We'll Always Have Summer Read Free

stepped on the guy’s hand. “I’m so sorry,” I said, but he didn’t seem to notice either way, since he had his other hand up the girl’s shirt.
    When I finally made it to the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and let out a little sigh of relief. This party was even wilder than usual. I guessed with the end of year upon us and finals over, everybody was letting loose. I was kind of glad Anika hadn’t been able to come.
    It wouldn’t be her scene—not that it was mine, either.
    I dabbed liquid soap onto the wet marks and hoped it wouldn’t stain. Someone tried to open the door, and I called out, “Just a sec.”
    As I stood there, dabbing at the dress, I heard girls on the other side talking. I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard Lacie’s voice. I heard her say, “He looks hot tonight, right?”
    Another voice said, “He always looks hot.”
    She was slurring as she said, “Hell yeah he does.”
    The other girl said, “I’m so jealous you got to hook up with him.”
    In a singsong voice, Lacie said, “Whatever happens in Cabo stays in Cabo.”
    I felt dizzy all of a sudden. I leaned my back against we’ll always have summer · 15
    the bathroom door to steady myself. There was no way she was talking about Jeremiah. No way.
    Someone banged on the door, and I jumped.
    Without thinking, I opened it. Lacie’s hand flew to her mouth when she saw me. The look on her face was like a punch in the stomach. I felt physical pain. I could hear the other girls’ sharp intakes of breath. I felt like I was sleepwalking as I moved past her and the girls and down the hallway.
    I couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true. Not my Jere.
    I went to his room and locked the door behind me. I sat on his bed, knees curled into my chest, going over it in my head. Whatever happens in Cabo stays in Cabo. The look on Lacie’s face, the way the other girls gasped. It played in my head like a movie, over and over. The two of them talking tonight. The way he’d shrugged when I said she was nice.
    I had to know. I had to hear it from Jeremiah.
    I left his room and went looking for him. As I searched, I could feel the shock turning into anger. I pushed my way through the crowd. One drunk girl slurred, “Hey!” when I stepped on her foot, but I didn’t stop to say “excuse me.”
    I finally found him standing around outside drinking beer with his frat buddies. From the open door, I said, “I need to talk to you.”
    “Just a sec, Bells,” he said.
    “No. Now.”
    16 · jenny han
    The guys all started cracking up and going, “Oooh, somebody’s in trouble.” “Fisher’s so whipped.”
    I waited.
    Jeremiah must have seen something in my eyes, because he followed me inside, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. I shut the door behind me.
    “What’s going on?” he asked me, looking all concerned.
    I practically spat the words out. “Did you hook up with Lacie Barone during spring break?”
    Jeremiah’s face turned white. “What?”
    “Did you hook up with her?”
    “Belly—”
    “I knew it,” I whispered. “I knew it.”
    Even though I didn’t know it, not really. I didn’t know anything.
    “Hold on, just hold on.”
    “Hold on?” I screamed. “Oh my God, Jere. Oh my God.”
    I sank onto the floor. My legs couldn’t even hold me up.
    Jeremiah kneeled down beside me and tried to help me up, but I slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me!”
    He got down on the floor next to me, his head hanging between his knees. “Belly, it was when we were on that break. When we were broken up.”
    Our so-called breakup had lasted all of a week. It we’ll always have summer · 17
    wasn’t even a real breakup, not for me. I always assumed we would get back together. I had cried the whole week, while he had been in Cabo kissing Lacie Barone.
    “You knew we weren’t really broken up! You knew it wasn’t real!”
    Miserably, he said, “How was I supposed to know that?”
    “If I knew it, you should have