002. feral alley cat




OK, LOVE YOU BYE
002. FERAL ALLEY CAT






" IM SO GLAD THEY DONT BELLY FLOP ME." I say as I sit behind belly on her bed, running my hair brush through her hair after she showered to get both the chlorine from the pool but also the salt from the sea out of her hair.

She hums " Ellie flop doesn't really have the same ring to it does it?" I smile and nod muttering a small ' thank god' that makes her bow her head and laugh.

I continue to brush her hair, droplets of water are falling onto the duvet cover of her bed — the slow sound of music coming from the speaker of my phone that sits on her bedside table as it charges.

I miss this, us sat on top of the bed talking to one another instead of lying across the state from one another and talking through the crackled sound of our phone microphones. I like being able to smell the perfume she wears, see the dimples that curve in her cheeks when she smiles.

Once I'm done, I put the brush down and position my arms to move around her waist and my chin to sit on her shoulder. " I've missed this." I tell her and feel her hand overlap my own before giving it a squeeze " I've missed you bells."

An exhale slips past her lips" Ellie and belly forever right?" and I nod.

She tilts her head back, and usually I would be pushed away by someone's mop of wet hair against my fresh, dry clothes but not now. Never with Belly.

Instead we stay there. As I hum " I need to tell you something," I say and she recoils and her head turns, worried furrowed brows as she looks at me.

" what is it?" she asks and I exhale,

I look at her " I think my mom might be trying to get us to do the debutant ball this year." Her eyes widen and she shakes her head, suddenly panicked " Jer told me she was on the phone to someone at the country club about wrangling invites."

" oh I can't think of anything worse." she moves her hands to cup her face " she's already mentioned it to me back in Boston, I don't think she's backing down off this idea bells."

Belly's face contorts into one of someone who's realised their fate is inescapable— because we both know my mum well and when she gets and idea in her head, she does not back down.

I open my mouth but then a voice calls out " Girls dinner!"

We look at each other and exhale — " but I hate big dresses!" she states as I stand up and move around the bed. Lending out a hand to help her up as she huffs and I lead her out of her room.

" If I'm going down, you're going with me Conklin ." I tell her and she groans although she still follows me down.














THIS IS NICE, BEING BACK HERE. sat in our seats that we've all occupied since we were little, me squished between Laurel and Belly, Conrad and mom sat at the heads of the table and Steven and Jeremiah on the opposite side to me. It just feels right.

Me and Belly gossip in ushered tones about what has happened in the last couple weeks, I speak about the party I snuck out to where I kissed the boy I had liked on a porch swing and she told me about the fight between two girls on her volleyball team who were in love with the same girl.

I flicker my gaze sometimes to watch how Conrad watches Belly, how his lips sometimes curve when she's laughing at what I'm saying. I wonder if he knows he's that obvious? Probably not, Conrad would rather be caught dead than be caught having human emotions. And to further prove my point, when he catches me looking he quickly fakes a cough and adverts his gaze.

I look away, toying with my food trying to pretend I didn't gorge myself on snacks on the way down here. Instead I watch as Jeremiah and Steven laugh over something on the phone,

" Steven, I swear to God," Laurel starts " If you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket."

Steven pulls the phone away from Jeremiah's eye line as mom speaks " it's just, we want to see your beautiful faces."

" can dinner be a screen-free zone? you know like the olden days ?" We all subtly nod, but I'm still watching as Steven taps on his phone catching Jeremiah's attention who swiftly takes it from his grasp and throws it into aforementioned screen basket. Our worst enemy as kids.

" boom, nailed it." I give my younger brother a momentary light round of applause as he slouches back in his seat.

" Okay, okay, okay we get it, you've been working out." Steven says as I stifle a laugh,

" oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you." Belly inputs as I give her a small look when she turns to face me " since when did you start noticing Jer's body?" I joke as she nudges me slightly.

" Uh, no actually it's all about the lean look now." Steven protests " otherwise you can't wear tailored suits."

I feel laughter fall from my lips " and since when have you ever worn tailored suits?" I quiz at the same time that Conrad murmurs " tailored suits" at nobody in particular but the smile that coats his lips make me smile in turn.

Steven looks to Conrad, " When you leaving for training camp, man?" he asks, my eyes finding Jeremiah's in a slight awkwardness before I glance to Conrad who is no longer smiling.

