Page 70 of The Summers of Us

“Good morning.” Haven raised her eyebrows. “Or should I say afternoon?”

I slumped onto the bar stool. “What happened?”

“My idiot brother got into our parents’ tequila. I decided to save your ass. I also decided maybe my idiot brother deserved saving too.” She counted each point on her fingers with self-assurance.

“Thank you.”

“That guy you were making out with washot. Charlie, right?”

I nodded slowly enough to keep my brain from falling out of my skull. It clawed at me for a way out. “You saw that?”

Haven popped a chocolate chip in her mouth with a smirk. “The whole island saw it.”

“Oh, God. Please kill me.”

“My only mission last night was to keep you alive. I’m not going to ruin my hard work now.”

“How did you pull it off?”

“Chance ‘apologized,’ like he’d been doing all year, and said it was summer so we should give us a fresh start. He tried to get me to go home with him. I only had one drink, so I was already sobering up. I left Chance when I saw Holden walking around all mopey about Mason. He can be such a downer.” She laughed. “He smelled like tequila, so I stayed with him and we looked for you so we could go home.” She raised her eyebrows again. “Imagine my surprise when I saw you by the fire making out with Charlie Lowman.”

I groaned again.

“It took some convincing to get you to come with me, then it took an hour to walk back here. Holden vomited in a bush, then you got sick watching him and vomited in the grass. Then you guys ran down the street singing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out.’ I can’t believe nobody called the cops on us. I hope you don’t mind I brought us here. Holden’s going to be grounded for the rest of his life if dadfinds the tequila gone. If I’d taken him home last night, they would have known. I just told them we were up too late watching a movie here.”

“You’re fine. Blair would do the same if she were here. I’m never drinking again.”

“I never pegged you for a tequila girl.”

“I’m a nothing girl. Only pancakes and orange juice for me.”

“Same. I shouldn’t have left you last night, I’m sorry. I’m done with Chance. For real this time.”

She held her pinky out for me. I took it.

“It’s okay. You saved my lifeandmy ass, so I owe you.” I mustered the courage to ask the question that I’d been too afraid to ask. “Did Everett see?”

Haven shrugged. “I only saw him one other time after you did.”

“Was he with Kelsie?”

She nodded.

“Do you think he likes Kelsie? Like, he wants to be with her?”

“I think he and Kelsie are just like that sometimes. Maybe Everett was just as drunk and stupid as the rest of us.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. Alcohol was a master of persuasion. Maybe it persuaded Everett too.

Haven slid me a plate. “So you officially like-likeEverett now?”

I rolled my eyes, sank my teeth into a plain pancake. Syrup might have killed my stomach. “Let’s not pretend I ever didn’t.”

“You should talk to him. You guys are, like, the worst at talking to each other about what really matters. Maybe you’re jumping to a conclusion you shouldn’t be jumping to.”

I nodded, but the rational part of my brain—the part not taking a crowbar to my temples—knew the truth. People were not seashells to throw into the ocean when another washed up. I couldn’t expect Everett to ditch Kelsie for me. I’d already had my chance and blew it. Last summer, he wanted me even though I was broken, but you couldn’t take a shell that buried itself in the sand.

Haven drowned her pancakes in syrup. “Besides, I’ve always thought she was just your stand-in. I mean, she looks just like you.”

---