chapter 7 / next to nothing

"Oh, V. The fact you're not setting your feet when you throw would make my mom lose her shit." Having a die-hard softball fan as a mom earns me a lot of yelling at for sucking ass, but it turned me into the "helpful" teammate I am.

Tori flashes me her middle finger. "You caught it, didn't you, EJ?"

"I had to chase the motherfucking ball down to catch it." I stand with my feet decently far away from each other, the neon yellow ball landing in Tori's glove seconds later. "Just like that, babe."

Her throw back to me was almost identical to mine. "How's that, Coach Shapiro?"

I laugh at the nickname I earned. "Beautiful." My phone buzzes in the pocket of my shorts. Annoyed, I realize Tori spent three hours listening to my help. "My bad, V. I'm turning into Coach Miller with his ridiculous throwing drills."

Tori chuckles. "Emi, you're far nicer than that annoying old man."

A roar from a group of girls a couple years younger than us pierces my ears. The cheer came from the soccer field on the other side of the park. "It's like travel ball all over again."

"We were so loud after we won that it's no surprise the other team was being sore losers." Tori recalls, taking a seat at a nearby table. "Want to get food and hit the beach club later? My mom is letting me go out again."

I nod excitedly and join her at the table. "It's hotter than the devil's coochie these days. I'd love to."

Another girl joins in on our excitement. From the way she almost jumps for joy to the partially taken out French braids in her hair, I can tell she's the culprit of the yelling earlier. She turns toward us and decides to talk to me.

"Hey. Congrats on the win." I say, trying not to freak out.

The girl thanks me and her grin touches both corners of her eyes. "I should introduce myself since this is pretty awkward. I'm Abbey."

"Nice to meet you, Abbey. I'm Emilia." My gut tells me Abbey is awfully familiar. Did she tour the school a while back and I saw her then? Is she someone's sister? I can't put my finger on it, but I've definitely seen her face.

"Oh yeah!" Abbey gasps, her face lighting up. "You're really pretty, Emilia. Don't you attend my brother's school?"

I'm flattered. I swear, my heart is so full. Ever since I turned pretty, the sweet girls and the occasional sleazy boy at my school pay me compliments. Hearing that from a younger girl is the icing on the cake. 

"I appreciate it." I reply, curious to know who her brother was. 

Jude's arrival makes it all make sense. He's wearing the same tank top from last night with a pair of shorts. He quickly greets me, then turns to his little sister. "Abbey. We don't have time to make friends.

"Be quiet." She snaps, making Tori nearly spit out her water.

"Don't let her charisma fool you. She's literally demonic."

"He's a good tutor, but even better at making a fool of himself." Abbey retorts, earning an eye roll from Jude. From their full pink lips to the dimples on both siblings' cheeks, there's no questioning whether they're related. Abbey is literally the female version of her brother, even though her hair is more on the dark blonde side and her eyes are pools of hazel.

A voice with an English accent pierced my ears again. "Children! Mum probably thinks we're dead because we're taking forever!"

"My bad, Dad. Jude got busy talking to our neighbor." Abbey snitches, a smirk playing on her lips as she throws her brother under the bus. Embarrassed, Jude covers his face by lifting up the wife beater. At this point, I feel my cheeks reddening. 

He has a bit of a belly but always hides it with oversized sweaters. I don't know why because I can name at least three girls who want to fatten up their significant other. Jude, however, can be my personal pillow whenever he wants. 

I hope he's a hugger. 

"Ah." Ron, or whatever the hell this guy's name is, turns to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emilia. I'm Ron."

"Likewise." This man looks exactly like Tori's mom's boyfriend, but with blue eyes.

"I guess you know my son, right? Is he being shy around you?" Ron pats his son's shoulder. 

"Not really..." I assure him. The three of them standing together, there's no question this was a family. As I'm debating if I should elaborate further, I remember that the sister may have things to do. 

Judging by that ruckus her team was making, there was definitely a celebration to come.

"I'm sorry if I'm holding y'all up. It was nice to meet you guys though."

"See you next year, Emilia!" Abbey's long, grass covered legs swiftly carried her to a white BMW. Jude and his dad share a look.

"Like I said, she isn't that nice all the time." Jude repeated. "See you Monday afternoon?"

I nod. "I guess so. Bye, Jude."

He's turned around, but somehow I can see how red his face is. I'm lost as to why he's as red as he is since it isn't as hot as it could be right now. I'd say it's in the mid 70's right now, which is relatively cool for mid May. Once summer rolls around, I can see why he looks like a wet tomato. 

Tori, however, begs to differ. "Emi! I didn't know you already have a post-Hunter rebound!" She digs her nails into my shoulder.

Even though the pain is nothing compared to the yellow ball attacking me because yours truly knows what kind of pitches she likes, I still wince. "Ouch, puta." I whine. "For the record, I only really see him as my tutor."

As soon as I confessed that, I regret it. 

"Either way, I think he's into you and he isn't slick about it at all."

