Cipher

Chapter Fourteen

Summer killed her car’s engine and looked over at Ashlyn. “Are you ready?”

Ashlyn shook her head. The whole drive to Kendall’s, she’d tried talking Summer out of going to the party. Since she was already on Kendall’s blacklist, though, skipping the party wasn’t an option. In fact, she felt lucky Gabriella’s advice had worked so well—that she hadn’t gotten grounded. Dad had been surprisingly understanding about the speeding ticket, only giving a short-by-his-standards, ten-minute spiel on safety on the road before letting her off with a warning.

“Come on. It’ll be fun once we get inside.” Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Summer exited the car. Witnessing Cody and Jenna making out all week had been gut-wrenching. Being forced into tight quarters with them would make the awkwardness almost impossible to avoid.

Music filled the air, getting louder the closer she and Ashlyn got to the house. Summer knew it was supposed to be a small party. Judging by the cars around the house and the noise coming from inside, it looked like it had already gotten out of control.

Without bothering with the doorbell, Summer walked in, Ashlyn trailing behind her. Kendall’s platinum hair caught her eye.

“Happy Birthday!” Summer thrust the silver-wrapped box into Kendall’s hands—earrings she’d not-so-subtly pointed out. “Kendall, this is Ashlyn. Ashlyn, Kendall.”

The two regarded each other with a slight nod. Neither bothered with the usual nice-to-meet-you-type comments.

Jack walked up behind Kendall and wrapped his arms around her. He looked over her head at Summer. “What’s up, Summer? Long time no see.”

“Yeah, it’s been a little crazy lately.”

They stood there for an awkward moment, everyone staring at each other. A new group showed up at the door, and Summer led Ashlyn into the living room. People filled the room, music blared, and some girl she didn’t recognize was already on the brink of passing out. So, par for the course.

“Hey, what’s that par for the course saying about?” Summer asked Ashlyn.

“Golf or something,” Ashlyn said. “But I always hear people talking under or over par. So what exactly is par? I mean from the saying I know it means normal, but why don’t people just say, ‘That’s normal, yo?’”

Summer laughed. She loved that Ashlyn simply took up the conversation, not needing to know why Summer was asking, or where it came from. Or even giving her a you’re-such-a-weirdo look. “I never understood golf. I just know it’s the most boring of the sports to watch on TV.”

“My mother doesn’t consider it a sport because there’s not enough cardio.”

Okay, I need to say something about this. Something helpful. “At least you don’t have to watch it, then, right? And you don’t have any golf magazines shoved at you, so…win?”

Ashlyn wrinkled her forehead—so apparently that topic change was too much of a stretch.

“Hey, Summer,” Matt, a guy from the football team, said as he lifted his red cup. He looked at Ashlyn, and a smile spread across his face. “Aren’t you in my Spanish class?”

“Sí,” Ashlyn said.

He laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, then thrust out his hand. “Me llamo Matt. It’s Ashlyn, right?”

Ashlyn took his hand but didn’t say anything, so Summer decided to step in. “Ashlyn and I just came to party it up. We’re having a blast.” Overstatement, but girls having fun were easier to flirt with.

Matt nodded, his gaze never leaving Ashlyn. “Cool, cool.”

Come on, you can flirt better than that, can’t you, Matt? Ashlyn was smiling back, and there was definitely a spark. So Summer decided to give them some space, hoping that’d help Matt’s verbal skills. She circled the party, saying a quick “hey” or “what’s up?” to people she knew. The girls on the squad ignored her in that way that made it clear she was purposely being ignored.

Great. So glad I came so everyone can hate on me. At least Ashlyn and Matt are still talking. Tonight won’t be a total waste.

“Hey, Summer,” Lexi said. “Nice guest. At least you didn’t bring those nerdy twins, but seriously, what’s up with you hanging out with that Ashley girl all the time? You know it bugs Kendall.”

“It’s Ashlyn, actually, and I brought her because she’s smart, funny, and not a backstabber.”

Lexi scrunched up her eyebrows. “Are you saying I’m a backstabber?”

Bringing her hand up to her chest and acting shocked, Summer said, “Of course not. But if the shoe fits, we all know you’ll wear it.”

