REBEL SUN      ╱      CONRAD FISHER
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ .  written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
chapter 002 ━━━━━━ ❛ rebel dinner ❜

Amber was sure that music was the best therapy to ever exist. That, and unpacking (at least for her). As soon as she got back to the house after coming off the beach, she wanted to forget the contradicting feelings she was having each second. So, unpacking is what she did. She had placed all of her clothes in their rightful places, either in her closet or in her dresser drawers, and then she unpacked her shoes—she loved shoes, mostly Converse.

She put her book in its rightful place on her bedside table—she planned on reading that later. And finally, she unpacked the more miscellaneous items—her phone charger, the extra books she brought, her bath essentials, and her favorite blanket and pillow that she couldn't sleep without.

And once everything was in its rightful place, and she was calmer due to that fact and as settled in as she could be, she laid on her bed, putting in her AirPods and resuming where her shuffle had paused when they arrived.

Cherry Waves by Deftones was blaring in her ears as she scrolled through Pinterest, and she fought the urge to dramatically lip sync it. She was alone, and she knew she would be alone for a while, but she didn't want to risk the smallest chance that someone might walk in and catch her. That would be embarrassing.

Her phone dinged, and she watched as a notification dropped down. A text from her mom in the group chat that Amber, Aiden, and their mother shared—something that was Aiden's idea. It had been very entertaining to the two teens when they were teaching their mom how to understand their shorthands and "lingo," as she'd called it.

the three pearleteers

red robin 💗
Hey, my darlings. I already miss you both so much. I hope you're having fun in Cousins! I love you both

amber
miss u too, mom!! i love u, and i'm trying my best w the whole 'having fun' thing lol

aiden 🙄
i miss and love u too, mom! and i'm having sm fun, belly actually doesn't look like she wants to kill me 💀
and don't let ambster lie to u, she's been in her room pretty much all day 🙄

amber
i was unpacking, which i'm sure is something u haven't done yet
and belly is probs killing u in her head, ik i am

aiden 🙄
u're soooo funny ambster

amber
thx i know x

red robin 💗
Alrighty, I'm heading to bed; I'll talk to you both tomorrow!

amber
mom... it's only 8pm

red robin 💗
Yes, I know. That's a reasonable time to go to bed, sweetie.
Some people don't like staying up until the sun is coming up

amber
touché
goodnight x

aiden 🙄
goodnight, mom 🫶🏻
amber, stop being lame and come downstairs

amber
no. im busy

aiden 🙄
w what ??

Being anti-social, Aiden. That's what I'm busy with.

Amber didn't respond to her brother; she just locked her phone and set it face down on her bed. Aiden didn't understand—he was such a sociable person. It almost made Amber sick. He was down to do literally anything and go anywhere. Sometimes she wished she was the same. But then again, being like Aiden wasn't that appealing to her.

She grimaced at the thought.

Leaning back, she rested her head against her headboard, which was pretty uncomfortable. Aren't headboards meant to protect your head? Or are they just for decoration? Amber felt as though the latter was the truth. Despite this, she left her head there and closed her eyes, the familiar tune of summer depression by girl in red playing through her AirPods. How fitting.

A knock sounded on her door, but she couldn't hear it. Her music was turned up to almost full volume. Another knock came that she still didn't hear, but it was almost as if she sensed whoever decided to disturb her peace because, as her eyes opened, she saw her door slightly open.

Belly's head peeked in through the crack between the door and doorframe. "Hey." A small smile cracked on her face as she pushed the door open a bit more and Amber took her AirPods out.

"Hey, Bells," Amber replied, sitting up a bit more. "Is Aiden driving you nuts already?" she added, letting out a small chuckle.

"What? How did you...?" The brunette muttered, her brows furrowed in confusion, wondering how on Earth she knew that.

Amber lifted up her phone. "Aiden said that you actually didn't look like you wanted to kill him for once," she explained, tossing her phone back down.

"Oh." Belly nodded, watching as Amber grabbed her AirPod case and put the small earbuds back in. "And, uh, no, that's actually not why I came up here. Don't get me wrong, he was annoying me to death, but that's not the reason." She closed the door, then took a step closer to the bed. Sitting down, she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out, and she closed it again.

Amber watched her intently, trying to decipher the odd expression she was making.

"Uh..." Belly began after a moment of silence. "Uhm, so... Are you alright?" she asked, turning to face Amber a bit more, her brown eyes shining with genuine worry.

