Chapter 16-4TH OF JULY
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I have always loved the Fourth of July! It is always so much fun! Belly and I used to match outfits every year of course now that we are older we have grown out of that. I love watching the fireworks the boys set off.

Also the dads always came down for the fourth. Last year our dad didn't come down because him and our mom had just got a divorce but this year they are doing better. My dad is bringing his girlfriend with. None of us are very exited about that. However our mom insists that we be nice.

I sit in the kitchen eating my cereal as I am finishing Jeremiah asks "can I have your milk?" I laugh and hand my bowl over to him. He has always loved milk especially cereal milk.

"Hey I'm gonna go wash the clams did you get the lighter fluid?"Conrad asked his brother. "Ugh ya it's already on the beach" Jeremiah tells him. Conrad nods and walks outside.

Belly walks in and gets herself some cereal. We all chat and joke around like always when Steven and Susannah walk in. Steven is in a dress shirt and Susannah has her painting apron on and a paint brush in hand.

"Are we done with the portrait yet?" Steven asks Susannah. "Ya for today" Susannah tells him.

"But you do look good in a dress shirt Steven" Susannah complements him. "Oh witch makes me think if belly and em don't hurry up and get dates for the ball you should take one of them" Susannah suggest. Witch we all object to.

It would be so humiliating to have my older brother take me to the ball. "Ew no way" belly buts in. "Ya no I don't want to go with my brother" I fake gag.

"Ya no no I'm already going with Shayla" Steven says. "To the debutant ball?" My mother questions as she walks into the kitchen. "Yes" Steven replies. "As a escort?" My mother asked a bit shocked. "Wrap your head around it mom" Steven chuckled.

"Shaylas coming today with Nicole and Gigi so you'll get to meet her" Steven tells her. "That's wonderful" Susannah says smiling.

she then turned to belly and I. "Oh and don't forget ms. Covington first dance rehearsal is tomorrow so tick tock" Susannah tells us.

"I'm asking cam today" belly said. I shrug "I'll figure something out" I say. "I don't know my kids anymore except em" my mother says.

"Wait are you wearing makeup?" Susannah asked my mother. "Ya she is defiantly wearing makeup" Steven laughed. "Ya she is wearing makeup!" Belly smiled. "Oh ya she so is" Jeremiah laughs. "You look good momma" I say.

"We are having a party" my mom shrugs. "And thanks em" she smiles at me. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming to the clam bake" Susannah smiles. "Oh please husbands always come for the 4th" my mom says. "He's not your husband anymore" belly frowns.

Ya mom and dads divorce was hard on Steven and I but it was really hard on belly.

"Oops ya ex-husband" mom shrugs. "I still don't know why you invited dad girlfriend" Steven groans. I nodded I was glad my dad was happy but it felt wrong for her to be at the summer house.

"Her name is Victoria and your dad wanted us all to meet her" my mom says.

"Oh belly I need you to make up the guest bed" my mom says. "Wait dad and Victoria are staying here?" I asked. My mom gave me a look. This all felt so wrong! Dad was gonna stay here in the summer house with this new woman.

"In the room next to mine!" Belly complained. "Ya" my mom said. Belly groaned I patted her back I felt her pain in a way my room was way down the hall thank god.  Jeremiah smiled at belly.

"Oh speaking of dads yours called he is closing a deal so he can't come" Susannah says. Jeremiah's smile drops instantly.

I felt so bad Jeremiah loved his dad and he loved showing his dad the fireworks every year.

"What?" Jeremiah asked hoping he heard his mother wrong. "Did you say dads not coming?" Conrad asked walking into the kitchen with a bucket.

"Mhm" Susannah hummed. "But I got some serious fireworks for the show this year" Jeremiah says. "We'll take a video" Susannah shrugged. "It's not the same" Jeremiah mumbled. "I know" Susannah frowned. Conrad leaned against the sink with a little smile on his face. "What are you smiling about?" Jeremiah asks. "Ugh nothing" Conrad said.

After breakfast I went upstairs to get ready for the day.

I then went downstairs and helped mom and Susannah set up.

Soon mom and Susannah where standing outside to great my dad and his girlfriend. All of us were spying out the window.

"She's hot" Jeremiah says looking at our dad girlfriend. I elbow him. "Gross" I say under my breath. I mean she was pretty.

"Dude!" Steven groans. "What I was just saying what everyone else was thinking" Jeremiah says putting his hands up in surrender. "I wasn't thinking that" Belly says. "Ya neither was I" I cut in.

"Yo that could be there future step mom" Conrad says looking at her through the window. "Conrad!" I yell. "Dude what the hell!" Steven said pushing Conrad. "Don't push me" Conrad said and Steven and Conrad begin to play fight. "Guys there coming!" Jeremiah announced and grabbed Conrad and fled.

Steven stood in between belly and I. Our father and his girlfriend walk in. "Be nice" our mother mouths at us as her and Susannah walk away.

"Come give your old man a hug" dad says hugging all three of us at the same time. "Oh my god!" He says squeezing us all. "Ugh this is Victoria" he says turning towards his girlfriend "hi guys it's really great to meet you I have heard 5 stars about you" she says awkwardly. "Here let's put this in the kitchen" he said pointing to her purse. Dad and Victoria head to the kitchen.

