The summer afternoon was just cool enough to be pleasant. It took us about ten minutes to walk across the campus to find my favorite spot. Luckily it was vacant since it was summer.

"I should have known," Parker chuckled when he realized where we were. "It's always this place with girls."

My cheeks heated. "Well, sorry, I'm not original."

The field beside the Milenbe modern art sculpture was one of my favorite spots to plop down and read a book. There were a few trees, and it was a great place to people-watch during the school year. There was usually a game of Spikeball or soccer in progress.

Today we had a full view of the twisting spirals of purple and green metal sticking out of the ground, and the solitary do not climb sign beside the plaque that talked about the artist that no one ever stopped to read.

"It's fine," Parker said. "Besides, it's kinda quiet, which is nice."

We sat under the shadow of the biggest tree. Parker unloaded his lunch from his backpack. There was a bag of chips, a box of dried raisins, a few cookies, an apple, an orange, three prepackaged tiny peanut butter, and jelly sandwiches, and a bag of apple crisps.

I removed a paper bag from my pack, and I pulled out the day-old chicken strips and fries that my manager Nancy slipped me on my way out.

"You eat a lot from that café," Parker remarked.

My cheeks grew red again. "The manager gives me care packages. I wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"You're welcome to any of this," Parker said, gesturing to his prepackaged lunch. "I miss my Aunt Layla's cooking. She loved to meal prep and filled the freezer with lovely casseroles. Too bad I got stuck here for the summer."

"It's not so bad," I said. "Bradley and Maddox invited you to their party tomorrow."

"Are you going?" He asked as he opened up a package of chips.

I poked a fry in my mouth. "I'll be late since I have to work, but I wouldn't miss it since we're passing out the cast list at midnight."

"Explains the party," Parker nodded.

"Nah, it's a way Maddox can feel like he's contributing his family wealth," I said. "He always feels super guilty he's rich. His mother went to school here, which is why he came. Maddox and Bradley always host the best parties. It's a good time, and I don't usually like parties."

Parker popped open his bag of chips and held it open towards me. Salt and vinegar were my favorite flavor, so I snagged one.

"So, what drew you to staying in a college town during the summer?" Parker asked.

"A job," I said. "And a little space from my family and the Shakespeare Workshop. You know that the Shakespeare program is one of the best in the state. Dr. Tunstelle and Dean Ryder have won a lot of awards for their Shakespeare productions."

"My coach picked out the program, so I don't really know anything about it," I said. "But it seems pretty cool. My sister likes theater. I've never thought about it."

"I remember her show at the Hillard Festival," I said. "She had great chemistry with her Orlando."

Parker laughed and shook his head. "Oh man, you have no idea. She hated Jack's guts when they started rehearsing. Now they're the steadiest couple I know."

"The magic of theater," I said. "Romance on stage sometimes bleeds into real life. I've had my stage romance. It didn't last."

Parker frowned. "Really?"

My cheeks heated again. They seemed to do that a lot when Parker was around, but something about him made the embarrassing stuff easy.

"No one really talks about the three months I dated Lorne Ryder," I admitted.

Parker nearly choked. "No way."

It was over a year ago in my second semester as a freshman, and honestly, I'd learned a lot from it. Sometimes I'd still get texts from him in the middle of the night of him trying to apologize.

"Old news," I said. "We were supposed to be a couple in the play, and we tried to date. Clearly, it didn't work out. I didn't really vibe in his world."

"I can't see you two together," Parker said.

"I'm sure I'm not the only person who made a dumb decision when they were eighteen," I said.

Parker popped a chip in his mouth. "Yeah, I can't say that I made better decisions. But you and Lorne? Really?"

"Yeah," I ducked my head. "Not my shining proud moment, but I've sworn off dating theater majors."

My phone buzzed again, and I sighed. Pulling it from my pocket, I glanced at it and felt my lips form a frown as I looked at the contact flashing on the screen.

"Aren't you going to pick up?" Parker asked.

"Yeah," I said, setting the phone up to my ear and pressing answer. "Hello?"

The world seemed to turn inside out as I heard the voice on the other end of the phone for the first time since our fight before spring break.

"Hey, Lex," he said. "What's up?"

"What's up?" I tried to reign in the hostility in my voice. "That's all you have to say after three months, Cory?"

"I wanted to talk," my older brother said.

Gritting my teeth, I tried not to let all the rage flow back from our last conversation. "And I don't."

"Come on, Lex," Cory said. "I'm sorry."