"Oh, not you too," Amber laughed, running her hands over her face as she shook her head. When her eyes met the eyes of the girl in front of her, she saw a confused look coating her expression. "Jere, earlier, asked me the same thing," she elaborated.

"Oh." Belly nodded her head. "Well, are you?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Amber answered, but she almost sounded unsure of herself. "I mean for the most part," she added, running her hands along her legs.

"That's good. Uhm, I'm here to talk if you ever need to." Belly sent her a small smile again.

"Thank you. I'm here for you too, Bells. Always," the blonde returned the smile. Silence fell between the two, and Amber couldn't tell if it was awkward or not. It didn't feel awkward, but it also did. Clearing her throat and catching Belly's attention, she stood up from her bed, walking over to her closet.

She could feel Belly watching her movement and staring at her as she grabbed a hoodie from a hanger, then slipped it on. The silence still stood as Amber walked back to her bed. Belly's eyes were still on her, but neither said anything for another moment.

Inhaling deeply, Belly looked away from her friend, her eyes casting on the hardwood floor as she stood. "Uh, so another reason I came up here was because Susannah told me to get you for dinner," she explained, walking towards the door.

Amber looked up, her gaze falling on the girl. "Oh, okay," she replied, standing up from her bed once more, leaving her phone still face down. "Let's go eat then," she smiled.

"Okay," Belly muttered, a small smile finding its way to her face once more.

Belly opened the door and walked out as Amber trailed behind her. The blonde closed the door behind her, and then the two headed downstairs. The smell of whatever Susannah was cooking caught Amber's nose, and she inhaled it, taking in the brilliant smell.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs that sat right near the front door, they could see into the dining room. Everyone sat in there with their plates already made, no doubt waiting on the two girls.

"Steven, I swear to God, if you look at the phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket," Laurel threatened her son as Amber and Belly walked into the dining room.

Amber tried to move to the seat in between Laurel and Aiden, but Belly beat her to it. She wasn't really sure why Belly would purposely want to sit next to Aiden. So, the blonde's eyes loomed over the only available seat—the one next to Jeremiah and the head of the table, where Conrad sat with a blank expression on his face.

She opted to tell Susannah that she wasn't hungry and run back up to her room. But she knew that she needed to act normal if she wanted to survive the summer, so she moved toward the seat.

"It's just—we want to see your beautiful faces." Susannah smiled at the boy, then took a sip of her wine as Amber sat down. "Can dinner be a screen-free zone?" she asked, her soft voice soothing Amber's ears. "You know, like in the old days?" she added, causing Laurel to laugh.

Amber slightly scooted in her chair and began filling her plate. She didn't dare send a glance to anyone else at the table, including Conrad, even though she could feel his gaze burning into her skin.

Steven must've continued to ignore both women's pleas because Jeremiah said Steven's name and then took his phone from his hands.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Steven retorted, his voice slightly laced with annoyance.

Amber finished plating her food just as Jeremiah tossed the phone into the basket Laurel had mentioned, slightly bumping into her and causing her to look up at him. "Boom! Nailed it!" he called out, then glanced down at Amber and sent her a smile. She returned the smile as he sat back down.

"Okay, okay, okay. We get it; you've been working out," Steven scoffed, playfully rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you," Belly teased her brother, narrowing her eyes at him, causing Amber to stifle a laugh.

"Uh, no, actually. It's about the lean look now. Otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits," Steven retorted, narrowing his eyes back at his sister as everyone laughed.

"Sure, sure," Jeremiah sarcastically agreed.

"Tailored suits," Amber and Conrad muttered under their breaths in unison, small smiles on their faces. Their eyes met in an instant as everyone's focus fell on them. A beat of silence passed as the two just stared at one another, but then Steven's voice cut through it.

"When are you leaving for camp, man?" Steven asked, his attention focused on Conrad.

There was another second of silence as Conrad pulled his gaze away from the blonde. And before he could answer, Jeremiah spoke for him. "Uh, he quit football."

Amber, who still had her gaze on Conrad, felt a bit of shock run through her. She knew how much he adored football, so to hear that he quit was something she'd never thought she'd hear. Football was his life at one point in time—it meant everything to him. Then again, she had something like that once—well, more than one somethings, actually—so she could understand, but that didn't stop the curiosity.