"You're a sweetheart and you're so pretty. I understand if he likes you, but me?" Let's be honest:  I'm confident enough to like the hottie I see in the mirror, but humble enough to remember I'm not popular with the male population at Silver Palms High.

As my dad would say, It is what it is, Emi. 

He's so right. They're not on Michael B. Jordan's level anyways.

A scoff escapes her lips. "You're way too modest, EJ. Don't tell me you're serious."

"I want to hear this, V."

"There's no denying he has eyes for you. He was smiling so hard that dimple on his cheek took up like, half his face."

"Let's not jump to conclusions." 

~

"EJ! Your hair isn't heat damaged!"

"You know I pretty much drenched it with heat spray, dumbass." In all seriousness, I hated how my hair didn't want to stay straight this morning. 

The first thing I did after Mom dropped Tori off was wash my hair until my waves returned. Unlike most people who sadly fry their hair and what God gave them is beyond saving, the first drop that left the shower head destroyed my straightened hair. 

In this weird way, seeing myself with my curls is how I'm getting over a certain someone. We all know why I straightened it to begin with.

"It looks beautiful. You did the right thing, babe." 

"Appreciate it." I flash my thumb at her as acknowledgement, then start rummaging through my drawer full of bikinis.

"Wear the one I got you for your birthday." Tori demands. "If I had your curves and cleavage, I'd wear the shit out of it."

As if someone is stalking us from the bathing suit, the bright orange bikini top appears at the top of the mound inside the drawer. "I'm saving it for the party, V."

Tori's face drops. "Oh. Can I change in your bathroom?"

"Hell no. It's off limits to my bestie." I joke. Tori rolls her eyes and opens the door connecting my room and bathroom while I go back to searching for what to wear. 

I decide on matching hot pink bottoms that look like actual dental floss with a white top. Since my lazy ass didn't want to look for the full set, I made this work.

As I'm about to determine if this is a huge mistake, Tori returns. I'm shocked she didn't take long to change, but she never has to because she's naturally pretty. Her hair is in the same low ponytail and she's wearing a navy blue bikini with a pair of shorts. It's decorated with tiny silver gems that are probably a choking hazard.

She sees my outfit and immediately her jaw drops. "I-"

"You don't like it?"

"You look so good, EJ! I didn't expect your whole ass to be out." She smacks my butt for emphasis. 

She's right. I check myself out in the mirror and look at what Hunter missed out on. If you told me two years ago that I don't fuck with one pieces while other girls wore what they wanted, I would have laughed in your face. I've always been slightly bigger than other girls my age, and that doesn't necessarily mean people treat me with respect. 

You know how saying, fuck it, I'm reinventing myself for freshman year is normal? Alright, not if you're as gorgeous as Victoria Isabel- never mind. After my transformation and drastic-ish mindset change, I fully expected everyone to worship the ground I walked on. I made a few of my middle school bullies hit on me, but that's next to nothing. 

I don't know what made the gears in my brain start turning and say, get a grip, you're better than them. Even though I cried my eyes out over a wannabe The Rock less than a week ago, I promise I gained some self respect.

Obese, middle school Emilia would have to do a double take if she saw herself wearing something other than a tacky one piece, let alone whatever revealing ensemble this is. 

 I can see a stripper the size of my Louisville Slugger wearing this to work.

"You're right, man." I gasp, taking in the sight of myself. The bottoms fail to cover my money maker, stretch marks and everything. Regardless of the stripes lining my butt, I look fine. 

Since I don't feel like getting kicked out of whatever restaurant we're going to, I put on some black sweatpants. "Is your mom on her way to pick us up?" I inquire. Like a typical person's best friend's mom, Helena is like a second mom to me. When you see her, it makes sense why her daughter is so effortlessly pretty and happy go lucky. That wasn't always the case.

Helena was born in Brazil, but her family moved to the US when she was a teenager. She met Tori's dad in college. I guess you know where this is going.

I've never met her dad, but she tears up when he is mentioned, telling me he isn't the best man in the world. When Tori was in fifth grade, her family moved here from Oklahoma after her dad was caught cheating. Tori says that unfortunately, this wasn't the first time. 

Understandably, Helena became pretty depressed for a while. It took a few years for her to get back on her feet, but it's worth seeing her so happy. She started dating her boyfriend about a year ago, and the way she smiles when he's around is priceless.

Tori nods. "I texted her five minutes ago. She'll be here soon."

I guess "soon" means not even a moment later. The Tesla's horn blares, and we make our way downstairs. 

"Have fun!" My parents say in unison, temporarily looking up from their realtor crap.

The door opens towards the sky and we walk in. 

"Girls!" Helena greets us as we fasten our seatbelts. 

"Bon tarde, Helena." I reply, Tori's eyes widening at my Portuguese. I obviously know Spanish a lot better, courtesy of my dad, but that doesn't always cut it around the Butlers.

