Page 99 of Puck Princess

All those nights tracking down Mom replay in my mind like a bad home movie as I’m flying down the road to get to Summer.

I hate that I was right about her date from some app being a creep. I hate that she’s not in her right mind. And I hate that I can’t get there any faster.

I thought I’d saved Summer from all of this when I beat Miles down in that alley. When I arranged for her and Callie to talk to the lawyer.

But this shit never ends.

It never did with our mom.

So many nights I had to rescue my mom from bad situations. So many times I put my own ass on the line to see to it that she was okay. So many times I told myself I was going to get away from that. But I never did. And neither did she.

Summer is different, though. She has to be. Nicky has to have a better life than I did. And that all starts with making sure Summer doesn’t end up with a guy who listens to cockrock and takes her to bars where he can slip something in her coconut drink.

The bar is a madhouse. Who would have thought so many people would want to go to a seedy beach-themed dive for overpriced drinks and shitty beer? It’s dark inside with rundown cabana chairs and tiki posts. The waitresses are dressed like hula girls and the male bartenders are all shirtless with leis around their necks.

“Jesus Christ, Summer,” I mutter.

“Hey, I know you!” A blonde in a miniskirt who seems to have misplaced her shoes somewhere steps in front of me. “You play hockey, don’t you?”

I look over the top of her head to scan the room for Summer. “Where’s the bathroom?”

“In the back. Listen, come find me, and I’ll let you buy me a drink. Maybe I’ll even let you score…” She flashes an open-mouthed grin, running her tongue along her bottom lip.

“Right.” I step around her and shove my way through the crowd. There are two gender-neutral bathrooms in the back. A couple of girls rush into one, but there’s a line outside the other.

I squeeze through the crowd and bang on the door.

“You’re gonna be here a while, man.” Some rando with way too much cologne and a Hawaiian shirt slurs at me. “I think there’s a couple in that one.”

“What did they look like?”

“Fuck if I know, but they’ve been in there for ages. She’s been making all kinds of wild noises, if you know what I’m sayin’.” He wags his brows at me, but I’m already barreling through him to get to the door.

“Bro, you gotta wait like everyone else!” someone calls from behind me, but I don’t care.

“Summer?” I call out, banging again. “Summer!”

The door rips open and a tall redheaded woman fills the frame. She looks annoyed until her eyes rake over me. “Sorry, wrong number. But you’re welcome to join if you want.”

Behind her is another chick, and I really do have the wrong number.

I spin around, scanning the crowd. “Summer!”

Another woman tugs on my arm. “If you’re looking for a girl with hair kinda like yours, a pretty smile, and a black dress, she left with some guy with a septum piercing a minute ago.”

Fuck.

“Thank you.”

She grabs my arm again before I can squeeze past.

“She looked pretty sick though. I think she drank too much.”

My stomach swirls with anxiety.

I run faster, plowing into anyone and everyone who gets into my way.

I break through the doors hard enough to take them off their hinges. After looking right and left and right again, I finally see her.

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