"Wh..." Steven began, his voice trailing off with shock. "Wait, really? You quit?"

"Why?" Amber asked. She slightly grimaced but hid it quickly. The question came rushing out of her before she could even think if it was a good idea to ask or not. It wasn't a life-altering question, but the tone in which she asked it made it seem as if she still cared, which she didn't, of course. "Not that I care. I'm just curious," she muttered.

Conrad's eyes met hers once again, narrowing in suspicion. "Right, just curious," he replied, causing her to roll her eyes and look away. "Yeah, I quit." He nodded, looking at Steven again as he messed with his food using his fork.

"Are you kidding me, man?" Steven asked, his voice coated in disbelief. "I-I'd kill to play college ball," he added.

"He can always change his mind," Susannah interjected, her tone full of hope. Amber just stayed silent, beginning to eat some of her food.

"I'm not going to change my mind. I was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyway," Conrad replied, squashing any hope his mother held.

Amber looked up at him again, seeing a blank expression with an underlying annoyance inhabiting his face. She wished she knew what was running through his mind, and she hated that. She shouldn't care. So he quit football; it was not the end of the world, and it certainly was not her problem. Not that it was a problem to begin with. But she couldn't shake that curiosity—yeah, that's what she was going to call it—that was in her bones.

"Well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you going to do all summer?" Laurel asked.

"Oh, dude, you can work at the club, yeah, with me and Jere," Steven suggested, his freckled face filling with a cheesy smile.

Conrad shook his head, taking a glance at his plate. "I'm not going to work at the club."

"Wait, you guys are working this summer?" Belly asked the two boys sitting across from her.

"Yeah, I'm lifeguarding, and Steven's working at the snack bar." Jeremiah fist bumped the boy next to him, both of them with knowing looks on their faces.

Belly nodded, sitting back in her seat. And then silence fell over them again. Amber looked over at her brother, who sat across from her, and saw that he was eating, not paying any mind to the slight awkwardness. Well, maybe it wasn't awkward. Maybe she was just in her head, tricking herself into thinking it was awkward. She did that a lot.

Everyone was picking at the food on their plates; the small sounds of clunking and scraping of forks against the dishes sounded in the otherwise quiet room.

Laurel cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention, but no one looked up until she began speaking. "So, Amber and Aiden, do either of you have any plans this summer?" the woman asked. "Are you looking for work, Am?"

Before either of the Pearls could speak, Steven answered his mother with a slight laugh. "Mom, of course she's not working; she's only fifteen," he responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

A feeling of hurt pegged at Amber's heart, but she buried it. "I'm sixteen, Steven," she muttered, a half-hearted smile on her face. She wasn't upset that he didn't remember; they had barely talked for the better part of a year and a half, but disappointment still lingered.

"No way." He looked at her with wide eyes. "Your birthday passed? When?" he asked.

That hurt. He didn't remember her birthday; it wasn't that big of a deal. It's okay, it's okay, she thought to herself, trying to calm the anxiety building in her body. Since when did she get nervous having attention on her?

"Uh, it was yesterday, actually," she responded, except her words weren't alone. Conrad saying 'yesterday' caught her attention. She quickly looked at him, her brows slightly furrowed, but he ignored her questioning look and turned away.

"Oh, your mother told me that your birthday had passed, but she didn't tell me that it had just passed," Laurel began. "We need to celebrate."

Well, I'm sure she thought you would know that already, Amber thought. She swallowed the hurt lingering in her throat and sent the Conklin woman a small smile. "No, no, that's really not necessary. I already celebrated with my mom and Aiden—it was nice; no need for another one." Amber adjusted the way she was sitting, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. "Right, Aiden? It was nice, right?" She glanced at her brother, giving him a knowing look.

"Yeah—yes, it was nice," he agreed, nodding his head.

Amber was confusing herself. She was hurt that none of them remembered her birthday, but she didn't want to celebrate with them once they found out? It didn't make sense, but then again, nothing she thought or felt made sense to her anymore.

"No, we're celebrating tomorrow," Laurel replied, a small smile on her face, looking at Susannah, who was also smiling. "None of you better miss it." She looked around with an accusing finger pointed at everyone. "Especially you, Conrad."

"He really doesn't have to be there." He really doesn't.

"Do you not want me there, Rebel?" Conrad asked. Amber turned to face him, looking at the smirk that he had on his face. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him and then rolled her eyes when his expression didn't falter. "I'll be there," he added, looking at Laurel.

