she must work on her reflexes." Grayer explained to Summer, pulling the door open for them all to walk out through.

Summer nodded, noticing Grayer's damp hair.  He'd probably freshened up after his practice session. It finished minutes before hers.

His iPhone pinged with a message as they walked out to the car park.

His eyes scanned across the text on his phone, his brows furrowed.

"Shit!" He cussed.

"Language!" Summer corrected, taking a cursory glance at Kennedy who was engrossed in counting her steps as she walked.

Grayer ran his hand through his curls.

"What's up?" Summer inquired.

"It totally flew out of my head! I got this dinner date with Winter in less than ten minutes." He rattled.

Summer nodded awkwardly.

"You okay with me skipping lunch with you and Kennedy?" Grayer asked with concerned eyes.

As much as the idea of Grayer being with Winter still didn't resonate with Summer, she decided to play it cool. She'd be the bigger person, just for once. She'd do what every best friend would do.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Summer waved it off distractedly.

"Summer will drop you home, okay? I'll see you after lunch." Grayer said  goodbye to his sister.

She nodded. Her brother placed a kiss atop her forehead after nodding at Summer and rushed off to his car.

"Guess it's us again, firecracker." Summer laughed as Kennedy took her hand and they made their way towards her car.

"Should we make a stop at Mr. Wu's?" Summer asked Kennedy if she wanted Chinese cuisine.

Kennedy nodded in the affirmative.

They both were big fans of Chinese cuisine and usually would crash out after a tiring weekend eating out and playing games. It was their not-so-subtle girly way of bonding.

Once they were settled in the car and  their seat belts buckled up, the thought of Grayer with Winter shot up in Summer's head. It made her uneasy.

For some reason, Winter still irked her. There always seemed to be a dark cloud looming over her presence. It dampened Summer's spirits might she confess.

Summer chose to bury it by tugging violently at her handbrake and pulling the car from reverse onto the highway.

Half an hour later, she and Kennedy had finished up their noodle soup and dumplings. Kennedy scrolled 
through her phone as they waited for the bill.

A smile lit up her pretty face as she thrust her phone out at Summer's face.

It showed a streak of Grayer and Winter at a restaurant enjoying a candle lit dinner.

"You really like Winter, don't you?" Summer asked looking up at her.

Kennedy exited Snapchat on her phone and eagerly nodded at Summer. "I'm one of her biggest fans." She confessed.

"You're friends with Winter too, right?" Kennedy asked innocently.

Summer shrugged, "Not quite, but I do know she hates water." Summer joked.

"She hates water? No one hates water"  Kennedy protested.

"She can't swim or something like that." Summer explained, watching Kennedy's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

"Winter swims. I've seen her go live at a pool party." Kennedy corrected.

Summer was quiet for a while as she settled the bill the waitress held out to her.

"Tell me you're kidding!"  She let out an unbelievable laugh once the waitress had stepped away.

Kennedy vigorously scrolled through her phone. She finally pulled a memory months down from her feed.

"I saved this video from one of her lives."  She explained handing her phone over to Summer.

Summer tapped on the play button , watching the events on the screen come to life.

It showed a pool party scene, kids playing in water and the usual boisterous surroundings. One thing couldn't be mistaken though, the image of Winter paddling about in the pool laughing with friends.

Then, Summer's breath hitched. She went pale for a second, letting everything sink in. Her instincts were never wrong about anybody.

She had known it was too good to be true, Winter offering her help back at Courtney's party.

Winter had mocked her fall that evening and tried covering it up by offering a helping hand.

Regardless Winter had played the victim, and she was not getting away with it that easily.

Summer boiled all over. Winter was a  craft master but she would play her strings hard. So hard that she'd hit a  boiling point then erupt.