REBEL SUN      ╱      CONRAD FISHER
꒷꒦ · ˚.‧ .  written by ella . . . © -lostgardens
chapter 003 ━━━━━━ ❛ rebel bonfire ❜

"What bonfire?" was what Aiden had asked, startling his sister. He shoved a handful of chips into his mouth as she looked at him with a sigh.

She was quiet for a moment, studying him and debating whether she wanted to tell him or not. She didn't know why there was hesitation—Aiden usually went along with what she did or said.

She heard Belly get out of the pool as she spoke. "There's a bonfire on the beach tonight," the blonde said, looking at her brother. Then her eyes shot to the girl, giving her a bored look. "And me and Belly are going," she added, raising her brows.

"Amber, I don't think it's a good idea," Belly sighed, walking to the stairs to grab her towel.

"Bells, you don't want to have fun?" she asked, her voice full of hope as she watched the girl wrap the towel around her body. Aiden was just standing off to the side of Belly, still shoveling handfuls of chips into his mouth as he watched the interaction. "Aren't you tired of the boys telling us what to do?"

Belly let out another breath, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess." The girl shuffled on her feet, looking rather torn with her expression as she brought her hand up to her lips, pulling at the skin. "I still don't think it's a good idea, though. What about the moms?"

"Fine, you don't have to go if you don't want to, but I'm going," Amber told her, walking closer to the stairs. She stopped next to her brother. "Are you going, Aiden?" she asked, raising her brows at him.

"Sure." He shrugged.

"Wonderful," she replied. She began moving towards the door, preparing herself to somehow get out of movie night with the moms. It was a tradition, so she was kind of disappointed to break it, but her mom wasn't there with them, so the tradition was already broken in a way.

Right?

Her hand reached for the doorknob, but Belly's voice caused her to stop her movements. "Wait!" Belly called out, then sighed, turning to face the girl. Amber met her eyes. "I'll go."

Excitement filled Amber's bones, and a bright smile took over her face—a genuine smile. "Great!" she cheered, watching as Belly and Aiden made their way towards her.

None of the three knew what they were going to say to the moms as they walked into the house and into the kitchen, where the two women stood.

"Brownies are going in," Susannah informed with a smile.

Laurel was at the stove, making popcorn. When she heard Susannah speak, she turned around, eyeing the three teens. "Belly, go put the DVD in," she told her daughter, cheerfulness filling her tone.

Guilt suddenly pegged at Amber's gut, and she wasn't so sure the bonfire was a good idea anymore. No, you've made up your mind! Get it together! There will be other movie nights. Her mind raced as she stared at the two that were like mothers to her.

They were so excited to spend time with the three youngest again, and that killed her because she knew how crushed they were going to be once they bailed. She couldn't help the ache in her heart. And it was all her idea.

The three—now two—moms always looked forward to movie night on the first night; it was their little tradition. They all snuggled on the couch with all of their favorite snacks—brownies, popcorn, and sometimes various candies—just in their reach as they watched It Happened One Night.

"Uh, do we have to watch It Happened One Night? Can't we do something different?" Belly asked, shooting a look in Amber's direction.

Laurel faced her daughter again, taking her attention away from the popcorn. "But we always watch It Happened One Night on the first night," she reminded her.

"Well, we could watch The Philadelphia Story instead," Susannah suggested, glancing between everyone in the room.

Belly awkwardly smiled at the moms, and Amber wondered if she and Aiden were being too quiet. Maybe she should say something. Maybe he should stop shoving chips in his mouth and acknowledge the conversation every once in a while.

Her mouth opened as if she were going to speak, but Susannah's voice interrupted her before she could even begin. "Everything okay?" she asked, looking between the three teens. Amber's mouth snapped shut, not wanting to answer.

Yeah—no, I-I'm just kind of tired, so I think I might skip the movie and go to bed," Belly stammered out.

"Okay, hon. Yeah, sure. We can, uh—we can do the brownies another night." Susannah half-heartedly smiled, guilt pegged even deeper into Amber's heart.

And with that, Belly walked away and went upstairs. Amber and Aiden were about to follow her, trying to escape while they had the chance, but Susannah's voice stopped them.

"Amber, Aiden, what about you?" she began. "You two want to watch the movie with us?" the woman asked, the smile still on her face.

The siblings turned to face her slowly, small smiles on both of their faces. "Uh, I'm kind of tired too, so I'm going to take a shower and go to bed, if that's alright," Amber said, trying to keep her voice steady. She hated lying, but she needed to get to the bonfire—need was a strong word, but in her mind, it was the right one.

"Yeah, and I'm not really feeling movie night this year, so I'm going to hang out in my room," Aiden added, rolling the bag of chips closed and setting them on the counter.

They began to walk up the stairs again when Laurel began speaking. "This isn't because your mom isn't here, is it?" she asked, causing them to stop once more and send each other an awkward glance. "I mean, I know it's different because she's not in Cousins with us, but we can still have fun."

Amber turned her head and met the woman's gaze. "No, really, we're tired, that's all." She half-heartedly smiled. "I guess the drive took it out of us."

"Well, alright then—I guess Susannah and I will have to watch the movie all by ourselves." Laurel fake-pouted, glancing down at the counter.

Even though Amber knew the woman wasn't being completely serious, the pit of guilt was still very apparent in her stomach, and it was growing by the second. She had to get upstairs and away from them. "Alright, well, I'm going to go take a shower, then head to bed—goodnight." Amber rushed out with a smile.

Aiden nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too."