"Good." Laurel nodded. "And Amber, since we haven't seen you all day," she said, her gaze falling on the blonde, and Aiden stifled a laugh. "We should catch up. How have you been?" she began her interrogation. "How's swimming? And dance? And are you still singing?" She took a sip of her wine, then clasped her hands in front of her. "Belly told me that you quit volleyball," she added, sharing a glance with her daughter.

Amber cleared her throat, sitting up in her seat a bit more. "Uh, I'm actually not on the swim team anymore, and I don't sing or dance in competitions anymore," she explained, feeling immensely uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her.

"Oh, may I ask why?" the Conklin woman asked.

"Uh, I, um, just lost motivation, I guess," Amber replied. Her hand rubbed over her bare wrist. She felt Conrad's gaze on her, and she glanced at him. He had an odd look on his face, and she saw his eyes cast down to where she was rubbing her wrist. Her eyes met where he was looking, and she snatched her hand away, cursing herself for the habit she had desperately been trying to break for the better part of two years.

Only a beat of silence passed before Susannah broke it. "Oh, Amber and Belly, I almost forgot; I have a surprise for you two," the blonde woman said, standing up from her seat. "Laurel may have let it slip that you and Aiden would be joining us in Cousins again, Amber, so I took the liberty of getting one of these for you," she added, her smile radiating brightness as she handed the two girls envelopes.

"So this is why you had to stop by the country club," Laurel muttered, nodding like she finally understood a joke. Susannah nodded in return.

Amber stared at the envelope. She had a guess as to what it was, but it couldn't possibly be, could it? She quickly began opening the pure-white envelope, excitement like no other filling her bones.

"What, uh, wh-wh-what is that?" Steven stammered, trying to look at what his sister was holding from across the table.

Amber pulled the fancy cardstock out of the high-quality envelope. She held it in her hands, not wanting to read it because she was too excited. She was worried that it wouldn't be what she thought it would be. She was not looking for another disappointment. As she flipped over the card, she quickly studied it, and her eyes went wide.

"Holy shit," she breathed out, catching everyone's attention. She felt Jeremiah lean closer to her, most likely reading the card. She felt everyone's eyes burning into her, and she looked up. "Sorry," she muttered, trying to excuse her language.

"I wrangled invitations for Belly and Amber to be debutantes," Susannah proudly smiled.

To say Amber was overjoyed would be the understatement of the century. She had always dreamed of being a debutante, like her mother once was. Her eyes were glued to the invitation, and she couldn't seem to peel them away.

Jeremiah leaned a little closer to her. "It's pretty cool," he whispered into her ear.

Amber only nodded in response. She could feel someone's gaze burning into her cheek—and that someone wasn't Jeremiah. She ignored it and repeatedly read over the words on the pure white cardstock.

"Is it that thing where girls wear white dresses and curtsy?" Belly asked, looking up at Susannah.

"It's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society." Susannah began, causing Amber to look up. "I-I know it sounds silly, but I swear it's fun," she added.

"It sounds amazing," Amber smiled, her voice coming out with a dreamy haze.

This was her dream. Her mom often talked about how wonderful and amazing her experience was. It was where she met Amber and Aiden's father, so maybe now she wouldn't talk about it as highly as she once did. But still, this was the best thing Amber could've possibly dreamed of.

A bright smile took over Susannah's face. "Yes, it is. Girls come from all over New England to Cousins just to be a part of it. You two will make so many new friends," she said, sitting up in her seat.

"I still can't believe you are still holding on to this archaic dream," Laurel told her best friend, getting up from the table and walking into the kitchen.

"No, it used to be about finding a husband, but now it's about networking," the blonde woman called out to the other woman before turning to face the girls once more. "They teach you leadership skills, like how to market yourself, and it benefits charity."

Amber clung to every word the woman, who was like another mother to her, said. But when she glanced over at Conrad out of instinct, she saw the disgusted look on his face, and her cheerfulness slightly dimmed.

Her eyes left the boy as Susannah continued. "It's, um, like a bat mitzvah."

"It is not like a bat mitzvah," Laurel laughed as she came back into the dining room, now with a new bottle of wine in her hand. Amber was still looking at Susannah, but she couldn't help but feel the Fisher boy's eyes on her. "There is nothing religious about a debutante ball."

