The Summer of Serendipity

Chapter 2

Maliah's Perspective

No way this is real. It has to be my imagination playing evil tricks on me. Maybe I had spent a few too many hours in the sun? My mind clearly is trying to make me miserable.

I refuse to believe that Jackson Cruz is here in San Diego when he is literally supposed to be running around Europe. It clearly is not real. I must have just imagined him getting out of his car and walking into his grandparent's house. It's the only logical explanation.

I quickly lock my car and rush into the house, finding that my friends have already climbed into the hot tub.

"You're not going to believe who I just saw," I sigh, removing my shorts from my body and climbing into the hot tub.

"Who?" Camila asks.

"Fucking Jackson Cruz," I groan as I sink into the hot tub. It just hurts to say his name.

"Let's go!" Jackie exclaims, clearly thrilled. It's no secret that she's a little bit obsessed with him.

"Didn't you just say earlier that he wasn't coming this summer?" Alyssa points out, remembering what I had mentioned early. I wish that happy feeling would come back.

"Turns out I was wrong. Now I'm going to have to deal with him all summer. Do you remember how miserable I was last summer? I'm sure it's going to be ten times worse this time around."

Although Jackson tortures me every summer, last summer had to have been the worse one yet. There were a few things he did that made me furious, but there was one moment that stood out in particular.

I had just started dating this one guy at the end of the year, Nathaniel, and was really excited. He was a super sweet guy, a bit more innocent and considerate compared to a wide population of the guys at my school. It was about a month into the summer when I finally brought him to my house to hang out. We usually spent our time at his house or somewhere else.

When we got to my house, we decided that it would be a good idea to go for a swim, considering how hot it was. We threw our swimsuits on, grabbed towels, and headed out to the pool. And guess who was there? Yup. My most favorite person in the world, Jackson Cruz.

My dad had hired him to come over to our house every Saturday to weed are backyard. It was an easy way for him to make money, but unfortunately, it meant I had to stay locked inside every Saturday in an attempt to avoid him.

I'm not sure how, but I guess I had completely forgotten that day. We had walked towards the pool, and I simply remember Jackson giving Nathaniel the dirtiest stare ever. The whole time we hung out in the pool, he kept glancing over, watching us with piercing eyes. Every time Nathanial would try to kiss me, Jackson would make some kind of loud noise or distraction, continuously ruing our vibe. I tried to ignore him, we both did, but it got to the point where it got annoying.

Finally, I decided I had enough, and ran inside to grab my phone so that I could text my dad to tell him he could leave. I spent maybe five minutes inside, but by the time I came outside, Nathaniel was gone. When I asked Jackson where he was, he simply shrugged his shoulder, yet the smug smirk on his face gave it away that he had done something.

I ran to the front of the house, figuring he must have gone somewhere. I found him making his way to his car, clearly upset and angry about something. I asked him if he was okay, and the response I received was not what I was expecting.

He started to yell at me about how he never thought I would cheat on him, and how he truly believed that our relationship was a good one, but now he had realized it was all a lie. He told me how we were done, and called me a liar, a bitch, a whore. He yelled and yelled until he finally walked off, leaving me standing there both confused and heartbroken. All of this had come from nowhere, yet it was quite obvious who the culprit was.

I ran back to the yard, tears in my eyes and eager to find out what the hell Jackson had told him.

"What the hell did you tell Nathaniel?" I demand, trying to keep as calm as possible, yet I could feel my body practically shaking.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Maliah," he says innocently, not even bothering to look me in the eyes.

"You clearly told him something. He just broke up with me, claiming that I had cheated on him! What the fuck did you tell him?" I yell, no longer bothering to control my anger.

"Maybe he just got bored of you," he laughs, glancing at me for a moment before going back to his work.

"Get. Out." I murmur.

"What?" he asks, clearly confused by my voices sudden change in tone.

"Get the hell out of my backyard," I demand, ripping the bucket from his hand and pointing to the front gate.

"I never want to see you again. You're a fucking asshole who finds pleasure in ruining other people's lives, especially mine clearly. I never want to see your stupid face ever again," I threaten before rushing back into my house and locking myself in my room.

It was at that moment that I realized that Jackson Cruz wasn't a good person, and clearly would never be. For the rest of the summer, the two of us made sure that our paths never crossed. I found myself simply moping around the house and moping in my heartbreak, only leaving for practices and the occasional forced hangouts with my friends. Jackson spent most of his time at parties and hanging out with people, so we had no trouble completely avoiding each other.

It was awkward seeing him earlier, considering he had never formally apologized, and there was no way in hell that I would just forgive him so easily. It's not like he deserves my forgiveness anyways.

"Girl, you need to get over last summer. Besides, it all turned out okay, right? If Jackson hadn't done whatever he did, I'm sure you wouldn't be with your super hot college boyfriend," Alyssa points out, emphasizing the hot part.

She's not wrong. Screw Jackson. This summer would be different, and I was going to make sure of it.

"You know what, you're right Alyssa," I smile as I jump out of the hot tub and head over to the pool. I stand on the edge, turning to my friends as I prepare to jump.

"I'm not going to let stupid Jackson Cruz ruin my summer-"

"Maliah-" Camila tries to interrupt, but I put my hand up, not yet done with my declaration.

"I'm not going to let him ruin my summer. He's a fucking asshole who can go fuck himself," I smile, before launching myself into the pool. The cold water hits my skin, sending a tingly feeling through my body. I keep my eyes closed as I swim to the other end of the pool, searching for the wall.

I grab the edge up the pool, my eyes still shut as I slightly lift my body up so I'm able to wipe the water from my eyes. When I finally open them, I'm greeted by a that I just swore I wouldn't let bother me the summer.

"I didn't know you had such a dirty mouth," he grins, meeting my confused gaze. I turn to find Alonzo and Jae, two of Jackson's best friends, chatting with my best friends. Why the hell are they here?

"I hope you don't mind that I invited them over," Camila smiles nervously. I watch as Alonzo softly touches her shoulder, causing her to immediately meet his eyes. Damn, they are cute together.

"Look, as much as I loved your little speech, you have nothing to worry about. I'm not here to ruin your summer. And if this is about what happened last year, would it make you feel better if I apologized?" he admits, offering his hand to me.

"Sorry my ass," I mutter before grabbing his hand and pulling him into the pull with me. I quickly climb out and jump into the hot tub with the others, leaving Jackson floating alone in the pool, baffled by what the hell just happened.

No way in the world was I letting him off the hook that easily. If he wanted to fuck with my life and just pretend like it didn't happen, fine. But let's see how much he likes it when the roles are reversed....

Should I make next chapter Jackson's perspective? What do you guys think Mae is going to do? I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one! also didn't understand, I only put the dialogue in italics when Maliah was talking about the past, just because that part was like a flashback. For the rest of it she was just explaing what had happened.