The Scars She Left Behind

Chapter Fifteen

I had liked Summer for a while now. I had manned up and asked her out a few times, but I had never discussed my true intentions with her.

I wanted her to be mine.

I haven't had my first kiss yet and I wasn't quite sure what I was doing at the moment, but as I look at Summer in my peripheral vision, I had a game plan. I was going to use the element of surprise, a childish move but I couldn't care less as long as I got to kiss her. This could either go well or terribly, terribly wrong.

Fuck it, I'm just going to get it over with.

"Hey Summer?" I say, gaining her direct attention.

Before she could even ask what I was on about, my lips were on hers. I felt her jump a little and still within the kiss but she hadn't pushed me away yet.

I was losing hope each second she didn't give in. When she finally did kiss me back — it startled me as I did to her to begin with.

---

"I've been meaning to ask, what happened with you and Rebecca?" I ask Reese on the way to lunch. I had caught him walking and decided to join him so I wouldn't have to walk there alone.

After our group date, Reese had only spent little time with her and then never brought her up. Ash still saw Brooke from time to time but it was only as friends.

"Oh, that." He laughs nervously, "Nothing." I eye him skeptically knowing there was more to his answer than he let on.

"It just didn't work out okay!" He defends himself, raising his arms in mock surrender. "I'm the one who should be asking you  about relationships."

I groan at his response. It had been two days since I worked everything out with Natalie and everyone was still talking about it.

"When are you going to make that official, everybody's waiting, Bryson."

"What if she doesn't want to date me?" I had thought about asking her that night, but I couldn't think of a way to just spit it out.

"Stop making excuses! She obviously wants to date you." He rolls his eyes as we push past a group of freshmen taking up the whole hallway. I knew deep down he was right, but I just couldn't believe it myself.

"I'm working on it." I sputter out nervously.

The truth is I've been a bit of a mess since I admitted my feelings to Natalie. I see Summer more than ever now. She's constantly around, sending me death glares.

I know it's all a figment of my imagination but I'm still on edge all day. it's making my day-to-day school life a living hell. I can't concentrate on anything for fear that she'll start yelling at me.

I've been good at hiding it for over a year now but I'm afraid the truth will eventually come out; as does every nasty secret.

I've tried to take different pills I've bought off students in secret, but nothing works to my liking. She's still there when I'm on some high. I'm starting to think that this will be my reality for the rest of my life.

----

"So Kevin called me last night saying that Sienne booked the studio this weekend so we can get started on producing our album." Ryland says once everyone's sat at the table.

We were supposed to be working on songs in our free time but with all the drama that's been happening lately, it was put off.

"Do we have anything prepared for that yet?" Ash asks whilst popping a fry in his mouth.

"I'm sure we'll be fine, we do have some original songs we've made. And anyway, Sienne said we could do a couple of covers if need be."

When we first got together as a band, we would write all sorts of songs. Mostly bad but we got better at it. We rarely performed them because we were embarrassed and didn't want to be made fun of.

"We are so not doing those songs." Ash drops his fries on his tray, shaking his head at Ryland. Kylie looks between us confused not knowing anything about them.

"We can at least run them by Ryan and see what he thinks." Reese speaks up.

It wouldn't be the worst idea. The Line was already getting popular and I don't see why our other songs won't do as well. We had only heard them and it'll be good to get an outsider's opinion.

"I'm with Reese. Ryland, you should invite Kevin as well so we can have more people to listen to the songs and see which ones are good enough to make it to the album." Nobody had expected me to butt into the conversation, everyone just kind of gawked at me for a moment before actually agreeing with me.

"I'll text him right now." Ryland says pulling out his phone. "Oh! Before I forget, Sienne also said that if our album takes off, we'll be set for a tour! After graduating of course."

"Before I forget?" Reese sarcastically snorts, "How the hell do you forget to mention that!?"

I laugh lightly but it soon ends when I really think about what's been said. If our album takes off we'd most likely be off on a tour at the end of June for god knows how long. At this point in time, I couldn't really see that really happening. Most of our fans we local and we had a few hundred thousand subscribers on YouTube, it was growing at a steady pace but not enough people to have a tour.

"I should mention we'd be touring with another band and opening for them." Ryland puts his phone away. " it would be four months at most, or five, I can't remember." He rubs his head in concentration.

It was the perfect way to make ourselves more well known. I have to give it to Sienne, she really knew what she was doing. We were lucky that Kevin noticed that video.

I didn't feel that lucky though. It was already a lot to take in, especially now with a possible tour added, I didn't know what to think. I'll get to see the world but I'll be leaving my life here behind. I'm not sure if I was ready for that or not. It was definitely worse now that me and Natalie were happening. I know it is less than a month away, but it will go by really fast. Before I know it, I'll be gone from here with barely a glance back.

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