It's so weird being out of school when Beth and Baker are both still in school. I get my grades from my semester abroad and submit them to my school for credits, and then I just enjoy my little break. Although I don't know how much of a break it really is, seeing as I spend almost every day at Beth's helping her get her grades up again. Even though she's technically not supposed to have anyone over, her mom and dad make the exception for me.

"Pre-Calc is the worst class ever," Beth groans as she stares longingly out the window after a long study session. "I seriously don't get it. We are never going to use this shit, so why do we have to take the class?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I have no idea, but you better stay focused," I say as I tap the open textbook with my pencil. "There's only a week left of school before finals, and if you don't get this grade up then you'll have to repeat the class."

She cringes. "I don't know what's worse. Having to repeat the class or being grounded all summer?"

"For you? Probably being grounded," I reply, and she nods her head. "So come on. Keep your eyes on the numbers here."

We've already been at this for a few hours, and I have to admit that even I'm starting to get exhausted. But helping Beth with her homework is better than being at home right now. I know my parents missed me and everything, but my mom's hormones are kicking those emotions up by like a thousand. She keeps bursting into tears, crying about how pretty soon I'm going to be leaving her to go to college. And she wants that. She does. But she's going to miss me so much. It's the same conversation all the time. Being at Beth's, even with all the emergency studying, is definitely better than listening to that all the time.

"Have I said thank you for walking me through all this yet?" Beth asks a few minutes later as I release a slow yawn. I give her a lazy smile, and she sighs. "Because I really, really appreciate it. You're basically saving my relationship. I'm not sure Spencer would stay with me if I was grounded for the full summer."

Part of me wants to tell her that maybe Spencer isn't really worth it if he's not willing to wait, but I'll take the incentive where I can get it. "You know I'm happy to help. I just wish I'd been able to do it sooner. You know, before we hit panic mode."

She gives me an understanding nod. "Tell me about it. At least it's almost over though, right?"

"Yeah, for now," I reply. "But then there's college we need to worry about. Getting our essays done. Prepping for our senior year. Bracing ourselves for the Senior Project."

She groans and throws herself back on her pillow. "I am so not ready for all that." Then she pauses for a second before asking, "Have you started your essay for Columbia yet?"

I wince and shake my head. "I have some ideas, you know. But nothing really all that substantial yet." What I don't tell her is that I've never struggled so hard to write an essay in my life. But Columbia is my dream school. It's been on my vision board for eight years. I live and breathe that school, and I don't even want to think about what's going to happen if I don't get it. Which is why the essay needs to be perfect. Which is why I haven't written it yet.

"You'll get in," she says, shooting me a sympathetic smile as she sits up again. "Seriously, if you don't get in, then I've lost all faith in humanity. You're the smartest person I know, Summer. You have to get in." I nod my head, trying to swallow my insecurities and anxieties down. "So... where does Baker want to go? Has he mentioned it to you?"

"Standford, I think," I reply. "He actually mentioned working on our college admittance essays together this semester."

"Are you going to?" she asks, and I nod my head, fighting the blush that's threatening to take over. "Wow. Well, good. I'm glad he's willing to help you."

I nod my head and look back down at the textbook again. The sleepy confession I made to her has been weighing on me for a couple weeks now. She hasn't mentioned it one time to me, which I think is really weird. Beth loves to talk about boys, so I thought she'd jump at the opportunity to talk about my love life. But she hasn't said a word. Sometimes I wonder if she actually heard me or not. Other days I wonder if I even said it, or if I dreamed that whole encounter. Either way, it's super weird to me that she hasn't brought it up.

But the thing is... her not bringing it up makes me want to talk about it more. It's like telling someone you got them a gift and them not asking what it is. It makes you want to tell them even more. That's how I'm feeling. I know I'd be annoyed if Beth brought up the Baker thing, but the fact that she's not is making me want to myself.

"It'll be good," I say after a few moments of silence. "You know, with him helping me and everything. I was initially planning on just doing it myself, but it'll be nice having someone to brainstorm with. Someone who actually cares about getting into a good school," I say pointedly, knowing full well that Beth has no intention of applying to anywhere besides the University of Idaho.

"Yeah, I agree," she says simply as she stares down at her notebook, her pencil eraser brushing against her bottom lip. "I think it's a great idea."

That's it. I slam my hand flat on the bed, shaking it a bit and catching her attention. She looks up at me, her brown eyes wide with surprise. "Okay, what gives?" I ask, folding my arms across my chest.

She raises her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

I scoff. "You know what I mean. This whole thing you're doing." She shakes her head, as if she has no idea what I'm talking about. "I tell you that I'm falling in love with my rival, and you don't even mention it. You don't bring it up. You just act like I never said a word."

A grin spreads across her face. "I didn't think you wanted to talk about it," she says.

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I don't."

"Well, then okay. We won't talk about it."

"Stop that!" I yell, surprising her even further.

Now she laughs. "Summer, what? You don't want to talk about it, so I'm not asking."

"This whole reverse psychology game is bullshit," I growl, and her lips twitch. "That's what this is, isn't it? You're screwing with me. You know I don't want to talk about him, so you think if you don't ask then I will want to talk about him. Well, jokes on you, because I'm not falling for it."

"Falling for what?" she asks, and I can see she's suppressing a smile.

"Shut up," I growl. "Seriously. I hate you."

