A Summer Like No Other

Chapter 27 - Em

My eyes must still be red from all the crying I've done yesterday, but I'm trying very hard to stay positive.

Nick called me this morning to tell me he convinced his father to give him Claire Carter's address and phone number.

We know where Claire Carter lives and we're going tomorrow—before I change my mind. We hesitated about contacting her first, but I don't know what to say on the phone, and there's a part of me that's scared she doesn't want to see me. There's a part of me that still doesn't know what to believe. There's a part of me that wants to stop everything and never look back.

But I can't.

I want to ask her what happened back then. I want to ask her why she tried to sell me off. What was going on in her life? I want to make sure she's okay. She did wrap me in the onesie and the blanket. My father told me that when they arranged the pick-up, she had me in those clothes. I want to believe she cared. I want to believe she still cares.

Less than twenty-four hours to go. Nick decided I need to relax somehow so he's taking me to the movies.

I stroll down the street. The sun is warm on my skin but not too hot. It's a perfect summer day and I should enjoy it as such.

The Bam Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn is playing some indie movies, and we'll get to hold hands in the air-conditioned theater.

Nick's waiting for me in front of the theater and I slow my pace to look at him. He's on his phone, probably playing a new game; he's wearing cargo shorts and a Mario Brothers shirt. I'm sure the people around him don't realize that he's not only super hot, he's also on the path to entering a prestigious ballet company. I'm not sure he even realizes how amazing he is.

"You know the best game isn't Mario, it's Zelda," I call and he looks up, grinning as if he hasn't seen me for days, as if he didn't talk to me until I fell asleep on the phone yesterday.

"You are breaking my heart with those words," he jokes and leans down to kiss me on the lips. My heart still flutters at the contact. My heart believes our summer is going to last forever. My heart believes Claire will be happy to see me. My heart believes in happy endings.

My heart is hopeless.

He holds my hand as we pay for our tickets, but right before we enter the theater, a very familiar voice chirps next to us. "Oh my God, Nick! I thought that was you!"

Jen.

A chill runs down my spine. She's ignoring me, of course. Nick squeezes my hand and then lets it go. "I didn't know you were back already."

"I should have called you."

Why? I want to ask her. So you can try to get back with him? He doesn't want you! I want to scream.

"Em and I were on our way to watch a movie," he says, nodding my way but not saying or doing anything that would show her we're an item.

Because, we're not.

My heart sinks to my feet and I struggle not to let my pain show in the way I purse my lips.

"Oh Emilia," Jen says with the fakest enthusiasm on the planet. "I didn't see you." Liar. She pauses. "Love the dress—even though..." She doesn't finish her sentence, she simply smiles brighter, knowing she managed to rattle me. I'm wearing one my favorite dresses. It's light blue and almost touches my feet, with a thin crisscross on the back.

"I'm so happy to run into you, Nick. Mom says there's a party at your place next week. Love your dad's cocktail parties. They're the best." Nick glances at me, mouthing he didn't know about the party. But it sounds like something his dad would do.

"France was fantastic," she continues to talk. Her black hair looks like silk on her shoulder. Her light caramel skin is flawless and she's got dimples when she smiles. She's always very well put together. Today, she's wearing some beige shorts with red ballet flats and a red top that shows off her cleavage. At least I have slightly bigger boobs than she does.

"That's so nice of you to help Roberto out by spending time with his little sister," Jen says, caressing Nick's arm with her index finger.

I'm about to bite it off. She's going to lose a finger; it's not like she needs it to dance.

"You know me. I'm very nice," Nick says. Is he flirting with her? He glances at me and smiles. I'm about to stomp away from both of them, when Jen sighs.

"I have to go. Mom's waiting for me at that little bakery she discovered on this side of town. Apparently, it's better than the caterer she uses on the Upper West Side, but I'll definitely see you guys around. Well, especially you, Nick. We should talk about rehearsing together or maybe go see a show or something."

"We'll talk," Nick replies, and Jen doesn't acknowledge me again as she skips back into the sidewalk, back into her perfect little life. Nick turns to me. "I'm sorry. I know she's a bit much."

"A bit much? She's not the one who seems to be ashamed of me," I reply, grinding my teeth so hard it hurts.

"What?" Nick raises both eyebrows as if what I was saying was some sort of revelation to him, as if he never looked at it that way.

"Come on, you dropped my hand so fast there," I reply, feeling silly because I know what he's going to say. We agreed.

"We agreed," he says. And there we go. An iron fist squeezes my chest but I breathe through it. I'm not going to make a scene here—I did agree to this summer. Only this summer. Technically, it was my idea. My own stupid idea.

"You're right. She gets on my nerves, that's it." That's only half a lie, because right now he also gets on my nerves. For not wanting more. For not even acknowledging the fact he might want more. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and I stiffen instead of relaxing in his embrace.

"Be careful, somebody else might see us," I sneer.

It seems summer is about to end.

Author's note:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying getting to know Em & Nick! I'll be publishing two new chapters every Friday and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave a comment. The full novella is already published/available on all e-retailers for only $0.99 in case you don't want to wait for the next chapter :) More information on www.elodienowodazkij.com :)