Then they rushed upstairs, with Amber going to Belly's room while Aiden went to his. Knocking on the door, Amber heard Belly say "come in" from the other side. She opened the door and walked in, seeing Belly on her bed, now in different clothes.

She closed the door and moved toward the bed.  "God, that was nerve-racking." She ran her hand through her hair as she sat down.

"It was your idea," Belly sighed. "Am, I don't think I'm going to go to the bonfire—I really don't think it's a good idea," she continued. "I have a bad feeling."

"Belly, please—I'm not going to go if you're not going to go," Amber said with pleading eyes, leaning closer to the girl, trying to get her point across. "I just want to see what they do when we're not around."

Belly gave the girl a knowing look. "Them, or Conrad?"

Amber scoffed, sitting up straight. "That's not fair."

Inhaling deeply, Belly looked away from the girl. "I'm sorry, Amber, but I can't shake the feeling that the only reason you want to go is to spy on Conrad."

"What?" Amber asked, standing up from the bed, with a slight offense in her tone. That was definitely not the reason. "That's not the reason," she added, putting her hands on her hips. Belly sent her a look. "I just want to have fun—I wanted to hang out with you and go to the bonfire."

"You didn't want to go when the dude from the store offered," Belly reminded her, sitting up straight.

"That's because that guy was, like, way older than us, and it was weird. We're clearly underage, yet he was still flirting with you," she stated, her brows furrowing in frustration. "Conrad and I broke up two years ago. I'm over him. I don't care what he does, but I'm tired of being told what to do by the boys, and yes, that includes him."

A beat of silence passed as the girls just stared at one another. Amber was slightly frustrated. Did Belly really think that her whole world revolved around Conrad? She was completely over him.

Belly let out a sigh, narrowing her eyes at Amber and thinking for a moment. "Fine, I'll go," she finally said.

"Okay," Amber nodded. "I'm going to take a quick shower and get ready. I'll be back."

Belly hummed in response.

And with that, Amber walked to the door and left, heading to the bathroom. She took an extra-quick shower, and then Belly took one. Neither were in that big of a rush, so they both got dressed in oversized t-shirts and shorts.

As Amber walked back into Belly's room, she saw the girl laying on her bed, on the phone with Taylor. "Tonight, Conrad and I were talking by the pool, just the two of us—well, Amber was there, too—but it felt different." Belly said, talking to the girl on the phone.

"Good different? See, I told you," Taylor replied, and Amber could practically hear the smile in the girl's voice. "You said Amber was there?" she continued. "Where is she now? Still pretending not to be in love with Conrad like you do all the time, I presume."

Amber was surprised upon hearing the girl's words. Belly in love with Conrad? No, it didn't make sense. Her brows raised in surprise as she looked at the back of the girl's head. "You like Conrad?" she asked, slightly startling the brunette.

Belly quickly turned around, seeing the girl staring at her with a hurt look on her face. "No, Am, I don't," she began, getting up from her bed. "Taylor doesn't know what she's talking about." She walked over to the girl, grabbing her hands. "I don't like him, I promise."

Amber's eyes searched the girl's in front of her. Belly looked pleading, like she was trying to get her point across. And then, suddenly, it felt like Amber snapped out of a trance. She was over him. It didn't matter if Belly liked him. She was over him. She mustered a smile, her eyes still staring into Belly's. "It's okay if you do—I'm over him, remember?" She lightly laughed.

"But... I don't, just so you know," Belly replied, letting go of Amber's hands. "Taylor just likes to mess around with me," she added.

Tight-lipped, Amber nodded. "Okay." She broke eye contact with the girl and looked around the room for a moment. "Uhm, I'm going to get ready." She walked towards the door, sending a few glances at the girl, who looked slightly worried. "Meet you and Aiden in the hall in ten?"

Belly nodded.

Amber opened the door. "Okay," she muttered, dipping her head. Then she walked out of the room, going to hers.

When she entered her room, she looked around, examining it for the hundredth time since she had gotten there. If someone hadn't known it was hers, they might have assumed it was just a guest room, which it was in some ways. The only touches of the girl's personality were the stuffed bear sitting on the bed, all of the clothes either in the drawers or in the closet, and her secrets that lay underneath her bed.

Sighing, she walked over to the closet, opened the door, its white walls blinding her, and then walked in.

Her clothes caught her eye as they hung on the racks in a color-coded order that was sectioned by type of clothing: first were shirts and crop tops, then pants, and finally dresses; her skirts and shorts lived in her dresser drawers, along with her pajamas. Her shoes were also in that same color-coded order. They were also organized by type. Converse (which took up ninety percent of her shoe collection) came first, followed by sneakers, and finally sandals.

She went over to the shirts and pulled out a red, tight-fitting crop top. Then she picked up a pair of red Converse. Oh, how she adored her Converse; she owned every color and pattern imaginable. 

She walked out of the closet, went to her bed, and set the clothes on her bed. Then she went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of medium-wash blue jean shorts.

After that, she made her way to where her makeup bag was. She wasn't going to put on a lot of makeup, seeing as though she didn't have time and was too lazy. But one thing she was definitely going to put on was red lipstick, which was something she did anytime she wore red. It was sort of like a signature for her.

━━━━━

Aiden was in front of Belly and Amber, trying their hardest to stay quiet as they crept downstairs, but the boy was making that quite difficult. He kept getting clumsy, running into the wall every so often.

And if she didn't know how her brother was, Amber would have assumed that he started the party a little earlier with the amount of stumbling he was doing. He looked like he had two left feet and zero control over his limbs.

