The whole house minus Belly woke up early on the Conklin girls birthday.

Laurel was making her famous Mickey Mouse birthday pancakes while Susannah and Olive worked on Belly's cake and the boys made breakfast for themselves.

Olive was sure to make keep herself away from Steven. It had been a couple days since Steven ditched her to be Shayla's date for the ball and Olive was still pissed.

She had been trying to beg Jeremiah or Conrad to go to the ball as her date so she wouldn't be alone, but both boys refused saying they weren't kidding when they said they were done with the debutante balls.

Olive was also mad she couldn't ask Cameron. It has been almost two weeks and Belly still hadn't asked him. If she wasn't going to soon, Olive was extremely tempted to swoop in and ask him. He is her best friend after all.

"Morning everyone!" Belly said as she entered the kitchen. Everyone stopped their individual conversations, turning to the birthday girl.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone sang, making Belly smile even wider. Oliv, who was the closest to the birthday girl, ran towards Belly, immediately engulfing her in a tight hug. "Happy birthday, Bells." Olive whispered and Belly tightened the hug.

"There's the birthday girl. Looking like a vision in floral." Susannah said, a dreamy tone laced through her voice as Olive and Belly pulled away from their hug.

Susannah was right behind Olive, ready to give her a hug. "Happy sweet sixteen, Belly." She muttered as Steven chuckled. "Belly button's getting old now. Happy birthday." He said, staying at his spot at the kitchen island until Susannah pulled away from the hug.

He walked up to his sister, Jeremiah trialing behind him. He pulled Belly into a quick hug and right after, Jeremiah hugged her. Belly smiled at all the attention she was getting. "Thanks everyone." Belly muttered sheepishly as her mom walked towards her.

Laurel pulled Belly into a hug as Olive grabbed her cup of tea. Just before she could take a sip, Conrad, who was sitting in the chair next to where Olive was standing, took the mug out of her hands and took a sip.

Olive scoffed at Conrad, whacking the back of his head as Laurel and Belly pulled away from their hug. Steven looked between Conrad and Olive with squinted eyes as Laurel walked back towards the stove. "Your Mickey Mouse pancakes are almost ready."

Belly frowned a little bit and put her hand to her stomach. "Actually, I'm not really hungry." She said and Laurels shoulders slumped. "Oh.." Laurel muttered as she started to plate the pancakes. She turned to the other four teens and raised her eyebrows. "Does anyone else want them?"

"Dibs!" Olive yelled, raising her just before Jeremiah or Steven could call dibs. Olive cockily laughed, taking the plate of pancakes from the woman. Olive started cutting her pancake and obnoxiously took a bite, making sure she was loud to annoy Steven and Jeremiah.

The two boys rolled their eyes, but held back smiles as Susannah happily turned to the birthday girl, clasping her hands. "Shall we open gifts?" She asked and Belly nodded her head like an excited little kid.

Jeremiah perked up, a big smile on his face. "Oh! You're gonna love mine." He said as Olive realized that Conrad hadn't spoken since Belly came downstairs.

Meaning he hasn't wished her a happy birthday yet.

As everyone made their way to the living room, Olive sped up her steps so she was walking beside Conrad. Quickly and without anyone noticed, Olive whacked Conrad's arm. Conrad whipped his head to Olive, looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?" He whisper yelled and Olive pointed her head to Belly, her eyes staying on Conrad as she glared at him. "Say happy birthday." She whispered back. Conrad turned to Belly before looking back at Olive and rolling his eyes.

He sped up to no longer be by Olive and instead headed towards the loveseat. Olive rolled her eyes and watched as everyone crammed into spots on the couch and chairs. She looked around for a spot to sit and opted on sitting on the floor— it was comfortable anyway, and leaning back into Jeremiah's legs.

As Belly sat down across from everyone, Laurel handed her a gift bag. Belly smiled down at the bag and waited until her mom sat down beside Susannah on the couch before she opened the gift.

After making sure all eyes were on her, Belly started to open her gift. She pulled out a book of poems and Belly gasped.

"It's a first edition. I got it from a rare book dealer." Laurel explained as Belly ran her fingers over the old leather material. She smiled and looked up at her mom. "Thanks, mom."

"Turn to the bookmarked page." Laurel told her. Belly let out a small laugh and did as told. Her eyes scanned over the poem and she started to smile wider. Laurel smiled at how happy Belly looked. "It''s your favorite poem."

"I remember Susannah teaching us to recite this." Belly said, looking up to Susannah and her mom. She turned back to the book and started to read the poem.

"For whatever we lose, like a you or a me," Belly started. Jeremiah, Steven, and Conrad all smiled, recognizing the poem. "It's always ourselves we find in the sea." They joined in.

