Same Time Next Summer

Sam wakes up early and lies in bed listening to the waves and thinking about her wedding. She wonders what her Manhattan friends will think of Long Island and how they’ll respond to seeing this version of her. Out on the deck, she watches the gulls fly over the water and listens to Sam playing “Missy McGee’s first big hit,” a song called “Sam, I Am” (116). Wyatt has called Sam “Sam-I-Am” for years, and Sam couldn’t stand hearing the song after their breakup. She didn’t feel better until she met Jack. She reflects on their relationship and all the reasons they make a good couple. She reminds herself why she wanted this relationship and tells herself she still does. She also hopes Wyatt finds someone to settle down with.

Sam’s grandmother joins her on the porch and comments on Wyatt’s guitar playing. She suggests that she and Wyatt still have feelings for each other and wonders if they could be friends. Laurel joins the conversation, comparing Sam and Wyatt’s feelings for each other to her and Bill’s feelings when they first started dating. She also suggests that Sam clear things up with Wyatt before marrying Jack so she can let go of the past.

Sam and Wyatt swam to the cove to watch the sunset. The summer was ending. Wyatt was about to start his senior year and Sam would be starting her junior year. On shore, they sat by the linden tree and talked about the future, agreeing they’d want to get married in this spot.

On one of the last nights of the summer, Wyatt and Sam sat on the beach with their friends for a bonfire. Wyatt played his guitar and studied the scene, realizing he’d been in love with Sam forever. Sam interrupted his thoughts, remarking that she hated the end of summer. They only had one summer left together before Wyatt went to Los Angeles to start his music career. Sam planned to “apply to USC and UCLA” (124) and join him in California after graduation.

Shortly before Labor Day, Sam told Wyatt she and her dad talked about their relationship. Bill was happy for them. Wyatt wished Frank would talk to him this way as things with his parents had been getting worse and Michael also wasn’t doing well.

The Holloways and Popes hosted a Labor Day party on the beach. Wyatt left the party to get water at the Holloways’ house and discovered Bill and his mom in the kitchen together. He hid in the treehouse afterwards, afraid to tell Sam what he’d seen. She joined him later on, but he stayed quiet.

The next morning, Wyatt discovered Bill and Frank talking in his yard. Bill confronted Wyatt and apologized. He and Marion had revealed the truth to Frank and Laurel. Afterwards, Sam told Wyatt her parents were fighting. Wyatt took her aside and revealed that Bill and Marion had been having an affair.

Sam’s family decided to return to Manhattan early. Sam and Wyatt met at the beach to say goodbye. When Sam started crying, Wyatt assured her their parents’ mistakes had nothing to do with their relationship.

Shortly after the Holloways returned to Manhattan, Sam’s parents started therapy. She told Wyatt about it on the phone. Wyatt was surprised and expressed his anger with Bill for breaking up his family. He also revealed that Marion was staying on Long Island while his dad was staying in Florida. Throughout the following weeks, Wyatt got angry every time their parents came up in conversation. Sam never knew how to respond.

Wyatt spent his days playing guitar and thinking about Sam and his family. One night, he realized how much he missed her and wished they could run away together. He called her and apologized for being so upset recently. However, when the conversation turned to their families, Wyatt got angry again, unable to stop blaming Bill for ruining his life.

In April, “Laurel announced she was pregnant” (138). Sam didn’t know how to feel but understood that her parents weren’t getting divorced. When she told Wyatt the news, he got upset, insisting that he couldn’t do this anymore and wasn’t going to Long Island for the summer. Instead, he planned to go to Los Angeles early. Sam begged him to change his mind, but he hung up on her.

Over the next several weeks, Sam waited for Wyatt to call. She tried to be disciplined, hoping her good behavior would somehow make Wyatt contact her. She told herself everything would blow over and Wyatt would come to the beach after all. However, Laurel soon informed her that Wyatt was going to Los Angeles early and that the Popes were renting out their beach house. Crushed, Sam closed herself in her room. Bill visited her shortly thereafter, apologizing profusely. Sam didn’t want to forgive him.

After graduation, Wyatt drove across the country. Throughout the trip, he thought about everything that had happened, growing more and more angry. He missed Sam, but also wanted “to protect [her] from the ugliness inside of him” (143). In Los Angeles, he found an apartment in Venice Beach. He couldn’t find a bartending job at a music venue as planned and took a job at a gas station instead. Meanwhile, he worked on his music and thought about Sam. He blamed himself for ruining their relationship.

Sam stayed in Manhattan for the summer instead of going to Long Island. By the time school started again, she was still heartbroken over Wyatt. Her parents convinced her to see a therapist, Dr. Judy. Dr. Judy insisted that Sam didn’t love Wyatt, but was simply obsessed with and addicted to him. Over the following weeks, she helped Sam detox from Wyatt.

Gracie was born in December. Sam started caring for her in order to distract her restless mind. Being with Gracie made her feel calm and helped her sleep better. Then one day, she got an acceptance letter from USC. She didn’t know if she still wanted to go to Los Angeles and decided she’d wait to see if she got into NYU before making the decision.

Wyatt’s anger dissipated over the course of his first 10 months in LA. He kept thinking about Sam and wondering how he might apologize. Meanwhile, he wrote songs that he longed to play for her. Then one night, he got a gig at El Roca, where the producer Carlyle Trickett would be in attendance. After he played a song about Sam, he introduced himself to Carlyle. Carlyle complimented the song, but insisted Wyatt didn’t have the voice for a record deal.

Immediately after Sam opened her acceptance letter from NYU, Wyatt called. Wyatt admitted he wasn’t doing well in Los Angeles and needed her. Sam insisted she’d needed him for the past 12 months and he hadn’t been there for her. She told him if he’d really loved her, he wouldn’t have abandoned her. Then she revealed she wasn’t coming to California and demanded that he never call her again. After she hung up, her parents got home and exclaimed at her news about NYU.