a/n: summary manip whoop ^^ finished gossip girl! i was actually pretty close on guessing who gg was so i give myself some cred lol
A couple days passed since the movie premiere, and Summer and I had been trying to get arrangements settled for the day we move into the new apartment. We still had a little over a week until we could move in, so we had some time to figure out how we were going to get our shit over there.
One thing that was great about Summer living in this hotel was that the only things that were her personal belongings were her clothes and a couple pictures on the wall. Everything else belonged to the hotel. The furniture, appliances, electronics, everything was the hotel property. She only needed to pack whatever was in her closets, which made things a lot easier when we were comparing it to mine.
The only down side was that we have to go out and buy all new furniture for the new apartment because it doesn't come fully furnished. So that was going to be an interesting shopping trip with our different tastes.
Summer pulled out one of the drawers in her dresser before she flipped it upside down, watching as all the clothes fell to the floor in a messy pile.
"I don't think I'll wear any of these in the next week, so I can pack them up."
"It would've been a lot easier if you didn't just dump them on the floor," I laughed as I was sitting on her bed, eating from a bowl of cereal and trying my best to make sure none of the milk splashed over the sides. "Now you have to re-fold them before you pack."
"Oh. I didn't think about that."
"Yeah, keep that in mind the next time you're about to make this place messier than it should be."
"Hey," she pointed her finger at me and tried to look stern. "You don't get a say in how I pack my things if you're not helping. You can keep sitting there eating food, but you can't tell me what to do. It's like being a backseat driver, except packing. You're a backseat packer."
"That doesn't even make sense."
"It did in my head, so hush."
I rolled my eyes and laughed as I continued to finish my bowl of cereal. Summer walked over to her closet and pulled out a massive suitcase. It was just about half her size, and seeing her struggle to get it down from the top shelf was so entertaining.
Though, I was probably being a terrible boyfriend just watching her and not helping.
She groaned a few times as she stumbled over her own feet, trying to bring this piece of luggage across the room.
"Oh no, I don't need any help," she sarcastically spoke up. She didn't direct her words at me, but it was definitely meant for me to hear. "I've got this all handled. It's totally cool to just sit there."
"I didn't want to show off my height in comparison to your small stature."
"Pish posh," Summer rolled her eyes and sat down on the floor, grabbing her clothes to fold.
Before she really did anything else, she quickly stood back up and ran out of the room, exclaiming that she forgot to give me something. I could hear her run down the hallway and down the stairs, opening up some drawers and rummaging around. In just a few moments later, she ran all the way back up to the room, taking a deep breath as she handed me a slip of paper.
"For you. Payment from the designer," she sat back down on the floor with her clothes and began folding. "He was very happy and thought you looked great in his clothes."
I set the cereal bowl on the bedside table as I flipped the piece of paper over. And thank goodness I wasn't holding the bowl anymore because I would have dropped it on the carpeted floor as I read the number written on the check.
One hundred fifty thousand dollars.
What. The. Fuck.
"Is this a joke?" I held up the check as I looked to Summer.
"No, why?" Her confused expression made it clear that this was completely normal for her, which I guess it was.
"This is a shit ton of money to pay someone like me," I shook my head and set the check down beside me on the bed. "I mean, I think it's one thing to pay someone with real celebrity status to wear your clothes, but to pay a guy like me that amount of money doesn't seem right."
"You weren't alone, you know. The two of us were together, and we did the advertising for the designer. Why do you think I kept saying the designer's name when we were being interviewed on the red carpet? That's advertising. We were getting paid for that, too," she shrugged her shoulders and went back to folding clothes. "Jennifer Lawrence has a three million dollar deal with her designer, so it's all good. It was one event. We wore some really expensive clothes and jewelry. I mean, if you don't want the check, I can send it back to them."
"No, I want it," I nodded, seeing her start smiling in amusement. "I'm just trying to process all of this in my head. It's not computing in a way I understand."
Summer rolled her eyes and laughed as she packed the folded clothes into her suitcase. I sat on the bed, continuing to stare at the check. A part of me was wondering if maybe there was a mistake, a misprint or something. They couldn't have possibly wanted to give me this much money. Maybe they added one too many zeros.
But the other part of me was so excited. This was the most amount of money I'd ever owned. It was ridiculous the amount of shit I could buy with this check. I knew to be smart, all of it was going in my savings account. I'm sure I'll find something to spend it on later.
