Remembering Summer

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Green and red lights flash from the house in front of me. I park my car on the curb that's littered by other cars and pull myself out of the door. Even though the party only started less than an hour ago, tons of people are stumbling around on the lawn. Knowing Logan, I can guess there's twice the amount inside and even more to come. I stop halfway up the driveway. Is this honestly how I'm living my life? I snap out of my thoughts when someone calls my name. Logan is standing on the front porch, some girl wrapped around him. She's giggling, her bright red hair already messed up and her makeup smeared. She's already drunk. Natalie is standing to Logan's right, smirking at me. I feel disgust for a minute, but then I smack myself. This is Natalie. My way out of my own personal living hell. I walk up the porch and clap Logan on the back, weaving my arm around Natalie's back.

Logan wasn't lying when he said girls in bikinis everywhere. All I see are straps and small triangles of fabric that can barely be passed off as swimwear. Someone offers me a drink and I grab it, not really thinking. As soon as I turn a corner, though, I dump it out into a potted plant.

"You don't want a drink?" Natalie questions me. I shake my head no. I'm not in a drinking mood tonight. I haven't really drank a lot ever though. Never gotten drunk. One beer a night, that's all I allow myself.

"Man you've GOT to check out this new girl I invited. She's hot. Natalie better step up her game if she wants to stay in control of the groupies she's got herself." Logan keeps babbling on and ignores Natalie's death glare.

"She's a freak. A pretty freak, but a freak nonetheless." I take my arm back from around her waist. Those were the same words, the same kinda of things that Natalie had said when Emily had moved here. That she was a freak. A nobody.

"I'll be back," I muttered. I hear Natalie calling to me before I even get out the back door. I don't know why I even came here. I don't want to party. I could have played video games at home, or listened to music or something. I need a distraction. Not this. But this is available right here and right now, so I'll use it.

I scan the back yard for any girl, someone new, someone good. Anyone but Natalie. I grab a drink and get it down faster than I expect to.

"Still holding the record for most drinks in the least time, man?" I hear Jared behind me, his classic water bottle in his hand and his dimples popping.

"Still carrying around a water bottle to parties that serve beer?"

"Touché." He holds his hands up in surrender as I grab another red cup. I keep talking and messing around with Jared and grabbing beers from anyone I can. I finally spot a short redhead who's wandering around looking drunk and lost. Jared seems to catch on and he gives me a worried glance.

"What?"

"Dude, she looks hammered."

"She's buzzed, big difference."

"There's a difference between a douchebag and a rapist but neither of them are good."

"Douchebag is better by comparison."

"Fuck you man," he laughs. We wait in silence for a little, while I down my sixth beer. I'm feeling a bit past buzzed but not quite drunk yet. I can tell I'm in that no good place because I see Emily's face on the redhead and I grab one more cup. I trudge down the patio steps and grab her arm lightly. She doesn't look like Emily anymore.

"Hey. Who are you?" Her words are slurred slightly. She's buzzed, not drunk. I was right.

"I'm Tyler."

"Lacie."

"You wanna get out of here?" I flash her a smile and take her hand as soon as she extends it.

I practically drag her to Logan's spare bedroom, tumbling over drunk people and Lacie herself. As soon as I close the door, she takes her pants off and I fling my shirt across the room. I pick her up and push her onto the bed, making out with her as fast as I can. Her hands are all over me, but I don't feel the burn that usually comes with sexual buildup like this.

Ten minutes later, I'm down to my boxers and she's in lingerie that's three sizes too small for her. I'm regretting my choices but the alcohol pulls the blinds back over my conscience.

"So this is the kind of party this guy throws." A push my lips down to her neck, and feel her scratching at my back. Other than that, I don't feel. No sadness, but no pleasure.

"Are you ok? You don't seem very into this?" I hear footsteps on the creaky floorboard outside the door.

"Shh." I cover her mouth and she takes it as some kinky joke. She starts grinding against me, trying to turn me on. It doesn't work though.

The floor hasn't creaked again so I think we're okay. Just as I'm about to start rubbing back, the door bursts open.

"Oh my God." I look up from the redhead whose name I've already forgotten and has awful makeup streaked down her cheeks. Instead I see a short blonde with dark eyeliner all around her bright blue eyes.

"Summer?" It all makes a bit more sense now. The new girl, prettier than Natalie. Logan was talking about Summer.

"Tyler?" I try to read the look in her eyes, but I can't place it. Disgust? Envy? Why is the jealous of me? She looks pissed. She stomps her way out of the doorway and down the hallway. I grab my jeans and throw on my shirt, pure adrenaline being my only drive.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Redhead's voice is drowned out as I run put the door, trying to follow the blonde hair. I see her getting into her car and I quickly run over to it.

"Summer, hey. Can I um, talk to you?" She gives me a death glare and I don't understand why she's pissed off. Or why her being pissed off makes me upset.

"You are such a douche, you know that?" I nod my head.

"Yeah I do. Can I know why I am one?"

"That girl in there was hammered! Drunk out of her mind and you almost fucked her!"

"Almost. I didn't actually do it."

"You're such a shit head! God!" I hear her try to start the car and the motor gives out a puff of smoke from underneath the hood.

"Fuck! Are you shitting me right now!" She climbs out of her car and starts towards the hood. Pulling it up, a huge cloud of smoke erupts towards Summer's face.

"God damn it!" She pulls a red solo cup out of her motor and throws it across the lawn.

"Was that a beer?"

"One of your asshole friends might've just broken my car." She starts to walk down the road in the direction of our street. She's almost halfway down the road when my senses finally kick in.

"Summer, wait!" Her little figure continued down the road, but my legs are longer than hers. Three of her steps are equal to one of mine.

"Hey I can um...I can drive you home or something."

"Why would I get in the car with an asshole like you?"

"Cause you're car is jacked up and it's a seven mile walk at 11 PM on a Saturday."

She's walking towards my car by the time I say 'seven mile walk'.

A/N

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. There's just been a lot going on lately. Oh well. Hope y'all enjoyed it