She scowled at him, and he sent her a sheepish smile as they reached the last step.

They slowly made their way through the kitchen—tip-toeing being their best friend at that moment. The noise coming from the TV in the family room was apparent, but Aiden and Amber tried to ignore it by going to the front door.

Amber watched as the brunette walked over to the doorway between the family room and the kitchen. Belly leaned against the wall, her eyes focused on the TV, where the moms were watching It Happened One Night.

Noticing a small smile on the girl's face as she walked toward her, Amber sighed, the pit of guilt digging deeper into her gut. She swallowed it, though, trying not to let it get to her.

It was summer, she was a teenager, and the boys were out having fun—why must she feel guilty about wanting to do the same?

Feeling Amber tug on her arm, Belly snapped out of her trance, her eyes finding the girl. She gave her a questioning look as the blonde nodded towards the front door. Quietly sighing, Belly ran a hand over her pink dress and followed Amber to the door, where Aiden stood, waiting.

And then they left. The first bonfire of the season was their next stop.

━━━━━

Finally arriving at the beach, Amber let out a breath. Her legs were tired from walking. She was really out of shape—one of the many perks of quitting every single sport she played. Her hands clamped down on her hips as they walked onto the beach, and she took a deep breath.

Salt air, beer, smoke, and the sea—how refreshing!

The sight of many, many teens and young adults who probably still acted like teens caught her eye. She assumed that most, or all, of them were either drunk or high, or maybe even a mixture of both. They either had their tongues down each other's throats or a solo cup in their hands. And the ones that had and were doing both were spilling their drinks all over their companion, but they didn't seem to mind, seeing as though they were a little preoccupied.

Glancing over at Belly and Aiden, she saw the girl with an annoyed look on her face as her arms crossed over her body, and her brother looked as if he were in heaven. He'd never been to a party, to Amber's knowledge—neither of them had.

"Aiden, no drinking, alright?" Amber told him, pointing an accusing finger at him.

He raised his hands in defense. "I should be telling you that, not the other way around," he remarked, causing her to glare at him. He swore he would never talk about that time in her life. "Sorry," he mumbled, automatically feeling bad.

"Yo, gas station girls!" A familiar voice—a familiar and irritating voice—called out. The girls' eyes quickly moved to look at the guy approaching them, watching as a smirk took over his face.

Oh, goody, it's Mr. I Can't Tell That Two Girls Who Clearly Are Underage Are Underage!

Amber rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her body. Belly tried to muster a smile, stepping a bit closer to the other two teens, her arms falling tighter around her body.

"Hey, where are you coming from?" he asked, stopping beside them.

Belly nervously chuckled. "Uh, another party," she lied, causing Amber and Aiden to furrow their brows.

"Sweet, yeah," the guy began, the smirk still on his face. Jumpe was what Amber believed his name was—she honestly wasn't sure. "Hey, here, take my beer," he said, offering his beer to Belly.

"No, no, no, thanks—I'm okay," Belly muttered, backing away from him a bit more, closer to Aiden.

Amber looked at her brother, who looked confused, like he didn't know what to do. And then she watched as he sent a sideways glance at the guy.

At Belly's rejection, Jumper looked at Amber, the stupid smile still on his face. "What about you, Blondie?" he asked, raising his brows and the solo cup in his hand.

Amber sent him a sarcastic smile. "No, I'm good. I don't take drinks from strangers."

"Okay," he muttered at her dismissal. "So, uh, you got a boyfriend back home?" he asked Belly, glancing at Aiden, who was sending him a glare in return.

"Um..." Belly started, unsure of what to say. Amber watched her with curiosity, wondering how she was going to answer. And that was when Belly's eyes focused on something—or rather, someone—in front of them. "Steven!" she called out, catching the boy's attention.

Amber's eyes shifted away from her friend, finding the girl's brother with his arm around a stunningly gorgeous girl's shoulder. Amber hummed, wondering how and when Steven had gotten together with her.

The freckle-faced boy turned at the sound of his name, and his eyes narrowed in on the three teens. "Belly?" His voice was full of surprise as his brows raised. "What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling his arm from the girl's shoulder and immediately walking over to the group. "And I'm sorry, what are you wearing?"

"I invited her," Jumper interrupted, irritated. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm her brother," Steven scoffed, looking the guy up and down. "She's fifteen." He pointed at Belly. "And she's sixteen, you pedo," he added, pointing at Amber.

"I-I'm almost sixteen," Belly mumbled, causing Amber to look at her with furrowed brows and her mouth hanging slightly open.

"My bad," Jumper muttered, holding his hands up as he slowly walked away from the scene.

"Jesus Christ." Steven huffed, grabbing his sister's arm. "Belly, come on." He began pulling her further into the crowd of people, and Amber and Aiden quickly followed, along with the girl Steven was with when they had arrived.

"What are you doing?" Belly asked, annoyance lacing her tone, trying to free her arm from his grip. "Will you let go of me, please? What are you doing?" she continued, still struggling against his hold. "You're embarrassing me."

"I'm embarrassing?" Steven scoffed with disbelief and then gave her the most older-brother-like answer possible. "You're embarrassing."

"Why am I embarrassing?" Belly asked, trying to pull away from him again.

Amber, Aiden, and the mystery girl continued to follow, trying not to make a scene like Belly and Steven were destined to do. Amber watched as Belly struggled against her brother, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Quit embarrassing yourself," he told his sister as she began to hit and push him. "Are you kidding me?" He scoffed.