Summer shook her head and looked over at me, "So how was your little lunch thing yesterday with Uncle Johnny? I forgot to ask."
I laughed as I thought back to what the fuck happened yesterday afternoon. I had been over here at Summer's place, like I typically was nowadays, and Johnny fucking Depp called to ask if I wanted to grab lunch with him. Summer said it was because he just wanted to get to know me since he heard we're moving in together. He seemed a little concerned that she was moving out of the family hotel with a new boyfriend, so he was just trying to make sure I was an okay guy.
I didn't really care what his reasoning was. He wanted to get lunch with me. Johnny Depp wanted to get lunch with me, Harry Styles. It was fucking crazy.
So we went out to one of his favorite places in Brooklyn and talked over a meal. I got to know him, and he got to know me. We talked about all the shit that happened between Summer and me, including with her parents. I guess he had been good friends with Robert for a while, and he laughed about Robert's reactions to finding out Summer was dating me, saying it was so typical of him to act that way.
He was so damn cool, and I felt like I shouldn't have been there with him, like I wasn't worthy to be in the presence of such an incredible person.
But then again, I felt that same exact way when Summer and I first started dating, and now I know that's not the case. I came to the realization that sometimes I just have to stop thinking about how I feel about shit and remember that I can be worthy of anyone's time. Just because I only have a couple hundred dollars in my pocket, doesn't mean I'm not deserving to be in Summer's, or anyone else of her social status, presence.
Fuck what people think. I deserve to be happy, right? So I'm not going to sit there and beat myself up about stupid shit like that anymore.
No more negative thinking.
"Lunch was good," I answered Summer. I took a bite of cereal and glanced around at the mess in the room. "He's pretty awesome. Do you have a cat?"
"What? A cat?" She started laughing as she stared back at me.
"Yeah, he said you had a pet cat that you kept a secret from your parents because they don't allow animals in the building."
"Oh, that cat. I named him Sasquatch because he was so fat," she shook her head, starting to fold some tank tops from the dresser drawer. "I saw him at a pet shop. They had an adoption day, and had a bunch of animals in cages on the street. I walked by and couldn't resist. I had him for a while, until I realized that the reason I was sneezing so much was because I'm allergic to cats. So I gave him away."
"You adopted a cat and then put him back up for adoption?"
"No, I gave him to Albert's grandkids," she smiled and looked up at me. "We were talking one day in the lobby, and he mentioned how his grandkids were dying for a pet, but they couldn't find one they could afford. So I got all the medical stuff situated and bought a bunch of cat food and toys, and I gave Sassy to them."
"Sassy?" I started laughing, almost losing my balance on the bed.
Summer rolled her eyes at me and tried not to laugh as well, "Louis gave him that nickname when he was over one time. Sas did not like Louis. Although he won't admit it, it was his fault the cat kept scratching him. You can't just terrorize a cat and get mad at it when it fights back."
I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing. It kind of sounded ridiculous, but it was pretty funny.
Just as I was about to respond to her, I could hear the bell of the elevator ring. Both Summer and I looked out her room door before we looked at each other. It wasn't until we heard her dad yelling that we got up from our sitting position.
"Summer Addison Lutes! Get out here!"
"Oh no," Summer paused as she stood at her room door. "That's not good."
"How do you know?" I whispered, hearing Marilyn's voice trying to tell Robert to calm down.
Summer shook her head and started walking down the hall, "He never uses my full name unless he's pissed off."
I could feel my heartbeat start to slowly increase as I processed this current situation. If Robert was pissed off at Summer, there's no doubt that he was definitely furious with me. The only thing I couldn't figure out was what he'd be pissed off about. I thought things between the four of us were going so well?
Or maybe, if luck was somehow on my side, Robert wasn't pissed off at Summer for something that had to do with me. My chances were slim to none for that option, so I felt the need to brace myself for anything that could possibly happen.
We walked down the hallway until we were standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at Robert and Marilyn, whom were in a serious conversation by the couch. The moment they realized we were standing there, Robert whipped around and pointed his finger at me.
"This is all your doing, isn't it?!"
"Robert, please," Marilyn held her fingers up to her temple and sighed as she closed her eyes. "This is unnecessary, and I'm getting a headache."
