Her Last Summer (editing)

Chapter 2

Zachary Hastings

Zach felt horrible. It was as though he wore his stomach inside out. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease and guilt. The bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. Teenagers sprung up, meeting each other in clusters. The atmosphere immediately spiked as excited chatter filled the air. He wanted to be just as thrilled as everyone else. He too had finished his last exam today.

His eyes spotted the familiar mane of golden hair. He seized the opportunity and pushed through the crowd of teenagers to fall in step beside her.

“Mia.” Zach said. He hung his head low as she halted to a stop and they awkwardly faced each other.

“I’m sorry for the things I said earlier. I deserved that slap.” He apologized.

Mia looked up at him with her large, luminous eyes. She seemed troubled.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” She replied.

Zach cringed. He didn’t want to think of the wench.

“She doesn’t deserve an apology.” He refused.

Mia stared at him in what he presumed was disbelief. Zach blanched. Had Jackie not told her?

“Come.” Zach told the petite blonde and grabbed a hold of her hand. “I’ll explain everything to you on the way to your house.” He said.

Mia snatched her hand away from him and used it to dial her brother’s number. Zach tensed. Rowan was protective of his twin sister. He went ape shit on any soul that dared to hit on her. Zach had no desire to get into Mia’s pants. Although she was good looking, his heart belonged to a dark-haired beauty that had taken possession of his heart and squashed it under a pair of louboutins.

When they were seated inside Zach’s car, Mia turned to face him. He appreciated the fact that she left out the detail of who exactly was driving her home. Zach didn’t need the quarterback to hate him any more than he already did.

Mia didn’t need to say anything. There was just something about the way she looked at Zach with her big eyes and caring expression that made him want to spill his guts out.

“Last night.” Zach started. “Jackie called me. We talked for a bit. It was nothing out of the ordinary at first. She asked about some review notes and we’d argued over a few things and then she went quiet.”

Zach started the car and veered it out of the school’s parking lot.

“She sounded nervous. I thought something was wrong.” He bit his lip. He could feel Mia’s eyes boring into the side of his face. “She told me she liked me as more than a friend. Do you know how… ecstatic I was?” Zach’s voice broke at the end and he cleared his throat. A slight blush tinted his cheeks.

“I thought I was the happiest man on earth.” He mumbled. “I believed her, I really did.”

“What a fucking idiot.” Zach laughed to himself.

“She sounded too convincing. I took each letter she said to heart. Really, I dug my own grave.”

Zach’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel. Mia patted his arm and offered him a sedating smile.

“What did she do wrong?” She urged.

Zach didn’t answer right away.

“It’s a good thing Cecily kept me occupied. If I weren’t looking after my sister I would’ve ordered six pizzas, confessed my love in peperoni, and sent it to her.” Zach chuckled weakly.

“Jackie sent me a voice message telling me how everything was a joke and that I shouldn’t have taken it so seriously. She laughed about how I was a fool for believing her in the first place. She said our relationship was platonic and would always stay that way. I didn’t believe her, you know. Jackie was never one to dive head first into a relationship. So, I laughed it off.” Zach stepped on the brakes.

They were parked in front of Mia’s house.

“Remember that German exchange student? Tobias Huber?” Zach spat.

Mia nodded cautiously.

“She sent me a picture of him and her together. It looked like they were doing it in his room. His things were packed in the background. It was probably the day he left.” Zach’s eyes were narrowed to slits, and his nostrils were flaring.

“That picture is forever burned into my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I see her there with that dipshit. The message that came with the picture was the icing on the cake.” Zach seethed. He yanked his cellphone from his pocket, and all but shoved it in Mia’s face. Mia cradled the cellphone, unsure whether or not she wanted to even see what it displayed.

She read it.

Tobias might’ve left the country, but he was one hell of a man in bed, and thrice the man you’ll ever be. Angela has told me all about your ‘little problem’, GOD we had such a good laugh on that! Is that why you had only two girlfriends, and why your third college girlfriend finally dumped you? Hell, maybe that’s why your mom left your dad! It must be hereditary!

Mia gasped. She handed Zach back his phone and watched as his Adams apple bobbed up and down. Zach had every right to be furious. The message was cruel, graphic, and much too personal. Although Mia knew Zach wasn’t lying, she also knew her best friend much too well. Jackie would never say such words to someone she cared for.

“The worst and frankly most awful part of all this” Zach started. “-is that I didn’t mind all of the digs and insults and lies. The worst part, was knowing that she felt nothing towards me when I felt everything towards her.”

Silence enveloped the both of them. Zach’s words confirmed Mia’s thoughts. The stubborn asses were madly in love, despite the ugly circumstances.

“I’m sorry.” Mia apologized. “But I’m one hundred percent sure there’s been a misunderstanding. I know Jackie more than anyone, Zach. And as much as she tries to hide it, she likes you a lot. I’m going to fix this, okay?” Her eyes were determined.

Zach wanted to be angry with her. Mia had defended her friend even after he told her what she’d done. However, half of him appreciated her loyalty and a tiny part of him wanted badly to believe her words. What if it were all a misunderstanding indeed? Nothing would make him happier.

“Thank you, Mia.” He sighed. She was innocent compared to several girls he knew, including Jackie. Mia had delicate features, and was all emotion and talent. But when something concerned someone she cared about, she was a force to be reckoned with.