" um, he quit football." I tell Steven, sending him over a tightlipped smile as I do so.

" wait, really you quit?" Steven looks around to mom and then me and then eventually Conrad himself for conformation.

Conrad hums his answer, As Steven once again looks to my mom unable to tell if this is a joke or not " Are you kidding me,man ? I'd-I'd kill to play college ball."

Mom leans against the table slightly " he can always change his mind." she says,

" I'm not gonna change my mind." He rebuttals, "I was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyways."

I look at my older brother, with sadness in my eyes that mirrors the emotion in his. He lost his passion for the game months ago, in the spring. I don't know why or how but he just stopped. To the point it was even competitive, I couldn't even convince him to throw the ball with me outside in one of mom's last ditch efforts to help him. Her theory being if his little sister couldn't get through to him, nobody could.

" well, if you're not playing football anymore." Laurel asks " what are you gonna do all summer?"

Steven pipes up " Oh did you can work at the club, yeah with me and Jere."

Conrad lifts his eyebrows " I'm not gonna work at the club." he states as I continue to look at him, trying to figure out what is going on inside that mind of his.

" wait, you guys are working this summer?" Belly asks, as Jeremiah nods " yeah I'm lifeguarding and Steven's working at the Snack shack."

I look at my friend as I move to nuzzle my head in the crook of her neck in an attempt to cheer her up, " got you all to myself belly button." I see a small smile on her lips.

" Oh, girls, I almost forgot." Are the words that make me and Belly pull away and look at each other, knowing exactly what was coming. Mom slipping out of her seat and grabbing two envelopes as she passes them over to us.

" I have a surprise for you." I look to Jeremiah who is smiling in a way you just know is concealing laughter as we begin to undo them.

" So this is why you had to stop by the country club?" Laurel hums and my mom only responds with a big smile.

" I wrangled the girls an invitation to be a debutante." Mom tells the others who are seemingly confused what is going on.

Belly looks up " is that the thing where the girls wear white dresses and curtsy?"

I hum, " it's also one of the best episodes of Gossip Girl to ever exist."

" it's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society." Mom tells us " I-I know it sounds silly but I swear it's fun, Girls come from all over New England to Cousins just to be a part of it."

" you'll make so many new friends." She tells Belly as she flickers gaze to me " but I have Ellie, I don't need any other friends."

Mom tilts her head " Elsie is heading to college after summer, it may be good to branch out."

I scoff " mom you make it sound like me going to college is the death of me, I'm not dying." I joke, noticing the clutching of expressions from my mom who hides it well and Laurel who doesn't.

What did I say? Did I say something wrong?

I'm saved by " I cannot believe you are still holding on to this archaic dream." Laurel tells mom as she leaves her seat.

" No it used to be about finding a husband." Mom calls out to Laurel from the next room over " but now it's about networking, they teach you leadership skills like how to market yourself and it benefits charity, it's like a bat mitzvah."

Laurel laughs as she enters the room with another bottle of wine " it's not like a bat mitzvah." she jokes.

" there is nothing religious about a debutante ball." she tells us,

" the whole deb scene is bullshit, it's for sheep." I watch how Belly's face deflates slightly hearing that.

" Connie, I don't think I tell how enough how sweet you are to me." I say with heavy sarcasm as he squints his eyes and silently mocks me in which I stick out my tongue to him.

" no, it's not." I look back to mom as she speaks "it's when a girl has a coming out it's a formal recognition she's reached maturity."

Laughter befalls the boys " oh I'm sorry, mature?"

" yes." Mom states as Steven eyes up his little sister,

" Belly?" he asks.

" a couple months ago you had a cat funeral, you made us all wear black." He tells her, " shut up Steven I saw you crying in your room." Belly replies.

" wait, Mochi died?" Jer asks, " dang, I'm sorry Bells."

" girls?" Both me and Belly focus on my mom "don't you want to get all dressed up?"

Laurel reaches around me to toy with her daughter's damp hair " it's just not really belly's thing, she's our little feral alley cat."

I watch as the boys chuckle over belly, all except Conrad. I kick them under the table as they find my slight glare at them when their eyes shoot up.

" I'll think about it." Belly says and I nod,

" If Belly does it, I'll do it too."

Mom looks to Laurel, lifting her glass " they'll think about it." she says before taking a sip.











AUTHORS NOTE.
meeting someone very special next episode....

vote and comment if you enjoyed!!

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top