Another Summer | C.F

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ADDISON ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

When we arrived at the table, almost everyone was already seated. Only Belly and I were missing. I sat in the seat next to Conrad, and Belly sat between Steven and Jere since they were the only empty seats. Dinner was normal until shortly before we finished our plates. I felt Conrad put his hand on my knee and leave it there. The movement and the feel of his hand on my leg felt much more normal than I thought, even though it was his first time doing it. It was as if my body already knew him.

After we finished eating, the three of them left, and the moms stayed to organize the annual movie night. This time, we both rejected the invitation, saying that we were very tired and that we would do it another day. In the bedroom, Belly wore a pink skinny dress, which was a gift from Taylor, and I wore jean shorts with a backless floral crop top. We left as quietly as possible and saw our mother watching the same movie we watched every year, but we still loved.

After a few long minutes of walking, we finally reached the beach. There I found Steven with a girl I hadn't seen before, and Jere surrounded by some girls. When I saw him, I urged Belly to see him and saw her staring at him.

"Hey, don't be jealous. Jere is crazy about you. Go make him jealous."

"How do I do that? Besides, I don't think Jere will notice me. He seems to be very busy with them."

"Go find some guy and stay with him, talk and laugh until Jere gets jealous." Belly looked at me amused, and I watched her walk away.

I stood there seeing everyone until I felt somebody standing next to me. "I didn't know you would come," Conrad said.

"I just came for Belly. This is my last year before college, Steve and I are leaving, and she would be alone. That's why I'm so invested in trying to make this the best summer," I said, looking at him.

"You're a great sister and the most amazing person I know, really."

"Shut up. That's not true, but thanks anyway. You always say those kinds of things."

"It's because I mean them, you know, right?" I smiled at him while nodding. He took my hand and guided me next to the fire, where we sat. He started drinking beer after beer. I really wanted to know what was happening to him. I knew it was related to his decision to quit football and stop smoking and drinking.

"Someday, will you tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's something going on, and I won't ask you what it is. I'll just wait until you're ready to tell me."

"Thanks."

We continued talking about random things while he continued drinking until I saw Belly talking to some guy. Being completely honest, I would never have thought she would follow my advice and talk to a guy, but it seemed she had truly changed this year, and I was so proud of her. She called me over to introduce the guy, who turned out to be Cam, and they had met in seventh grade. I continued talking to them until we heard someone yelling. There was someone yelling at Conrad. He was fighting with some guy who wanted the beer Conrad was drinking. What the heck? There were a bunch of beers, and that guy wanted Conrad's one. So I went over to Conrad and told him, "There are a bunch of beers. I'll bring you another one. Just stop this stupid fight."

"Yeah kid, listen to that bitch"

"Hey, don't talk to her like that." It all happened so fast that Conrad almost jumped and punched the other boy in the nose. Something sounded like he had broken it, and blood started to come out, so the boy held his nose with both hands. Seeing the moment of weakness, Conrad landed another punch on the cheek this time, which pushed the other back, and in its path, pushed Belly to the ground. I went to help her and see if she was okay. Jere and Steve also came and stopped the fight, and we all went to the car. Cam wanted to take Belly home, but we all agreed that it was better if we all went home in the same car. We waited until Belly and Cam stopped talking, and then they kissed. I immediately saw Jere; he was staring at them with his jaw clenched. When he felt my eyes on him, he stopped looking at them and gave me a smile. I looked at him with a "I told you so" look. He couldn't hide these things from me. I knew him too well. With a single look, he rolled his eyes and asked Belly to get in the car.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

"Belly, let me see your face, please," I asked her once we got back to our room. On the way home from the beach, so many things happened. The police stopped us and brought us home, where my mother was waiting for us, more than annoyed. She scolded us all, but after asking her for forgiveness like a thousand times, we managed to get out of there. Now, Belly and I are alone in the room.

"It's nothing, Addie. Don't worry."

"Belly, just let me see." She showed me her face, and right next to her eye, I could see a red spot. "There will be a bruise tomorrow, but there's nothing some makeup can't fix."

"Shit."

"What?"

"Tomorrow is the first rehearsal for the deb ball."

"I will help you cover that up. Don't worry."