Summer Reading Challenge Novels & Stories

“By the way, Lou... do you have any plans today?” “Not sure yet, Ma. Why?” I replied, mouth half-full. Mama gave me a look. “I just think you should go out. Don’t you get bored staying home all day? It’s your summer break, Lou. You should be out making memories, not slowly turning into a houseplant.” I chukled. “Ma, I literally just went out yesterday, remember?” “Yeah, and where did you go? The coffee shop. You ate, came home, and that was it. That doesn’t count. Don’t you have plans with your friends?”

“This is exactly what I needed. Ari, we have to survive this summer, chaos and all.” I laugh, treading water beside her. “Survive… yeah. I think we can handle it.” And Gavin? He keeps swimming beside us, quiet, controlled, with just enough presence to remind me that summer isn’t just about chaos. It’s about currents, about tides, and maybe… about noticing someone without even trying. Finally, dripping and laughing, we climb out of the water, shivering slightly as the sun dips lower behind us. Eben and Josh are still shrieking and shaking water everywhere, while Gemma and I wring out our hair the best we can, laughing at the mess.

I knew where this was headed and I was hoping to stop it before it got there. “If you thought about anything but yourself, maybe your brother would still be here!” My father drove right to the place I was avoiding. It was where every argument ended and with my father, it was an argument, whether or not I responded. I froze on the spot. “And if you thought about anything but yourself, the pack would still have the most power in the kingdom,” his voice gradually dropped. Silence loomed over us for a moment. “In the first ninety days of every new Alpha's reign, other packs are allowed to challenge his leadership. You'll challenge hers,” my father broke the silence with a stern voice,

“Dad’s just in shock from the ‘state’ of the camp. Half-naked boys and you in a bikini.” Understanding flickered in her eyes, and she laughed. “There’s a lake right near the camp, Mr. Hart. It’s a welcome-back-to-summer theme. We don’t walk around half-naked all the time.” She smirked. “No matter how tempting it is.” I nearly choked. *Jesus, Stacy.* It took two supervisors to assure my dad that I would survive the summer. Even then, he left me with a list of *don’ts*, *don’t even think about its*, and enough kisses to make me want to crawl into my grave.

“Do you really think we can pull that off?” “I think if anyone can, it’s you.” She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re unbelievable.” “I believe in you,” he said, voice low and serious. She leaned into him, touched beyond words. Then Marla interrupted with a tug on her sleeve. “Can I have ice cream now?” River raised an eyebrow. “We just had lunch.” “But Mommy said it’s summer. Summer means ice cream anytime.” Skye grinned. “Can’t argue with that.” “Deal,” River said, standing. “Let’s go celebrate our first real summer as a family.”

MARK MY WORDS BITCH. “Who the fuck could this be?” I lay back on my bed, wondering who could’ve sent the message. My hands weren’t steady anymore. I sat up, read it again, and read it a third time. My heart was beating really really fast. The video was still existing . The threat was real. Fuck, whoever sent this knew exactly how to get me for sure. This summer just got a lot more dangerous.

Need to get what I can from her so I can pass this goddamn test and keep my father from destroying my life. I grab my chemistry textbook, my laptop with all the PDFs the teacher sent, and my notebook that has approximately three pages of terrible notes from the past month. Then I wait. Summer said she needed to freshen up first. So I sit on my bed, scrolling through I*******m to kill time. Notifications flood my screen. Comments on my latest post from the game yesterday. *You're so hot 🔥* *Marry me Crew* *Best player at Blackwood 😍*

TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THIS CHAPTER Juniper Summer was always my favorite season. Some people complained summer is too hot, or too humid, but I loved the feel of the sun shining down on me, loved being able to spend my entire day hanging out in and around the stream, and loved having an ice-cold lemonade at the hottest part of the day. While it was technically not summer yet — the solstice was still several weeks away — the temperature was hot enough for me to claim it was summer.

# FLASHBACK It was summer, one of the four Earth's seasons, that goes after spring and foreshadows Autumn. Kevin glanced at the trees bearing fruits and feels Summer is the best season ever. The warmth and everything make it perfect. No wonder most families like to go on vacation during summer. He went back to the mirror for the umpteenth time checking himself out again. He was dressed in a checkered shirt themed with a pair of blue jeans and black shoes. His mind kept beating fast, trying not to lose his focus on one of the important things he wanted to do today. He noticed a little pimple on the upper part of his head and that alone makes him feel he is not perfect.

I patiently waited for him to finish writing and when he did he sat closer to me. "This is 'The Race to the Crown' challenge. " He said pointing at the sequence of events which he had written in short. He flipped through the pages and ran his pen on a pattern which he had already made. Finally, Belinay was at peace again after she got to know about the challenge. She was excited and ready to show herself to the world. All of this made no sense to me though. "The Challenge of the Moon and Sun. " He said. "But why is it conducted? " I asked. Alpha put the notebook on the table and took a deep breath.