"The whole Deb scene is bullshit," Conrad stated, drawing everyone's attention to him. "It's for sheep, and the fact that you seem so excited about it, Rebel, is honestly laughable." He glanced at the blonde girl. Her bright smile dimmed as she glared at him.

Hearing Jeremiah mutter a "yeah" in agreement, her attention shifted to him, and her eyes were still narrowed into a glare. What happened to 'it's pretty cool', Jere? She rolled her eyes when he just shrugged, and she faced Conrad again. "You know how much this has always meant to me, asshole," she began, her eyes staring into the boy's, the one who once meant so much to her.

Conrad went to fire something back, but his mother's voice stopped him, causing him to shut his mouth quickly.

"Conrad," Susannah warned. "It's not like that, Amber," she continued, pulling the girl's attention back to her again. "It's when a girl has a coming out, it's a formal recognition that she's reached maturity," she explained, trying to rekindle the spark in Amber's joy.

"Oh, I'm sorry—I'm sorry. Mature?" Steven scoffed, a little shock filling his tone.

Susannah nodded. "Yes."

"Belly and Amber?" Steven retorted with amusement in his face.

"Mm-hmm."

"A couple of months ago, you had a cat funeral—you made us wear all black," the boy said, pointing at his sister before turning to the blonde. "And you, Amber, I saw you at school. You were crying, and I asked you what was wrong, and you told me it was about a boy."

"Shut up, Steven!" both girls called out in unison. "I saw you crying in your room," Belly added, no doubt hinting at the dead cat.

"Wait, Mochi died?" Jeremiah asked. "Dang, I'm sorry, Bells," he continued. His brows furrowed as he turned to the girl beside him. "And wait, what boy were you crying over?" A mixture of curiosity and confusion filled his tone.

"None of your business," she replied, rubbing her bare wrist again. Jeremiah was not on her good side at the moment.

"It was probably about..." A kick in the leg from his sister caused Aiden to stop talking as she sent him an "I'm going to kill you if you speak any further" look. "Ow," he mumbled, reaching down to rub his leg.

"Belly, Amber, don't you want to get all dressed up?" Susannah smiled, changing the subject.

"It's just not Belly's kind of thing. She's our feral little alley cat," Laurel began, running her hand along Belly's thick hair. "And I don't see Amber doing it either—she's not her mother, Susannah."

Amber furrowed her brows in confusion at the woman's words—of course she wanted to do it; she was her mother's daughter after all. But now the lingering annoyance of the boys ruining the idea sat in the back of her mind. She couldn't shake it, and she didn't want to risk being made fun of any further.

She slumped down in her seat slightly as Jeremiah and Steven stifled their laughs. "Alley cat," they muttered under their breath.

"I'll think about it," Belly muttered, trying to muster a small smile.

"Yeah, me too," Amber added, doing the same.

"They'll think about it." Susannah lifted her glass towards Laurel, proud of what she had accomplished, even if it didn't go completely according to her plan, and then she took a sip from it.

Amber, in fact, was not going to think about it. When the opportunity presented itself, she had already made her decision—she was definitely going to do it. But after the ridicule from the boys, her dreams were crushed, and her decision changed.

She was not going to be a debutante like her mother once was, and she wasn't going to do the thing she had dreamed of her entire life. And it was all thanks to them—well, mostly him.

━━━━━

Staring at the invitation Susannah had so graciously gotten for her was all Amber had been doing since the end of dinner, and she got back into her room. She wanted so badly to be a debutante, and she was sick and tired of the boys putting down her (and Belly's, for that matter) interest for their stupid, unfunny jokes.

She knew that she shouldn't take them so seriously, but they didn't understand that sometimes their jokes were unnecessary. The Deb Ball was something that she had been raving about since she could remember, and they all knew that, especially Conrad, seeing as though he had gotten the bigger side of the wishbone with it.

A smile was always on his face when she talked about it, and the joy of watching her be happy overtook him. What has happened since then? Was he faking it all? Was it truly meaningless to him? Were they truly meaningless to him? Was the talk and fantasy of him being her escort and seeing her in her white dress all fake? She didn't know what to believe anymore.

