Summer's Desire Vol. 1 (Complete)

Part 2: Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As I enter the Andersons' house, my eyes fall instantly on Jessica and Louise. They're sitting on the luxurious sofa in the living room, both facing the entrance in a manner which makes it clear that they've been waiting for me. Given the way they're looking at me—Louise wearing a mask of disdain, Jessica one of malice—I can't help but mentally compare them to vicious cobras poised to strike.

Lucky me, to be the target in their visor.

"Well hello, Summer," says Louise in a cold, mocking tone. "Did you have a nice sleepover?"

"Yes, thank you." I notice Jessica clenching her fists at my calm response.

Her mother stares at me with an evil glint in the eye. "Do tell me again the name of your friend who had you for the sleepover. I seem to have forgotten it."

That's a lie; she never asked it in the first place.

"Marcie Lauren," I tell her politely. "We've been paired on a project for Honors English."

"Indeed?" Louise's voice has turned from cold to icy. Swear to God, she's almost giving me frostbite. Her daughter looks even more incensed at my continued composure.

"Indeed, Louise. The project is about Robert Browning's Poetry."

"Then maybe you'll enlighten us," Jessica spits out, "how come you arrived to school from your sleepover at Marcie's in Seth's car. Last time I checked, they weren't living together!" Her voice rises with each word, until she's screeching like a she-devil.

I take great satisfaction in seeing her uncontrolled fury contrasted against my unruffled calm. I love to irk the bloody bitch. It's the only way I can get one over her, unfortunately. Other measures would be too risky to undertake if I don't want to be kicked out of the house. Which I clearly don't.

So I put on an expression of contrived bafflement. "Of course that Seth and Marcie don't live together. Seth simply passed me by in his car this morning when I was walking from Marcie's to school. He stopped to offer me a ride." Then, anticipating a minor inconsistency in my tale: "I was walking alone because Marcie didn't have first period today." It's not as if Jessica can prove differently at this point.

Her face has turned blotchy with rage. "Why would the most popular guy in school offer a ride to you,"—she makes the you sound like a four-letter word—"the school's biggest freak?"

Ouch. That actually hurts... because she's kind of right. Seth may have bridged the gap between us yesterday when he helped me, but he must have done it solely on account of some leftover fondness after our shared childhood. And as this morning's events proved, that fondness was all used up after he had spent just a few hours in my company.

Seth will never again drive me in his car.

Still, to answer Jessica's question, I attempt an indifferent shrug. "I don't know why Seth would stop for me. Christian sympathy, perchance?"

"Was it also Christian sympathy that made him give you his hoodie to wear, you stupid moron?" Seems like dear Jess has traded up to direct insults. I glance at Louise, but of course she doesn't admonish her hell spawn, just continues to observe the proceedings with cool boredom. Like mother, like daughter, and that's God's honest truth in this particular case.

I sustain Jessica's glare. "Actually, Seth did remark during the drive that he owns a similar hoodie. What a coincidence, right?" I let a bit of sarcasm escape.

"Yeah right, freak! 'Cause it's so obvious that hoodie you're wearing is in your size." The hoodie is huge on me; I could literally swim in it.

Still... "All my clothes are a few sizes too big," I point out, truthfully enough.