Well folks, here it is…the last chapter! (I've never actually finished any chaptered stories before…so this is a big deal for me…) I tried really hard to get this out over finals…and it's super-long! Anyway, it gave me a break from writing essays. Enjoy!
Summer Hathaway was really starting to hate the feeling of being speechless. However, when hit with such a matter-of-fact pronouncement, she felt there really wasn't anything to do except stare with a sort of gaping-mouth amazement.
"What do you mean, not his girlfriend?" she asked, trying to stop the voices that were suddenly clamouring for attention and her head…and ignoring the funny bubble feeling she suddenly felt in her stomach.
"I mean that Freddy and I are not in any sort of non-platonic, physical benefits relationship," Megan replied, looking down at her neatly manicured nails as though the conversation bored her.
"But…you said you were his girlfriend," Summer said. She wanted to smack herself for sounding like a broken record player, but she couldn't seem to help herself.
"I know what I said. I'm saying it was a lie," Megan spoke slowly, as though she was talking to a very slow person. Then she seemed to take pity on Summer's shocked state and elaborated. "I'm actually his cousin."
"What?" Summer yelped.
"Second cousin really. We've known each other a long time. When I decided to come and visit, Freddy said that if I told people he was his girlfriend, he'd give me one-hundred dollars and let me use the Lexus. I think he's insane, but I needed a new skirt. I just thought you'd like to know." Megan flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to leave.
"Wait, why would you think I'd care?" Summer asked, trying her best to look indifferent and not like she was dying of curiosity. "Freddy and I aren't involved or anything. In fact, we can hardly stand each other."
"Oh…don't you and Freddy…I mean…he talks about you all the time." Megan, for the first time, seemed embarrassed and a little nervous. "I guess I was wrong. Sorry for bothering you." She climbed into her car and drove off, leaving Summer standing in her driveway.
Summer had read a lot about shock victims, but she never really understood what it might feel like to be in shock until she heard Freddy didn't have a girlfriend. Furthermore, he'd paid his cousin to pretend to be his girlfriend. Summer was beginning to think she'd never really know anything at all about Freddy Jones. Just when she thought she'd figured him out, he went and did something that completely changed her mind.
She kept coming back to the why of the question. He'd had no reason to pretend that he had a girlfriend unless he wanted to make someone jealous. Summer remembered that he had been talking to Katie a lot lately…and she'd seen them having coffee once. They'd probably be a good couple. They both played actual instruments and didn't just stand around being bossy. For some reason though, this thought made her feel like she was going to be sick. She tried to rationalize it. There was no reason for her to feel like this. She didn't like Freddy. And, ok, so she'd jumped him in the library just a few minutes earlier. That was just a result of too much book dust in her lungs. It had impaired her judgement. Feeling better, she turned to go inside.
Then it hit her. In hindsight, Summer wished she could've had this epiphany somewhere else, since the driveway was not a romantic spot to realize that her worst enemy had somehow become the object of her affections. But there it was. The thought that had somehow eluded her for the past few weeks was suddenly staring her in the face. She understood why she'd listened obsessively to the CDs he'd made and why she kept that dumb fish taped to her car.
She liked Freddy.
Really, really liked him. Liked him so much that the idea of him with someone else made her feel physically sick and like smashing something. Liked him so much that she wanted to write a song or a poem for him. Summer couldn't remember feeling this way about Jonathan. With him, she'd simply gone along and felt lucky to have a boyfriend. With Freddy, she wanted to hold his hand and eat ice cream with him and fight with him about the merits of John Mayer versus John Mellencamp.
Summer sat down on the driveway. Her mental faculties were starting to sound like a bad romance novel. The epiphany feeling was wearing off, and she felt nervous and confused. What did normal people do when they liked someone? Should she call him? She had already made a physical advancement…but what if he hated her? What if he liked someone else, and just found her annoying and pretentious.
After these thoughts, Summer remembered what Marta had done when she'd liked someone. They did it on "How to be a Millionaire." She decided to call a friend.
"Zack, is that you?"
"Hey Summer, what's up?" he sounded relaxed and Summer envied his untroubled mental state.
"I have a problem. Do you have time to talk?" Please say yes, please say yes, Summer thought.
"Sure," he replied. "What's the matter?"
Normally, when Summer had a problem, Zack wouldn't be the first on her list. However, Zack was Freddy's best friend, and she figured if anyone knew anything about the workings of his mind, it would be Zack.
"Well…I…have this…friend…and she likes this guy, but she doesn't know if he likes her and she doesn't know what to do and she'd really confused and normally, she's really a smart person but for some reason she just feels awkward and helpless. What would you do?" Summer took a breath. She'd started out haltingly, but the last half of her speech had come out so quickly it was almost like one long word.
"Ok, what?" Zack (understandably) just sounded puzzled.
Deciding that honesty was probably the best way to go in this situation, Summer decided to take the plunge.
