＊ 𝐏𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ——
❪ chapter eleven ❫           !

     Fourth of July is a time when people become patriotic. But people mainly only enjoy this day for the firework shows and the BBQs that go on. And that's why Mackenzie enjoyed the Fourth of July.

     Mackenzie was in her room getting dressed. As she looked through her closet she noticed Conrad's sweater. "Why is this on here?" She sighed. She took it off the hanger and placed it on Conrad's bed.

     Walking back to her room she finished doing her hair. She curled it and side parted her hair.

     The blonde went downstairs, walking into the kitchen. She grabbed herself a bowl of fruit loops. "Can I have your milk when you finish?" Jeremiah asked.

     "What is your addiction to Milk?" Mackenzie laughed.

     Steven walked into the kitchen, "Are we done with the portrait yet?" Steven asked Susannah who was painting his portrait outside.

     "Yeah for today. But you do look good in a dress shirt, Steven. Uh, which makes me think if Belly doesn't hurry up and ask Cam to that ball, you should take her. And Mackenzie, do you have someone to take to the ball?"

     "No, I haven't really been thinking about the ball. " Mackenzie sighed, "But if I don't find somebody I'll just ask Milo."

     "Ew. No way." Belly plastered a disgusted look on her face.

     "No, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm already going with Shayla." Steven told Susannah.

     "To the debutante ball?" Laurel walked into the kitchen.

     "Yes."

     "As an escort?"

     "Wrap your head around it, Mom, all right? Shayla's coming today with Nicole and Gigi, so you'll meet her."

     "That's wonderful. Oh, and don't forget, Ms. Covington's first dance rehearsal is tomorrow, so, uh, tick-tock." Susannah told the girls.

     "I'm asking Cam today," Belly said.

     "I don't know my kids anymore." Laurel laughed.

"Wait, are you wearing makeup? Yeah, she's wearing makeup." Susannah pointed out.

     "Oh, my... She definitely is." Steven began to smile.

     Mackenzie gasped.

     "So what? We're having a party." Laurel explained.

     "I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming to the clam bake?" Susannah looked at Laurel as she smiled. "Oh, please. The husbands always come for the Fourth." Laurel explained.

     "He's not your husband anymore," Belly noted. "Oops. Yeah. Ex-husband." Laurel chuckled.

     "You know, I still don't understand why you invited Dad's girlfriend." Steven looked at Laurel.

     "Yeah, isn't that going to be a little weird for you?" Mackenzie furrowed her brows.

     Jeremiah was patiently waiting for Mackenzie to finish her cereal. "Are you almost done?" He mouthed to Mackenzie. She shook her head.

     "Her name is Victoria and your father wanted all of us to meet her. Oh, Mackenzie, I need you to make up the guest bed." Laurel told the blonde.

     "Oh, come on," Mackenzie whined.

     "Wait, Dad and Victoria are staying here? In the room next to mine?" Belly complained as she laid her head on the table and groaned.

     "Yeah," Laurel told her.

     "What a good day to not sleep next to the guest room." Mackenzie laughed, she finally finished her cereal and handed the bowl of leftover milk to Jeremiah.

     "Oh, speaking of dads, yours called. He's closing a deal, so he can't come." Susannah told Jeremiah as she looked down.

     "What?" Jeremiah looked at Susannah.

     "Did you say Dad's not coming?" Conrad walked inside the kitchen. Mackenzie sighed as she got up, moving away from him.

     "But I got some serious fireworks for the show this year." Jeremiah frowned.

     "We'll take a video," Susannah suggested.

     "It's not the same,"

     "I know."

     "I'm gonna go put the sheets on the bed." Mackenzie told everyone as she went upstairs to go do what she told everyone.

𓆉

     Mackenzie struggled to put the sheets onto the bed. Every time she'd tuck one side the other would pop right back up. "Ugh." She let out, frustrated.

     "Do you need help?" Conrad leaned on the wall.

     Mackenzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Conrad, what do you want?"

     "Nothing." He paused, "I just want to help."

     "If you're gonna help, then I'm leaving you to do it alone." The blonde stood up, crossing her arms as she looked at him.

