Page 14 of Stealing Summer

As we got back into Willow’s car to head home, Parker shot me a death glare like the sweatshirt I had on was more than inconvenient for him. “Seriously, Chandler?” he whispered. His voice was low but barely hid the disappointment. “Not cool.”

“It’s not a big deal—” I huffed.

On the way home, Boston didn’t say much. I knew he was probably annoyed that I was wearing Reese’s sweatshirt, but he never brought it up—he didn’t need to. As he headed to my room, he flashed me a half-smile, but the moment had an uncomfortable edge that left me feeling uneasy.

Just after I slid into bed, restless fingers found my phone. With little thought, I began searching for Reese on Instagram. “Baseball, of course,” I whispered to myself, as I continued to scroll through his Instagram feed where action shots of him on the field began to populate. And then, there it was—a photo that made me pause a little too long. Reese, shirtless by the lake. “Definitely a thirst trap,” I whispered, chastising myself for lingering.

My thumb had already betrayed me, swiping to the next photo—a series of pictures with Blair. They looked like a picture-perfect couple from a magazine, always smiling and taking photos together at gatherings or on ski trips, and family events.

I found myself scrolling further and deeper until I landed on Blair’s Instagram. Blair was stunning in every photo—whether she had make-up on, or was just lounging around in sweats. She had that natural glowing skin beauty, too.

“Okay, I need to stop,” I whispered, as a few more rows of photos populated. And then, a catastrophic disaster struck in the form of a heart icon, suddenly glowing red beneath a photo from 2012. It was an innocent picture of her dog, a bulldog with a lopsided smile that almost seemed to mock me from the screen.

“Shit!” The word escaped my lips before I could fix the situation. “Undo, undo, undo!” I screamed, tapping furiously on the screen, hoping that the notification would somehow vanish into the air before Blair ever laid eyes on it. The un-hearted image stared back at me, making me realize that I needed to go straight to bed.

With a long sigh, I locked my phone, and the light extinguished along with the images. I went to sleep wearing Reese’s sweatshirt, inhaling his scent—comforted by the woodsy smell of his cologne clinging to it, as I re-played his smile in my mind.

seven

I stumbled into the kitchen, my eyes barely opened and my hair was a mess from tossing in the night. Parker was already there, sitting at the kitchen island with a bowl of cereal in front of him, chewing obnoxiously.

“Morning,” he said without looking up, his spoon diving in for another scoop. “You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep well,” I admitted, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

He finally glanced up, his eyes narrowing as they landed on the oversized sweatshirt I had on. “You still have on Reese’s hoodie?”

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly conscious of the soft fabric that still had his scent clinging to it. “Yeah, it got chilly last night, and he offered it to me… It’s comfy.”

Parker’s eyebrow quirked up, with a questionable look on his face. But before he could voice his thoughts, I reached for a mug, hoping to distract him from questioning me further about it.

“Want some coffee?” I asked, forcing a small smile as I started to refill the water in the coffee machine.

“Sure,” his gaze lingered on the sweatshirt as if signaling that I should probably take it off. “I’m guessing you didn’t see the argument between Boston and Reese last night?”

I paused, the mug I was holding nearly slipping from my grasp. “Argument? No, what happened?”

He sat his bowl down on the counter. “It happened in the hallway at the party. They started shoving each other, and I thought they were going to throw down right there.”

“Seriously?” I leaned back against the counter, surprised. Boston wasn’t one to start fights, but I knew he wouldn’t back down either. I wondered when this could have happened—probably at some point when Willow was introducing me to people around the party.

“Reese has always had a smart mouth and a temper,” Parker’s eyes met mine, with a glint of concern. “It looked like maybe they bumped into each other, which started it. Then, he told Boston not to forget whose team he was on. That it was his.”

“His team?” Who did he think he was? The Blue Devils belonged to no one. Boston was just as much a part of that team as Reese was.

“Yep,” Parker said under his breath. “He threatened to have Boston thrown off the team if he didn’t watch himself. I don’t get why he’s always had something against him.”

“Me either. Why does Reese think he owns the team?”

“He pretty much does,” he shrugged. “That’s why he’s so cocky.”

“Because of his dad?” I asked.

“Yeah, his dad pays for everything. Without his donations, I don’t know if there would be a team. Probably why he acts untouchable.”

“Wow...” I searched for the right words, feeling the heat from the mug radiate into my palms. “That’s messed up. I had no idea that happened.”

“You know how Bayside is—filled with privilege and power.” Parker reached for his mug, blowing on the surface before taking a cautious sip. “Hope they can pull their shit together before our first game next week.”

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