Belly continued to struggle against him, hitting his arm and shoulder. "Stop it, Steven!"

And then she fell to the ground, face-first.

Steven tried to help her up as Amber and Aiden rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" the Pearl siblings asked in unison, along with Steven.

There were eyes on them from all around. Belly's fall had caught the attention of everyone. Including the two sitting in front of her with their lips pressed together.

"Belly?" Conrad's voice caught the attention of the group in front of him. The two girls looked at him as he looked between them with his pretty eyes. "Rebel?" He furrowed his brows at the sight of his ex-girlfriend.

But she wasn't paying attention to him anymore; her eyes were on the girl next to him. The beautiful girl was wearing a Red Sox hat and staring at them with confusion. A feeling—the same feeling as in the pool—grew in the pit of Amber's stomach as she took a deep breath while she and Belly stood.

It's been two years, Amber. Get over it. He's moved on; you've known this. And you're over him.

Belly shot Amber a sideways look, then her eyes shifted back to Conrad, her face twisted in anger. "I thought you hated the Red Sox?" Belly and Amber stated in unison—Belly's voice coming out with more force than Amber's.

"Who are you?" the girl next to Conrad asked, glancing between the two girls.

Amber scoffed. "Who are you?" the two girls asked together once more.

The girl glanced at Conrad for a brief moment, then looked at the girls. "Nicole. Conrad and I went to the Deb Ball together last summer," she informed them, pointing between herself and the boy across from her.

Un-fucking-believeable. Amber scoffed, shaking her head in anger. The Deb Ball was supposed to be hers and Conrad's thing, and then he goes and says that it was for sheep and all bullshit? What a fucking piece of shi—

"It was after you guys left to take Steven to look at colleges," Conrad chimed in, looking at Belly but not once glancing at Amber.

"I thought you said that deb balls are bullshit and that all debs are sheep," Belly said, reminding the boy of his words from earlier in the evening as Amber fumed beside her. "Oh, yeah, and what was it that you said to Amber?" She glanced at the girl and then back at the boy. "It was laughable how excited she was for the ball, right?"

"I didn't..." he began, but his voice fell short when he received a confused look from Nicole.

Amber didn't want to listen any further. She was filled with burning anger, and she was trying so hard to control it. You're not together anymore, Amber. You can't be jealous. It doesn't matter. She rolled her eyes and began to walk away from the scene. But when Conrad finally spoke again, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"You're both such brats." He scoffed, his gaze divided between the girl in front of him and the one who had walked away.

"Well, you're an asshole," Belly retorted, taking a step forward.

Amber didn't say anything; she stood in her spot, not facing him or anyone else. She had felt tears brimming in her eyes, but it wasn't because she was sad or upset—she was frustrated and annoyed, and she cried when she was both of those things. But she didn't let the tears slip, and she swallowed them down, running her hands along her sides.

"Belly, Am, Aiden!" Jeremiah called out, jogging over to the group.

Amber looked over at him, seeing the green Solo cup in his hand. His beach-boy curls and tan skin caught her attention next, and she wondered if he had always been that tan. If he had, she never noticed.

"You came!" he cheered, stopping in front of them. "Great, we can all hang out, you guys!"

"I'm about to take Belly home," Steven told him, moving towards his sister.

"W-What—why just me? What about Amber and Aiden?" Belly asked, her brows scrunched in confusion and annoyance.

"I'm not their big brother, Belly. Now, come on—we're leaving," Steven replied.

"Are you kidding me?" Jeremiah and Belly called out in unison.

"Yeah, come on." Steven grabbed his sister's arm, trying to pull her away from the group.

"Okay, Steven, chill out," Jeremiah said, sticking his hand out.

"Wait, guys, where's Amber?" Belly asked, her eyes searching for the blonde. She took her arm away from her brother's grasp and began to look around for her friend. Amber was no longer standing in the spot she had been, and Belly felt stupid for not noticing her walk away.

"Uh..." Jeremiah mumbled as everyone else began to look around.

"Uh, she's right there," Nicole said, pointing in front of her, a good thirty feet away.

Amber stood with three guys and a girl, downing drink after drink with a bright smile on her face in between each. She laughed when one of the guys said something. She looked happy, like she was having a good time.

"Oh no," Aiden mumbled, running a hand through his short hair.

"Don't worry, I got her," Jeremiah comforted, a smirk on his face. He walked away without another word, going straight to the girl. "What are you doing?" he asked with a smile, stopping beside her and glancing between the ones she stood with and her.

She smirked, lifting her cup to him. "I'm trying to have fun," she beamed, meeting his ocean-blue eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked with a teasing tone, taking a step closer to him.

"I'm checking on you," he responded, the smile still on his face. He glanced at the four she had been laughing with, watching as they moved on to a different conversation but not moving from their spot next to the keg. "Um, Amber, don't you think you should slow down a bit?" he asked as she filled her cup again, then downed it.

She giggled, the cheesy smile still on her face. "What are you, my boyfriend?" She brought the solo cup to her lips. Her brows raised as she looked at him from over the rim of the cup, taking a sip of her drink.

"No," he blurted. "No. It's just that I don't think you've ever had an ounce of alcohol in your life, so you might, I don't know, want to take it easy." He chuckled, though nothing was funny. And when he went to grab her cup, she pulled it away, causing him to miss it.

