Page 53 of The Summers of Us

“Every summer you stay here ends, but you always find your way back. Every sun sets, but it finds its way out of the ocean every morning. I won’t always be here to eat popsicles with you in my offensively expensivequinceañeradress that Mom will most certainly murder me for if I get dirty, but that won’t stop me from enjoying this moment. An inevitable end is why Ishouldenjoy the present.”

She looked at me, part of her lips stained red. The rhinestones on her chest winked in what wasleft of the sun. “You should enjoy your present, Quinn. Enjoy spending the night with me. Enjoy pretending to like fishing with Holden. Enjoy searching for shells with Everett. Enjoy this sunset that will never look the same again. Hell, enjoy the popsicle juice dripping down your arm.”

I allowed myself to enjoy it all: the popsicle girl next to me, the popsicle breeze crinkling the palms, even the popsicle juice making a sticky mess of my arm. I licked the juice off my arm, up the stick, and onto the melting popsicle waiting for me. It tasted like tonight’s sunset.

“Enjoy me saying I’m sorry. Quinn, I really am sorry.”

I smiled, orange popsicle forgiveness on my lips. “I am enjoying that very much, thank you.”

“Good.” Haven smiled and put her head on my shoulder.

Cherry popsicle juice dripped onto my shoulder and ran sticky rollercoaster tracks down my sunburnt arm. The juice coasted off my forearm and braked next to the freckle on my thigh.

For once in my life, I didn’t mind the mess.

Age 15, July 30

“I’d never been to a house party before, but Piper Island had a way of turning nevers into first times. Technically, it was a birthday party for one of Everett’s school friends, but I watched Holden shotgun a beer can in front of a beer pong table, so I was calling it a house party.

I leaned against the kitchen sink in the only lit-up spot in the house. What would my mom think if she saw me? Was this the line Blair would draw in the sand if she knew I wasn’t actually at Haven’s? I felt guilty. Even though I had no plans to drink, it didn’t make up for deception.

Holden finished his can, then high-fived Mason who competed with his own can of Sprite. The birthday girl, Kelsie Miller, high-fived both of them. A couple other people joined in the roar until a new song wound them into a dance.

I would have been wise to join them, do a little bit of living while I was here, but I didn’t know how to dance and I thought drunk people could tell who among them was not. I settled on watching, at least until Haven got here.

Chance wanted to arrive with Haven separately. It had been an uneventful summer for me, with Haven now spun into Chance. Holden spent a lot of time with Mason, helping him fix up an old speedboat he bought online. He was also trying to catch a glimpse of the great white shark that was spotted at the end of the fishing pier on Memorial Day. Jorge had been training for a skateboarding competition, in an angsty stupor that he swore was just nerves.

Hadley visited for an unexpected two weeks, so I dropped the nothing I’d been doing to build blanket forts and read more advanced constellation books in glowing flashlight bulbs. Hadley had expanded her interests to planets and weather patterns, but I didn’t think she’d ever forget the stars. It was hard to forget them when you got a glittery reminder every night.

Everett had been…well, I didn’t think Everett had been all that busy, other than with training for a 10K with Liezel. So,busy, but not with us.

The summer had run away from us, sent us scrambling to our own corners of the island to do our own things. Still, we’d stitched back together for the night. At least, as much as a house party allowed.

I looked down at my cup of fruit punch, sipped it, and wiped it off my mouth before it stained. It tasted a lot better when I was younger.

“Hey, Quinn, right?” Kelsie stumbled over some red cups littered on the floor and put a purple lei around my neck. “Thanks for coming. I love this whole thing you have going on, very on theme.” She pointed to my grass skirt and the coconut bra I tied over a tank top that matched my skin tone. Haven and I picked our outfits from Dollar World when we heard Kelsie’s party was luau themed.

I hadn’t met many drunk people, but I could tell Kelsie was drunk, giggling between each sentence. I smiled at how carefree she was. Was she this fun sober? Would I have been this fun drunk?

“Of course. Happy birthday.”

“You’re friends with Everett, aren’t you?” She tucked dirty-blonde bangs behind her ear, but they fell just as quickly, curled into the shape of her ears. I knew that feeling well. A streak of gold eyeshadow shimmered in the kitchen sink light. I didn’t know that one.

I nodded. “He’s in my friend group.” I’d never thought of us that way, but as friends who hung out in a group—orusedto—I guessed that was exactly what we were. It was weird to say out loud, to officially be a part of something other people noticed.

Kelsie put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in to whisper her hot, alcohol-soaked breath into my ear. “Don’t tell him, but I’ve always had a crush on him. He’s so cute, don’t you think?”

I was too sober for this conversation. If she really wanted to know, then yes, Ididthink. I thought it a lot. I knew I shouldn’t tell my secrets to a girl I just met, but this was my first high school party and Kelsie was too drunk to remember.

“Socute,” I said.

“I know, right?” She doubled over laughing and spilled some beer at our feet. “You’re funny, Quinn. I see why Everett talks about you so much. Anyway, it’s great to finally meet you!”

She walked away, her words still spinning around my head. It was dizzying. I was drunk on the words that fed me.I see why Everett talks about you so much. I couldn’t help but smile.

I made my way through the house to see if Haven had arrived. I weaved through air made hotand sticky from open windows and sweaty dancing and drunk breathing. I wedged myself between shoulders and wispy flyaways like slinking through a thick pine forest.

Before I made it to the back door, I spotted her making the living room couch a home. I thought when she got here, she’d come say hey and play Holden at beer pong, but I guessed all she’d done was follow Chance around with a cup in her hand. Maybe she would have gone elsewhere if Chance wasn’t holding her waist so tightly.

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