Chapter 61
Summer's POV
The bell rang. I scribbled the last number on my answer sheet and dropped my pencil, heart still racing.
Done. Actually done.
My fingers trembled as I gathered my things—pencils, eraser, calculator. I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips. Even Ms. Thompson's sharp glare from earlier couldn't erase the feeling. I did it. On my own. Nearly every problem had matched something Kieran taught me. His shortcuts, his methods, his carefully circled formulas. All of it right there on the test.
I glanced toward his seat, but he was already gone. His desk sat empty, chair pushed in neatly. He'd turned in his exam ten minutes early.
Of course he had.
Ms. Thompson called time. Papers rustled as everyone stood, conversations erupting about difficult questions and tricky wording. I stayed quiet, slipping my pencil case into my bag.
"How'd you do?" Mia appeared beside me, eyes bright with post-exam energy. "That electricity section was brutal."
"Better than I expected." I zipped my bag, trying to sound casual. "You?"
"Okay, I think? The practice problems from tutoring helped." She lowered her voice. "They got five questions almost exactly right."
Five. Kieran had gotten eight.
"That's good," I said, but my mind was already elsewhere. On a boy who'd left the room before I could even catch his eye.
We filed into the hallway. Students clustered in groups, comparing answers and groaning over mistakes. I scanned the crowd for a familiar grey hoodie.
Nothing.
"Summer?" Mia touched my elbow. "You okay?"
"Fine. Just—" I spotted him then, near the administrative building entrance. Kieran stood with Coach Anderson, both of them deep in conversation. The coach's hand rested on Kieran's shoulder, his expression serious.
Our eyes met across the crowded hallway.
My breath caught. Kieran's gaze held mine for half a second—questioning, careful, maybe a little worried. Then Coach Anderson said something and Kieran looked away, nodding at whatever instruction he'd been given.
I wanted to run over. Ask how the test went, tell him I'd used everything he taught me, thank him again for the notes and the patience and the quiet belief that I could actually do this.
But the coach was still talking, and Kieran's posture had shifted into that careful, professional mode he wore around authority figures. So I just stood there, watching his back disappear through the administrative building doors.
"Earth to Summer." Mia waved a hand in front of my face. "Seriously, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." I forced my attention back to her. "Just tired."
We walked toward our lockers. The hallway gradually emptied as students headed to lunch or their next class. I spun my combination lock automatically, mind still stuck on that brief moment of eye contact.
Had he been asking if I was okay? Apologizing for leaving early? Or just acknowledging I'd shown up and tried?
"So." Mia leaned against the locker next to mine, grinning. "Tutoring really helped, huh?"
"Yeah." I pulled out my lunch bag. "He... might have helped me a little."
"A little?" Mia's eyebrows shot up. "Summer, you just said the test went better than expected. Last time you got a thirty-seven."
"I studied really hard."
"Uh-huh." She gave me a knowing look. "So when you said Kieran nailed eight out of ten—I mean, when you said Kieran's notes covered eight out of ten key concepts, were you praising the tutoring center or your desk partner?"
I fumbled with my water bottle. "Both?"
"Right." Mia's smile turned teasing. "Because you definitely have the same dreamy look when you talk about both."
"I do not—"
"You absolutely do." She bumped my shoulder. "It's cute. Also kind of obvious."
I groaned, hiding my burning face behind my locker door. "Can we not do this right now?"
"Fine, fine." But she was still grinning. "I'm just saying, maybe you should thank him properly. You know, now that the test is over."
Thank him. Right. Like I hadn't been trying to do that for weeks.
"I'll think about it," I muttered.
"Aren't you going to lunch?" Mia asked, noticing I was putting my things away rather than heading toward the cafeteria.
"No afternoon classes today." I adjusted my bag strap, grateful for the free period I'd scheduled this semester. "Early dismissal for seniors with completed requirements. I'm heading home."
"Lucky." Mia rolled her eyes. "Some of us still have Calculus and English Lit."
"Suffer well," I said, managing a weak smile.
She laughed and headed toward the cafeteria, leaving me alone by my locker. I took a breath, closed the metal door with a soft click, and headed home, already planning my next move. If I wanted to keep Kieran in my life—not just as a desk partner or occasional study buddy, but really keep him close—I needed to be worth keeping. Worth the effort he'd already put in.
Worth the risk of letting me stay.
---
"MOM!"
I burst through the front door, dropping my bag in the entryway. Victoria looked up from her laptop, startled, as I ran over and planted a loud kiss on each of her cheeks.
"Summer?" She caught my shoulders, laughing. "What on earth—"
"I think I did okay!" I kissed her forehead too, grinning so hard my face hurt. "The test, Mom. I actually think I did okay."
"That's wonderful, sweetheart, but—" She studied my face, concern mixing with amusement. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head during the exam?"
"I'm fine. Better than fine." I spun away, humming under my breath as I headed for the stairs. "I'm great!"
Her laughter followed me up to my room. I shut the door and leaned against it, heart still racing with leftover adrenaline and something else. Something warm and terrifying and impossible to name.
I crossed to my vanity mirror, studying my flushed reflection. When had this happened? When had "I want to help Kieran" turned into "I want to see Kieran every day"? When had "I need to change his fate" become "I need him to stay"?
Not just for studying. Not just for redemption or second chances or fixing past mistakes.
I wanted to see him at his locker every morning. Wanted to feed ducks at the pond with him and Lily, wanted to make him smile that rare, genuine smile that transformed his whole face.
My cheeks burned hotter. I pressed my palms to them, trying to cool the heat.
This was dangerous. This was so far beyond what I'd planned.
But God, I couldn't seem to stop.