The sound of her phone chiming snapped her out of her thoughts. She tossed the invitation on her nightstand and picked up her phone. A text from her mother was displayed on her home screen. She was surprised that her mother was still up, seeing as though it was well past eight (her usual bedtime). She tapped on the notification, unlocking her phone with the face ID, and began reading it.

the three pearleteers

red robin 💗
Hey, sweeties, just checking in! Susannah told me that she got you an invitation to be a debutante, Amber. That's so exciting; I know how much you've dreamed of it!

Amber sighed at the message, laying back on her bed. And after a moment, she began typing.

amber
yeah, i don't really know if im gonna do it

red robin 💗
Oh? May I ask why?

amber
just don't know if i want to do it is all

aiden 🙄
is it bc of what jere, steven, and con said?? if so, ambster, u shouldn't let them get to u
they were js messing around
well jere and steven were, idk abt conrad

red robin 💗
What did the boys say?

amber
nothing important, mom, don't worry

She set her phone down on her bed, not wanting to continue the conversation. She wasn't necessarily lying to her mom—what the boys said wasn't important, even if she took it that way. Closing her eyes, she just wanted to fall asleep; she was already over the day, even though it was only around 9:30, which was considered early to Amber.

But a knock on her door interrupted the sleep she was trying to obtain, and she quietly groaned. Sitting up in her bed, she told whoever was at the door to come in. After a moment, Belly's head poked in, and she was sent a small smile.

"Hey, Am," the Conklin girl continued to smile, stepping into the room. She was wearing a dark blue one-piece bathing suit. Closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath, her eyes staring into the blue ones of her counterpart.

"Hey, Bells," Amber replied, half-heartedly smiling back. "Night swim?" she added, nodding to the swimsuit.

Belly looked down at her body. "Uh, yeah," she replied, looking back up. "I was wondering if you wanted to join me, you know, like old times?"

Taking a moment to think, Amber pondered if she was in the mood to swim or if she wanted to stick with her original plan of going to sleep early. But feeling Belly's curious eyes on her, she sighed and sent the girl another small smile again. "Sure, I could go for a swim." She stood up from her bed, went over to her dresser, and pulled out a plum-colored bikini.

She held it up to Belly as their eyes met, looking for an approving nod from the girl. And when Belly nodded, Amber closed the drawer and stood up straight. She waited for Belly to turn around before she stripped off her clothes and put on the two-piece.

Belly turned back around, eyeing Amber with approval, and then the two girls left the blonde's room and made their way to a hall closet to get some towels. Then, they make their way downstairs and towards the back door, running into Laurel in the process.

The woman sat in a chair in the family room, scrolling on her phone. "Night swim?" she asked the two girls, not even glancing up from the screen.

"Yeah, night swim," they responded, continuing towards the door.

"Hey, how many followers is a lot of followers on Instagram?" She then asked, still not glancing up from her phone, as the girls stopped in their tracks.

The teens shared a confused look before looking at the woman. They walked over to the woman, standing behind her. Belly adjusted her towel so that it rested around her arm. "Um, is it someone who's verified or not verified?" the brunette asked her mom.

"What's verified?" Laurel questioned her daughter, still not even sending them a glance.

Amber stifled a laugh as Belly huffed, "Oh my God, Mom." Both girls leaned in, looking over the woman's shoulder and at the screen that she was so engrossed in. She was like a teenage girl waiting on a text from her crush. Laurel moved the phone so they could see it better, and then Belly snatched it out of her hands to get an even better look.

"Oh, yeah, Taylor's dad was reading this guy's book. One hundred and fifty thousand followers is a lot, especially for a writer," Belly informed, shrugging.

"Okay, thanks," Laurel said, taking her phone back.

The girls shared another look, wondering why Laurel was so curious about this writer dude. They continued to the back door, going outside only to see Conrad sitting on the edge of the pool. Amber suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the boy when he looked at her as she and Belly walked down the steps.

"I thought you said smoking pot changed the way your brain processes information," Belly said, noticing the joint in his hand as she came to a stop.

Amber stood beside her, not being able to repress the need to say something sarcastic. "Well, that would explain a lot," she smirked, causing Conrad to roll his eyes.

"So does your cell phone," he retorted, meeting Belly's eyes. "Rebel would know a lot about that, wouldn't you?" He let a mocking smirk take over his face, causing Amber to wipe hers off her face.

Belly rolled her eyes, grabbing Amber's towel from her hand and setting both of theirs on the steps. Both girls walked over to the pool, diving in as Conrad watched them. And when they broke the surface, Amber could feel his eyes roaming all over her, but she ignored them, making her way further away from him.