"You would be wrong about the alcohol thing; I've had plenty. Plus, I've only had, like, three drinks so far, so don't worry," she admitted with a teasing smile, stepping closer to him, causing his brows to raise. Before he could say anything, she continued. "Belly told me something interesting," she mentioned, taking another sip of her drink. Belly, in fact, did not tell her anything interesting.

"Mhm, really? What did she say?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.    

She let a smirk grow on her face as she stood on her tippy-toes, placing her face right in front of his. She watched closely as his eyes went slightly wider and his jaw slacked oh-so-barely. "She told me that you were staring at my ass earlier—you know, when we were by the pool."

"Uh..." He searched for a response.

"I don't mind, Jere," she confessed, the smile still on her face. She glanced down at his lips, and she could practically feel the nerves radiating off of him. She didn't know why she was flirting—or whatever this was—with him. He was Jeremiah, for crying out loud.

His brows hiked up to his forehead. "Really?" Surprise filled his tone.

She nodded, a sweet smile still on her face. "Yeah."

He glanced at her lips, and she didn't miss it. She stepped closer, resting her feet completely flat on the sand, her legs growing tired from trying to match his height. He didn't move or step away; he just stared down at her, his eyes roaming her face.

She was sure what he was thinking was a bad idea. And she was thinking it, too. Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, she repeated in her head, her eyes searching his.

He cleared his throat and stepped back, putting distance between them. "Have a fun night at your first beach bonfire," he breathed, putting his hands in the pockets of his shorts. Without another word, he turned away, walking in a direction away from her and not towards their friends.

"You're no fun, Jere Bear!" she called out, amusement filling her voice.

He faced her again, still walking away. "Take it easy, Pearly!" he replied, pointing at her.

She lightly laughed, lifting her cup up to him like they were going to cheer, and watched as he turned around and continued his journey away from her. She could feel a burning gaze on her cheek, and she knew he was staring, but she didn't acknowledge him.

Turning back to the four that she hadn't caught the names of, she sent them a small smile and filled up her cup. They continued to talk about whatever they were talking about as she took a sip from her cup, crossed one arm over her chest, and rested the elbow of the other on the backside of her hand.

After a moment of only listening to the background noise of people chatting, partying, and making out, a soft and raspy voice caught Amber's attention. "What was that all about?" the girl standing on the other side of the keg asked, turning away from the three boys.

"Uh, what?" Amber muttered, raising her brows.

She studied the girl, eyeing her as a small grin overcame her features. Her hair was medium-brown in color and twisted in messy curls—it was the kind of messy that looked intentional, and Amber loved that. The girl stood the same height as the blonde she was looking at. She was wearing baggy jean shorts that looked too long for her short legs and an oversized graphic tee paired with some high-top Nike Dunks.

She was a very gorgeous person, and Amber could easily admit that. And she was sure the blush on her cheeks was doing that well enough.

"The thing with that surfer-dude-looking guy," she elaborated, nodding towards where Jeremiah had run off to. "The whole eye-fucking thing," she added with a chuckle. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle it, and then she cleared her throat.

"Oh, uh, Jere? He's just someone I grew up with," Amber informed. Then she took a sip of her drink, her throat suddenly feeling really dry. "And there was definitely no eye-fucking whatsoever," she assured, waving her free hand dismissively.

"Oh, right. For sure," the girl nodded in obvious-fake agreement.

"I'm serious; he's like my brother," she explained, twisting her face in confusion as she thought. "Well, that might be weird to say considering I dated his brother," she muttered, glancing up at the sky with furrowed brows.

"Damn. So you dated his brother, and then you were eye-fucking him?" The girl laughed.

Amber's gaze snapped back at her and away from the sky. "There was no eye-fucking!" she breathed out with amusement. "That's gross. Jeremiah is Jeremiah, for crying out loud," she chuckled, covering her mouth.

She raised her hands in defense. "Right, right. Sorry. No eye-fucking." The girl nodded, lowering her arms and sticking them in the pockets of her shorts.

A moment of silence passed as they just stared at one another, and then Amber cleared her throat. "Uh, do you, maybe, want to go sit down somewhere? My legs are getting tired from standing," she offered, gesturing behind her and nowhere in particular.

"Uhm, my friends are kind of wanting me to stick with them," she admitted, not looking away from Amber but nodding to the three guys that stood behind them still in their own conversation.

"Oh, right," Amber acknowledged. "Yeah, no, that's fine," she added, waving her hand. "But, uh, I am going to sit down somewhere because my legs are hurting." A light laugh slipped from her lips as she took a step back. "See you around," she added, before turning and walking as far away from the girl as fast as possible.

Well, that was fucking embarrassing.

She scurried across the sand, her Converse digging in the fine bits as she looked down at her feet. She knew that she had walked past Conrad and Nicole as she made her way to a mostly empty part of the beach, but she didn't care. To be completely honest, she had forgotten all about them.

But as she sat down, the memory of their interaction when Belly had fallen down came back to mind, and she sighed, slumping her shoulders. She brought her drink back up to her lips and took a sip, and for the first time that night, she paid attention to what it tasted like, and it wasn't good. Her face twisted in disgust as she swallowed the beer.

Silence fell over her as she looked up at the ocean, watching as the waves crashed down in the dark of the night. She missed this dearly—the ocean, the salt air, the sand, the feeling of peace and relaxation overtaking her senses. She had missed Cousins so much, and she wished it was not haunted by so many bad memories.

Movement in her peripheral vision caused her to look to her left. A small smile tugged at her lips as her eyes met the girl's from before. She watched her walk over to her and sit down next to her with a smile on her face as well.

"Hi." Amber smiled, looking at the girl.

