new beginnings // michael clifford

Chapter 16: Friends

Summer's POV

The next day my phone rang as I was working on my homework. "Hey, Mikey," I said, assuming it was him.

"I'm not your boyfriend. Did you even check the caller I.D.?" a girl asked.

"Jordan?" I guessed, confused.

"Who else? So I was thinking that we could try being friends again now that you and Mike have worked things out."

"I don't know Jordan..." A part of me wanted to be friends with her because I didn't have any friends other than Michael and his friends, who were all guys. The other part of me said no way, she tried to steal Michael away from me and ruin things between us.

"You know you want to, Summer. I'm on my way over to pick you up. I need to go shopping."

"Jordan, no. I'm doing homework. I don't want to go shopping," I responded frustrated.

"Too late, I'm already here. Now get your butt outside."

"You can't just expect us to become friends like that. You hurt me!"

Jordan was silent on the line until I heard her sigh a few moments later. "Look, things happened in the past that you don't know about and you can't understand because you weren't there but it's in the past. Michael and I are also in the past so you don't have to worry about me kissing him again, ok? I'm sorry I did that and I promise it won't happen again. Is that good enough of an apology?" She sounded somewhat sincere, but there was a touch of annoyance in her voice.

I contemplated her words. "I guess we can try it out since you're already here. I'll be out in a second." I knew I was going to regret this, but what it was just shopping. Jordan hung up without responding. "So why do you need to go shopping?" I asked when I got outside. She was standing in my driveway with her purse slung over her shoulder and her arms crossed across her chest.

"The winter dance is in a few weeks..." she answered like it was obvious.

I'd never gone to a school dance before. I'd always wondered what it would be like to go to one. I thought about going with Michael. How he would pick me up. How he would look dressed up. How we would go out to dinner. How we would slow dance and hold me. How he would kiss me.

"Summer?" Jordan took me away from my thoughts.

"Sorry. The dance, yeah. I haven't heard anything about it."

"Oh," she replied, hooking her arm with mine as we started toward the mall. "It's only the biggest dance of the year. I already know I'll be nominated for royalty."

"How do you know?"

She laughed. "You're so naive, Summer. That's just how these things work. Oh, I forgot to tell you. We're meeting my other friends at the mall. You'll like them." I did not sign up for this, I thought as we arrived. Two girls were standing in front of the dress store, looking like clones of Jordan. "This is Emily and Megan," she said, pointing at them. They didn't acknowledge me, but turned and walked into the store.

"Well they like me," I said under my breath.

"Let them get used to having you here. They're used to only the three of us. C'mon, help me find the perfect dress." She dragged me along as she pulled apart the racks of dresses. By the time she was ready to try them on, her arms were full and so were Emily and Megan's arms. "Why don't you have anything Summer?" she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Uh, I'm not sure I'm going to the dance..." Michael never mentioned the dance and honestly I couldn't see him as the type to go. I didn't want to assume he would ask me and buy a dress and then not be able to go.