Parker watched me carefully. There was some level of concern in his glance, but I knew this wasn't the place to lose it with my older brother. Not here in front of Parker.

"I'm not discussing this now," I said. "You wanna talk about this call, Noah. He's the one you need to apologize to, not me."

"Lex, please," Cory had the audacity to sound sincere. "You're my favorite sister."

"Stop," I said. "Talk to Noah, and then talk to me."

I set my phone down and pounded my finger down on the red button to disconnect the call. Blinking back the wetness filling my eyes, I shoved my phone back into my bag.

"You, okay?" Parker asked.

"My older brother is a..." I mentally scrolled through a list of words that could end that sentence. "Well, let's just say he's selfish."

"You wanna talk about it?" Parker asked.

I sucked in a breath. Talking about Cory was like loading a cannon and lighting a fuse. I'd looked up to him, and he'd utterly failed me.

"My brother left our family," I said. "He joined the military in the middle of our family's biggest crisis. I still send money home and make sure all the bills get paid. He just cut us all loose by leaving a note. I don't want to be Cory, but at the same time, I completely understand wanting to escape."

Cory and I had carried the majority of the bills on our shoulders in high school. We'd scrimped and sacrificed, and then he left it all behind, leaving Noah and me to hold the weight.

"You know that I was angry at my dad for the longest time for leaving our family when he got an intern pregnant," Parker said. "But eventually, I had to let it all go. Yeah, it's hard to stay at his house, but I'm working to make peace."

Sighing, I picked at the rest of my lunch. Somehow talking about Cory seemed to make my appetite vanish completely.

Parker attempted to stay clear of most conversations about family. He talked a little bit about his time on the football team and some of his classes. I realized that I'd been so focused on the fact that he played football I didn't realize he was an education major.

"Coaching would be cool with teaching, but I really want to spend time helping students learn," he said. "I loved tutoring in high school. My sister wouldn't have made it through geometry without my help."

"That's cool," I said. "I guess I never pegged you for a teacher."

"Well, I definitely didn't peg you as an athlete," he said. "Everyone has multiple dimensions. I don't see myself in a suit with a briefcase. What about you?"

"Screen, I hope, or maybe stage," I said. "It'll be a lot of work being an actor, but I can do it. I know I can. Emma Kate and I always talked about a little apartment in LA and going to auditions together."

"I can see you on screen," Parker said. "One of these days, I'll be flipping on the TV, and I'll see you and lean over and say that I was in Shakespeare workshop with Lexi Thaxton."

That made me smile. The dream was so far away, but Parker made it feel so tangible. Maybe Parker would whisper that one day to his wife as a little kid played on the floor.

A familiar song interrupted my fantasy. I realized it was coming from Parker's phone as he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

He answered the phone immediately as he cut off the song. "Trevor... yeah, where are you... I'll be there in ten."

"Your ringtone is the song 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams?" I asked the moment he hung up.

It was Parker's turn to look bashful. "My sister's idea of a joke. I kept it because it reminds me of her. Apparently, my cousin blew a tire just outside of town. He asked if I could lend a hand."

"Well, go on," I said.

"Do you need a ride or anything?" Parker asked.

"I don't live far," I said.

Parker piled the rest of his uneaten lunch in his bag. "Sorry to ditch you."

"No biggie," I shrugged. "I'll see you later."

"Come on," Parker said. "I'll swing you by your house."

He closed the Styrofoam To-Go container that held my cold chicken and soggy fries and helped me to my feet. Together we walked towards where his car waited in the theater parking lot.

Once we were in his truck, he turned on the radio and started the engine. As I gave directions, I noticed Parker drumming on the steering wheel lightly while singing every word to "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran on the pop station. His soft voice was somewhere between a baritone and a tenor and not half bad.

I told him where to turn into the apartment complex where Emma Kate and I lived as we left campus. I let him drop me off in the parking lot and briefly glanced over my shoulder as he drove off.

Parker Christian-Porter might have been the strangest guy I'd ever met. He liked football and wanted to teach. He listened to my problems, didn't judge, and somehow, he seemed to want to be my friend despite my flaws. Now, as I watched his green truck drive away to rescue his cousin from a roadside fiasco, I found myself excited at the prospect of casting him in the play tonight. 

Hey everyone!! I had a fair amount of writer's block when working on this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be taking a break for a few weeks because I have finals but more is coming I promise. I'm far from done with Parker and Lexi. I'd love it if you let me know what you think so far!

---- Eliana