Chapter 6

Summer's POV

I went rigid.

For over a year, my whole world had been this boy. I'd shown up every day with everything I had.

If that devotion couldn't melt the ice, I at least thought it meant he knew where I stood.

But here it was.

More than a year of chasing him, and his first instinct was: you'll go with anyone?

I thought about the group chat that morning. He didn't hesitate to defend Lily. Not a single question asked.

But when someone cast doubt on me, he turned around and asked if I was easy.

I felt something quietly split open in my chest. A small crack. That was all.

Just a small one.

I got myself under control. I looked at the boy I had once loved so completely, and I said evenly, "If that's what you think, then sure."

Evan's grip on my wrist tightened.

"Summer." The words came through clenched teeth. "Nothing you want to say?"

I looked at him. "If I explained, would you believe me?"

He paused.

The car door opened. The father from earlier jogged over, completely oblivious to the tension, holding a small insulated bag.

"Miss Summer, my daughter told me you love my wife's cupcakes, so she made some extra. I almost forgot to give them to you."

Silence.

"Miss Summer?"

The father looked around, slightly confused. "Right. Summer's my daughter's tutor. My wife hired her. Is something wrong?"

The group went quiet. Evan released my wrist.

Lily's expression flickered. A flash of embarrassment, quickly smoothed over. Once the father had driven off, she spoke in a light, delicate voice. "Summer, with your grades, should you really be tutoring anyone? I'd worry about the kid... "

The others were quick to pile on.

"Seriously. You barely scraped into this school, and now you're out there teaching kids under the school's name?"

"The family doesn't even know she's at the bottom of the class? Don't let her ruin someone else's education!"

I didn't dignify any of it. I turned and walked away.

Then the sound hit. A heavy engine, fast, from somewhere up the road.

"Watch out!"

In a split second, I heard Evan shout my name. Before I could react, his arms closed around me and we hit the ground hard, rolling together.

The world spun. The last thing I registered was Evan's face, close, pale, frightened, and then everything went black.

When I came to, I was in a hospital emergency room.

The curtain around my bed was drawn. But I could still hear Lily crying somewhere close by.

"Evan, you almost died out there! You threw yourself in front of that truck just to save her. Do you know that?"

More voices. His friends.

"Seriously, Evan. Don't tell me you actually have feelings for Summer? Because that's the only reason that makes sense."

A short silence. Then Evan's flat, unbothered voice came through the curtain.

"You're reading too much into it. I saved her because of what happened. The pin thing, the misunderstanding. I didn't want her holding a grudge and doing something to mess up Lily's Princeton admission."

A long silence. Then Lily's quiet voice. "That's really all it was?"

"What else would it be?" Evan sounded impatient now. "You think I'd fall for someone like Summer? She's all flash, no substance. No drive, no discipline."

So that was how he saw me.