Lexi took a step forward, completely breaching Summer’s personal space. “If you want to say something, say it. No one understands the way you ramble on and on and talk in code.”

“I said what I wanted to say.” Summer shot her a grin, turned, and walked away. Fueling the hate-Summer-fire probably wasn’t the best idea, but she refused to let Lexi’s slam on her friends slide.

She ducked into the kitchen to get some water and take a few minutes to regroup. Then she’d circle back to check on Ashlyn and Matt. She downed a glass of water and then set it in the sink, trying to amp herself up for getting back to the party. It shouldn’t be so difficult to go join her so-called friends. Somewhere along the way, though, several of her friends had turned hostile.

“Hey, Summer.” His familiar voice washed over her, sending a pang through her chest.

“Cody.” Part of her wanted to bolt, but she turned to face him and stood her ground.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Cody put his hand on the counter right next to her, tracing the groove of the sink with his finger. “Kendall’s family really went all out, buying stuff for a party they’re not even allowed to attend.”

“She wouldn’t stand for anything less,” Summer said. They shared a smile, then she searched for something else to say. It was so weird being here with him, working so hard on something that used to come so easily. “So, um, how’s football going?”

“Coach has got us working some killer plays. We’re going to be unstoppable if we figure out how to pull them off.”

“Well, good luck with that.”

Somehow their bodies had gotten closer and closer, until there was hardly space between them at all. Cody looked around—they were still alone—then slid his hand from the counter to her hip. “I miss you.”

A giant lump lodged in her throat. She missed him, too. Missed the security she felt around him. Missed having a boyfriend. Especially yesterday, when everything had fallen apart. Then she remembered why she couldn’t call him. How painful it’d been watching him and Jenna make out all week. She looked up into his baby blue eyes and told herself to be strong. “What about Jenna?”

His head wobbled side to side, as if he was hoping to knock loose the answer. “Certain aspects of being with Jenna are nice.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Like the fact she goes all the way.

Cody’s fingers blazed a warm trail around her hip to her back. “But I don’t love Jenna.” He leaned in, and she knew she should stop him before he kissed her. Instead, she stood there, watching his lips come closer, everything going in slow motion.

“Summer! There you are!” Ashlyn charged across the room and grabbed Summer’s hand, tugging her away from Cody. “Kendall’s looking for you.”

Ashlyn pulled her out of the kitchen, past several making-out couples and one girl puking into a planter. She finally came to a stop at a semi-deserted corner of the living room. “Why don’t you say goodbye to your friends and then we’ll go back to my place?”

“What about Matt?” Summer asked. “I thought you two hit it off.”

“He got my number, and I’ll see him at school. I think it’s time to go, though. Before either of us does something we’ll regret.”

Summer nodded, catching her meaning. Jenna was looking around, most likely in search of Cody, and Summer felt like an idiot. Cody just wanted the best of both worlds—the hard- and easy-to-get girls.

Summer shoved her way through the crowd to get to Kendall, who was lecturing a boy who’d spilled his drink on the white couch. The second she finished, he darted away, eyes wide with terror.

Summer tapped Kendall’s shoulder. “Happy Birthday. It’s a great party, but Ashlyn and I have got to get going.”

“Already? You barely got here and I need”—Kendall darted a glance at Ashlyn—“my best friend here at my party. You’ve gotta help me make sure all these people don’t trash the place.”

Summer bit back a retort about how she didn’t want to police the party, and put her hand over her stomach. “I’m not feeling very good. But I’ll call you later, okay?”

Kendall’s scowl deepened. A hissy fit was coming on, simmering just under the surface.

Trying to diffuse it, Summer leaned in and hugged her. “You look fabulous. Enjoy your party. I’ll call for all the details tomorrow afternoon.”

Summer checked to make sure she still had Ashlyn with her. They plowed a path to the front door and hurried out of the house. As they walked to the car, Summer started thinking how close she came to doing something stupid with Cody. How many times did she have to run through the cycle to stop making the same mistake? “Thanks for swooping in for the save back there. I guess I was having a weak moment.”

“No problem,” Ashlyn said. “I was afraid you’d be mad, but I just know how I felt when I wasn’t strong enough. Back when I was facing the same situation, I wish I would’ve been strong like you.”

