Page 32 of No Summer Hotter than You

anthony

I let out a laugh as I watched Shoua and Jonathan battle it out in a carnival basketball game for one of the ginormous stuffed animals hanging high above us. Kelvin also played along with them as he and Shoua struggled. Jonathan, on the other hand, easily made his shots as he wore a cocky smirk.

Shoua yelled as the basketball she threw hit the rim of the basketball hoop instead of shooting through the net. Jonathan whooped since he was several points ahead of her and Kelvin. I laughed again as Shoua continued to groan out of frustration when another ball she threw missed the basketball hoop entirely.

“Shoua, you’re horrible!” I said.

After dinner, we decided to play some carnival games and maybe even jump on a few rides later. Shoua wanted to go on the Ferris wheel while Jonathan insisted we go on the goddamn Fire Ball.

“I’m glad I’m here again with my mom this summer,” Evelyn said from my side. “I always love visiting your mom. She’s the sweetest and is practically like my own mother.”

“Sure, I mean, I see you like a little sister too,” I said.

Evelyn became silent for a second. “A sister, huh?” she asked. Her voice rasped slightly in simmering irritation.

“Yeah. Just like how Julie and Jonathan are younger siblings to me.” I nodded slowly. “They’re both my mom’s friend’s children and so are you.”

She raised a brow at me. “What about Shoua?”

I smiled as I glanced back to her, watching her playful struggle with the basketball game. The chimes of her laugh ringing through the air. “My girlfriend.”

Evelyn’s brow continued to stay arched. “But didn’t you two grow up together?”

“No, we were classmates most of the time. But I wouldn’t say we actually grew up together the way I did with her cousins. It’s always been different with Shoua.”

“Different how?”

I glanced back at Shoua, catching her gaze over to Evelyn and me for a quick second and then back to the game. My smile mirrored the wide one she wore. “She’s always been special to me,” I said.

“Is she truly special? Or is she just convenient enough to be your girlfriend this summer?” she asked. I turned to her as she tipped her head coyly at me with a smirk. She took a step toward me while I stood in place. “I find it ironic how you two started your relationship so suddenly. Why now? You and Shoua have been friends all these years and yet nothing ever happened until now. What about this year makes it different from all the other years? Why not last year or the other years before?”

I snickered, feeling amused. “Why are you so curious about other people’s relationships when it doesn’t concern you?”

“Because my mom wants you and me together, and she always gets what she wants.”

Although her voice was hushed, the clarity of it still cut through Jonathan’s and Shoua’s laughing. I blinked, surprised by her honesty. We had been beating around this bush for years.

I gave her a gentle smile. “Is that what you want too? Or are you simply doing all of this just to please her?”

Evelyn immediately tore her eyes away from mine and her smirk wobbled for a second. She cleared her throat, stood taller, and looked up at me with newfound determination. A confident smirk stretched across her lips. “You’ll be mine one day, Anthony Hughes.”

I blinked slowly as I also straightened my back. I caught Shoua’s gaze and held it for a moment, causing her to miss another shot. I pointed directly at my girlfriend and smiled. “Nope, I’m hers.”

The loud buzzer signaling the end of the basketball game interrupted Evelyn before she could respond back. Shoua must’ve heard me because her face flamed bright red as Jonathan relished his win. Her eyes never left mine as I nodded at her.

“W-well—” Evelyn started, but a familiar voice cut her off.

“Yo! Anthony Hughes, is that you?”

I quickly glanced up to see a face I knew well smiling broadly back at me. It was Tyson Wright, a good friend of mine and Andy’s from high school. Andy and he were on the basketball team together. He’d come over to our place often and they’d practice together. The two of them would play against our dad since he played for the University of Minnesota when he was a student there. I’d join in on the fun some of the time. Other times it would be Jonathan.

While Andy got a scholarship to play down in Southern California at University of California Santa Mariana. Tyson got a basketball scholarship to play for a small liberal arts college in Boston. He had been living on the East Coast ever since. Whenever he returned to California to see his family, Andy and me would make sure to see him. We had gone to Boston several times before to visit him over the years.

I flashed him a small smile as he told his cousins he’d catch up to them. We quickly hugged each other. “What the hell, man? I thought you weren’t going to be here for another week!” I said as Jonathan whooped loudly at the large stuffed gorilla he won.

Shoua was huffing for a split moment before turning to me, her eyes brightening at the sight of Tyson. “Tyson Wright!” she said, coming up to us. “Anthony said that you weren’t going to be here for another week! What are you doing here?”

“Well, well. If it isn’t Shoua and Jonathan Lo!” He quickly hugged her and then Jonathan. “Come on, you guys! I wanted to surprise my parents and I didn’t want Anthony blabbering with his big mouth.” He laughed again, showing me his pearly white teeth.

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