Blair, Summer, And Mateo Secrets

Blair laughed a little, because it sounded like something Summer would say. Then she glanced toward the doors, half expecting to see Mateo in the hallway with his football stuff. Mateo was on the other side of the school today-football practice in the same time window as volleyball-so Blair didn’t see him much during the day. Still, she felt his absence like a missing beat in her music.

Summer followed her gaze and smiled again, but her eyes didn’t stay on Blair for long. They drifted toward the hallway, toward where Mateo would pass at some point. Blair didn’t notice the way Summer’s smile changed when she thought no one was watching. Blair only noticed the gym, the net, and the way the ball felt warm in her hands.

“Ready?” Coach Ramirez asked.

Blair set her feet, lifted her arm, and served. The ball arced over the net with a clean thump when it landed in bounds. Her teammates moved-bumping low, setting up high-and for a while the world felt simple.

Then a soft sound came from the bleachers: the tap of a phone case, the quick rustle of a bag zipper. Blair’s eyes flicked that way. Summer had her bag open, and she was pulling out a small water bottle and a folded cloth-something like a towel-like she had planned it.

Blair felt a tiny twist in her chest. It wasn’t bad. It was just… odd. Summer didn’t usually bring extra things to practice. Summer usually just showed up and talked.

As the drill changed, Blair rotated to the back line and took another serve. After she sent the ball over, she jogged to the sideline to breathe and wipe sweat off her forehead with her wrist. Summer held out the folded cloth like a gift.

“Here,” Summer said. “Your hair keeps sticking to your forehead.”

Blair took the cloth and looked at it. It was plain and clean, but the way Summer offered it made Blair feel cared for, like Summer was really trying. “You’re being nice today.”

Summer’s cheeks lifted into a smile. “I’m always nice.”

Blair didn’t argue. She pressed the cloth to her skin, feeling it cool against the heat, and went back to practice. The ball kept flying, the gym kept humming, and the day stayed warm and normal.

Until the bell for the end of practice rang.

Blair walked toward the bench, swinging her ponytail loose as the sweat cooled on her neck. She reached into her volleyball bag for her extra hair ties and her water bottle-and her fingers hit only fabric, not the plastic bottle she’d packed.

Her stomach dropped.

“I-wait,” Blair said, turning her bag upside down. Her extra hair ties slid out first, then a rolled sock. No water bottle. No spare bottle.

Summer stepped closer, still holding her folded cloth. “What’s wrong?”

“My bottle,” Blair said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I packed it. It’s not here.”

Summer bent down to look, her hair falling forward as she searched. “Maybe you left it by the water cooler.”

Blair’s cheeks felt hot, not from sweat this time. “I checked there.”

Summer’s eyes moved quickly, scanning the court like she could spot the bottle from far away. “Then maybe it fell under the bench.”

Blair crouched and peered under the bench. Dust and tiny bits of grit sat there, but no bottle. The gym floor smelled like rubber and sweat, and the sound of other teams winding down swelled around them-shouts, shoes on the wood, the squeak of a cart.

Blair stood up slower. “I don’t want to use someone else’s bottle.”

Summer made a thoughtful sound, like she was listening to Blair’s worry. “You don’t have to,” she said. “We can fix it.”

Blair’s eyebrows lifted. “How?”

Summer pointed toward the hallway where the water station was. “We’ll check again. And if it’s not there… I have an extra.”

“Your extra?” Blair asked. She didn’t want to seem rude, but she didn’t like owing people.

Summer’s smile softened. “Cole has football practice later, and he always brings two. I grabbed one last week by accident. It’s clean.”

Blair blinked at the mention of Cole. Summer didn’t usually talk about her boyfriend during practice. It made Blair feel like Summer was pushing the conversation toward something else.

Still, Blair felt thirsty now, and her throat felt dry from running drills. “Okay,” Blair said carefully. “If it’s really clean.”

Summer nodded fast. “It is.”

They walked together to the water cooler near the hallway. The air outside the gym felt cooler, with the smell of floor cleaner and cafeteria food drifting from somewhere down the hall. Blair checked the spot where she thought she’d left her bottle, then looked behind the cart.

Nothing.

Blair’s shoulders sank. “It’s gone.”

Summer didn’t look upset. She looked… focused. She reached into her bag and pulled out a clear bottle with a fresh label. “Here.”

Blair took it, and the plastic felt cold from being stored in the bag. She twisted the cap open and took a careful sip. The water tasted plain and crisp. “It’s good,” she said.

Summer exhaled like she’d been holding her breath. “See? No big deal.”

