Those Summer Nights

Those Summer Nights

After recovering from a life-changing injury, a teen girl must navigate a new job, an ex-best friend, and two surprisingly attractive coworkers in this “sweet, romantic summer tale” ( Kirkus Reviews ) for fans of Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. Hannah used to be all about focus, back before she shattered her ankle and her Olympic dreams in one bad soccer play. These days, she’s all about distraction—anything to keep the painful memories of her recent past at bay, including the string of bad decisions that landed her at boarding school for a year. Enter Bonanza, the local entertainment multiplex and site of Hannah’s summer employment. With its mini golf course, bowling alley, and arcade—not to mention her hot, flirty coworker Patrick—Bonanza seems like the perfect way to stay distracted. Until her boss announces the annual Bonanza tournament, a staff competition that brings her past Olympic nightmares crashing back into her present. On top of that, the Bonanza staff includes Brie, the ex-best friend she cut off last year, and Ethan, her brother’s best friend who became unreasonably attractive in her year away and who accepts her, even knowing her worst secrets. Under the neon lights of Bonanza, Hannah must decide whether she can find a way to discover a new self in the midst of her old life. Laura Silverman is an author and editor currently living in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her MFA in writing for children at the New School. Her books include Girl Out of Water , You Asked for Perfect , It’s a Whole Spiel , Recommended for You , Game On , and Those Summer Nights . Girl Out of Water was a Junior Library Guild Selection. You can contact Laura on Twitter @LJSilverman1 or through her website LauraSilvermanWrites.com. Chapter One Chapter One THE MORNING AIR is damp and warm. Soupy. Disgusting. I swipe a hand across the back of my neck as sweat curls beneath my hairline. The iconic neon lights of the BONANZA sign are muted in the daylight. I shift my weight onto my good ankle and let out a quiet sigh. There is no choice to be made here. I have to go in. That was the deal I cut with my parents over the phone last month. You need structure , they said, something to keep you centered and grounded . Grounded. I will also be grounded until next year’s high school graduation if they see fit, the only exception being my new job. I would call that an extreme measure, but for what I put them through last summer… Well, I can’t blame my parents. I can blame a lot of people—Kensington’s star defensive player, Lily Thompson; my ex–best friend, Brie Bradley; and certainly myself. But my parents? They are not to blame. A car beeps next to mine. I watch as a middle-aged man walks toward the Bonanza entrance, grocery bag in hand. Maybe his lunch for later. It’s time for me to go in as well. I arrived home yesterday evening and still haven’t unpacked my things, but we were all eager for me to get a job, so I scheduled my interview for this morning. The interview is just a formality, supposedly. Joey, my younger brother by one year, got a job here last fall when he turned sixteen. He promised I’m a shoo-in to be hired. And yet, my muscles tense with nerves. I have no work experience, a mediocre academic record, and zero recommendations other than the one from my kid brother. Joey is a charismatic goofball with a heart of pure gold. I’m sure the boss loves him because everyone loves him. Unfortunately, my brother and I could not be more different. Will the manager realize it from the start? What if he asks how I spent my last year? Thank god I don’t have any sort of record, but it’s still like I’m marked, officially slotted into the problem-child category. And I feel like people can read it all over my face. I shift my weight again, wincing as it settles onto my left ankle. I wasn’t like this before. I was never unsure. Unsteady. I used to have confidence, used to know and not think . But everything is different now. I’m different now. The BONANZA sign blinks at me, and I walk inside. “No former work experience?” the manager asks. His name is Pete. He looks exactly like a Pete, middling height, middling weight, pale white skin and eyes that seem a shade too dull, like someone turned down the saturation. I have a feeling if I saw Pete on the street tomorrow, I wouldn’t recognize him. I concentrate on these details instead of the spiral of thoughts that stems from his question. “Um, no.” I sit up straighter. “No, sir. No former work experience. Well, I did a little babysitting, if that counts….” I didn’t really babysit so much as hang out with Brie while she watched her little sisters, twin girls, miracle babies. Her parents had trouble conceiving for years, and then got a two-for-one special when Brie was nine. Brie . I cross my arms and dig a nail into my skin. I haven’t spoken to my best friend since I was shipped off to Mountain Bliss Academy. Ex–best friend. Spending an eveni