All The Summers Between Us | TSITP

Angles And Almosts.

The boardwalk had come alive as the sun began its slow descent, casting a honey-gold glow over the rows of carnival stalls and rides. Music blared faintly from the carousel nearly, the salty breeze carried the scent of fried dough and sea spray, and somewhere in the distance, a gull squawked over the crash of the waves.

But right here, right now, the only thing that mattered was the tiny, weather-beaten basketball hoop nailed to a plywood backboard and the neon-orange balls stacked in a wire basket below it.

"Too bad for you," Conrad said, picking up one of the basketballs and spinning it casually in his hands, "basketball is all about angles."

Lydia crossed her arms and tilted her chin up with a smirk. "Mm. Too bad for you, I had such a great trigonometry tutor."

Conrad grinned, pressing his hand dramatically over his heart. "Thank you."

Steven stepped between them like a referee about to officiate a world championship. "Alright, people, this is the moment we've all been waiting for. Five balls each. Most baskets win. On your marks..."

"Come on, Connie!" Jeremiah yelled from behind the rope, clapping his hands and bouncing on his heels.

"Come on, Lydie! You got this!" Belly and Taylor shouted in unison.

Steven threw his arm down like a flag. "SHOOT!"

Conrad was up first. He bent his knees, flicked his wrist, and the ball sailed perfectly through the net.

"In your face!" he said, pointing at her with a cocky grin.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I let you have that one so you don't start crying when I win."

"Sure, sure, you did. Yeah, yeah, yeah." Conrad mocked, grinning from ear to ear.

Lydia lined up her shot, focused, and swish—nothing but net.

The girls erupted into cheers. "YESSS, Lydie!"

Conrad didn't hesitate. Another smooth shot—two in.

"He's on fire!" Jeremiah yelled, almost jumping with excitement.

"Watch and learn," Lydia muttered, sinking her second shot.

Now it was 2-2, the crowd (their friends) getting louder with every basket.

"Come on, Fisher." Taylor yelled.

Conrad's third shot—perfect.

"Three to three." Steven announced as Lydia nailed hers seconds later.

"Nice shot, Lyd," Jeremiah cheered.

"Wrong team, bro," Steven teased.

"Oh, come on, what?" Jeremiah laughed.

Then Conrad did something stupid—very stupid.

He turned his gaze from the hoop to Lydia, holding her eyes instead of the rim as he tossed the ball. It arched high, impossibly smooth—swish.

The crowd went wild. Lydia's heart gave a traitorous little flip.

She shook it off and focused. Her next shot?

Clean.

"All net, Lyd!" Belly shouted.

"Good job, Lydie!" Jeremiah added.

"Four for Conrad," Steven called. "This is the last shot!"

Taylor stepped forward like a commentator hyping up a championship. "Will Lydia Conklin take the five-fecta and snatch the win?"

"You got this, Lydie," Jeremiah urged.

"You got nothing. You got nothing," Conrad teased, eyes dancing.

"Let's go, Lydie!" Taylor screamed. "You got this!"

Lydia inhaled, bent her knees, and released. The ball spun through the air, and time seemed to slow.

Every eye followed its path as it sank—clean, effortless, perfect.

"LYDIA CONKLIN IS THE WINNER!" Steven roared.

The girls screamed, Taylor jumping up and down as Belly threw her arms around Lydia. "You did it!"

Jeremiah laughed and clapped. "I bow to the queen."

Skye stepped up beside Conrad, grinning. "Guess you can't... cosise her angle."

The group burst into laughter.

"Wait," Taylor said, eyes wide. "Did you just math-taunt him?"

"I did," Skye said with a tiny smile. "And it—it was kind of fun."

"It was so good," Taylor said, high-fiving them.

Conrad walked up to Lydia, still grinning, though there was a trace of mock defeat in his eyes. "As much as it pains me to say it, that was a good win."

Lydia gave him a triumphant smile. "Yeah, well, I told you I'd kick your ass, so..."

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "I think you get to pick a prize."

Her eyes scanned the wall of plush toys before landing on a ridiculously tall giraffe with lopsided eyes. "That one."

"Solid choice," Conrad said, reaching up to pull it down. When he handed it to her, something shifted—like gravity itself tilted—and before she could react, he pulled her into a hug.

It was instinctive. Natural. Familiar.

And yet... electric.

Lydia, laughing, jumped slightly into his arms, her feet lifting from the ground for just a second. And then—he did it. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

It was quick, almost nothing. But it wasn't nothing.

The world stilled for a heartbeat. Taylor and Belly exchanged a sharp, knowing glance. Jeremiah tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing. Even Steven blinked.

Lydia stepped back, trying to play it off, her pulse hammering in her ears. "Okay, so we finally get to pick," she said, trying to sound casual. "And I choose... dancing."

"WOOOO!" Taylor yelled immediately, breaking the tension.

"Dancing!" Jeremiah echoed, throwing his hands up.

Conrad just stood there, watching her with a quiet smile tugging at his lips, like he knew exactly what had just happened between them—even if no one else did.

And Lydia, giraffe tucked under one arm and heart racing, knew it too.

Something was shifting again. Something that had been buried deep since last summer.

And this time, neither of them seemed ready to stop it.