Page 198 of Summer Love

“Up $7,200 in the checking account. Real breathing room. For the first time since⁠—”

Summer searches for the word, looks at Jace.

“In a long time,” he finishes quietly.

Since Dad died.

I see the pride in my brother’s eyes. He puts his hand over Summer’s.

Mom lets herself half-smile and takes a sip of lemon water.

“It’s not a fortune,” Summer says. “We’re playing it safe, but we can breathe.”

Maya raises her glass.

“Salud. To the school. To all of us.”

We clink glasses, no ceremony.

I set my folded T-shirt on my knees. I’ll never wear it. I won’t throw it out either.

Summer turns a page in her notebook.

“Okay, the fundraiser. It’s June, we’ve got time. For the date, I was thinking the second Saturday in July, the⁠—”

“Maybe we don’t need it this year, right?” I cut in. “We’ll manage without it.”

I close my hand around the lighter. I hadn’t planned on saying anything.

Summer trades a look with Jace. He gives a small nod, just his chin. I raise an eyebrow.

“No, we do need it,” Summer says. “We want to set aside $3,000 by September.”

“For what?”

“So you can go to college.”

I didn’t hear that right…

Maya plays with her glass, smiling. Kai watches me, very calm. Mom’s eyes are shining. Avery has lowered her phone. Jace holds my gaze.

Everyone knew. Except me.

“I… College?”

“The community college in Monterey,” Summer says. “I ran the numbers—tuition, books, gas for the drive, everything. With three thousand, you can do your first year without working full-time on the side. You can actually study.”

“We all thought about it together this winter,” Mom says gently. “It was Summer’s idea. We worked it into the budget.”

This winter. While I was shutting myself away, they were looking for a solution… for me.

“Without telling me,” I murmur.

“We didn’t want to promise you something we couldn’t deliver,” Summer says.

They forgive me. I still don’t know how to forgive myself.

It feels like I can’t get enough air. I reach for an argument, any argument.