     "Can we just talk?" He sighed, closing the door behind him.

     "What is there to talk about? You told me to forget about it and I did." Mackenzie leaned her back against the wall.

     "So then why are you still mad at me?" He asked as he began to fix the sheet.

     "Are you actually asking me that?"

     "Okay, fine. I know what I said was shitty. I didn't mean for that to happen. Can we just go back to how it was before? Me and you being happy together." Conrad stopped tucking the sheets and looked at Mackenzie.

     The blonde sat down on the floor, moving towards Conrad. "That's not how life works." She was now a few inches away from Conrad's face.

Conrad brought his hand towards Mackenzie's face, rubbing his thumb on her cheek. "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

'What?!' Mackenzie thought to herself as she found herself getting flustered. "No. No, this is not going to happen—" Mackenzie tried to finish her sentence but she was shut up by Conrad's lips.

Mackenzie kissed him back before she brought herself back to reality. "Stop." She looked at him, watching as his eyes filled with lust.

     "Please, I'm sorry. I swear. I was drunk as hell when I said everything but I meant it when I said that I don't wanna bring you down with me. So please, just let me do that." His forehead was against Mackenzie's.

    "God, you make it so hard to be mad at you." She chuckled, but she was serious when she said that. He always said and did the right thing after he messed up.

    "Why'd you take the necklace off?" Conrad asked, touching Mackenzie's neck, all it had was the locket Jeremiah got her and the pearl necklace Susannah gave her.

     "Because I was mad at you."

     "So you're not mad at me anymore?" He smirked, kissing Mackenzie. "I suppose." She smiled.

     Mackenzie stepped back from Conrad, "I'm sorry your dad's not coming," Mackenzie told him. "Don't be. I'm not." He looked at the blonde, smiling.

Mackenzie smiled back, but her stomach turned, she really wished she didn't have to keep this from her family... specifically Belly.

𓆉

     The five teenagers were huddled by the door peeking through the window. They were watching as John walked up with his girlfriend.

     "She's hot." Jeremiah let out. Mackenzie hit him in the arms.

     "Dude." Steven furrowed his brows.

     "What? I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking." Jeremiah told Steven.

     "I wasn't thinking that," Belly glanced over at Jeremiah.

     "Yo, that could be their future stepmom." Conrad smiled.

      "Dude, what the hell?" Steven pushed Conrad's shoulder. "Don't push me." Conrad smiled as he was prepared to push Steven.

     "Guys, they're coming, they're coming. Ah!" Jeremiah yelled as everyone walked away from the door except Steven, Mackenzie, and Belly.

      "Hey." Steven and Mackenzie smiled as the moms walked in, John and his girlfriend following. "Be nice," Laurel whispered to them.

     "Hey. Come give your old man a hug, huh?" John smiled as he walked up to his children and hugged them.

     "Dad!" Steven, Belly, and Mackenzie hugged him back as well.

     "Oh, my gosh! Um... This is Victoria." He introduced his girlfriend.

     "Hi, guys. It's-it's really great to meet you. I've heard nothing but five-star reviews." She smiled at the three teenagers.

     "Here, let's put this in the kitchen," John told Victoria as they walked to the kitchen.

     "There is no way she's 27. We have to grab her wallet and check her ID." Belly insisted. "She's in grad school. Chill." Steven told Belly. "Belly, calm down." The blonde insisted.

     "I can't calm down or chill. I mean, knock-off Dakota Johnson has her claws in our dad."  Belly explained.

     Steven laughed, "Yeah."

     "But she seems nice. Give her a chance." Mackenzie squeezed Belly's arm but she snatched it away from Mack's grip. 'Okay...'

     Mackenzie, Belly, and Steven walked into the kitchen. "Steven, can you get your dad's bags and put them upstairs, please?" Laurel asked.

     "Yeah, I-I just need your keys to pop the trunk, then," Steven said.

     "Actually, Vick and I decided to stay in town this weekend. Figured you guys had a packed house." John explained.

     "Oh, that sounds fun." Belly smiled.

     "So I fixed up the room for nothing," Mackenzie complained.

