Kissing in July

Chapter 4

Summer finally arrives, her black hair glowing in the dark light. Right before she has a chance to knock, I sling open the door and pull her inside, all the way up to my room.

I slam the door, continuing to pull her to my window that overlooks the front yard and most importantly, Ashton's yard.

"Look," I demand, pointing straight towards the brick house he lives in.

After a few seconds of staring, she asks, "What am I looking at?"

"Ugh, Summer!" I screech, grabbing the binoculars. I tell her to look into the window down below, into his house. He obviously didn't have time for curtains.

She looks, and then she puts them down. "I didn't see anything."

"Oh, my God!" I say, dragging her over to my bed. "I have this really hot neighbor now! And...I think I like him!"

She rolls her blue eyes at this.

"Listen, Summer," I say. "I have a plan. We're going to sneak over to his tonight and spy on him!"

"What the hell?" She says. "Hailey, are you freaking out of your mind? There is no way I'm doing that. What if we get caught?"

I shrug. "Then well, let's just hope that doesn't happen. Now, let's get dressed in black, grab the binoculars, and we'll be right along to--"

My door suddenly opens and my mom looks at us and asks, "Be right along to where?"

"Mo-om!" I say. "Seriously? Eavesdropping? Exactly how much of that did you hear?"

She shakes her short brown hair and laughs. "I swear, only that much. But don't be up to any trouble. Anyway, there are snacks downstairs and stuff. Help yourselves. Night." She leaves, shutting the door behind her.

I let out a deep breath. "That was close." I get right back on track, explaining what else we'll need. "Okay, we'll also need a flashlight and...that's it, I guess. We leave at precisely midnight."

Summer looks at me, pale skin so...well, pale. "I don't think I like this."

"Come on, Summer! Where is your sense of adventure?"

She shrugs. "I don't think I have any."

I laugh, and then get serious. We've got a mission, and I'm not about to bust it.

We wait until midnight, and we watch movies and stuff, and I tell Summer all about Ashton Tyler and his amazingly hot he is.

She nods, smiling, and a thought pops into my head, definitely frightening me. As I look at Summer, I notice just how gorgeous she is. Long, tanned, legs and super skinny. Pretty blue eyes. Damn. What if Ashton starts liking her?

I try to dismiss that thought because Summer is my friend and I shouldn't be jealous, but it's hard not to be.

Midnight finally approaches, and we're dressed in black: black shirts, black pants, black shoes.

I crack open my window.

"Oh, don't tell me we're going out that way!" Summer says. "I'll fall and break my neck."

"It's okay, I promise. Just follow my lead."

I step out into the humid air, and feel a gentle breeze fly across my face. I turn around on the roof to help Summer out, and I can feel her shaking uncontrollably.

"Summer, stop shaking or you're going to fall. The next part is kind of tricky." I move to the edge of the roof, next to the big oak tree beside my house, and leap out, hanging on to a limb, climbing my way down.