Now that she was closer to her, she could see that she had two nose piercings—one on the septum and one on the left side of her nose—both silver jewelry. Amber had always wanted a nose piercing, but dance and her father always held her back from getting one. The girl's shining green eyes were what Amber focused on next—they were beautiful, almost ethereal. Freckles littered the girl's nose, and the light makeup she was wearing did not do much to cover them.

"Hi," the girl replied, returning the smile. "I'm Avery, by the way," she added, sticking her hand out for Amber to shake.

"I'm Amber," the blonde returned, shaking her hand.

"Nice to formally meet you, Amber." She laughed, propping up her knees and resting her arms on them, looking out at the ocean.

"Back at you." Amber copied the girl's movements, her drink still lazily resting in one of her hands.

Silence overtook them again. It wasn't awkward, and Amber was glad for that. She was already tired of the night, and coming to the stupid bonfire was her idea! Her annoyance may of had something to do with a certain boy she dated, but if she hadn't come, then she wouldn't of met the girl sitting next to her.

Avery. That's such a cool name.

Letting out a breath, Amber laid back on the sand. She propped her cup up so that it wouldn't spill, and she looked at the shining stars. She could feel eyes on her, and she knew they were coming from not just beside her but also a few dozen feet away. He was staring at her—or at them, rather.

Let him stare, she thought. If he wanted to, he could, and it wouldn't bother her. But she reckoned she should give him something to stare at. She glanced over at Avery, meeting her green eyes, and she sent her another small smile.

Avery returned the gesture. "Is that boy that's staring at us your ex?" she asked, not even glancing in Conrad's direction.

Amber hummed a response, nodding her head.

"Is he still hung up on you? Is that why he's staring like he wants to rip my head off?" She inquired, her words laced with slight amusement.

"No, he's not still hung up on me. We broke up two years ago, and he's moved on since then, so no, he's not hung up on me," Amber explained. "He's just... weird," she muttered, not knowing how else to explain it.

"Weird? Or jealous?" Avery raised her brows.

Amber playfully rolled her eyes. "Conrad is not jealous. He would have to care to be jealous," she admitted, her voice growing quieter at her words, moving her eyes away from Avery's and back to the shining star up above.

Avery shuffled so that she was lying down next to Amber, her arms resting underneath her head. She stayed silent for a moment, stargazing with the girl she had just met. "Why do you think he doesn't care if you're okay sharing?" She broke the silence.

"Uhm..." Amber mumbled, running circles around her stomach with the hand not holding her drink. "I just got back to Cousins earlier today, and we haven't talked or seen each other in two years, and he just doesn't seem affected by it, which is okay; he can be completely fine, but it still hurts, you know," she began, thinking back on the day.

"His mom got me an invitation to be a debutante this year, which has been my dream, like, my whole life, and he knows that because we used to talk about it all the time, but today, he told me that all debs are sheep and that the ball is bullshit and that me being excited about it was laughable," she continued, feeling Avery's eyes fall back on her. "But come to find out, that girl he is sitting with, he took her to the ball last year."

"Oh, damn," Avery muttered.

"Yeah. I don't know; it's not just that; he seems different—not at all like he used to be," Amber added. "That may be from him growing up, but I have a nagging feeling that it's something else." Another moment of silence passed over them. "Sorry, I'm oversharing. Enough about my ex." She shook her head, ridding herself of her worries.

"No, it's okay. I asked." Avery smiled, looking over at the blonde.

Amber met her stare, and a wave of confidence came over her. She bit back a smirk, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth in thought as she watched Avery closely. Her eyes roamed the girl's face, taking in each of her beautiful features.

Avery's eyes did the same, scanning over Amber's face and then resting on her lips, which her teeth were still tugging at.

Inhaling deeply, Amber released her lip as she watched Avery stare at them. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was not sure what to do next. This feeling wasn't a first for her, and it most certainly wasn't the one she was feeling with Jeremiah earlier in the night.

"We can always give him something to stare at," Avery offered, her eyes flickering to Amber's before moving back to her lips.

"And what might that be?" Amber teased, the corner of her mouth lifting.

Avery reached a hand out, brushing a strand of hair behind Amber's ear, and then she leaned in. Her eyes scanned the girl's, waiting for her approval. The blue-eyed girl gave her a curt nod, and Avery closed the space.

It wasn't the first time Amber had kissed a girl, but something about this time was different. Avery's lips were soft, and her kiss was gentle as she waited for Amber to return it, which the blonde wasted no time doing.

Their kisses started off gentle and timid as Avery rested one hand in Amber's hair and the other on her hip. Amber pushed her head up, trying to deepen the kiss as they continued. Her hand found its way to the back of Avery's head, intertwining in her curls.

They continued like this as the kiss became more intense, and Avery sat up, pulling Amber along with her. Now, with Avery lying on her back, Amber hovered over her, their lips still connected, stealing each other's breath away.

Amber moved so that she could kiss the girl she had just met even harder, forgetting about the drink in her hand. She felt the wetness of the beer pour onto her and the girl under her. The kiss broke in an instant, and both girls looked down at Avery's shirt, which was now slightly wet from the beer.

"Oh, look, you got me all wet," Avery joked, meeting Amber's stare.

The blonde girl laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand that held the cup. "It was my pleasure," she returned, narrowing her eyes with a playful grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Avery laughed and pulled Amber back down to meet her lips once more.