Blair let the sip settle in her stomach. For a moment, she felt better. Summer had noticed she was missing something and tried to help. That mattered.

But as Blair wiped her mouth with her sleeve, she noticed Summer looking past her again-toward the far end of the hall where the football hallway doors were. The same hallway where Mateo would come and go for practice.

Summer’s eyes tracked movement like they could pull her forward. When a group of students passed by, Summer’s smile returned, bright and easy. But the second the hallway went quiet again, her gaze went searching once more.

Blair followed her look without thinking. “Do you need to go somewhere?”

Summer blinked, like she hadn’t expected Blair to ask. “No. I just… like being near things that are fun.”

Blair laughed under her breath. “Volleyball practice was fun.”

Summer nodded, but her head tilted slightly toward the football doors. “Football sounds fun too.”

Blair didn’t know what to do with that. Summer was Blair’s “friend.” Summer was always around. Summer helped with small stuff. But Blair didn’t always understand why Summer seemed extra interested in the places where Mateo was.

Before Blair could ask more, Summer’s phone buzzed softly in her hand. She glanced at the screen and then looked up again, eyes wide in a way that felt rehearsed.

“Hey,” Summer said, lowering her voice. “Mateo has a game this week. Cole’s playing too. Brooke’s coming. We could all go together.”

Blair’s mouth opened, and then she closed it. “Me? Go to a football game?”

“Yeah,” Summer said. “It’ll be nice. You can cheer. And I can sit with you.”

Blair stared at her bottle, then back at Summer. The bottle was in her hands, solid and real, and it made the conversation feel real too. Blair liked Summer. Blair didn’t want to be suspicious. Still, she couldn’t ignore the way Summer kept looking toward Mateo’s hallway.

“I don’t really know much about football,” Blair admitted.

Summer’s smile turned warm again. “You’ll learn. Brooke knows a lot. And Cole will be there, so it won’t feel weird.”

Blair’s heart bumped. Summer’s plan sounded thoughtful, like Summer wanted Blair included. But the words also felt too neat, like they were made to fit.

Blair took another sip. “Okay,” she said finally. “Maybe.”

Summer’s face lit up, relief and excitement mixing together. “Great.”

As they walked back toward the gym doors to pick up Blair’s bag, Blair heard Coach Ramirez call out to the volleyball team to line up for equipment. The sound echoed off the walls. Blair’s teammates started gathering their things, laughing about practice drills and who had gotten the best spike.

Summer kept close by. When Blair bumped her shoulder into Summer’s arm, Summer adjusted her step without making it a big deal.

“Thanks for the bottle,” Blair said, because it felt right.

Summer’s eyes softened. “Anytime.”

Blair believed her. She really did. Summer wasn’t being mean. Summer wasn’t doing anything bad. Summer was just… always aiming her attention in the direction of Mateo, like she could hear the football field through the walls.

Later, after Blair got her bag and her hair ties back organized, she stood outside the gym and watched students stream past toward different areas. The hallway was busy, full of voices and the squeak of sneakers and the clatter of lockers.

Blair looked for Mateo.

She spotted a flash of brown hair and blue eyes near the football door. Mateo wasn’t alone-his best friend was there, talking with him, gesturing with his hands like they were sharing a plan. Mateo’s football practice gear looked snug and ready, and his face had that focused look Blair always recognized.

Blair smiled before she could stop herself.

Mateo glanced up and caught her for a second. His expression warmed, like he was glad she was there. He lifted a hand in a small wave, quick and friendly, then turned back to his friend and the practice line.

Blair’s smile stayed on her face as she walked toward the locker room. The day still felt busy, but now it felt shared, like her twin was part of it even when they were in different places.

Summer walked beside her, talking about a cheer she’d seen on the practice squad and how Brooke always cheered like she meant it. Blair nodded and listened, and she didn’t say anything about the way Summer’s eyes kept returning to the football doors.

When they reached the locker room, Summer paused near the bench where Blair usually sat. “You’ll come to the game, right?”

Blair held her bag strap and thought about the clean water bottle in her hands and the way Summer had offered it without making Blair feel small. “Yeah,” Blair said. “I’ll come.”

Summer’s smile was bright and steady this time. “Good. I’m really glad.”

Blair didn’t know about Summer’s secret feelings. She didn’t know Summer’s “friendship” had another reason underneath it. But Blair did know one thing for sure: when something went missing, Summer had helped her find a way to be okay.

In that warm, busy hallway, Blair felt safe again, even with the day still turning into something new. She packed her volleyball stuff, put her water bottle into her bag, and told herself to keep an open heart, because kindness can start with a small help.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.