Read Online Summer Boys by Hailey Abbott - Free Book Online
Authors: Hailey Abbott
Tags: Fiction
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this to herself every ten seconds. She figured if she chanted that long enough, she might eventually feel that way.
Jamie sat on the couch with one of her many notebooks opened on her lap. She was staring at a bad poem she’d written a couple of days ago, wondering what had motivated her to write in the first place. She tore out the page and crumpled it up in frustration, then flipped back to earlier pages, which were filled with short snippets of writing. When she’d first shown her notebooksto Ethan, it was an exhilarating experience, kind of like letting him see her naked. She was worried at first about what he’d think of her work or the pictures she’d drawn or pasted on the pages. But Ethan had loved everything that was in her notebook. It even inspired him to show her his own writing, which he kept all over the place—in boxes, binders, and manila envelopes. Reading his prose and poetry was like seeing a tender, vulnerable side of Ethan, and she’d been blown away by how talented he was. All the thoughts and dreams that he had written about were the same kinds of fantasies that she had kept secret for so long. That’s when she knew there could never be anyone more right for her.
Jamie snapped herself out of her memory and brought herself back to reality. And one thing was for sure: Reality sucked. She got up to slide the glass door closed, shutting out the sounds of the summer night. She turned on the TV and Letterman was on. Was it 11:30 already? She flipped through the channels and caught flashes of NBC, Fox, and the WB. Nothing held her attention. She remembered that a few summers ago, she’d gotten up after the grown-ups had gone to bed, and sneaked downstairs to watch the Late Late Show, even though she was supposed to be sound asleep. She thought about how funny it was that when you were eleven or twelve, staying up past your bedtime was rebellious and daring. Things had really changed since she was a kid. She turned off the TV, shuffled into the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. Then Jamie stared at her reflection in the mirror over the sink and didn’t recognize herself. Her freckles were bright dots against almost invisible skin. Her green eyes looked like they were floating in the whiteness of her face. She looked so blank. She was suddenly a nonperson. Jamie, but not Jamie.
Ethan had broken up with her.
She put her hands to her face and walked back into the living room. She sank down on the couch and touched the spot where he’d been sitting. For a year, she’d had him beside her, even when he wasn’t really there. She loved his face. She loved the way he smelled. She loved a million things he’d done, or that they’d done together. Once, on the beach last summer, he’d grabbed her, pulled her onto his lap, and said, “I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go.”
She couldn’t move. She stared out the sliding glass door, though there was nothing to see in the dark.
Finally, Jamie stood and slid her feet along the floor to her room. She didn’t bother to turn on the fan. She just crawled onto the sheets and rolled onto her right side, trying to fall asleep. She heard her aunt and uncle and the kids come home. But she stayed wide awake the whole night. I’ve got you, he’d said. And I’m never letting you go. She kept hearing Ethan’s voice echo in her ears for hours on end.
Shivering in the heat, Jamie finally cried herself to sleep as soon as the morning sun dared to show its face.
10
At Ahoy Bar and Grill downtown, Beth, Ella, Kelsi, Peter, George, and Cara (the Diet Vanilla Coke girl from the beach) were standing near the bar waiting for a table big enough to hold them all. Finally, they were given a huge booth next to a table full of college guys.
Ella squeezed in beside Beth, just across from Kelsi and Peter, while George and Cara were stuck in the curved middle portion of the seat. The red vinyl cushions sank beneath Ella as she scooted over, bumping her knee
Jamie sat on the couch with one of her many notebooks opened on her lap. She was staring at a bad poem she’d written a couple of days ago, wondering what had motivated her to write in the first place. She tore out the page and crumpled it up in frustration, then flipped back to earlier pages, which were filled with short snippets of writing. When she’d first shown her notebooksto Ethan, it was an exhilarating experience, kind of like letting him see her naked. She was worried at first about what he’d think of her work or the pictures she’d drawn or pasted on the pages. But Ethan had loved everything that was in her notebook. It even inspired him to show her his own writing, which he kept all over the place—in boxes, binders, and manila envelopes. Reading his prose and poetry was like seeing a tender, vulnerable side of Ethan, and she’d been blown away by how talented he was. All the thoughts and dreams that he had written about were the same kinds of fantasies that she had kept secret for so long. That’s when she knew there could never be anyone more right for her.
Jamie snapped herself out of her memory and brought herself back to reality. And one thing was for sure: Reality sucked. She got up to slide the glass door closed, shutting out the sounds of the summer night. She turned on the TV and Letterman was on. Was it 11:30 already? She flipped through the channels and caught flashes of NBC, Fox, and the WB. Nothing held her attention. She remembered that a few summers ago, she’d gotten up after the grown-ups had gone to bed, and sneaked downstairs to watch the Late Late Show, even though she was supposed to be sound asleep. She thought about how funny it was that when you were eleven or twelve, staying up past your bedtime was rebellious and daring. Things had really changed since she was a kid. She turned off the TV, shuffled into the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. Then Jamie stared at her reflection in the mirror over the sink and didn’t recognize herself. Her freckles were bright dots against almost invisible skin. Her green eyes looked like they were floating in the whiteness of her face. She looked so blank. She was suddenly a nonperson. Jamie, but not Jamie.
Ethan had broken up with her.
She put her hands to her face and walked back into the living room. She sank down on the couch and touched the spot where he’d been sitting. For a year, she’d had him beside her, even when he wasn’t really there. She loved his face. She loved the way he smelled. She loved a million things he’d done, or that they’d done together. Once, on the beach last summer, he’d grabbed her, pulled her onto his lap, and said, “I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go.”
She couldn’t move. She stared out the sliding glass door, though there was nothing to see in the dark.
Finally, Jamie stood and slid her feet along the floor to her room. She didn’t bother to turn on the fan. She just crawled onto the sheets and rolled onto her right side, trying to fall asleep. She heard her aunt and uncle and the kids come home. But she stayed wide awake the whole night. I’ve got you, he’d said. And I’m never letting you go. She kept hearing Ethan’s voice echo in her ears for hours on end.
Shivering in the heat, Jamie finally cried herself to sleep as soon as the morning sun dared to show its face.
10
At Ahoy Bar and Grill downtown, Beth, Ella, Kelsi, Peter, George, and Cara (the Diet Vanilla Coke girl from the beach) were standing near the bar waiting for a table big enough to hold them all. Finally, they were given a huge booth next to a table full of college guys.
Ella squeezed in beside Beth, just across from Kelsi and Peter, while George and Cara were stuck in the curved middle portion of the seat. The red vinyl cushions sank beneath Ella as she scooted over, bumping her knee
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