━━━━━

The girls had moved from their spot a couple of times to get more and more drinks. Conrad's gaze had left them soon after the first kiss, but Amber had barely noticed. She was sure that her lipstick was smudged, but she didn't care as Avery cracked another joke.

Both girls were overly drunk, so anything the other said they found funny, and their loud laughter proved that. Amber was glad that someone outside of her tight-knit family and friend group was finally spending time with her. She loved them all to death, but hanging out with the same people day after day made you short of things to talk about.

That wasn't how it was with Avery. She had crazy stories that she was happy to share with Amber—ones mostly containing the three boys she had been hanging out with when they met. Trevor, Nate, and Connor were their names.

"No, no, I'm serious. He literally jumped into a freezing cold pool in the middle of autumn because he was double-dog dared. An honorable man, he is," Avery laughed. "You should never turn down a double-dog dare. Ever."

Sounds of commotion caught Amber's attention before she could reply. Her gaze fell off of Avery, and she searched the beach for the cause of the noise. Her eyes found where Conrad was sitting, but now he wasn't sitting; he was standing and going back and forth with the gas station guy—Jumper.

"Shit," Amber muttered, quickly standing up from the ground.

"What?" Avery asked, watching the girl. "What—Amber, where are you going?"

Amber didn't answer; she just rushed over to Conrad and Jumper. Cautiously, she made her way to the two guys. She saw Nicole standing beside Conrad but didn't pay her any mind.

"What's your problem, man?" Jumper asked. "It's one beer. It's a party. Relax."

"No, give me my beer back. I paid for this," Conrad retorted, trying to grab the beer from the guy's hand.

"Stop, stop. You're drunk," Nicole interjected so that a fight wouldn't break out.

Amber walked a bit closer to the scene as the two guys started to throw some punches. She went right to Conrad. She was planning on trying to stop him, though she didn't know why or how, and her brain wasn't working properly at that moment.

As she reached Conrad, she saw Belly going to the other guy, trying to stop him. The blonde focused her attention on the boy in front of her. She grabbed his arm, trying to get his attention, and called out, "Conrad, stop."

The next thing she knew, she had an elbow to the face. Conrad had elbowed her in the face. She fell to the ground and groaned, "Ow, fuck." Her hand reached up to hold her eye as someone's hand fell on her arm.

"Amber, are you okay?" Aiden asked, trying to help her up.

Amber looked up at him, seeing his concerned eyes. She didn't know where he had come from, and her mind was too foggy to care.

She didn't get up, despite Aiden's many attempts to lift her. She turned her head and saw Conrad and the other guy still throwing punches at each other. Idiots, she thought—they and herself. Rolling her eyes, she looked away from them and to the ground behind Jumper. Belly was on the ground when a boy Amber didn't recognize helped her up.

Jeremiah came running over, ignoring the girls on the ground, and he broke up the fight. It took Amber a minute to regain her thoughts, but when she did, she heard someone yelling about the cops being there.

Conrad turned after the fight was over, only to see Amber on the ground. She was trying to get up but struggling, even with the helping hand of her brother. He rushed to her side and grabbed her other arm, trying to help her up as well. "Oh my God, Amber, I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to," he reassured.

She shrugged off his hand. "Don't touch me, Conrad." She placed her hands on Aiden's shoulders and used them as support for her to stand. And before she could even stand up fully, Jeremiah came up beside her and grabbed her hand, pulling her in the direction of the Jeep as Conrad and Aiden followed.

Her eyes scanned over the crowd of people running in search of Avery. But the girl and her curly hair couldn't be spotted as Jeremiah continued to pull Amber towards the Jeep.

And once they made it to the Jeep, Jeremiah let go of Amber's hand, and he helped Conrad to the other side of the car. Amber and Aiden climbed into the backseat and waited to leave.

Amber's eyes shot up, and she found that Belly was there, standing with a boy—the same boy that helped her up—and two other girls, one of whom Amber recognized but didn't care enough to remember from where.

Jeremiah opening the door of the Jeep caught her attention, and her eyes fell off of the newcomers, and she watched the curly-haired boy help his obviously drunk brother into the backseat.

"Seriously, come on—get into the car," Jeremiah told his brother, pushing him into the car. "Watch your head," he added as Conrad lay down in the seat. His head was resting on Amber's lap, though he didn't notice, nor did he notice the glare he received from her. "Legs, legs," Jeremiah continued, pushing the boy's legs into the Jeep so that he could close the door.

"Yes, I know how to get into a car," Conrad mumbled.

"Do you know how to sit in a car?" Amber sassed, continuing to glare at the boy.

He looked up at her and rolled his eyes, then reluctantly sat up properly.

"Thank you," she sighed, rolling her eyes and facing towards the window, which was semi-blocked by Aiden's head as he watched Belly talk to the mystery boy intently.

"Belly, let's go—get in." Jeremiah, who was now sitting in the front seat, looked at the girl through the open passenger window as Amber rested her head on her brother's shoulder.

"Cam can give me a ride home," Belly replied, waving an offering hand. "Right, Cam?" she asked, looking at the boy who stood in front of her.

"Yes—that is no problem," the boy they now knew as Cam said.

"No, you're not going to get in a car with a guy you just met," Jeremiah stated, resting his hand on the steering wheel.

"I'm Cam—Cameron," the boy responded, sticking his hand out for Jeremiah to shake.

Ignoring the hand, Jeremiah furrowed his brows, looking at the boy like he was stupid. "Your name is Cam Cameron?" he inquired, a slight amusement in his words.

