Last Summer Part 13

**So sorry for the wait you guys! My laptop is now officially fixed! Okay, so this chapter is long and a tad bit slow, but it needs to be told. The end was probably the funnest thing to write so far even though it almost made me cry. Oh and then end is also written in a different point of view because Nikki isn't there. I don't think you'll get confused. Hope you enjoy and thanks for the loving comments! It's fun to hear your predictions!**

When I saw that he had made it across the street and into his house, I collapsed onto the ground. I hit my head against the counter in frustration and the tears that had been building while he had been here started to fall. I buried my face in my hands and just let my emotions take over me; something I rarely ever did.
Caleb ruined my summer; he really did. He had made it last summer and then he had completely ruined this one for me. So was nothing going to happen next summer? Hopefully he would never talk to me again.
I needed Tiffany to be here so that I could talk to her. Even though she got on my nerves yesterday, she was still my diary. She was my diary who gave me advice and I really, really needed her to be here. But I knew what she would say already. She would say, "Hook up with that guy you met last night! Make him crazy with jealousy!"

But I didn’t have the guts or looks to do that. Besides, he had my number. I didn’t have his, so I wouldn’t be able to make the first move. Not that I would actually make the first move anyways.
I ran my hands through my hair as if doing so would help me. It so didn’t. It actually made me feel so much worse because Caleb had done this to me last summer. He had run his hands through my hair to make me feel better or just because he wanted to. His fingers had used to feel so good on my scalp and now when he touched me it was if he was setting me on fire. Gosh, I hated him!
The front door squeaked open and my head jerked to see who was coming in. I saw a flash of blonde and purple hair and once I realized it was Tiffany, I jumped up and ran over to her. "Nikki!" She exclaimed, seeing the agony in my eyes. She dropped her bags and then wrapped her arms around me.
As much as I didn’t want to seem like a baby, I wept into her shirt. I had thought that the wounds Caleb had left on me had scabbed over, but apparently they hadn’t. Seeing him this summer made me realize that they were still fresh. Would I ever be able to get over him?

"Honey, what’s wrong?" Tiffany asked; curiosity plain in her now maternal voice. Even though she was such a boy addict, she was the best friend I could have ever asked for. Maybe she did get on my nerves, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t an awesome friend, because she so was and I so didn’t deserve her.
"Caleb…he stopped by…" I told her, trying my hardest to contain my sadness. This was her first day in paradise and I was ruining it with my guy problems.
"Oh, God…" she muttered and then released me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at me in the eyes, "You go take a bubble bath okay? It’ll make you feel so much better. As for me, I’m going to go across the street and have a nice little chat with him. And when I get back you’re going to tell me all about it."
"No!" I wailed, holding my hands in front of her. There was no way in hell she was going over to his house. They would probably end up hooking up because they were both way too good looking to ever be single. At least if the two of them were together, one wouldn’t feel like the ugly duckling standing beside the other like I had.
She rolled her eyes at me and tried to remind me, "Do you hear yourself, Nikki? This guy is ruining your summer and that’s not okay with me. He had his chance and now it’s over. He needs to stop coming back for more."

But what if I wanted more too? It had taken so much of my strength to back away from him when he had been about to kiss me. I wanted to slap myself hard enough to make me go unconscious, wake up, and then start the process all over again. I was so, so stupid. I couldn’t let myself fall for Caleb again; I just couldn’t.
I nodded mutely and then trudged up the stairs to my attic bathroom. After turning on the faucet, plugging the drain, and inserting vanilla scented bubble bath into the water, I walked back into my bedroom. I walked over to my nightstand, pulled out the drawer and grabbed my iPod which rarely ever got to see the light of day. I was much more a nature sound person. I grabbed my comfiest pajamas because I realized that I wasn’t going to go anywhere today. Never would I be able to see Caleb again and after what went down today.
Within mere minutes, I was covered by soapy water and relaxation was starting to overtake me. Corrine Bailey Rae was playing her music in my ears and it was helping to calm me. Maybe I would be okay; maybe Tiffany was right.