"What's going on?" Summer asked, not making any attempt at walking down the stairs.
"You're pregnant?!" Robert shouted at us. He paced the room back and forth, and I could just see the anger in his eyes. "Not only do we find this out, but we found out through the employees?! What the hell is wrong with you! This is the second time, Summer, have you not learned anything?!"
I looked over at Summer with a completely confused expression, "Second time? I thought you said the last time was a false alarm?"
"What false alarm?" Marilyn piped in, looking curiously at Summer.
Maybe I said something I wasn't supposed to. Did her parents not know about the false alarm with Scott? I was thinking that's what they were talking about, but if they think she's pregnant and they said this was the second time, when was the first?
Summer was standing next to me, shifting uncomfortably on her feet and looking nervously at her parents. She drew in a breath and stared at her parents, avoiding eye contact with me.
"I had a false alarm with Scott."
"Damn it, Summer," Robert angrily spoke. "Are you really that stupid?"
"But, Dad, I'm not-"
"I cannot believe you are this irresponsible," he cut her off. "Once is a foolish mistake, but twice? In addition to a false alarm? We have raised an imbecile for a daughter."
"Robert, do not say such ridiculous things," Marilyn scolded her husband. She placed one hand on her hip as her other hand was placed on her forehead. She glanced up at a now teary eyed Summer. "Honey, it's okay if you're scared to tell us you're pregnant. Your father is just taking his anger out on you. He's only-"
"I'm not pregnant!" Summer shouted back at them. "It's just a rumor!"
She quickly turned on her heel, and I immediately saw the tears starting to fall down her cheeks. Without waiting for any kind of response from us, she walked down the hallway and slammed her door shut.
"She may be twenty years old, but she acts like a child," Robert snapped at Marilyn. "We should have shipped her off to an all-girls boarding school when we had the chance. None of this would have happened."
I didn't care what the situation was. I didn't care that Summer never told me about this pregnancy she once had. What I did care about was the fact that Summer was being emotionally beaten up by her father. I felt like I needed to protect her. He didn't even give her a chance to explain herself, he just went on accusing her of something he heard through the grapevine, as well as calling her names.
I turned around and quickly made my way to Summer's room, knocking on the door when I realized it was locked.
"Harry, please go away."
"Baby, I'm not leaving until you open the door. I'll sit here for the rest of the day and all through the night if I have to."
I could hear her groan as there was some shuffling on the other side. A few moments later, the door opened up. I slipped inside and gently shut it behind me before I took Summer in my arms. She just stood there with her head leaning against my chest as my arms were tightly wrapped around her petite frame.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She exhaled a breath and looked up at me, wiping away stray tears, "I probably should."
I stepped back from her, keeping us within an arm's distance. She continued to stare at the ground and pick at her nails, and suddenly the room became so quiet.
"I was sixteen. It happened at a party with this guy that turned out to be a real jerk. I was stupid to want to sleep with him and not be careful about it. I found out I was pregnant about a month later."
Slowly, I nodded my head, trying to take in the fact that she had been a little more active than I thought she was, "Okay, what happened? Where's the kid?"
Summer picked the nail polish off her finger, continuing to look at the ground, "My parents had me get an abortion. They were so angry with me and said I was unfit to be a mother at sixteen, which was true. They said they wouldn't help me raise the child if I kept it, that I'd be doing it all on my own because there was no one else to help me."
"Summer," I reached out to her, but it was like she didn't even notice.
She looked up at me with the most heartbreaking expression I'd ever seen on her.
"I hate myself for it, you know? I could've done it. I could've had that child and raised it without their help. But I was freaked out. I was terrified. The guy totally abandoned me, and the two people that I thought might've been somewhat willing to help had refused," she paused as she inhaled a breath, pushing hair behind her ears. "No one knows about it either. My parents paid everyone at the clinic to keep their mouths shut. They couldn't deal with everyone finding out that their daughter got pregnant as a teen, much less had an abortion."
I had no idea what to say to her. It didn't seem like anything I could say would be good enough to ease this pain she was feeling. The look of sadness in her eyes was killing me.
The only thing I knew to do was reach out and bring her in for another hug. It took her a moment, but she finally snaked her arms around my waist and held tightly.
"I love you, Summer," I placed a kiss at the top of her head and slightly tightened my embrace. "I'll never abandon you."