Olive slumped a little in her spot, feeling a little left out for never learning that poem, but she quickly shook it off, not wanting Belly to see her upset on her birthday.

Belly didn't notice Olives slight mood drop and gave her mother a big smile. "Thank you. I love it."

"Open mine now, Belly." Susannah said excitedly. She leaned over to be closer to Belly and handed her a small box.

Olive could tell the gift was going to be some kind of jewelry and it'd probably be pretty expensive considering Susannah got Olive diamond earrings for her sixteenth birthday and Susannah hasn't even known Olive as long as she's known Belly.

Belly opened the box and gasped. Her eyes sparkled a reflection of the jewelry before she looked up at Susannah. "Oh wow. They're gorgeous. Thank you, Susannah."

Susannah moved from her spot beside Laurel to sit beside Belly. Conrad sat up in his seat as Olive straightened up, hoping it'd help her see what Susannah got her.

"My mom gave me these pearls for my sweet sixteen." Susannah said. She took the necklace out of the box and put it on Belly.

Belly turned to Susannah once the necklace was latched and Susannah smiled at how beautiful it look on her. She turned to Laurel and smiled. "Radiant, isn't she?" Susannah asked and Laurel smiled back to her best friend, nodding.

Since Olive was leaning on his legs, she felt the boy perk up in his seat. "Oh, I'm next." He said and Olives eyes widened. She turned her head to look back at Jeremiah and shook her head. "No. I am."

Before Jeremiah could do anything, Olive shot out of her sitting position on the ground and crawled towards Belly. She handed the girl her gift.

It was a small purple drawstring bag. Belly opened the bag and gently reached inside. She pulled out a small gold-beaded friendship bracelet Olive had made, Belly and Olives names on it.

It wasn't real gold of course. It was the cute beads you'd find at a crafts store. Olive smiled as she watched Belly look over the bracelet. "It's supposed to reference that Taylor Swift song you like." Olive said, making Belly look up.

Olive didn't listen to much Taylor Swift, but when she was with Belly, she did. Olive smiled her eyes on the bracelet. "Invisible string."

Belly smiled, immediately understanding the reference. "One single thread of gold tied me to you." The two girls said, big smiles on both of their faces. Belly quickly put the bracelet on her wrist, her smile softening as she continued to look down at it. "I love it." She whispered.

Olive reddened at those words. She always gets nervous getting people gifts so getting to hear them say they like it always makes her happy.

"Now me?" Jeremiah asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Olive playfully rolled her eyes and looked back at Jeremiah. "Yes." Olive groaned, making Jeremiah cheer.

He handed Olive the small box so it'd be easier to give it to Belly and he wouldn't have to get up since Olive was leaning on his legs.

Olive got up again and handed Belly the gift. Jeremiah barely gave her anytime to open it before he started explaining what it was.

"It's a good luck charm. To help you pass your drivers test." Jeremiah said as Belly attempted to put the charm onto her bracelet. She nervously laughed as she struggled to latch the charm on. "Need some help?" Olive asked and Belly nodded, her laugh only getting louder.

The two were giggling messes as Olive scooted over to Belly and helped her put the charm on her bracelet.

"Belly think fast!" Steven yelled, throwing his gift at Belly. Belly yelped at the object being thrown at her, but caught it anyway. She put the gift on her lap and glared at her brother.

"Steven!" She yelled, annoyed that the boy only laughed at her. Belly rolled her eyes and groaned. She started to unwrap the gift and smiled once she realized it was a Princeton hoodie.

"Wow. Steven, I can't believe you actually spent money on me." Belly gasped sarcastically. Her eyes were comically wide and her jaw was dropped. Steven rolled his eyes and held back a smile.

"Relax. I just didn't want you stealing mine next year when I get in." Steven said, making Olive laugh.

During the school year, Steven, Jeremiah and Olive called many times to talk about colleges they want to apply to since the three of them were all in the same grade. And both her and Steven have been talking constantly about Princeton.

Olive would've told the boys about wanting to apply to schools in the Bay Area, but decided to never tell the two boys so they don't get sad about her wanting to move to the other side of the country.

Belly scoffed at Steven's words and shook her head. "Oh. Never. I wouldn't steal your gross hoodies." She said as she refolded the hoodie. Olive nodded her head to Olive and smiled. "I'll steal Olive's."

Olive immediately nodded, pointing at Belly encouragingly. Belly smiled, glad Olive was giving her permission to steal her college hoodies. "I'll steal yours whether you go to Princeton or the bay area."

Olives eyes widened and her smile was wiped clean from her face. Steven and Jeremiah whipped their heads to Olive. "Wait! What?" Jeremiah asked as Steven shook his head. "The bay area? Like... across the country, bay area? San Francisco?"

Olive slowly nodded her head, turning her head so she could look at Jeremiah and Steven. She had a nervous smile on her face as she spoke. "...Yeah."

