This Summer by Katlyn Duncan Read Free Book Online

too, darlin’.”
    I toss the phone onto the bed as I walk to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, I peer up at the still-dark sky. I can’t see the stars clearly here, the streetlights cast a glow blocking their light. I open the window and a light breeze moves over my arms. The screen is missing, another thing to add to the list, so I stick my head out the window and close my eyes, inhaling. The air is different here, something out of a deep memory.
    A dull whooshing sound makes me open my eyes. Hadley stands behind the screen and her eyes widen. Her gaze moves down over my bare chest then back up.
    “Good mornin’,” I say.
    She blinks. “Mornin’.”
    “I can’t help it,” I say, laughing.
    “It’s cute,” she says and shakes her head as if scolding herself.
    “I was going for ruggedly handsome but I guess cute will do.”
    She’s already dressed in the counselor uniform, dark green shirt with khaki shorts. Her legs always looked good, but in those shorts they are exquisite.
    “I didn’t expect you up this early.”
    My hands grip the window sill and I lean onto them. “An unfortunate residual of ranch living.”
    “How are they doing? Does she have someone else to help her while your dad recovers?”
    I push away from the window. “Yeah,” I say a little too quickly. “I should give them a call.”
    If she didn’t believe me, she didn’t give it away. Her hands move up to the window but for some reason I don’t want her to leave just yet. Her eyes sparkle with anticipation.
    “I’m going to walk to camp. Do you and Ethan want to join?” I’ve had enough of the truck for a few days.
    She winces. “I told Lily I’d drive in with her. She’s not that outdoorsy.”
    “I remember.”
    She grins sheepishly. “I’m sure Ethan would be cool with it.”
    “I’m going to head out in about an hour, if he wants to come along just let him know.”
    “I will.”
    Both of us hesitate for a moment, but I make the first move. I close the window, but leave the curtains open. If anything it will be another excuse to see Hadley after camp. Mabel’s words course through my head. Even though I already made the decision to leave when the house sells, could Hadley and me continue where we left off? Knowing that we’d both leave at the end of the summer?
    I cross the room to the closet and grab the camp shirt I still had from years previous. She’d never go for that. And I wouldn’t risk hurting her.
    As I enter the hallway, my eyes fall on his bedroom door. My toes dig into the carpet as flames lick inside of my stomach. Instead, I go for the bathroom, wrench open the faucet. Air rockets out of the shower head, breaking up the water flow in quick spurts, but eventually the stream is consistent. It’s warmer than last night since I adjusted the water heater temperature. A chill wraps around my spine as I step under the warm water, but at least it distracts me, even momentarily.
    I press my hands against the cool tile and let the thick air envelop me. My thoughts wander. Why did she have to bring him up? Other than nightmares, I rarely allowed myself to think of that night, but in this house, even just for a day it prodded me every goddamn second. I inhale sharply and allow myself to hate him all over again, it makes dealing with it easier.
    My hands turn to fists and I pound the tile, remembering the urge to fight back that night. Right after it happened, I replayed the memory over and over wanting to hit him back harder, wanting to take him down faster, but it always ended up the same. I didn’t blame Hadley for that night, it would have happened another day, but maybe if she stayed with me after I bridged the gap between friendship and something more… things would have been different.

CHAPTER FIVE
    Hadley
    My fingers clench around the curtains, even though I know Will is gone from his room. Ranch life had been fantastic to Will’s body, making it harder for me not to act like a stupid sixteen