"IthinkIlikeFreddy."
"What?"
"I like Freddy ok! I like him a lot and I don't know what to do!" Summer was mildly surprised at the vehemence of her outburst. She realized that she was still sitting on her driveway in plain view of everyone. On the phone, Zack was silent.
"What? Does this mess everything up? Does he like someone else?" Summer felt a little panicked, but suddenly Zack's voice came back on the line.
"No, he doesn't have a girlfriend. I'm just surprised that you're telling me this. I thought he'd cave first for sure."
"What are you talking about?"
"Come on. You two have been dancing around each other for months. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Everyone thinks you guys should be together. Plus, the unresolved sexual tension thing just gets weird after awhile."
"Well, what do you think I should do? Should I tell him?" Summer scuffed her shoe on the pavement, mentally willing Zack to say no.
"I think you should. You two are the types that will never make a move without a declaration of some sort," he replied. "Wait, I have to go…listen, call me later and tell me how it goes ok?"
"Ok, thanks Zack," Summer said, sighing.
She hung up and sat for a minute. She knew she should call Freddy, but she couldn't bring herself to dial the phone. What if Zack was wrong? Suddenly, not knowing seemed like a good alternative. I'll call him tonight, Summer decided.
She spent the rest of the day trying to think of ways not to think about Freddy. She helped her mom in the kitchen and took her brother to soccer practice. She listened to more of Freddy's CDs, finishing the last one (Misc. Rock with The Red Button, Squeeze and Oingo Boingo), as dinner started. After dinner she helped clean the kitchen, and watched some documentary with her dad. At 9pm, she found herself in her room, with nothing to do (she'd cleaned it earlier) except call Freddy and confess her feelings, which seemed less and less like a fun activity. She narrowed her eyes at her phone…and nearly jumped out of her skin when it started ringing. She checked the caller I.D. and almost hyperventilated. It was Freddy. She realized she should pick up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Would you be really weirded out if I told you I was outside your house right now?" Freddy's voice over the phone was enough to make her feel all bubbly and tickly. She silently willed her emotions to get a grip. "I think we need to talk after…what happened today." Summer suddenly remembered what had happened at the library. As much as she'd like to see Freddy, she didn't particularly want to talk about that.
"Umm…" she started to say, but Freddy interrupted.
"Listen, just come down and we can go for a walk. I'll meet you in your front yard." He hung up and Summer gave a snort of exasperation, momentarily forgetting she was probably going to be confessing romantic feelings in a few minutes. However, she dutifully pulled on her coat and some shoes and shuffled out the door after telling her parents she was leaving for a bit.
When she got outside, she could make out Freddy standing on the lawn in a sweater and jeans. Her heart did a funny stutter. She walked up to him and they walked across her lawn and began to walk slowly down the sidewalk. The night wasn't particularly moonlit or snow-filled, but there was the beginning of fall in the air and an almost crescent moon in the sky.
"So," He said.
"So," she echoed. They walked a little further. Summer decided it was now or never.
"I talked to Megan today. You know, your cousin? She's such a nice girl." She looked over at him and watched his eyebrows go up.
"You found out." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah." He sighed then and stopped walking, turning to face Summer, his eyes serious.
"Summer, I didn't mean to lie. At least, it didn't start out that way. I just thought that if you were jealous…"
"Wait, you wanted to make me jealous?" Summer asked, not really sure if she'd heard him right.
"Well who else would I make jealous?" he looked genuinely confused, so Summer explained.
"I thought you liked Katie. You guys had coffee once."
"Oncebeing the operative word. Plus, I never burned her any CDs did I? By the way, did you ever listen to those?"
Summer was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blushing. "I listened to all of them."
"Good," he said, and then he was reaching out and taking her hand in his. "The question is, Miss Hathaway, were you jealous?"
"No," she said, but she'd barely gotten the word out when he suddenly stepped close, tipped her face up to his, and kissed her soundly.
She couldn't think of anything to say, so she just stared up at him, in shock.
"As much as I enjoyed the one at the library, it took me by surprise. I had to retaliate," he grinned at her, his eyes sparkling wickedly. Summer hoped she wasn't wearing too silly of a grin.
"In that case, think how much fun it'll be when we're both prepared," she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I can't wait." Then he was kissing her again, his hands moving to cup her face. When they finally stepped apart, they were both breathing hard and Summer was pretty sure that she had discovered a much better use for Freddy's mouth than arguing.
"So," he said, "Do you want to go to DQ or something? I've always wanted to treat my girlfriend to a Blizzard."
Summer grinned, feeling a happy bubble rising in her chest. "Ok, but I'm driving."
The End
Wow, I actually finished something with multiple chapters! I hope you all enjoyed it! Please, please please leave me a review…they are my lifeblood…plus if I get enough I might write something else…you never know until you push the button!