Page 17 of The Summer We Played Pretend

Sara mimes zipping her lips.

“The thing is,” I start, glancing around the busy pier, thankful no one we know is nearby, “Jackson and I...we're not really together.”

“What do you mean, not really together?”

I fidget with the hem of my shirt, trying to find the courage to continue. “It's all fake,” I admit, my words tumbling out in a rush. “We're just pretending…after...you know, the whole Brendan thing.”

Sara stops in her tracks, forcing me to halt alongside her. She turns to face me, her hands gripping my shoulders. “You know Brendan is furious.”

“Good,” I mutter. I’m glad he is, even if he has no right to be. If he can move on, so can I.

Except, of course, my moving on is totally fake.

“And I think that is about the bravest thing you’ve ever done,” Sara continues. “It’s about time you showed Brendan how out of his league you are. He never did appreciate you.”

I blink a few times. Sara was never exactly best friends with Brendan, but she’s never said anything negative about him before.

“I thought you liked Brendan.”

“Chlo, he was your boyfriend. Your very serious boyfriend. And I’m your BFF. I didn’t think he was good enough for you, but I had to support you, right? I was hardly going to make you choose between me and Brendan. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“I had no idea.” I almost wish Sara had said something, though I know she was right to keep quiet. I was so in love with Brendan, I never saw him for who he was. Even Sara couldn’t have persuaded me he was an utter jerk.

At least IthinkI was in love. It feels weird now to admit that, like maybe I was fooling myself all along.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway. You and Jackson have made him look like a complete idiot.”

“What did Brendan say?” I ask, even though I really shouldn’t care.

Sara waves a hand. “Oh, I don’t know. Something about you moving on too fast and Jackson being too old for you.”

“He’s only two years older than me.”

“Well, anyway, he looks like an asshole because it’s obvious he was cheating on you, and now he’s got his panties in a twist because you’ve moved on.” Sara practically cackles. “I love this for Brendan.”

We stop outside the coffee hut, and Sara jerks a thumb toward the cart. “You want something?”

I’m tired, but now I can’t stop thinking about Jackson and Brendan and this whole mess. Even if I went straight home, I’m not sure I want to face Mom and Dad and pretend everything is fine.

“Why not?”

Sara orders our drinks, and we head over to a bench overlooking the ocean. I take a sip of my chai and watch the gentle waves for a moment.

“You know,” Sara says, “maybe something real could come out of this. I mean, have you seen the way Jackson looks at you?”

I feel my heart skip a beat at her suggestion, but I quickly push the thought aside. I wrap my hands around my drink, the heat seeping into my palms. Jackson was just being a good friend, helping me out of a tough situation. There's no way he could actually have feelings for me...right?

“He was just trying to help.” I nod, dropping my gaze to the top of the coffee cup. “I shouldn’t have gone along with it, but I just couldn't stand the thought of Brendan seeing me as some pathetic, lovesick loser.”

“Oh, honey,” she says, her voice softening. “You're not a loser. Brendan's the one who messed up by letting you go.”

I nod, grateful for Sara’s support. Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without her, and I’m definitely going to have to figure out a way to pay her back for being the best friend ever.

“I hope I didn’t make things awkward for Jackson,” I confess. “He's been so great through all of this, and I don't want to ruin our friendship.”

Sara squeezes my hand. “I get it,” she says. “But maybe this is a sign that there could be something more between you two. I mean, think about it—Jackson pretended to be your boyfriend. That's not something you do for just anyone.”

I feel a flutter in my chest at her words, a tiny spark of hope igniting within me. Could she be right? Could there be something more between Jackson and me?

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