When I walked out of the attic an hour later, Tiffany was setting a bunch of home made cookies on a plate. She heard me enter and she smiled a sympathetic smile at me. "Do you feel better, honey?"
I nodded and then smiled. I couldn’t believe she had made me cookies. She really was a best friend. She walked over to me and enveloped me in a hug. She told me, "We’re going to have a girls’ night and rent some movies. No guys allowed."
Thank goodness, I thought to myself. I couldn’t take any more guys and I only had one to deal with. How did Tiffany manage with multiple guys in her life? Caleb was too much for me to handle.
She walked over to the bar where she had placed the cookies and then held up the plate. "Want some?" she asked with a knowing smile. Like there was a way I would ever turn down homemade chocolate chip cookies.
I nodded and she instructed, "I’ll fix you some and some milk. Go sit on the couch."
"Thanks Tiff," I told her. I really did appreciate her.
She smiled once again at me and then motioned with her head for me to sit on the couch. Normally, I would never walk into the den and not see my grandparents sitting on the sofa, watching the news, and drinking diet coke. It was so weird for me to be here and not them. I needed to call them later. I really missed them and I was sure they were going through a hard time.

I grabbed a quilt out of the linen closet and then plopped down on my grandpa’s recliner. He never actually sat on it because he usually sat on the couch with my grandpa, but when he was alone, the recliner was his throne. It had been in the family for generations and had been tailored up so many times it was hard to count.
The little grey remote was sitting on the arm rest, so I swiped it in my hands and turned on the power. The TV made the little beeping noise and I heard sound before I saw pictures. I heard the voice of Fez from the That 70’s Show. I smiled to myself. This show was my ultimate favorite.
Tiffany made her way into the room not two seconds later and I could smell the delicious aroma of the cookies. It made my mouth water. She handed me a plate with five cookies on it and I think we both knew I could never eat that much. I could try though. She handed me a glass of milk and I told her, "Thanks."
She placed a kiss on the top of my head and said, "Sure thing, chicken wing."
I rolled my eyes at her and teased, "You’re a goofball."
She held her hands in front of her and joked, "Guilty. Oh!" She dropped her hands and faced towards the television. "I love this show!" She made her way over to the couch and then plopped down happily. She rested her head on the armrest and then chuckled at something one of the characters had said.

We stayed cooped up in the den, watching That 70’s Show reruns for a good three hours. I was emotionally pooped and for once I think Tiffany was just too lazy to do anything. But after a while, she announced, "I’m going to get some movies from the movie rental place. You want scary movies or chick flicks?"
"Definitely scary," I mused, never taking my eyes off of the screen. There was no way I was going to watch some hot guy steal the heart of a girl. It would remind me way too much of how my life was last summer.
She laughed and said, "I thought so. Be back in a few."
My head jerked to face her and I asked, "Do you know where a movie rental place is?"
She shook her head and smiled, "Good chance to ask for directions."
I rolled my eyes at her; even though she had been so comforting, she was still the same horny girl. But I wouldn’t have her any other way. If she wasn’t obsessed with the opposite sex, then she wouldn’t be Tiffany. "Use protection!" I yelled at her as she was walking out the front door.
She yelled back sarcastically, "Ha! You’re so funny, Nikki!"
I giggled to myself and then took a bite of one of the now cold cookies that were still resting on my lap. Even though it was cold, it was still decadent. Tiffany had always been a really good baker. She had made me a ton of heartbreak fixers over the school year. Brownies were her specialties.

After a couple of minutes, my legs started to get that prickly falling asleep feeling. I groaned and then got out of the comfort of the recliner. My butt had left an impression on the grey cloth. I grabbed the empty class and the plate with only one and half cookies left and then carried them into the kitchen.
I placed the glass in the sink and then ran some tap water over it to get rid of the white drops at the bottom. I looked out of the window and saw Billy and his grandma climbing into their car. Billy was smiling and playing with a Hot Wheels car. What I would give to have no worries in the world like him.
But how could someone so sweet be directly related to someone so evil? My head didn’t exactly grasp it, but I guess I would have to deal with it. I just hoped I would be able to play with Billy again sometime this summer without having to deal with his older brother.
As soon as the car pulled out of their driveway, I sighed and turned off the sink water. What to do, what to do? I had a feeling that Tiffany wouldn’t be back for a while and I really didn’t want to watch any more TV. What I really wanted to do was go to the beach, but I really, really didn’t want to run into Caleb after what went down earlier.
After a minute of convincing myself that I would be able to handle it if I ran into him, I walked up the stairs and slipped on a pair of board shorts. I didn’t want to go in the water, I just wanted to read and listen to the waves. Today was a lazy day for me.
I grabbed Stephen King’s latest book and slipped it in my beach bag along with my Ray Bans and my cell phone. Hopefully Tiffany wouldn’t get herself into trouble, but who knew?