"You said marijuana messes with white matter," Belly continued.

"Do you even know what white matter is?" Conrad asked, smirking at Belly, then moved his attention back to Amber, who was swimming about in the water, ignoring their bickering.

"You said o-our brains are still developing and that..."

"God, do you memorize every single thing that I've ever said?" He questioned the girl, watching her get frustrated with him.

"Belly, you might as well give up; he's not going to stop going back and forth," Amber chimed in with a sigh, leaning against the wall of the pool.

Belly didn't even glance in her direction, let alone listen to what she had said. "Get over yourself," she told the boy, scoffing. She pushed herself under the water, and all that was left were Amber and Conrad above the surface.

She tried her hardest to ignore his staring, but the burning sensation of his gaze caused her cheeks to heat. She was about to break and send him a glance, but Belly's coming back up stopped her.

"I mean, Conrad, you're the one who said that—that smoking's dumb and that real athletes don't put shit in their bodies," the girl reminded him, her voice dripping with annoyance and frustration.

Amber didn't know why Belly cared so much about what Conrad chose to do. He apparently wasn't an athlete anymore, so what did it matter that he was smoking? The fact that he said "real athletes" don't put shit in their bodies didn't matter now, so why was Belly trying to remind him of it?

Still, the blonde didn't say anything; she just continued to stay silent, her back against the wall of the pool, her eyes closed, and her mind trying to push out all of the thoughts and noise.

"Well, he doesn't have to worry about that now, does he?" Amber muttered, not meaning to say it aloud. It was out there, though, and it was the truth; there was no denying that.

Belly turned around to face Amber, the water moving with her body. "Amber, can you just stay out of this?" She sighed.

Amber's eyes quickly opened, and she looked at the girl with raised brows. She lifted her hands defensively and then went under the water. Finally, for a moment, she had peace, with only the faint sound of mumbles reaching her under the surface—it was nice.

But when she came back up, she realized that the conversation was still going on. "Well, I still think you should quit," Belly said.

Conrad smirked. "What will you give me if I do?"

Amber's gaze quickly found the boy, and her brows furrowed ever-so-slightly. She felt something deep in the pit of her stomach, and it wasn't in a good way. She hated herself for the feeling, and if she could control it, she most definitely would.

She waited for Belly to respond, hoping that it was something telling Conrad off and not something along the lines that ran through her mind.

"Nothing. I think you should quit for yourself," Belly replied. Amber let out a ragged yet quiet breath, and Belly dipped under the water once again.

Conrad's gaze fell on Amber, who was still a bit away, the darkness mostly covering her. "What about you, Rebel?" he asked, a smirk on his face. Her eyes snapped to his, narrowing. "Would you give me something if I quit?"

Amber oh-so wanted to say no, that she didn't care if he quit or not—and she truly didn't—but the urge to mess with him was so strong. And when the opportunity presented itself, what was she supposed to do—pass it up? A sly smirk made its way onto her face, and she began moving closer to him, her body pushing through the slightly resisting water. "What do you want?" she asked, adding a certain dreaminess to her tone.

He was caught off guard by her response, just like she had wanted him to be. His brows raised in surprise, a smirk cracking on his face again. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Belly breaking the surface of the water caught his attention, and he closed his mouth.

For a moment, he was silent. "Hey, why are you considering the debutante thing?" he asked Belly.

"I don't know. I mean, it's not like I have anything else going on," she replied.

"But it's not you," he returned. "I mean, Rebel, I understand because..." He paused, not in the mood to dig up the memories of their old conversations.

Amber's eyes bore into him. So you do remember. Asshole.

"Anyways, Belly, don't let my mom make you her little doll just because she never had a daughter," he continued, ignoring Amber's eyes and looking down at the water.

"I don't mind it," Belly muttered.

Amber took her leave from the conversation again, going under the water. She was tired of the conversation—of everything. She had wanted to come out for a nice, calm swim with Belly, like old times, but no, instead they were met with Conrad and his annoying smirk and debby-downer attitude, which Amber was oh-so close to sharing with him.

The mumbles were once again all she could hear. It wasn't completely silent, but it was quieter, which she greatly appreciated. It was peaceful, and that was what she needed at the moment. She was overthinking every word to be muttered since she had gotten back into Cousins; she was thinking about all the old memories of her times there, and she was stressed. She knew that she shouldn't be, but she couldn't help it.