Before she was able to respond in any way, there was a soft knock on the door as Marilyn poked her head inside.
"Is it okay if I come in?"
Summer pulled away from me and rolled her eyes as she wiped away a few tears, "I guess so. I mean, you're already in here."
Marilyn clasped her hands together in front of her and remained standing at the door, "I'm sorry for the way your father is behaving. You know how he is with jumping to conclusions. Though, that doesn't excuse his behavior and the things he said."
As I stood next to Summer, I was unsure if this was going to turn into some kind of family discussion that I shouldn't have been present for. Although, neither Summer nor Marilyn had asked if they could talk in private, so I just kept my mouth shut as the two of them talked.
"Summer, your father is angry with me, and he unfortunately took that anger out on you," Marilyn swallowed an apparent lump in her throat as she looked back at her daughter. "See, I told him something this morning that he is very unhappy about. I'm sure it'll blow over later."
"What'd you say?" Summer's voice was quiet and uneasy, as if she was scared of what her mother would say.
Marilyn straightened her shoulders a little more and cleared her throat, "Summer, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a sister."
"I'm what?"
Summer's jaw dropped so fast and her eyes grew so wide, I took a step towards her because I thought she might have fainted within the next moment.
"I'm about three months along and due in January."
"You're actually pregnant?" Summer shook her head, seemingly unable to process what her mother just said.
Marilyn being pregnant kind of made some things make a little more sense. Those mood swings pregnant ladies get could have explained why her attitude towards me went from a strong dislike and disapproval to somewhat accepting and fondness. And this whole time I was thinking my charm was finally getting to her, yet it was just her hormones acting up.
"Yes, Summer, I apologize for taking twenty years to give you the sibling you've always wanted," Marilyn continued to stand at the doorway, as if she felt that she wasn't welcome to fully step into Summer's room. "And I apologize I'm telling you now at three months rather than when I found out. I needed to break the news to your father first, and obviously it had taken me a while to do so."
"I'm going to be a sister," Summer scoffed in disbelief before she turned and looked up at me. Her eyes were no longer sad or showing pain, instead, they were filled with excitement. She smiled really big and grabbed onto my shoulders as she started to jump up and down. "I'm going to be a sister!"
I laughed as I saw how happy she looked, and the smile on my face was so big as I looked at them, "Well congrats to you both!"
"Oh my gosh, Mom," Summer ran over to Marilyn and gave her a very tight hug. "How are you feeling? Have you been seeing a doctor without Dad? Is there anything I can do?"
"Summer, honey, please calm down," Marilyn offered an apologetic smile as she couldn't return her daughter's excitement. "Any other day this would be great, but I'm just feeling a little sick this afternoon."
"Oh, sorry," Summer took a couple steps back, being extra cautious of her mother.
Marilyn informed us that it was 'safe' to go down to the living area because she had sent Robert out for a walk to blow off some steam. The three of us walked down to the kitchen, fixing up something to eat.
Summer was so excited about the news, which had me wondering just how much she had been dying for a sibling when she was younger. It made sense why she'd have wanted one, having stayed with a nanny most of the time growing up and never having a constant in her life, aside from this building.
And I was happy for them. It made me smile to see them talking about the whole pregnancy. After all the difficult times in the past month that Summer had to deal with with her parents, having something like this bring them together happily was really nice to see, granted Robert eventually comes around.
A/N: There was one person's comment I saw that predicted it was Summer's mom that was pregnant lol. A long chapter with a lot of stuff that happened ... yay or nay?
(Also this part is really long but I just want to say something) Some of you guys have read too many fanfictions lol. Let me just make note that just because Isabella and Harry are ex flings, does not mean that she is going to try and sabotage his new relationship. And if you think that she is still going to or that she should, then you don't really understand her character. She's not a conniving person, she genuinely wants the best for Harry and wants him to be happy because he's one of her best friends, which should've been made clear in several of her actions. Also just because she and Xander have slept with quite a few people in the past, does not mean they are supposed to fight over it lol. They may not argue over much, but that doesn't make their relationship any less realistic. Couples don't have to be arguing over something all the time to be considered a realistic relationship. Some people only have petty arguments because they just click really well together and any kind of conflict that might arise is settled before it builds up. There doesn't always have to be some kind of dramatic fight or disagreement .. Just saying lol