Page 76 of The Summer We Played Pretend

It happens too fast. The railing splinters with a sickening crack, and I topple backward. I see Brendan’s startled face, hear the rush of water, then the impact knocks the breath from me.

The water swallows me instantly, sharp and freezing, stealing the air from my lungs. I kick upward, or at least I think I do. My dress tangles around my legs, my sneakers drag me down like anchors.

When I finally break the surface, I gasp, only for a wave to crash over me, salt stinging my throat and nose. I try to scream but choke instead, the sound lost in the roar of the ocean.

Another wave slams into me, dragging me under again. I flail my arms, searching for the pier, for anything to hold onto, but it feels impossibly far away. Brendan is nowhere to be seen.

My lungs burn, my chest screams for air, and the icy water claws at my skin.

Jackson’s face flashes in my mind—his warm, steady gaze, his easy smile. I think about how safe I felt with him.

I don’t know if this is it—if this is what people feel before they die—but it sure feels like it.

I think this is it.

I think I’m going to die.

Chapter Thirty-One

Jackson

The first drops of rain hit my face as Ethan points out the donut stall.

"Haven’t you got enough there?" I joke, forcing a tight smile as I nod toward the burger and soda in his hand.

We’re trying our hardest to return to normal after nearly beating the crap out of each other, but I don’t think Ethan’s realized I can’t stop scanning the fair, looking for Chloe.

Ethan grins. "You know me—always thinking with my stomach."

I laugh, but it feels hollow, the sound of it barely convincing even to myself.

“I swear to God it rains every year,” Ethan mutters, squinting up at the sky as the drizzle picks up. “They need to choose a better date.” He shoves the burger into my hands. “Hold this. I’m grabbing more food before they call this thing off.”

Shaking my head, I laugh again—a real one this time. I missed Ethan, especially when he wasn’t trying to kill me for dating his sister.

I step back toward the nearest food tent, tucking myself under the edge of the awning for some shelter from the rain.

“You look like you’re trying to murder that burger.”

I glance over my shoulder to see Sara standing a few paces back, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. My stomach sinks. Sara doesn’t let anyone get away with crap, and I’m not in the mood to be her next project.

“What do you want, Sara?” I mutter, dragging a hand through my damp hair.

Sara steps closer, peering up at the rain as it starts to come down harder. “We need to talk about Chloe.”

My chest tightens at the mention of her name.

Pathetic.

“Not your business,” I say, turning my gaze to the lights of the fair as they blur and ripple in the rain.

“Oh, but it is,” Sara shoots back, sidestepping until she’s standing beside me. “She’s my best friend, Jackson. I don’t like watching her mope around pretending she’s fine when it’s obvious she’s not.”

I clench my jaw, staring straight ahead. “She’s going to college soon. She doesn’t need me complicating things.”

Sara tilts her head, giving me a look like I’m the dumbest person she’s ever met. “So what? You’re trying to do the noble thing? Pretend like she doesn’t matter to you?”

“It’s not like—”

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