For Always
"So, you're in to Cohen now," said Luke. "Must be weird to see him with someone else, it was for me and Marissa."
Summer sighed, trying to hide the discontent she felt that even Luke had noticed.
"Whatevs. I'm over it, moving on, ready for my next victim," she said, wishing she could crawl into bed and let the evening fade away.
"Well just for the record; whoever he turns out to be he's a lucky dude," said Luke, starting his car. "You're looking pretty hot these days, Summer. Really hot."
Summer almost smiled. She remembered a time when these words would have meant everything to her...
"Have you seen the new boy yet?" asked Holly, running in to their second grade classroom, clutching her Care Bear's backpack. Four immaculate, shiny heads shook.
"Why?" asked Marissa, carelessly swining a crossed leg ending in a shiny Mary-Jane.
"He's totally hot," said Holly excitedly. Summer rolled her eyes. In second grade, before the rest of them, Holly had decided quite suddenly that boys were not quite icky.
"My Daddy bought me a Paul Frank lunchbox," said Summer, changing the subject to safer territory. Two pairs of eyes looked up in interest.
"Lucky," said Jess enviously, as the classroom door opened. The four of them scrambled to their desks and sat down promptly as their teacher entered, his arm around a blonde boy.
As soon as they met eyes, Summer swallowed and realized what Holly was always going on about.
She was in love.
She daydreamed through the rest of the morning, her eyes fast on the new object of her affections until the recess bell rang. She dawdled, not running out to play with her friends as she normally did. She followed the new boy, Luke, at a distance as they reached the outside.
"Hi," she said shyly. He glanced at her, her shiny dark hair, her immaculate school uniform. "I'm Summer Roberts."
"Luke Ward." Unsure of what to say next, she sat down on the edge of the sandbox and began to write her name in the sand with a twig.
After a moment's hesitation, he sat down beside her.
Within two weeks, the were the hottest and only couple of Mrs. Manning's second grade class. Luke switched his desk so that he could be beside Summer. Summer drifted away from her friends.
By the third week, she was quite certain that he was her soulmate. So she was quite unsurprised and happy when he asked her to marry him.
"So... what do you want to do tomorrow?" he asked.
"You can come over. We can swim," she suggested.
"Cool. Uh, will you marry me?" he asked, holding out a pink plastic ring. She giggled infectously.
"Sure. Okay," she said, sliding it on to her left hand.
Their relationships lasted through second grade and through third and fourth. It progressed from sitting together in the classroom to holding hands and the occasional kiss.
In fifth grade they hit a rough patch.
"Where were you? Don't you love me anymore?" pleaded Summer, after she waited in front of Luke's house for half an hour before school only to find out that someone else had given him a ride.
"Of course I love you, Summ. Julie gave me a ride," said Luke.
"Julie Cooper? My best friend's mother? You and her, without me?" asked Summer.
"Babe..." he twirled a dark curl around his finger. She looked up at him.
"Fine. I forgive you. Just don't mess up again," she said firmly. He leaned down and brushed an awkward kiss onto her waiting lips.
"'Course not."
The next day, Summer glanced around the bus impatiently as their teacher explained the rules for their bus trip to the Museum of Tolerance. Coop was nowhere to be seen, and she'd been stuck sitting with Holly. She wondered where Luke was. She'd read the latest CosmoGirl for tips, and apparently she was being too clingy.
"Seen 'Rissa?" asked Summer, leaning in to Holly's ear. Holly shrugged.
As the teacher finally stopped talking Summer rose and walked slowly and unsteadily down the aisle, scanning every row of the bus for a glimpse of her best friend and her boyfriend.
Two people were in the back seat, macking. Summer wrinkled her noise in distaste. Didn't they know that...
Wait...
"Coop!" she cried in disbelief. Marissa detached herself from Luke and had the grace to look guilty.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Summer turned on her heel and flounced back up to the front of the bus, ignoring the spiteful eyes of Taylor Townsend and the sympathetic dark brown eyes of that weird Jewish kid that no one talked to. She wasn't in the mood for sympathy.
As she neared her seat, she realized she hadn't gotten the chance to yell at Luke. In fact, she'd barely noticed him.
She guessed it meant that he wasn't actually her soul mate.
Weird.
Summer came out of her reverie.
"Thanks," she said. He leaned in slightly, and she realized his intentions. She couldn't help but let out a giggle. She forced herself ot stop. "God, no. I'm sorry Luke you're cute and everything, there's just no way."
Summer's mouth twitched again, threatening to betray another smile.
"No worries," said Luke calmly, pulling out of the Cohen's driveway.
God, what had her seven year old self been thinking?