Shipwrecked Summer by Carly Syms

tonight.”
        “Who’s we?”
        “I don’t know, me, you, Pia. She’ll probably ask Anthony, so if there’s anyone you want to ask, knock yourself out.”
       “Oh,” I said, unenthused at the idea of seeing the two of them together. “Okay.”
        He rolled his eyes. “Don’t let that stop you from coming, Lex.”
        I stared back at him. “Why shouldn’t it?”
    “Because that’s no way to live your life. There’s nothing you can do about it if he prefers her to you. But don’t let it ruin your summer.”
        I hated it when someone gave you perfect advice but you knew you weren’t going to take it.
       “He doesn’t have to be so cruel about it.”
    “Look, I don’t know what to tell you,” Joey said, his foot tapping ever so slightly against the porch. “You obviously think he’s a jerk so you should be happy that Pia took him off your hands. Come out tonight and have fun and let them do whatever it is they want to do. If he’s not a good guy, she’ll get hers and then I’m sure you’ll be happy.”
        I frowned. “Hey, that’s not--”
        “Don’t even try that with me,” he cut in. “I know you and I know you wouldn’t be that broken up about it if Anthony screws Pia over. It’s whatever, I don’t care. All that matters to me right now is that you put your bathing suit on tonight and come with us to the pool.”
      “Okay, okay,” I said with a defeated sigh. “I’ll be there.”
        “Tack’s house at nine,” Joey said before he turned and jogged down the steps.
    I closed the door behind me and leaned up against the wall, shutting my eyes.
    I’d vowed not to hang out with Pia again this summer, at least until she apologized to me for this, and that definitely went for hanging out with Anthony and her together.
        Somehow, Joey had managed to rope me into it in under five minutes. I didn’t think he’d be too much of an ally tonight and I definitely needed one. Without thinking twice about it, I hurried to find my phone.
    I needed reinforcements and Gianna would be there with me, whether she liked it or not.
     
     
     
     
viii.
     
    Turns out, Gianna was a lot more willing to go with me to this impromptu-but-sure-to-be-a-disaster pool party than I thought. She’d immediately agreed to meet me at Tack’s house at nine.
    I walked down the steps, ready to make my way over to the Jordans’ pool, when the door to the Killeen’s duplex opened and I couldn’t help but look up.
    Anthony, dressed in bright blue swimming shorts and a clingy-in-all-the-right-places white T-shirt, closed the door behind him.
    “Whoa!” He jumped when he saw me standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs.
        “Sorry!” I said. “I was just leaving and saw you come outside.”
        “Couldn’t say hi before you scared me half to death?”
       “I said sorry.” My tone may have been a bit snappier than it should’ve been, but I was weary of Anthony Killeen now.
        He frowned. “You okay?”
        I could only nod and his frown deepened.
    “Lexie, if something’s wrong, you can tell me about it. What are neighbors for?”
       I glared at him, my heart pounding, wondering if I should tell him the truth, tell him that I didn’t understand what he was doing with Pia when he’d been doing all of the same things with me.
        “Really,” he added. “You can.”
        I’d started to walk down the street and he had to jog a few steps to catch up with me.
       Standing side by side with him, hidden by the night’s veil, I bit down on my lip, willing the tears to stay back. Who was I kidding? I’d had expectations about Anthony and me for this summer.
    And why shouldn’t I have? He’d been nothing but nice--flirtatious, even!--with me when we’d first met and hung out that day. He’d bruised my leg! Didn’t that count for...I don’t know, something?
    Anything?
      “It’s just...” I trailed