Jeremiah frowned, not liking the idea of Olive living so far. Steven on the other hand, scoffed in anger. "But... That's so far! Why didn't you tell us?" He yelled.

Olive was taken aback by the boys yells. Considering the two weren't even on speaking terms, Olive didn't understand why Steven cared so much.

Susannah readjusted herself in her seat and turned to Conrad with a big smile. "Conrad, do you want to give Belly your present?" She asked, hoping to get Steven off of Olive's back.

Olive turned around to face Conrad and after a couple of seconds. Steven did too. Conrad looked at everyone in the room before his eyes settled on Belly. He stared at her for a few seconds before he turned to his mom and shook his head.

"Sorry, I forgot." He muttered. Olive silently groaned and dropped her head. The room filled with an awkward and extremely uncomfortable silence and Olive wished more than anything she could disappear from the living room.

"Uh.. That's cool. I wasn't really expecting anything anyway." Belly muttered. Olive frowned, still not looking up from the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her knees as Conrad sighed. "Also, I gotta go. I promised Cleveland that I'd show him some knots today."

He got up from his seat in the loveseat and started to walk out of the house. Right before he left, Conrad stopped and gave Belly one last look. "Happy birthday, Belly." He said, before he walked out.

The home immediately fell silent once the door closed. Olive tapped her fingers against the hardwood floors as she tried to think of a way to break the tension. Suddenly, Olive remembered Belly's friend, Taylor was coming into town.

Olive looked up at Belly and gently punched her knee. "Hey." She started, catching the girls attention. Olive smiled at Belly and tilted her head. "How about we take my truck and pick up Taylor?"

Belly looked away from Olive and to the ground. The girl was fighting to hold back a smile, making Olive smile wider. "I know you love my Jeep." Olive sang.

Belly giggled. She did love Olives Jeep. Belly turned to Olive, still laughing as she nodded. "Sure."

On the drive to the bus stop, Belly was extremely quiet. Olive had met Taylor a handful of times and every time she was around Belly, Taylor always made herself the center of attention.

Worried that maybe Belly was thinking of the possibility of Taylor stealing Belly's spotlight on her birthday, Olive raised her brows to Belly and gave her a small smile. "You excited to see Taylor?"

Belly sighed, running a hand through her hair since the top of Olives convertible Jeep was down and the wind had started to tangle her hair. "Uh... yeah." Belly muttered.

Olive laughed at Belly's far from excited sounding voice. She turned to Belly and continued to giggle. "You know I don't have a gun to your head, right?" Olive jokingly asked. Belly turned to Olive and when she saw the girls knowing look in her eyes, she sighed in defeat.

"Look, she's my best friend—" Belly started, but was interrupted by Olive loudly clearing her throat. Belly rolled her eyes and turned to Olive. "One of my best friends." She corrected, warning a small "Thank you" from Olive. Belly looked ahead to the road and continued her rant.

"But... come on, you know how she is. She's like a hurricane. And... Normally, I just feel like a supporting character around her." Belly admitted. A corner of Olives mouth turned to a frown as she watched the road.

"But today is your birthday." Olive reassured as she parked the car near the bus stop. Belly turned her head to Olive at her words and her eyes softened. Olive turned off the car and turned to Belly with a smile. "And you're so the main character."

Belly and Olive laughed. Belly dropped her head and started to feel better after talking with Olive. Once their laughter died down, Belly looked up at Olive and smiled. "Thanks, Ollie." Belly muttered and Olive just smiled wildly, glad she could make the birthday girl feel better.

"No problem." She said as she started to take off her seatbelt. Olive opened her car door and sighed. "Now, let's pick up Hurricane Taylor. Her bus should be here any minute."

Belly laughed at Olive's words, getting out of the Jeep after her. On their walk to the bus stop, Olive bragged and congratulated herself when she saw the bus pulling up just as they got there, claiming she had perfect timing.

They waited a couple feet away from the curb for Taylor so they didn't block anyone else trying to get off the bus's way.

"Oh god." Olive muttered, watching through the bus windows as Taylor walked down the row, about six birthday balloons trailing behind her. Belly huffed in embarrassment, looking around her and Olive to see if anyone they knew was there. "Here she comes."

As Taylor started walking down the steps of the bus, the balloons in her hands got stuck in the doorway. While she tried to free them, Olive sighed, squinting at the sun in her eyes. "Hurricane indeed." She muttered just as Taylor got all of the balloons out of the bus.

Taylor didn't hear Olive or Belly's words, too busy looking down at her outfit to make sure it was okay. Once she realized her clothes were fine, Taylor looked up at Belly and smiled. "Happy birthday!"

