16.

☆☆SUMMER'S POV☆☆

Jake leaned over, trying to get a better look at my screen. I tilted it away from him so fast, I nearly dropped it.

“Who’s Soul Snatcher?” he asked, frowning.

Think. Think.

“No one,” I said, heart pounding. “Just a stupid group chat. We send memes and random crap. You wouldn’t get it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Hmm.”

He didn’t believe me. I could tell. His gaze lingered on my phone like it owed him answers.

“How come I’m not in the group chat?”

“It’s for girls,” I blurted out. “I should go.”

Jake blinked. “Now?”

I was already crawling toward the edge of the treehouse. “Yeah. My dad’s expecting me. I told him I’d be home early for breakfast before he leaves for work.”

“Didn’t you say he was away in Miami for work?”

Crap.

“Right. He’s back. Got home this morning. And I need to feed the cat.”

Jake stared at me. “You don’t have a cat.”

I flashed a shaky smile. “Well, our neighbor’s cat.”

“Can I come with—”

“NO!” I cut Jake short. “Don’t.”

His brow furrowed in abject confusion.

“Gotta go! I’ll meet you at the arcade later,” I said.

I climbed down in record time, fingers fumbling against the slats. The second my feet hit the ground, I hopped on my bike, and pedalled for my dear life as if bigfoot was chasing me.

The wind slapped at my face. I didn’t even care. I just needed to get home—now. Hayden’s message flashed through my mind again.

Soul Snatcher: Your room lights are turned on. Just like how you were last night. But you’re not around. Tsk. You left your window open again. Didn’t even realize how soft your bed was. But definitely not as soft as you. I miss you, Stranger. Where are you?

Hayden is at my house. In my room. What the hell? How’s that even possible?

My phone buzzed again in my hoodie pocket. I didn’t check it until I made it back to my driveway, heart still sprinting.

One unread message from Soul Snatcher: What size of bra do you wear? Guess what? I know the answer.

I stared at the screen, blood draining from my face and rushing elsewhere entirely. 

I ran to the backyard, looked up at my bedroom window. It was cracked open just like he said it was.

I couldn’t breathe. Or maybe—I didn’t want to. Then I stormed inside the house, frantically.

I burst through the front door, shoes squeaking against the floor. Laughter floated from the living room. My dad’s voice. And another. A familiar, smooth, careless one.

I turned to the corner and froze. My dad sat on the couch, legs kicked up, grinning. Next to him—Hayden Dylan, the boy who had been driving me crazy all summer.

They were both watching a soccer match on television. But as they heard the front door slam shut, they turned toward the entrance, taking in my disheveled state. As Hayden’s eyes locked on mine, my heart skipped a beat.

My dad laughed and gripped him by the shoulder. 

“Hey, Princess. Look who it is. Hayden.”

I blinked hard, wondering if I’d biked into an alternate universe—or just lost my damn mind.

Hayden flashed me a slow, knowing lopsided smile. The kind that screamed, “I’ve been in your room. I’ve touched your things. I’ve touched you. But your Father doesn't know.”

And just like that, every breath I’d stored in my lungs vanished. Keith ran down the stairs happily.

“Look who it is, Summer?” he said with a mischievous grin. “Hayden. Your best friend’s brother.” Then he covered the side of his face with one hand and mouthed, “The one who got expelled.”

I stood there, frozen like a statue—like the punchline to some cosmic joke only Hayden was in on.

“Summer?” my dad asked, chuckling. “You okay?”

No. No, I was not okay.

Hayden's eyes had not left mine. My dad turned to him. “She must be so shocked to see you for the first time in years. How long has it been?”

“Five years, Mr. Peterson.”

“Please, son. Call me Edward.”

Hayden smiled, tearing his gaze from me and turning to face my dad. “Edward,” he said.

I almost fainted. Keith scrambled to the sofa to watch everything closely. 

“When you left for college, Summer talked about you for months,” my dad continued. “She missed you. She hasn’t seen you for so long, and now, she’s so shocked.”

“Really?” Hayden asked, his gaze darting toward me. “She looks kinda shy, if you ask me.”

What? 

My dad and Keith looked at me at the same time, as if  observing Hayden’s comment to see if it was true.

Then Keith asked, “Shy? Why do you say so?”

Hayden crossed his legs and leaned back on the couch.

“Look at her,” he said. “Her cheeks are flushed.”

My heart almost gave out. My dad and Keith turned again. I quickly pressed my hands to my cheeks, tore my gaze away from them, and stared at nothing.

“You’re right,” my dad acknowledged. “Her cheeks are red.”

Then he laughed.

“I wonder why,” Keith remarked, his tone suspicious.

“Summer, come say hi to Hayden..”

“Yes, dad.”

Hayden was here. In my living room. With my family. And worse—my dad liked him. Always had and always will.

My feet felt heavy, rooted to the floor. But I dragged myself in front of them, my heart pounding. Slowly, Hayden’s ocean-blue eyes lifted to meet mine.

He was acting like we were just meeting for the first time. As if he hadn’t just texted me something that made my spine shiver and my knees almost give out. 

He smiled at me, extending a hand for a handshake. I glanced down at it. That hand had touched me, and caressed me in places it wasn’t supposed to. 

It had gripped me in places I hadn’t even known were that sensitive. And now, like any perfect boy being casually introduced for the first time to a daughter, that hand was waiting for mine. For a handshake.

My dad and brother were still watching, totally oblivious to my catastrophic life and wild decisions. Slowly, I stretched out my right hand to take his. My pulse raced. My breathing grew labored.

And then, just before my hand could touch his, the room tilted—and everything went black.