Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry Read Free Book Online Page B

sure if he’s just being nice, or if he’s annoyed with me and is trying to cover. Right now I’m self-centered enough to not care. Hanging with Aidan in his uncle’s car feels like the safest place for me right now—even though I feel like a bit of a moron around him again.
    We get coffees—well he gets a coffee, I get steamed milk. Nothing added. He doesn’t comment. I feel relief. We drive. It’s quiet. I relax into the seat. We don’t speak. I don’t mind. He doesn’t seem to. Better than me saying something stupid.
    I feel bad for him because he can’t even drink his coffee while driving. Each time we pause at a stop sign, he reaches for it, takes a sip and then starts driving again. It makes me wonder how long it takes him to do even simple things like getting a bowl of cereal. Giving myself shots suck, but maybe there are worse things.
    For the first time that I can remember I just relax into the silence of being with someone who I think likes it as much as I do. But he is really quiet.

6
Aidan Connelly
    M Y APARTMENT DOOR CLOSES behind me as I head to Foster and Beth’s house for dinner.
    I’m probably an ass for telling Kate I didn’t really want to hang out. But the whole thing seems weird because her family will want to know about me, and Foster will probably give me some lecture about her, and it seems like we’d just be adding to confusion in our lives that’s already here.
    Getting involved with a girl on any level just isn’t a good idea for me right now. There’s nothing going on between us and Kate’s already confusing the hell out of me.
    But she is a cool girl. With really nice legs.
    “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Jen says into her phone as I trudge up the stairs to the main floor.
    Aunt Beth said something about roast tonight, so I’m definitely eating with the family. And I shouldn’t listen, but I do. No one can do urgency like a teen girl, and I’m curious.
    “It’s not my fault that I happen to still be dating the best friend of your ex-boyfriend.”
    Oh. Now my guess is that she’s talking to Kate. Kate didn’t say anything about why she needed to leave school early. Maybe it’s something I should’ve asked. Or maybe it’s good that I didn’t.
    “Why can’t I call him your ex? One—it’s been weeks. Two—he’s walking Tamara to class. Every day.” At least Jen’s voice quiets down for the last line.
    “Well. I just…I don’t want you to be mad at me, okay? Next time it happens, I’ll eat lunch with you instead of my boyfriend. Come sleep over this weekend.”
    There’s another pause, and I stand in the stairway, knowing she can’t see me yet. And also knowing she’ll probably take off into her room when she can.
    “Maybe next weekend then. Oh. No. That’s the party. Look. Let’s just make some time, okay?”
    Another pause.
    “Oh, come on. I can’t skip. And anyway, Aidan rescued you in the end, right? He picked you up…Yeah, well, you’re quiet too. He’s depressed. I’d be depressed if I was him.”
    Right.
    I really don’t want to sit down with the family. Not anymore.
    “I think I should call Aidan,” Aunt Beth says. “I made this just for him. I know it’s my sister’s best meal. He’s got to miss it.”
    “He knows, Beth. He’ll come if he wants to come,” Uncle Foster says.
    Guilt branches out in my chest, and I know I’ll be sticking around.
    “Talkin’ about me?” I ask as I jump up the stairs, pushing away all the weight that was starting to settle on my shoulders. I know I haven’t spoken much. I also know they probably all think I’m depressed. Maybe I am.
    “There you are!” Aunt Beth smiles her wide smile.
    Jen runs for her room, phone pressed to her ear. I wish there was an easy way for me to listen to the rest of her conversation, but there really isn’t. And I shouldn’t care anyway.
    Now I don’t know if I want to try and apologize to Kate, because that’ll really confuse things with me not really wanting