Five minutes later, I was fully content sitting on the shore and watching the waves rolling in. No one else was on the beach and I was so grateful for that. Not being near any hotels or resorts definitely had its advantages. Besides, the people that did live around here were probably eating dinner like normal people. But they hadn’t pigged out on cookies like I had.
Being alone on the beach really let my mind race with thoughts and memories. Some memories were good and some were not so good. As much as I tried not to think about Caleb, I couldn’t help it. Even though I had known him three months, I had fallen for him. Hard. To tell you the truth, I had thought that he had fallen for me too. How stupid I had been, right?
He had just seemed like the perfect all around guy. Gorgeous, sweet, playful, and he loved his family uncontrollably. How had someone so sweet turned so evil within the matter of a few days? Our farewell had been so emotional and so sweet, yet the next time I had tried to call him, he hadn’t answered. The time after that was a no answer too. And the time after that and the time after that…
The sound of my cell phone ringing made me blink out of my daze. It was an unknown number, but I decided to pick up anyways. "Hello?" I managed to spit out. Unknown phone calls always worried me a bit. I had always wondered if it was some stalker guy who had somehow figured out my number. But then again, who would waste their time stalking me?
"Hey, Nikki, it’s Todd…from the club last night."
I smiled to myself. I really wished that Caleb was here, watching me talk to another guy. Maybe he would realize he wasn’t the only guy I could be with. "Hey, Todd."

A sea gull then flew over me and made a loud, somehow peaceful sound. He swiped up a fish that had been swimming close to shore and then flew away. How weird had that been? "What was that?" Todd asked, chuckling a bit.
"A sea gull," I told him.
"Oh, are you on the beach?" he asked. He seemed sort of let down, but also sort of happy.
"Mhmm…" I droned and then looked out at the vast ocean. I could still remember Todd telling me that he thought the beach was magical too. Maybe he was sitting on the beach somewhere too.
"Lucky," he said, and as weird as it seems, I could see him smiling as he said this. How I could picture that in my head I had no idea, but I did, and I kind of liked it. "I wish I was there."
"Yeah…" I murmured, and then asked, "What are you doing, then?"
He chuckled and said, "If I told you, then I’d have to kill you."
"So, it’s like a big, dark secret?" I asked him, smiling as I said the words. It was weird that he could make me smile over the phone. I barely even knew him and I enjoyed talking to him.
"Nah…I’ve just always wanted to use that line," he informed me, and then my mind did that weird thing where it pictured him smiling. What was wrong with my head today? First it wanted me to kiss Caleb and now it was enjoying talking to a guy I barely even knew?