     "Well, are you sure?" Susannah asked John and Victoria. "Whatever you think is best," Laurel told them.

     "So... I convinced John to stop at a fruit stand on the way over, and I figured I could make some pomegranate margaritas later," Victoria explained. "Oh, how thoughtful of you." Susannah thanked her.

     The three teenagers stood there as the parents and Victoria talked. There was then a ring at the door, "Oh, I'll get it." Belly ran to the door, and Mackenzie and Steven followed behind.

𓆉

     Mackenzie sat on the outdoor lounge chair, drinking her cup of water out of a straw. She watched Conrad and Nicole being all 'lovey dovey' in the pool. God was she filled with guilt, thinking about how Conrad kissed her not that long ago before she came.

     The blonde got up to get a pastry, and while doing so she shot Conrad a look that definitely caught his attention. She wasn't trying to flirt with him but someone she managed to.

     But walking inside Mackenzie slipped on the wet floor. "Mack!?" She heard Conrad call out, a few seconds later he was hovering above her helping her up.

     "Why is something always happening to me." She whined but also cringed at what just happened to her. "Hey, hey." Conrad helped Mackenzie up to her feet, "Are you okay?" He rubbed the back of her head looking at her with so much love in his eyes, she wishes she could take a picture of this moment.

     Mackenzie touched the back of her pants realizing they were now wet. She grabbed Conrad's arm pulling them away from her head, "I'm gonna go change and try to not to do whatever you just did in front of everyone. I can't let Belly know this is happening she already hates me."

     "Fine." Conrad rolled his eyes jokingly, "There's a gift for you upstairs though." He walked back outside, and sat with Nicole acting like nothing just happened, like he didn't look at Mackenzie the way he did a few seconds ago.

    The blonde went up to her bedroom to go change her shorts. When she walked into her room she noticed Conrad's sweater on her bed and top of it sat a note, 'Keep it.' it read.

     Mackenzie smiled as she smelt the sweater, it still had the strong smell of Conrad's cologne on it. But she kept it tucked away in her closet so it wouldn't raise any suspicion that her and Conrad were doing something together. And she decided to put the necklace he got her back on.

𓆉

     Entering the kitchen, Mackenzie asked Belly what she was doing. "Pomegranate margaritas with a twist." Belly poured the Kool-Aid powder into the blender.

"No but really, who gave you that necklace?" Belly's voice was sour. "Someone. A friend." Mackenzie smiled but Belly could see right through her lies.

     "Hey, isn't that the blender that you know... 'exploded'" Mackenzie continued.

     "Well it didn't explode, but yes." Jeremiah chuckled.

     Conrad began pouring the ice into the blender, "We don't need another debacle." He told Conrad. Belly began pouring alcohol into the blender.

      "Oh, my God. You're begging for a bad hangover." Mackenzie's eyes widened.

     "Yeah. Stop it, stop." Belly told Conrad as he poured more alcohol into the blender.

     "A lot more, a lot more tequila." Jeremiah laughed.

     Conrad put the top on the blender and started it. They all sat there waiting for it to be finished. Conrad took his hands off of it, "No, keep your hands on it." Jeremiah smiled as he placed his hands on top of Conrad's making sure he kept it on the lid.

     Conrad stopped the Blender, "Man you know what I miss?"

     "What?" Mackenzie asked.

     "Watching Laurel put Dad in his place. You know, she'd walk in, she'd be like, 'Adam.'"

     "Adam," Laurel yelled.

     The four teenagers looked at him.

     AUTHORS NOTE ! [ 2.1k words ]
—— vote and comment ❪ don't be a ghost reader ❫
they may have "made up" but that won't last for long
😈😈😈 i have an evil plan up my sleeve 😏😼

ANYWAYS next chapter is gonna be 🫠🫠 crazy
there's gonna be a little fight that happens. and erm
yeah you'll have to see for yourself.

enjoy this little manip i made ( it's kinda bad )
me from the future ... THIS SHIT WAS ASS IM SREY
like why is her neck so long.... and her head 😭

—— ignore any grammar mistakes they will be fixed !
feedback on this chapter would be amazing <3