Night one, and this is how I feel? How am I supposed to last the rest of the summer? She wanted to stay under the water forever; it was nice under there. But a tug on her arm made her realize that the universe had different plans. She opened her eyes—still underwater—and saw Belly pulling at her and towards the surface.

She didn't fight the girl, and she swam to the top. When they were finally above water, she saw that Steven and Jeremiah had joined them outside, everyone staring at her. "What?" she questioned them all, obvious annoyance in her tone.

"You were under there for a while," Conrad answered, a hint of boredom lacing his words.

Amber ran her hands over her hair, flattening it as she looked at Jeremiah and Steven.

"Come on, man, we're leaving." Steven turned to Conrad, changing the subject.

"Can me and Amber come too?" Belly asked, hopeful that the boys would finally let them tag along when doing something.

Amber thought for a second about where exactly the boys were going, and then she remembered Mr. Flirty from the gas station and his offer for them to come to the bonfire—the first of the season.

"Uh, no," Steven retorted.

"The moms are getting everything set up for your movie night," Jeremiah explained with a small smile on his face, and then his eyes shifted to Amber, who was climbing out of the pool with little to no effort.

She ignored the boys' wandering eyes and made her way over to Jeremiah. A small, taunting smile was planted on her face, and she stopped a little closer to him than she probably should've. "Jere, can me and Belly come, please?" she asked, causing Steven to choke and cough with a disgusted look on his face.

Jeremiah cleared his throat as Steven got his coughing under control. "Uh, um... No," he stammered, pointing a telling finger at her.

"I'll make it worth your while if you do me this one favor," she added, obviously just teasing him and not really meaning her words.

He took a glance at her lips but quickly met her eyes again, trying to cover the action. He took a step back, putting some distance between them. "Tempting, but no," he breathed, a signature Jeremiah Fisher smile showing on his face.

Amber rolled her eyes, moving away from him and toward her towel, his eyes following her movements. She picked up the towel from the steps and wrapped it around her body. She wasn't sure why she all of a sudden wanted to go to the stupid bonfire. Maybe it was because she was tired of the boys doing things without her, Belly, and sometimes Aiden. She didn't know; all she knew was that she was going to that bonfire one way or another.

If the boys didn't want to take them, then they would find another way.

She watched as Conrad stood up from his spot at the edge of the pool. "See ya," he nodded to Belly, and then his eyes fell onto Amber. He sent her a smirk.

Honestly, does his face not get tired from smirking so damn much?

"See you later, Rebel." He went to mess with her hair, but she swatted his hand away.

"I told you to stop calling me that, asshole," she stated, causing him to roll his eyes.

He took a step closer to her, and she didn't move from her spot. "See ya, Rebel," he repeated, and then walked away without another word.

"Have fun with the moms!" Jeremiah sang with a laugh as the three boys walked away.

"You're all assholes! I hope you know that!" Amber called out, and she could hear their snickers.

"Someone gained a potty mouth," Conrad teased, turning around to face her as he continued to walk.

Once the boys were gone, Amber turned to Belly, who was still in the water, staring at her with a curious look. "We're going to that bonfire," she informed the girl, determination filling her words and tone.

Before, she wanted to go to the bonfire because she was tired of listening to the boys and their stupid rules for her and Belly. But now, since they just had to show their asses, she was going to spite them, whether they liked it or not.

"What bonfire?" Aiden asked with a mouthful of chips and the bag in his hands. Amber jumped at his sudden appearance, and she clasped a hand over her rapid heart. He looked confused, and she sighed.

━━━━━

━━━━ ella's speaking !
heyy, so i kept falling asleep while rewriting this chapter, so if it doesn't flow well, i'm sorry 🙏🏻

this should be the normal length of the rest of the chapters (besides the fourth of july one bc i have a lot planned for it hehe)—i'm not trying to write any more 11K+ chapters lmfao

also, i'm so glad i rewrote this bc when i was reading the old version (to remember the dialogue and such), i was absolutely horrified and embarrassed that i had that published before 💀

oh, and follow my wp tiktok bc i post edits on there for my fics—@lostgardens.wp

i really hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and i've already started on chapter three !!

kisses.

━━━━━━━━━ rebel sun,
© -LOSTGARDENS, aug 2023

word count: 7282    written: 8.17.23    published: 8.17.23