(a/n: the spanish/portuguese is mostly from translating sites so feel free to correct me. i'm learning spanish currently, so it won't be perfect)

"Hello, Emilia." She smiles, taking off immediately. "Meu namorado and I are going to have lunch at the beach club and you girls can do whatever."

"A hot date!" I exclaim. The beach club was specifically built for PG, family friendly fun, but recently couples haven't been doing their part to keep it that way. Either way, the hot tub that sits in a semi-isolated corner seems like a great make out spot. "Tell Ed I said hi." 

"Lucky. If I asked her to do that, she'd tell me to do it myself. Why exactly do I have his number?" She whispered. Tori may be carefree and sweet, but she habitually badmouths other people. It's only around me, thank God. 

I cover my lips to avoid bursting out laughing. Tori tells me that she can't complain about her mom's new man, but it's not like they're best friends.

They better not be. That's my job.

~

The bubbling hot tub and warm sun make me forget all about my problems. After tenth grade's over for good, I can't wait to hang out here all day every day. Shirley Temples and laughing with my best friend are my main plans.

Not just that, but I'm going to have so much fun. From the party in a week to Tori's sixteenth birthday get together in July, I deserve it after the way a few boys at White Palms treated me. 

It'll be fun bringing a particular British boy with a dad bod here someday. 

"Where'd they go?"

The sweet grenadine makes my taste buds happy. "I wish I knew."

Victoria chuckles, sipping a carbonated drink that I can't really make out. "I hope they're not giving me a half sibling anytime soon."

"No way!" The sugary cherry syrup almost leaves my mouth. "Your mom's too religious." Helena's not religious to the point where she judges the shit out of people, but in a more optimistic and thankful way.

Tori shrugs. "Leo wouldn't appreciate a sister almost two decades younger than him. The odds are next to nothing." 

"Who cares about what Leo wants?" I laugh, referring to Tori's mean and slightly hot older brother in college. 

She scrunches up her nose. "Either way, I don't want them to make one." 

I laugh so hard that I almost pee in the hot tub. This reminds me that the Shirley Temple has taken its toll on my bladder. "I'm going to the bathroom. Wanna meet me inside for lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Tori places her glass on the concrete as I make a beeline for the ladies' room. Of course, I don't forget the sweatpants that are resting on our chairs.

On my way, my phone buzzes like crazy. What the hell, I think as I pull it out. I almost lose the grip on my phone as Jude Merryweather added you on Snapchat pops up on my screen. I can't help the grin that spreads across my face as I accept his friend request. As I enter the bathroom with soaked floors and strands of hair on every other tile, I tuck my phone in my pocket since my track record involving toilet water and technology is interesting.

I love how my reflexes are fast enough to save my AirPods from falling into the toilet, but I can't do that when a batter watches a pitch fly over her head. 

A sigh escapes my lips and I sit on the toilet for a while. Not long enough for Tori and Helena to send security to look for me, but about eight minutes pass before my feet meet with the puddle of water below.

The hard concrete wipes them well before I walk towards the plethora of picnic tables. I see Tori scrolling on her phone before I join her. I fully expect her to be concerned about hogging the bathroom, but she's just happy to see me.

"Long time no see!" She jokes, patting my shoulder. 

I let out a laugh. "Have you seen your mom lately?"

Speak of the devil. Helena and Ed are at the bar closest to the pool, laughing and enjoying one another. 

Tori lets out a fake sigh of relief. "With all the alcohol she's chugging right now, I doubt I'm getting a sibling."

"She won't do that to you." I reassure her. 

Soon, our waitress arrives. "Good afternoon, cuties! I'm Jade, and I'll be serving you today." It takes a while for me to figure it out, but our waitress is Jade Haruna, someone I played softball with until she ditched me to run track. 

It's alright, she's still cool.

"If it isn't my favorite track star."

Jade smiles at me, her black hair sitting above her shoulders. "Hey, EJ!" 

As she quickly takes our orders, I catch Tori staring at Jade. I've never seen her get lost in anyone's eyes like that, much less a guy.

And she talks about how Jude can't keep his eyes off of me. 

"I'll be right back!" Jade steps away, leaving Tori and I with my buzzing phone. I turn it over and see a snap from none other than my tutor. My finger attacks the tap to open button on my screen to reveal Jude wearing a pair of glasses. 

If he wasn't my age, I'm pretty sure he'd get in so much trouble.

I reply with a selfie, earning a weird look from Tori. "Who the hell are you snapping?"

His instant reply answers her question. "What did I say, Emi? He can't get enough of you."

"Just like you can't get enough of the waitress." I retort. "V, you know you can tell me anything."

"She's just...pretty. That's all." I nod, but deep down I know she likes Jade and is scared of what I'll think. Figuring out that you like girls can be confusing, especially if the wake up call is someone as mysterious and radiant as Jade. 

My phone buzzes again, but this time, it's not Snapchat. 

The nerd has social media?

~

hey! i really hope you enjoyed this chapter! here's how i imagine their suits:

v's suit:

emilia's suit:

again, please comment and vote! i really love writing this story :)