I laughed and then told him, "Well I’m glad you used it on me."
"Me too," he agreed and then stayed silent for a moment. But before I could say something to break the silence he asked, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"Not that I know of," I told him truthfully.
"Do you want to do something with me?" he asked; his voice full of worry.
I broke out into a smile of excitement as I said, "Sure."
"Great!" he exclaimed. He sounded like a little kid who had been told he was going to Disney World. I found it simply adorable and I couldn’t help but giggle. He said, "I’ve got to hang up, but where do you live?"
I rattled off my address to him and then after agreeing to see him at seven, we hung up. Wow. I had just agreed to make a date with a guy that wasn’t Caleb. How awesome was that? I never would have thought that this would happen. And it made me feel so much better because maybe Todd would keep my mind off of Caleb for now.
Even though I was kind of nervous about trusting a guy, I felt like I would be able to trust Todd. He seemed like a really nice guy even though I barely even knew him.
As far as I was concerned, Caleb wasn’t going to have the satisfaction of screwing up my summer; not anymore.
--
Instead of going just to the movie rental place, like she had told Nikki, Tiffany also made certain to make a little stop at Caleb’s house on the way home. She parked down the road so that Nikki wouldn’t catch her going to talk to him and then ran to the front door. For some reason, Nikki was terrified of Tiffany going to talk to Caleb and Tiffany had no idea why.
Caleb had broken Tiffany’s best friend’s heart and was now trying to ruin her summer vacation. That didn’t sit well with Tiffany and she was going to do something about it, whether Nikki wanted it or not.
She pressed her manicured finger nail against the doorbell and then waited impatiently until someone came to open it. Luckily, Caleb was the one who answered the door and looked baffled as to why Tiffany had come to pay him a visit. Tiffany smirked evilly at him and asked, "Surprised?"
Caleb asked nervously, "Why are you here?"
Tiffany laughed and asked, "Can we talk somewhere else? Nikki would kill me if she caught me talking to you." She noticed how Caleb’s face seemed to falter when she mentioned Nikki. It looked like he was in pain.
He looked down the street and then motioned with his head for her to follow him inside of his house. She noticed how eerily silent it was and asked him, "Where is everyone? Nikki you told me you have a little brother."
He nodded and then told her, "Him and my grandma went roller skating."

Tiffany looked over at the teenager who was getting himself two water bottles out of the fridge. He definitely was good looking and she couldn’t believe Nikki had gotten to kiss him. Tiffany had gotten so excited when she had first laid eyes on him and so disappointed when she had realized he was untouchable.
Caleb handed Tiffany a water bottle and then shut the fridge door. He looked at her with a fierce look in his eye and told her straight up, "Look. I have a pretty good idea why you’re here and I just want to say…"
Tiffany held her hands up and stopped him mid-sentence. "I didn’t come here to hear your explanation because I know it won’t be good enough to make up for what you did to my best friend. I came over here to tell you not to go near her again. She’s realized last summer was a mistake and she was stupid in falling for you. You can stop reminding her how right she is by randomly popping up in her life."
Caleb tried to tell her, "You don’t understand…" but Tiffany cut him off once more.
"No!" she shouted. "You don’t understand the damage you did to her and you never will because you didn’t see her when she was like that. But I did. I was there the entire time. I was the one who held her when she sobbed into her pillow. I was the one who gave up weekends to be with her and show her that people did love her. I was the one who forced her to eat when she refused because she had a ‘tummy ache’. I was the one who told her that she was good enough for a guy like you.
"But what I’m figuring out is that you’re the one who isn’t good enough for her. Nikki is an amazing person and you wasted almost a year of her life. You broke her heart and I hate you for it. I hated you before I ever met you because you crushed my best friend so bad to where there were days I thought she would never get better and Nikki’s a tough girl. She really is. But there’s something about you that makes her so God damned vulnerable and I cannot stand it.
"And what’s worse is that you keep popping up in her life. You already took away one summer of her life, don’t take away this one. She doesn’t deserve it. She deserves a guy who will treat her like the prize she is. Not like some doll to screw around with whenever he wants to like you did. Maybe I’m missing something, but even I don’t see what’s so great about you and according to Nikki, I’m addicted to guys. What would cause the most amazing girl I know to be turned into an emotional wreck? And you two only dated three months!"

When Tiffany’s rant stopped, she looked up at the guy and noticed how completely and utterly devastated he appeared to be. His eyes were rimmed in red and he couldn’t even look at Tiffany. His hands gripped the water bottle so hard that the top looked like it was about to pop off. He didn’t even look like the Caleb she had met at the beach. He looked broken. Good, she thought to herself. Now he knows what he did to her. Maybe that’ll teach him not to mess with Nikki.
Nikki deserved better than scum like him. No one would know what she went through those few months except for Nikki and Tiffany. Nikki’s parents didn’t even know because they didn’t even care. But Tiffany knew and it gave her the chills to even think about it. Nikki was back to normal and Tiffany wasn’t going to let some hot guy ruin that for her.
Caleb croaked out, "Tell Nikki I’m sorry and that I’m done. I won’t mess with her anymore." Tiffany got a good look at him and noticed that the guy was near tears. She smiled at the thought.
"Good. Then my job here is done."