Hot summer streets
And the pavements are burning
I sit around

Trying to smile
But the air is so heavy and dry

Strange voices are saying
What did they say
Things I can't understand
It's too close for comfort
This heat has got right out of hand

It's a cruel, cruel summer
Leaving me here on my own
It's a cruel, cruel summer
Now you're gone
~Bananarama, Cruel Summer

For Melinda Johnson, the summer before her sophomore year of high school felt quite lonely — and by loneliness, she meant the painful kind. She often found herself at home or escaping into a good book to distract herself from her status as an outcast, a term she had not only heard about but also seen represented on TV and in movies before starting her first year at West Valley High. None of her classmates made an effort to say hello or check in on her well-being. 

As for party invitations, outdoor barbecues, or even a simple note inviting her to swim in the pool? So far, there had been none — a big goose egg, nada, zilch, zip, zero. There was absolutely nothing for her.

Well, almost nothing, she mentally corrected herself after reflecting for a few moments.

Thankfully, there was one bright spot amid those lonely summer days and (seemingly) dark and gloomy summer nights. That bright spot was none other than... Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz. She figured that Hawk had not only heard about her lonely summer as an outcast but had also chosen to do something about it to help her feel better, ensuring her summer ended on a more positive note than it had begun.