“I’m not strong. The fight we had the night we broke up had to be at least the tenth major blow out about sex. A few nights before, he left me at Jack’s house when I pushed him away. I thought I was done then, but I still took him back. I almost let him kiss me tonight.”

“Well, that’s why you brought me along, right?”

“Right. Because you’re strong. Because I knew I could count on you.” Summer unlocked the car and they climbed in. “So, uh, the guy you were talking about? You wanna talk about it?”

“Not even a little bit.”

Summer nodded, knowing what it was like to not want to be pushed on a subject.

“We could go try to catch a few waves,” Ashlyn suggested. “We’d just have to swing by my place and get my gear first. You can use my long board and old wetsuit like you did the other morning.”

“Let’s do it.” Immediately, Summer thought about Troy and the promise she’d made to call him next time she planned on going into the water. Her fingers itched to grab the phone and dial his number. Too bad they were still in a fight for reasons she couldn’t quite figure out.

Summer woke up and tried to get her bearings. It took a couple seconds to remember that she’d crashed at Ashlyn’s last night. Dad had sounded surprised when she’d called and asked to spend the night—probably because she hadn’t had a sleep over for years.

Her stiff muscles screamed at her as she rolled to her side. “I’m sore everywhere,” she groaned.

Ashlyn sat up and covered a yawn with her hand. “Those waves were brutal, that’s for sure.”

“And I spent all my time trying to get on my board. Just in time to get knocked right back into the water.”

Ashlyn rolled her neck from side to side. “Let’s go get some breakfast. I’m starving.”

They headed to the kitchen, where the smell of food filled the air. Pamela stood at the stove. “Summer, do you want one or two egg whites?”

“Whites?”

“Yes, you can buy all whites.” Pamela lifted a carton that looked like it was for drinking and most definitely not something eggs should come in. “The yolk has all the fat and cholesterol.” She motioned to the plate on the table. “Ashlyn, I already made you a spinach omelet with two whites, the way you like it.”

Ashlyn wrinkled her nose. “No. That’s the way you like it. I’m with Summer. I miss the yolk.”

“Summer’s skinny enough to eat the yolk. Maybe you can have one when you reach your goal weight.”

Ashlyn’s face dropped, and Summer clenched her jaw. How was she supposed to convince Ashlyn to make peace with her mom when she took cheap shots at her all the time?

Do something! Anything! “Ashlyn took me surfing all night, though. She’s going to need real food to make up for it.”

Pamela set the spatula on the counter. “The omelet is very filling, especially when paired with some whole grain toast. You’ll see.”

A few minutes later, Pamela presented Summer with a white and green mix of food. Summer took a bite. Since Pamela was watching, she mumbled, “So good.” But as soon as she turned around, Summer made a gagging motion to Ashlyn, who erupted in laughter.

Pamela spun around. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ashlyn said. “I was just thinking of a joke I heard last night.”

Pamela dumped the skillet in the sink and ran water over it. “Well, girls, I’ve got to get going. I’ve got people to whip into shape.”

As soon as Pamela left the room, Ashlyn muttered, “Would it be so bad for her to say one nice thing about me?”

Summer took a bite of her omelet. “She cared enough to make you breakfast.”

“That’s just control. She wants to make sure I eat healthy.”

“She’s trying to take care of you the only way she knows how.”

Ashlyn scowled at her. “Who’s side are you on?”

“I’m on yours, of course.” Summer tried to think of a way to be on both of their sides for her job, but that’s the thing about sides. You can’t really be on both of them at once. “How about we go to my house and get something to eat that doesn’t taste like rubber. Dad and I don’t cook, so we have all the sugary, grab-on-your-way-out-the-door stuff. I put cream cheese in the middle of two strawberry Pop-Tarts, and it’s like having cheesecake for breakfast.”

Ashlyn pushed away her hardly-touched food. “I’m not really hungry anymore. I’m going to go for a run or something.”

Summer set her fork on the counter. “You want some company?”

“It’d be too embarrassing when I started breathing heavy and couldn’t keep up with you.”

Summer wanted to offer to walk. She searched for something to say to make it better. After all, she was supposed to be a natural at this. But nothing came. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”

The skin around Ashlyn’s eyes was red, like she was on the verge of tears. “Yeah. Later.”