As soon as there gone belly turns towards Steven and I. "There is no way she is 27 we have to grab her wallet and check her ID" belly says. I laugh a little at how dramatic belly is. "She is in grad school chill" Steven says. "I can't chill I mean knockoff Dakota Jackson has her claws in our dad" belly tells us. Steven and I both laugh. "She is a bit young but she is legal" I tell belly. "Ya" Steven agrees.

Victoria was complementing the kitchen when we walked in. "Steven can you get your dads bags and put them upstairs please" mom asks Steven.

"Ugh ya I just need your keys to pop the trunk" Steven says to our dad. "Actually Vic and I decided to stay in town this weekend figured you guys had a packed house" dad says.

Belly and I looked at each other with a relived look. "Oh that sounds fun" belly said exited not to have to sleep in the room next to them. "Are you sure?" Susannah asked.

"Whatever you think is best" mom says smiling. "So I convinced John to stop at a fruit market and I figured I could make some pomegranate margaritas" Victoria says. "Oh how nice of you" Susannah smiled.

Then the door bell rings. "I'll get it!" Belly says dashing to the door. "I-" Steven points to the door. "Shayla" he says then walks to the door. "Like he said Shayla" I say and follow my siblings to great the debs.

I stole Shayla from Steven and we sat by the pool chatting. Shayla was my favorite deb ya Nicole and Gigi where nice but Shayla was my deb sister and she was really there for me.

Eventually Steven got tired of me hogging Shayla all to myself and he stole her from me.

I went inside to see Jeremiah and belly watching Victoria make her margaritas. Belly and I lied and said that our parents would be ok with us drinking so we could have a sip of the drinks. They where really good.

Once Victoria left belly got a evil little twinkle in her eyes. "We are gonna make our own" belly said with a smirk. She got up and I sat next to Jeremiah.

"Shew chiefs I'm gonna need more pomegranate juice" belly says. "On it" Jeremiah says smiling at her. Conrad walked in.

"What are you guys making?" He asked. "Pomegranate Margaritas but with a twist" belly smirked.

"Well you gotta use the good blender" Conrad smirked referring to his dads blender. "Oh I haven't used that thing since the great kool-aid debacle of 2011" Jeremiah laughed. "I remember the counters where sticky for two summers" Conrad chuckled. "Ya just about" I laughed. "Dad kept his breve case in my room for a year to remind me that 'all mistakes aren't reverse able'" Jeremiah says. We all laugh.

Flashback
Jeremiah and I wanted kool-aid slushes. They didn't sell kool-aid slushes at gas stations so we where gonna make our own. And we where gonna use Mr. fishers new blender.

We put all our ingredients in. "This is gonna be delicious!" Jeremiah declares. I giggled "ya it is!" I agreed. We put the lid on but apparently we didn't put the lid on tight enough because the slushee went everywhere. Jeremiah and I both panicked and began to clean.

Conrad and Steven came into the kitchen and saw the mess. "Omg!" Steven yelled in shock. "What the hell did you guys do?!" Conrad asked.

"We where trying to make a kool-aid slushee" I say. "Oh god you guys got it all over dads new brief case" Conrad says.

Steven and Conrad began to help us try and clean. But it was no use the parents walked in and saw us frantically trying to clean our mess.

"What happened in here?" Susannah asked shocked. "You kids!" My mother lectured. Susannah and my mother tired to help us clean but Mr. fisher walked in and saw the mess and his brief case.

He yelled at Jeremiah for it and a little bit at Conrad. We all got grounded for a week.

End of flashback

"Wait won't he be mad if he finds out" belly says. "He isn't gonna find out he isn't coming" Conrad points out with a smirk. We all agreed to use the blender.

Belly started pouring things into the blender. Conrad cheered. "Oh she is going for the good stuff" Jeremiah says while belly grabs the vodka.

She pours some into the blender and Conrad tips her arm to make her put more into it.

Then Conrad starts the blender. Then Conrad takes his hand off of the blender. "No keep your hand on it!" Jeremiah yells laughing. "Keep your hands on it we don't need another debocal" I tell Conrad while laughing.

He finished mixing the beverage up and turned off the blender. "Wooo no mess!" I yelled happily.

"Man you know what I miss" Conrad said looking at his brother. "Huh" Jeremiah hummed. "Watching Laurel put dad in his place he would walk in and she would be like ADAM" he imitated. As he said that Mr. Fisher walked in.

"Adam you came!" My moms says surprised as she walks into the kitchen. "Happy fourth!" Mr. Fisher smiled. "Dad you came!" Jeremiah said excitedly. He quickly got up to hug her father.

Conrad however was trying not to look at his dad. His whole mood shifted when Mr. Fisher arrived.

"Hey guys!" Mr. Fisher greeted us. "Hi Connie" he said smiling over to his oldest son. Conrad responded by looking down. "I'll have whatever your mixing up there" Mr. Fisher said. "Ugh ya" belly said giving him the drink that Victoria had made.

"Oh your gonna love the firework show this year it is gonna be the best one yet" Jeremiah smiled. "I believe it" his dad said and pated him on the back.

Susannah walked in and her face dropped when she saw Mr. Fisher. When I saw Susannah's reaction I knew I didn't want to stick around for anymore of this awkwardness. I decided to leave and go talk to my dad.