She shakes her head, unable to stop herself from smiling now. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'm sorry. You're right." I release a breath of air. "So... you're falling for him, huh?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Do you really want to know?" I ask, still a little bitter.

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, I really want to know. Come on. Spill the tea. Have you kissed him yet?"

A blush spreads across my cheek and down my neck. "No. Definitely not."

"What do you mean 'definitely not'?" she asks. "You are falling for him, right?"

"I mean, yeah," I reply, sliding my hands across my skirt nervously. "But it's not like that. Not right now."

She wrinkles her nose. "Why not? What's stopping you?"

"It's... complicated," I reply, and she watches me carefully, waiting for me to explain. I sigh. "It's just... last time I had feelings for someone, it was for Ollie. And we both know how that turned out. Not to mention the fact that Baker is my rival. What if he's just trying to distract me from—"

"If you really believe that, then you're an idiot," she interrupts, and I fall silent. "Summer, he was fucking miserable while you were gone. I paid attention, because I kind of suspected you were feeling this way, and as your best friend, it's my job to pay attention to any and all crushes while you are away. He seriously moped around all semester."

"What if he's always like that?" I ask. "I mean, did you ever pay attention to him before we met? I didn't even know who he was. And it's not like he's in any of the yearbooks. So how do you know?"

She gives me a sympathetic smile as she places her hand on my arm. "I just know, Summer. He was different. And now that you're back, he's different again. Happier. Hell, he was actually smiling when he walked out of Econ the other day. And no one smiles when they leave that class. It's worse than Chemistry."

"So what should I do?" I ask, because this is new territory for me. When I was with Ollie, he made all the moves. He asked me out for the first time. He kissed me first. He always took charge of our relationship, which in retrospect may have been a red flag.

"Tell him how you feel," she replies, and I blanch at the thought. "Oh, come on. It's not that hard. I asked Spencer out, and look at me now."

"Grounded?" I ask, and she smacks me with a pillow. I giggle.

"No! In love!" she says, a goofy smile spreading across her face. "That could be you too if you just asked him out."

I shake my head. "No way."

"Why not?" she asks, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Because what if he just wants to be friends?" I say, shuddering at the thought. "God, that would be humiliating."

She shrugs. "I mean, not really. At least then you'd know, right?" I stare at her, a frown tugging on my lips. "Okay, well if you aren't going to make the move, then you have to wait for him to do it."

I groan and look back down at the textbook, feeling utterly miserable now. "Great. Well that's probably never going to happen. He's too....'" Soft. Gentle. Considerate. I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. He was there the night Ollie tried to take advantage of me at the party. He was the one who saved me. There's no way he would make a move after witnessing that."

"Don't be too sure," Beth says smartly. "Not everyone is like you, Summer. He might surprise you. But I still think you should ask him out."

"Not happening," I respond. Then I grab her notebook and set it back in front of us again. "Okay, enough about all of this. I'm done talking about it. We still have to get you prepared for your—"

My phone goes off, signaling a notification. Knowing that it's not Beth, my heart starts pounding as I grab my phone and see a message from Baker Scott. "What is the definition of colligative properties?"

Beth peeks over my shoulder, reading the message. Her brow furrows. "Why is he asking you a... what is it? Science question?"

"Chemistry," I say, correcting her. "And it's just like... a thing we do." She stares at me, clearly confused. "Um... we ask each other questions. Like... Chemistry questions. It goes back and forth until... well, usually until we fall asleep."

Beth laughs, and I blush again. "That's his way of flirting?" she asks, and I shake my head.

"No, that's not what he's doing," I say defensively. "He's just quizzing me. Probably getting ready for a test or—"

"Or he's flirting with you," she says, cutting me off. "Why would he quiz you on a class you're not even taking this semester? Unless he was flirting with you."

"It's not flirting." She laughs, and I glare at her. "It's not! It's... studying."

She shakes her head, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. "Sure. Right. Well, I can't say this is out of character. Only you, Summer Lumen, would get turned on by Chemistry questions."

I roll my eyes and set my phone down on the bed, trying to bring our attention back to the Pre-Calc textbook. But I'm itching to reply. I give it a few minutes until I know Beth is preoccupied with her notes. Then, when I think it's safe, I subtly pull my phone up and text back, "A property that depends only upon the number of solute particles, and not upon their identity. What is a Physical Property?" I hit send, smiling at myself as I set my phone back down on the bed.

"You just answered him, didn't you?" Beth asks, not looking up from her notes.

"Shut up," I reply, my lips pulling down in a frown. Beth shakes her head and grins, but doesn't say another word as she continues scribbling notes in her notebook while I silently wait for his answer.

Author's Note:
I love writing these little scenes between Summer and Beth! They're almost better than writing scenes between Summer and Baker (although not quite as fun). Can't wait to read your thoughts on this one!

In other news, tomorrow is the day my fiancé and I get the keys to our new apartment! WOOOO! I am so excited to move out of our tiny apartment and into a bigger one (with an office)! Although a part of me will always love this little place we've called home for the last year. It was, after all, our first home together. But it's a new chapter, and I can't wait! No fear, though. This move will not stop me from posting chapters. I'm still writing 1,000 words a day, so I plan on having the next one out very soon. Stay safe and healthy until then, my dears!
XOXO,
~Aly