Emily's POV
My phone buzzed, dragging me out of my swirling thoughts. My heart leapt, thinking it was Adam?
Maybe he’d come to his senses and realized how offhanded he’d been with me all day.
But my excitement fizzled as soon as I saw Amanda’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hey,” I answered, trying to mask the disappointment in my voice.
“What’s wrong with you?” Amanda’s voice was sharp with concern. “You sound like someone just died.”
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, but she wasn’t buying it.
“You’re not fine. I can feel it through the phone. I’m coming over. Get dressed.”
“Amanda, I really don’t feel—” I began, but the call had already ended.
I groaned. Typical Amanda—stormy, relentless, and annoyingly always right. I considered texting her back to cancel, but then again, what was I going to do?
Sit here all night, overthinking Adam’s behavior, wondering if our summer meant anything to him now that school was back in session?
“Whatever,” I muttered, pushing myself off the bed.
Maybe Amanda dragging me out was exactly what I needed. I got dressed, choosing a black mini dress with just enough edge to say “I don’t care” while still hoping I looked stunning.
I added a touch of mascara, lip gloss, and perfume. As I finished with the last dab behind my ear, I heard Amanda’s voice booming from the living room.
“Emily! Get your sexy butt down here!”
I headed down, only to freeze midway. Amanda wasn’t alone.
Behind her stood Noah, her boyfriend, and next to him, Dylan. Tall, athletic, confident Dylan with the million-dollar smile. The same Dylan I’d told Amanda I wasn’t interested in.
“Surprise!” Amanda grinned like she’d just presented me with a winning lottery ticket.
I blinked and whispered to her as she reached my side. “What’s he doing here?”
“Oh, don’t be so uptight,” Amanda said, swatting the air. “You said you weren’t interested, but I thought maybe, in person, you’d change your mind.”
I sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue. “Hi, Dylan.”
“Hey, Emily.” He smiled warmly. “Ready to have some fun tonight?”
I nodded faintly. Dylan held out his hand. I hesitated for a second before taking it. His hand was warm and strong, and while I didn’t feel butterflies, I felt a strange sense of calm.
We were heading to a club. My first time. Great.
As we walked outside, Dylan opened the back door of the car for me, and Noah did the same for Amanda on the other side. I was just about to step in when I saw him.
Adam.
He stood a few meters away, frozen like a statue, his phone in hand. Our eyes locked. His gaze flicked from me to Dylan, then back to me. I could see the storm brewing in his eyes.
Dylan followed my gaze. “Adam Cooper?” he called out.
My breath hitched as Dylan walked towards Adam. He stretched his arms and they shook hands.
Noah joined in, then I remembered he was the golden boy of Redmond. Everyone in my school knew him.
Amanda was already in the car, typing away on her phone and chewing a gum.
Adam barely smiled, keeping his eyes on me. When they were done, he turned, mumbling something close to a goodbye, and walked away.
My heart pounded. Guilt crept in.
But then, I remembered, Adam and I weren’t in a relationship. He hadn’t made anything official.
We had a summer full of moments, but that was summer. School was back. Reality was back. And he had been ignoring me all day.
By the time Dylan returned to my side, I had made up my mind.
I was going out tonight. Period.
I stepped into the car and sat down. As I glanced back through the window, I caught a glimpse of Adam looking back.
His jaw clenched. His eyes burned. And then he was gone.
I turned my gaze forward and shut the door.