Chapter Three – Summer Shifts
890 Words
If someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d spend the summer cataloging almost every moment between me and Ethan Blake, I’d have laughed in their face. But here I was, on a sticky June morning, sitting cross-legged on my bed, flipping through my journal like it held the secret to the universe.
Pages of scrawled handwriting. Doodles of Ferris wheels and question marks. Words underlined, circled, highlighted.
He looked at me differently.
Almost kissed me.
Why does Jake always ruin everything?
I groaned and snapped the journal shut. Enough.
THE UNEXPECTED IDE
By late afternoon, I was sprawled on the porch, scrolling my phone, when Ethan’s beat-up truck pulled into the driveway.
Jake came out carrying a basketball. “Pool party at Ryan’s. You’re driving.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ethan leaned against the truck, sunglasses perched on his head. He caught my eye and grinned. “Are you coming, Lila?”
I blinked. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. Don’t act so shocked.” His grin widened.
Jake groaned. “Do we have to take her everywhere?”
Mom’s voice floated out the kitchen window: “Yes, you do.”
So, that was settled.
Ten minutes later, I was wedged in the backseat of Ethan’s truck, trying not to notice how the sunlight caught in his hair or how he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm to the radio.
Jake noticed my silence. “Don’t even think about embarrassing me in front of everyone.”
I shot him a glare. “Relax, I wasn’t planning to perform an interpretive dance by the pool.”
Ethan chuckled. “Though, honestly, I’d pay to see that.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, earning another laugh. My heart fluttered. Dumb heart.
The Pool Party
Ryan’s backyard was already packed when we arrived. Music blasted from a speaker, kids were splashing in the pool, and the air smelled like chlorine and burgers.
Jake dove straight into the chaos, high-fiving half the football team. Ethan lingered near the snack table, and I trailed after him, pretending I wasn’t.
“You don’t swim?” he asked, nodding toward the pool.
I shrugged. “Not when half the school’s there. Too much splash damage.”
He smirked. “So, you’re a people-watcher.”
“Maybe,” I said. “You learn a lot when you’re not the one yelling ‘Cannonball!’ every five seconds.”
He laughed. “Fair point.”
For a while, it was easy. Just us, leaning against the fence, joking about Ryan’s terrible taste in music and making up stories about random people at the party. (Apparently, the kid in the neon trunks was secretly a spy on vacation. Who knew?)
It felt like…more.
The Jealousy
And then she showed up.
Jessica Harper. Long blonde hair, perfect tan, one of those girls who could wear a plain T-shirt and somehow make it look like a fashion ad.
She spotted Ethan immediately. “Ethan Blake! Haven’t seen you in forever.”
I froze as she practically draped herself over him. Ethan smiled politely, but she didn’t seem to notice—or care—that he wasn’t exactly reciprocating.
“You should totally come to our place this summer,” Jessica said, twirling a strand of hair. “My parents don’t care if people hang out late.”
I clenched my soda cup so hard I thought it might crack.
Ethan glanced at me, almost like he wanted to say something, but then Jake appeared, dragging him toward the grill. Jessica followed like a shadow.
I was left alone, invisible. Again.
The Conversation
Later, after most people had left the pool to crowd around the food, I found Ethan sitting on the deck steps, staring at the water.
“You survived Jessica,” I said, sitting down beside him.
He smirked. “Barely. She’s…a lot.”
I risked a glance at him. “You didn’t seem to mind.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly, tearing the label off my water bottle.
For a moment, silence stretched between us, filled only by the hum of cicadas. Then he leaned closer, voice lower.
“You know,” he said, “for someone who insists she’s not jealous, you’re terrible at hiding it.”
My head snapped up. “I wasn’t.”
His grin widened. “Relax, Lila. I’m kidding.”
But his eyes lingered, softer than his teasing tone. My chest tightened.
Before I could say anything else, Jake’s voice boomed across the yard: “Ethan! You’re on grill duty!”
Ethan stood, brushing imaginary dust off his jeans. “Saved by the bell,” he said, but his gaze lingered on me for a beat too long before he walked away.
Late-Night Thoughts
Back home, I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted but wired. My journal waited on my nightstand, practically daring me to write.
Today he noticed. He noticed me noticing him.
Does that mean anything? Or am I just reading into everything like an i***t?
He’s still Jake’s best friend. Still off-limits. Still almost.
I stared at the ceiling, heart pounding with questions I couldn’t answer.
But one thing was clear: summer was shifting. And so were we.
✨ End of Chapter Three ✨
- Writer
