When Nothing Else Matters (Heartstrings, #1)

by Katherine Jay

Summer says something, breaking my thoughts, but I don’t hear it. She’s looking up at me from her position on the floor with tears streaming down her face. Her hand rests on my knee, and she gives it a light squeeze. I hadn’t even noticed she’d moved closer. “Sorry, I didn’t hear—” “She’s okay,” she repeats while wiping under her eyes. If she’s trying to make me feel better, I appreciate it, but it’s not working. I shake my head slightly. “Thank you for saying that, but we don’t know—” “Dylan, she’s okay.” She looks me dead in the eyes, begging me to understand something. “At least, she’s trying to be.” Huh? I stare back at her in silence, frozen in place, as my mind runs over and over her words. “She’s okay.” I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them, everything’s clear. Instead of seeing the grown woman beside me, I see a little girl with long blonde hair standing on the sidelines, the little girl I couldn’t save. Summer? “Summer?” I ask aloud this time. She nods and smiles as another tear slides down her cheek. I catch it with my finger, and the touch burns me. I’m not sure how I feel about what’s just been revealed, so I can’t seem to smile back.