Chapters (37)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Acknowledgments
- Readers Guide
- DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
Summer frowns. “You should want to be happy too.” She makes a show of inhaling and exhaling a few times as if to center herself. “It wasn’t fair of me to say you’re leading Fox on. Instead of talking about Fox like I wanted, I made it about you, when it’s not. What I really wanted to say—no, what I wanted to ask was”—she pauses, hands clenched into determined fists—“please don’t hurt him. When he finds someone he likes it’s usually pretty serious. He likes you. A lot.”
Joy links her hands together, placing them in her lap, and focuses on the trees across the road. She can’t stop the way her thoughts spin around kissing and kissing and kissing and being carried upstairs. A connection lasting longer than a few hours. A feeling with the power to overshadow the despair and pain that comes hand in hand with loving Malcolm. “I like him too.”
“No, Joy.” Summer fidgets, uncomfortable and frustrated. “What I’m saying is that he likes you—as in he would want to date you. That kind of like. So if you’re just flirting with him for fun, please don’t. Please stop. Because it’s real to him.”
Joy lets that roll off her back. Ace people could date same as everyone else. Did she suddenly forget Malcolm is ace too? “All right, well, since we’re laying everything out on the table, I should tell you, it’s not entirely real. At least it didn’t start that way.” Joy explains Fox’s proposal and why—to protect Summer.
“Oh. I think I’m going to hit him.” Summer’s surprise shifts to a frown. “But you like him now, right?”
“I do.”
“Okay, because I’m sure about that part too. He really does like you. Please be gentle with Fox. No matter what you decide to do. Please, please don’t hurt him.”
Joy nods. “Trust me, Summer, there’s nothing in this world I’d rather not do.”
“Okay.” Summer blows out a huff of air. “That wasn’t so bad. I don’t know why I was so scared to talk to you.” She laughs. “I think I’m still going to go for a walk. Do you want to come?”
Joy glances at the empty driveway again. “No thanks. You have fun, though.” She watches Summer trek down the road alone, her ponytail swinging in time to her stride.