"Oh my God, can we just go?" Amber groaned, lifting her head. Everyone ignored her irritation. She let out a sigh and began picking at the skin around her nails as she kicked her shoes together.

"No, it's ju-just Cam," the boy awkwardly corrected.

"Can you stop doing that with your feet?" Conrad whispered in Amber's ear.

She looked over at him with a confused look that was entirely fake, then she looked down at her feet. She was still tapping her shoes against each other, and she knew that it had always annoyed the hell out of Conrad when she did that. So instead of stopping, she continued but did it louder and faster. Looking back at him, she gave him a smirk, and he rolled his eyes.

Jeremiah scoffed. "Okay, no offense, but no—Belly, get in the car."

"Just get in the car," Amber and Conrad said in unison, with the same bored tone in their voices. They weren't even looking at Belly, or anyone else for that matter. They were still looking at each other as Amber continued to tap her shoes together.

They drowned out the rest of the conversation as the irritation grew on Conrad's face. Finally, the tapping became too annoying for his intoxicated brain, and he put his hand on her leg, trying to get her to stop. "Alright, stop," he muttered.

She smirked and stopped tapping her shoes. Leaning closer to him, she whispered, "I won." Her voice was taunting. And when she pulled back, she stared into Conrad's bright green eyes.

Now, being the one with the smirk on his face, he playfully narrowed his eyes. "I didn't know this was a game."

They were both still fully aware of the people around them and were definitely still aware of Conrad's hand on Amber's thigh, but they didn't seem to care. They stared at each other intently, but the sound of the car door closing snapped their attention away from one another.

Amber looked to the front and saw that Belly was sitting in the front seat. She slipped Conrad's hand off her thigh before anyone could notice, causing a coldness to coat where it had just been, and then she moved away from him and closer to her brother, who was still staring out the window.

Jeremiah started the engine, getting ready to drive away as Cam and the two other girls began to walk away. "Lola, you're seriously going to go home with a guy you just met?" Jeremiah called out, sticking his head out the driver's window.

The three that were walking away stopped in their tracks, and Lola turned to face the Fisher boy. "Uh, yeah," she responded, a certain why-are-you-talking-to-me tone lacing her words. She smiled a sweet, soft smile that didn't look real when directed at the boy.

"But you just met him?" Jeremiah added, his face twisting in confusion.

"Well, one—Cam and I have known each other since, like, forever, so he's not a complete stranger," she began, patting the shoulder of the boy who stood next to her. "And two—I'm not alone," she added, looking at the girl on the other side of her. "And three—I'm not going home with him; he's taking me home, and it's not your concern anyway."

"Right." Jeremiah nodded, a tight-lipped expression pulling at his features. "Well, be safe." He sent them a wave and a smile, which only Cam returned.

The three turned and left, presumably going to Cam's car.

After that, Jeremiah began driving, and Amber leaned forward. "Is there a new crush coming about this summer?" she teased Belly, sending her a knowing smirk.

Belly faced the girl and sent her the same teasing smirk, then her eyes moved to Conrad. "Is there an old crush coming about this summer?" She retorted, nodding towards the boy sitting in the backseat, not paying attention.

"No," Amber replied, a little too quickly for her own liking.

"Whatever you say," Belly teased just before facing forward.

Amber narrowed her eyes at the girl and sat back in her seat. She rested her head on Aiden's shoulder and closed her eyes, preparing to go to sleep. But when the car came to a sudden stop and she headbutted the seat, that plan was quickly ruined. "Ow," she quietly whined.

"Fuck, Steven!" Jeremiah swore as Amber rubbed her head. "Watch those three," he told Belly, pointing to the teenagers that sat in the back. "I'll be right back." Then he was gone from the car, going straight to the beach in search of his long-time friend.

It was quiet in the car, almost too quiet. Amber rubbed her head still; it hurt greatly. Conrad stared at her; she ignored it, and Belly and Aiden sat in silence with them.

After a moment, Conrad pulled his eyes away from the girl and looked at Belly. He leaned forward, pushing Amber aside, and grabbed a hold of a strand of Belly's hair. "Your hair's like a little kid's, the way it's always so messy," he told Belly, playing with the strand.

Belly rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you're not confusing me with Amber?" she asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror. "It's like you have an obsession with her hair, the way you're always messing with it," she added, glancing at her best friend through the same mirror.

Conrad's eyes shifted to the blonde girl sitting beside him, and he let go of the girl's hair. Amber was still looking at him with her ocean-blue eyes. He grabbed a strand of her hair, just like he did with Belly, and played with it between his fingers. "Yeah, her hair is messy, too," he muttered, ignoring the other words that the Conklin girl had spoken.

The awkward tension in the car was astronomical. It wasn't between just two people; no, it was just there, taking a hold of everyone. But it didn't last long, because a moment later, there was a loud knock on the window. They all quickly looked out the window. Lo and behold, there stood a police officer.

"Have you guys been drinking?" she asked.

"Well, shit," Amber cursed under her breath as Conrad let go of her hair.

━━━━━

━━━━ ella's speaking !
we love avery in this household, though, i regret to inform she won't be in the book anymore ( ...maybe hehe )

n e gays, i was so awkward writing the very lackluster kiss scene- like bro, it's not even that detailed or long but i had to stop in between writing each sentence?? wild.

amber's bisexuality was showing in this chapter quite a bit ( she's just like me fr ) and i'm all here for it

i hoped you enjoyed, and pls don't judge if the kissing scene was bad, i tried my best 🦅🦅

kisses.

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

word count: 9282    written: 8.31.23    published: 8.31.23