Years later, when Summer looks back, she could still remember... the clean appearance of the boy, could still remember ... his warm smile and the smell of sunshine from his white shirt.

However, pretty soon, everything collapsed.

⋇ ↢ ♥ ↣ ⋇

August 2013, the second year of middle school.

It was really hot in Pennsylvania. People had absolutely no energy to leave the house in this hot weather; only mosquitoes and flies thrived.

In this heat, even Summer didn't have the urge to buy ice cream. Because of her sluggish personality, the ice cream would have melted before she got to enjoy a few bites. Despite such tragedy, Summer, during this boiling summer, did something incredible.

Outside the walls of Summer's middle school, two shady figures seemed to be discussing something ---

"Did you get the stuff?" Summer asked the boy who was a head taller than her.

"Of course!" Her best friend Jackson smiled, eyes twinkling with pride.

He took a key out of his pocket and showed it off to Summer, "Look! I know I'm amazing. Hopefully you are thinking about how to thank me or else ..."

Before Jackson finished, Summer coughed, interrupting his sentence, "'Course! I'll treat you to a meal!"

Jackson, acting like he heard some big news, looked at Summer with wide eyes, "Mer, I didn't hear that wrong did I? You, a cheapskate, are going to pay for me for once?"

Mer was the nickname that Jackson gave to Summer as childhood best friends/neighbors. But sadly for her, she was born two hours later than Jackson, a fact that she refused to acknowledge now and never.

In Summer's mind: this guy was only two hours older than her, why was he better at everything?

Ever since they were little, Jackson was always the number one in the class.

He danced, played instruments well, and also had beautiful calligraphy, so, as his childhood friend since forever, she was always compared to him.

This situation was clearly the reality version of 'the neighbor's kid.' As if the torture wasn't enough, Summer had to always be ridiculed by Jackson.

All she wanted to complain now was: where did the innocent cute little child Jackson go?

Summer's mouth twitched, not minding what Jackson said, "Only if the mission is completed. But don't you worry, it's just one meal! You will be well fed!"

Jackson looked at her and said, "You better!"

He stepped on the stones on the side, jumping onto the fence.

"Wait, be careful!" Summer looked at him with a hand covering the bright sunlight.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Mer, don't worry, just get your savings ready so when you invite me, so I don't have to pay for you!" Jackson leaped down and went into the school.

Summer heard the sound of his running footsteps and released a breath, "I'm just worried that you are going to get caught by the adorable guard and won't be able to finish my big business! Hmph, self-centered bastard."

But Jackson was already too far away. Of course, he could not hear her.

Suddenly, Summer received a message ---

Jackson: Don't worry, if I got caught by the guard, I'd say you were the one behind the scenes first.

Summer went crazy, how did he know what she was thinking?

She deleted the message without a hesitation and returned to the home screen.

A boy wearing a clean, white shirt appeared with a smile while playing the guitar. Summer stared and fanned over the picture. He was Tristan Mallory who just made his debut this August.

Summer followed him ever since he first appeared on television.

Though his company didn't expose him much in the public eyes, Tristan already gained a fair amount of support with great talent and looks in videos of his practice sessions. Just ten days after his debut, the number of fans went straight up.

As a student, he also had to manage both school and his life as a celebrity, increasing more 'mom fans' who constantly want to 'take care' of him.

Maybe out of jealousy, maybe out of admiration of his talents in contrast to hers, she liked when he was singing, when he was playing guitar, when he did everything the best he can...

But also as a seventh grader, Summer was far from him...

Played three years of piano and lost interest; danced and painted for several months and then quit; even the most basic school grades she was unable to keep up.

Summer thought she was drifting further and further away from her idol.

We are all seventh graders, all Pennsylvanians, but why are we so different?

Summer, just like other normal fans, tried to find some similarities between them, hoping that someday they can coincidentally meet.

So yesterday, when she heard that Jackson's aunt was Tristan's counselor, Summer was overjoyed.

Why did Jackson get all the good things? Summer can never understand.

So, under Summer's extreme persistence, Jackson agreed to steal the school storage key from his aunt. And Summer explained it like this: "We are not stealing, it is borrowing without asking for permission."

Jackson rolled his eyes, "Be careful to not become one of those crazy fans... Oh wait, you already are."

Crazy fan? Summer thought to herself, "No No No, I simply want something that was his because I'm lucky enough to have the chance."

But Jackson can't understand, "You have a handsome guy right next to you, why do you still chase the one so far away, Summer?"

"There is a handsome guy? Where? I don't see one?" Summer pretended to look around, purposely averting her glance from Jackson. Then she finally turned to him:

"Jackie?

Are you talking about yourself?

Hahahaha...."

At this moment, Jackson felt deeply the hatred of society.

After laughing, Summer put her hand on Jackson's shoulder and said, "I understand, geniuses are all egocentric, but you'll have to cure it for your own good."

Jackson slapped the hand on his shoulder away coldly, "That is because you're blind, don't drift too far on the road of becoming a crazy fan."

⋇ ↢ ♥ ↣ ⋇

Waiting impatiently for Jackson, Summer tried to hide herself under the shadow of the wall, but still got roasted alive by the 102 degree weather. She was just about to send a message to Jackson when a rock 'gently' landed on her head.

"Aw~" Summer spun around, annoyed at the anonymous object that was flung at her.

Alas, She saw Jackson jumping down from the wall with a physics textbook in his hand with a expression of still-has-no-desire-to-help-Summer-with-her-'big business.'

Summer charged toward Jackson and snatched the book away from him, "Jackie! You really got it?!"

On the first page, Tristan Mallory was written right in the middle.

Jackson looked at her with disgust, smoothing down his shirt and said, "I didn't get his workbook, he might have taken it home. But I did find his textbook in the storage closet, probably because it never got thrown out."

She flipped a few pages, and as expected, all the problems were finished, and it was filled with notes.

"Jackie! You completed a great deed. Let's go! How does Wendy's sound?"