She pulled Belly into a tight hug, making Belly groan out a laugh. "Thank you!" Belly sang as Taylor pulled away. She handed Belly her birthday balloons and looked her up and down.

"Belly, you little tart. You finally took me and hopefully Ollie's advice. This outfit is snatched." Taylor said as she casually wrapped her arms around Olive's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

Taylor looked down at Olive and raised her eyebrows. She turned to Belly with the same expression, this time a smile with it. "Our usual stop, girls?" She asked.

Olive and Belly laugh, both of them nodding their heads. Taylor cheered in excitement and with that, the three girls started walking to Olives car to go to the Cousins Ice Cream Parlor.

After the three of them bought a banana split to share, they found a small table with an umbrella to sit at, Belly and Olive sat next to each other while Taylor sat across from them. Taylor was the first one to take a bit out of the dessert. She groaned as soon as the spoon went into her mouth. "I live off this stuff. I could eat this forever if I could."

Belly laughed, taking the next bite. She smiled at the sweet treat. "Me too." She said as Olive started to grab a spoonful. Olive nodded, smiling crazily. "Me three." She said, making the three girls laugh as she took her bite.

Taylor perked up and grabbed the gift bag sitting beside her. She reached over the table and handed Belly the bag. "Open your present."

Belly squealed in excitement and grabbed the bag. She quickly opened it and gasped as she pulled out a purple bikini. Olive smiled at the bathing suit and turned to Taylor. "It's so cute." She said and Taylor nodded in agreement. "Belly will look cute in it. So what's the plan for tongiht?"

Belly put the bathing suit back in the gift bag and smiled. "Well, Susannah always plans a big lobster dinner." Belly started, but she was quickly cut off with Taylor groaning. "Boring. No."

Olive glared at Taylor, taking another bite of the banana split. Taylor didn't notice Olives glare and gave Belly a desperate look. "It's your sixteenth birthday. We have to go out." Taylor begged and quickly, Olive and Belly shook their heads defensively.

"No, trust me. These dinners are really fun." Olive reassured and Belly immediately nodded her head in agreement. "Plus, Susannah had the idea to make it Midsommar themed, so she got flower crowns especially made for us and everything." Belly said excitedly, a big smile on her face at the thought of the dinner.

Taylor rolled her eyes, putting her elbow on her table and resting her chin in her hands. "Don't you think you should be spending your birthday with people your own age?" Taylor sassed. Taylor turned to Olive and raised her eyebrows. "Olive? Some help please?"

Olive held back her laugh at the thought that Taylor thought she would be on her side. Olive tilted her head and smirked. "I think Belly should spend her birthday how she wants." Olive said. Taylor rolled her eyes and Belly smiled in contempt. "Plus, me, you, Steven, Jere, and Cam will all be people our age."

At those words, Taylor gasped, a big smile growing on her face. "I'm so excited to meet the guy who finally got you to take your eyes off of Conrad." She sang, taking another bite of the banana spilt.

"How about..." Olive started. She looked up at Belly and raised her eyebrows. "If you want..." She clarified before she looked down at the banana spilt and grabbed another spoonful. "After dinner, we all head to Nicole's big party." Olive finished, taking a bite of the food.

"I'm so down!" Taylor cheered, taking another bite of their banana split. Her brows furrowed as she chewed on the food. "Who's Nicole?" She asked with a mouthful.

"She's my big sister for the deb ball." Belle explained as Taylor abruptly dropped her spoon and rolled her eyes. Olive squinted at the girl and watched her as she started to fan herself.

Belly was so excited talking about the deb ball, she didn't notice Taylor's actions and continued on. "She's super nice and just really cool and fun and—" "Ugh!" Taylor screamed, interrupting Belly.

Belly's face fell and her shoulders slumped as Taylor continued to fan herself. "I'm like... melting right now." She complained. Once she realized Belly had given up on talking about Nicole and the deb ball, Taylor smiled as if nothing had just happened. "Can we go back to the house? I want to change into my bikini and jump in the pool."

Olive glared at the girl as Belly, who was still upset and flushed, spoke. "Uh... sure."

Taylor smiled happily, glad she got her way. She stood up from her seat at the table and started walking towards Olive's car. "I call shotgun!" She yelled, already halfway to the car while Belly and Olive were still getting out of their seats.

Olive scoffed once Taylor was far enough away from them. She looked up at Belly with an annoyed look. "How long is she here for?" Olive asked as they walked towards her car. Belly sighed, already starting to feel bad on her birthday. "Just the weekend."

—not much stolive in this chapter (i actually don't think there was any) but there will be PLENTY in the next chapter (is it angst? is it fluff? you guys will just have to wait and find out😉)

guys... i love taylor in season 2 but season 1......... im not a fan🧍‍♀️
so her and olive will definitely hit a rough patch but IT WILL BE OKAY