shoulders and couldn’t look at David, thinking of her lie about running. Maybe that wasn’t a lie, she considered.
David looked at his watch and frowned. “Much as I hate to, I better take you home. Superman will be finished with his party soon.”
She helped him fold the blanket. They held hands on the way to the car, stopping several times for quick kisses and long smiles.
Chapter 11
T he next afternoon Summer met Regina and Gregg at the Pizza Paddle. She wished with all her heart that it would start raining so that David wouldn’t have to work, and he could join them.
The Pizza Paddle was crowded, and the aroma of pepperoni and spicy Italian sausage reminded Summer of just how hungry she was. She sat down between Gregg and Regina and the three of them devoured an extra-large pizza in record time. She was just finishing her Coke when Regina whispered in a furious voice, “Don’t look up.”
The temptation was too great. The look on Regina’s face alerted Summer that something was terribly wrong, and she promptly ignored her advice and quickly turned toward the door. All color drained from her face. David was standing in the doorway.And he wasn’t alone. Ann Logan was right beside him. Her brightly polished fingernails, those tentacles of ownership, were cemented to David’s arm.
“What are you going to do?” Regina’s question brought Summer’s confused gaze back to her. Summer tried to smile.
“I don’t know. Try to act natural, I guess. Got any better ideas?”
“What’s going on?” mumbled Gregg, his mouth full of pizza.
“Summer’s boyfriend just walked in with Ann Logan. Don’t look,” Regina demanded. To Summer she added, “He hasn’t spotted you yet. Want to make a run for the back door?”
“Absolutely not. If David prefers Ann’s company, then so be it. It doesn’t make sense, though. He said he had to work! And I thought I was his girlfriend. I guess I was wrong. I mean, he never said we weren’t supposed to see anyone else, but I thought…after he showed me his drawings…”
“Summer, you’re rambling,” Regina interrupted.
“I don’t care,” she whispered. She said the words with a negligent shrug. Inside, she felt as though she were dying. She prayed that she wouldn’t burst into tears and took a deep breath to gain some control.
“I’ve got an idea,” Regina said. “Gregg, put your arm around the back of Summer’s chair.”
“Why?” Gregg wanted to know.
“Just do it,” Regina ordered. “If Ann is David’s date, then you’re Summer’s date, got that?”
“What?” Now it was Summer who wanted to know what was going on.
“If David is with Ann, then you’re with Gregg. Gregg, act like you’re crazy about Summer. And don’t argue. You still owe me twenty dollars, remember?”
“Does this cancel the debt?”
“Yes. Now, do it. Summer, move closer.”
“Look, we should find out if David has a date with Ann before we—”
“Open your eyes, Summer. That much is obvious,” Regina said. “All boys are slime.”
“Here they come,” Gregg said. “Give me your hand, Summer.”
“What?” She was so miserable she just wanted to crawl into the nearest hole.
“Hi, Summer!” David’s voice sounded so cheerful, and that confused her even more.
“Hi, everyone!” To Summer’s ears, the high-pitched voice of delight sounded just like a fingernail sliding down a chalkboard.
“Hello, David. Hi, Ann.” Her voice was flat and totally devoid of any emotion, but it was the best she could do.
David couldn’t seem to look directly at her. He kept his eyes focused on Gregg’s arm around Summer’s shoulders. And he suddenly seemed very embarrassed. His face got all red and blotchy.
Why, oh, why did it have to be Ann Logan?
Summer wailed to herself. It proved that David was no better than all the other stupid males in the city. He, too,had fallen under Ann’s spell. The baser side of Summer wanted to yell and scream at the injustice of
David looked at his watch and frowned. “Much as I hate to, I better take you home. Superman will be finished with his party soon.”
She helped him fold the blanket. They held hands on the way to the car, stopping several times for quick kisses and long smiles.
Chapter 11
T he next afternoon Summer met Regina and Gregg at the Pizza Paddle. She wished with all her heart that it would start raining so that David wouldn’t have to work, and he could join them.
The Pizza Paddle was crowded, and the aroma of pepperoni and spicy Italian sausage reminded Summer of just how hungry she was. She sat down between Gregg and Regina and the three of them devoured an extra-large pizza in record time. She was just finishing her Coke when Regina whispered in a furious voice, “Don’t look up.”
The temptation was too great. The look on Regina’s face alerted Summer that something was terribly wrong, and she promptly ignored her advice and quickly turned toward the door. All color drained from her face. David was standing in the doorway.And he wasn’t alone. Ann Logan was right beside him. Her brightly polished fingernails, those tentacles of ownership, were cemented to David’s arm.
“What are you going to do?” Regina’s question brought Summer’s confused gaze back to her. Summer tried to smile.
“I don’t know. Try to act natural, I guess. Got any better ideas?”
“What’s going on?” mumbled Gregg, his mouth full of pizza.
“Summer’s boyfriend just walked in with Ann Logan. Don’t look,” Regina demanded. To Summer she added, “He hasn’t spotted you yet. Want to make a run for the back door?”
“Absolutely not. If David prefers Ann’s company, then so be it. It doesn’t make sense, though. He said he had to work! And I thought I was his girlfriend. I guess I was wrong. I mean, he never said we weren’t supposed to see anyone else, but I thought…after he showed me his drawings…”
“Summer, you’re rambling,” Regina interrupted.
“I don’t care,” she whispered. She said the words with a negligent shrug. Inside, she felt as though she were dying. She prayed that she wouldn’t burst into tears and took a deep breath to gain some control.
“I’ve got an idea,” Regina said. “Gregg, put your arm around the back of Summer’s chair.”
“Why?” Gregg wanted to know.
“Just do it,” Regina ordered. “If Ann is David’s date, then you’re Summer’s date, got that?”
“What?” Now it was Summer who wanted to know what was going on.
“If David is with Ann, then you’re with Gregg. Gregg, act like you’re crazy about Summer. And don’t argue. You still owe me twenty dollars, remember?”
“Does this cancel the debt?”
“Yes. Now, do it. Summer, move closer.”
“Look, we should find out if David has a date with Ann before we—”
“Open your eyes, Summer. That much is obvious,” Regina said. “All boys are slime.”
“Here they come,” Gregg said. “Give me your hand, Summer.”
“What?” She was so miserable she just wanted to crawl into the nearest hole.
“Hi, Summer!” David’s voice sounded so cheerful, and that confused her even more.
“Hi, everyone!” To Summer’s ears, the high-pitched voice of delight sounded just like a fingernail sliding down a chalkboard.
“Hello, David. Hi, Ann.” Her voice was flat and totally devoid of any emotion, but it was the best she could do.
David couldn’t seem to look directly at her. He kept his eyes focused on Gregg’s arm around Summer’s shoulders. And he suddenly seemed very embarrassed. His face got all red and blotchy.
Why, oh, why did it have to be Ann Logan?
Summer wailed to herself. It proved that David was no better than all the other stupid males in the city. He, too,had fallen under Ann’s spell. The baser side of Summer wanted to yell and scream at the injustice of
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