008 Birthday Dinner

Julia was sitting on the edge of the pool wearing a black bikini, only a few feet away from Taylor and Belly. She listened to them talking about Conrad as she sighed, holding herself up with her hands.

"Ugh, what a little bitch." Taylor scoffed as Belly told her about Conrad not getting her a gift. Julia looked over at her with squinted eyes.

"Hey." Taylor pursed her lips as she looked away from Julia and back at Belly.

"We know you're gossiping about us over there." Taylor raised her voice so the boys could hear, which were sitting on the other side of the pool, talking about something. Julia rolled her eyes, which only Jeremiah saw.

"Yeah, you wish." Steven shouted back.

All of the sudden, Taylor gasped, causing everyone to look over at her. "Let's play chicken." She suggested, earning a groan from Julia and a grimace from Belly.

"No. Not chicken." Belly whined.

"Yes."

"I was like 12 the last time we played." Belly chuckled while speaking, while Julia watched the boys smirk at each other. The blonde girl slipped in the water, the sun burning her skin. She re-surfaced, next to Belly and Taylor, not even realizing Jeremiah glancing at her.

"Oh, come on, it'll be hilarious." Taylor started moving to the middle of the pool. "Come on, Julia." The blonde girl quickly shook her head at Taylor as she followed her over to the middle of the pool.

"Hey, I'm down. Come on, Steven." Jeremiah shrugged, swimming over to the girls.

"Fine."

"Dibs on Jeremy." Taylor smirked, looking at Julia as she spoke, some how directing it torwards the girl. Julia rolled her eyes as soon as Taylor looked away, mumbling, "It's Jeremiah."

"Oh, great, that means I'm stuck with Steven." Belly whined, looking over at her older brother.

"And it also means I'm not playing." Julia shrugged knowing there wasn't an even amount of people anyways. Taylor shrugged torwards the blonde Conklin sister. "Sucks for you."

"That isnt fair. Are you kidding me?" Steven looked torwards Julia then at Taylor, who was still smirking.

"No, come on, Jules. Taylor can sit out." He whispered the last part to Julia, causing her to smile. She shook her head, knowing Taylor gets what Taylor wants and that was that, there was no changing her mind.

"Taylor's so much lighter." Steven whined, earning an open jaw from Belly.

"Oh, I'm sorry I'm so massive." Belly retorted, tilting her head at her older brother in anger. "I wouldn't want to break your delicate little shoulders."

"No, you're just taller than her is all. That's..." Steven defended. Before he could finish, however, Belly had splashed a large amount of water at Steven's face, causing him to turn away.

"Oh, come on."

"You're such a complainer. Let's just switch." Taylor finally said, moving towards Steven while Belly began swimming torwards the stairs.

"Wait, Belly. Where are you going." Julia stood up, holding her hands up in question. Belly smirked, looking at her older sister.

"Go with Jeremiah." She whispered before sitting on the edge of the stairs.

"Are you sure-" Before Julia could finish her sentence, Jeremiah grabbed onto her arm and pulled her over to him. He went underwater and helped her get on his shoulders. She laughed as he came back up, now waiting for Taylor and Steven.

"Well, come on. We don't have all day." Julia clapped quietly when she noticed how Taylor was watching her.

As Steven went underwater so Taylor could get on his shoulders, Julia giggled, her hands flat on his head. "Let's take 'em down." Jeremiah whispered to thr girl as he looked up at her. God. His eyes send butterflies in her stomach, ones she tried her best not to care about, but she did. She smiled down at him before Steven came back above water, pushing his hair out of his face.

"Oh, my..." Julia laughed as Jeremiah moved slightly, causing her to sway on his shoulders.

"Ugh, Steven." Taylor complained, looking down at Steven. "Why are your shoulders do slippery?" Julia and Jeremiah laughed at her remark as Jeremiah grabbed onto Julia's thighs to prevent her from falling.

"Uh, maybe it's all that oil you slathered on your legs." He snapped back, trying to push his hair out of his face.

"Uh, maybe if you had some hair on you chest, I wouldn't be sliding all over the place." Taylor argued.

"Okay, shut up! Play the game already." Julia snapped at the two who were fighting like they were s married couple, and it made the blonde girl roll her eyes.

"All right. Three, two, one, go." Steven and Jeremiah both counted down before Julia reached her arms out torwards Taylor. If there was one thing to know, it was that Jeremiah and Julia make an awesome team and never lose.

Julia was shouting at Taylor as she tried shoving her down, same for Taylor. But after only a few minutes, Julia shoved Taylor sideways, knocking her down onto the water. Julia and Jeremiah quickly cheered in victory as the girl threw her arms in the air. Jeremiah reached his hands in the air for Julia to high five, which she did. She slapped her hands onto his before laughing.

"God, that was so your fault." Taylor complained as she came up from the water, giving both Julia and Steven cold glares.

"That was completely your fault." Steven defended.

"Okay, it doesn't matter whose fault it is because you both lost. We won." Julia smiled from ear to ear as Jeremiah and her continued to laugh in victory.

"Yeah, we did!" Jeremiah laughed, shaking Julia who was still on his shoulders, causing her to almost fall before she yelled at him warningly.

"Hey, guys." Nicole and Conrad all of the sudden walked near the pool as Taylor and Steven continued bickering, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Hey, Nicole." Belly smiled, swimming back into the water near the two duos.

"Hey, Julia." Nicole smiled at her friend, who was still sitting on Jeremiah's shoulders. Conrad and Nicole stared at her before Julia laughed, waving torwards the girl.

"Hi." Julia greeted.

"Hi. Happy birthday, Belly." The dark-skinned girl smiled turning her eyes torwards Belly. "Are you guys playing chicken?" Nicole asked with an awkward smirk as she tilted her head.

"Um, yeah. It was, it was Taylor's idea." Belly replied awkwardly. Julia pursed her lips as she patted Jeremiah's head, signaling to let her down.

"Hey, I'm Taylor." The girl introduced with a fake smile.

When Julia thought her best friend was going to put her down kindly, instead, he threw her back, causing her to go underwater. She came back up, coughing slightly as the water burned her nose. "You got water in my nose, you ass." Jeremiah only smiled at her remark before she swam back next to him, splashing a little bit of water in his face.

"Hi." Nicole greeted.

"She's my best friend from home." Belly told her.

"Just visiting for the weekend." Taylor nodded.

"Oh. That's cute." Julia watched as Nicole smiled, while Conrad stared at them blankly like he wasn't enjoying any second of it. She couldn't get the thought out of her head as to why he was so different. She remembered him to be one of her closest friends who would always tease her, and now it was like he wasn't even there.

"You guys want to play a real game?" Belly asked after a while of awkward silence, looking between her friends and siblings.

"Yes." Steven nodded desperately.

"Sure. Why not." Julia shrugged with a smile, pushing her hair back.

The group decided on playing volleyball, while Conrad and Nicole sat out. Although, there was one disagreeing vote from Julia since she was terrible at volleyball and never understood the sport. So, she stayed with the girls knowing they had a better chance at winning if she did.

For once, though, Julia hit the ball torwards Jeremiah, and luckily, for her team, he missed the ball. She cheered in excitement at actually for once not missing the ball. She high fived Taylor and Belly before they played another round.

Jeremiah served, hitting the ball in the air, which was hit by Belly, then Steven. Steven then hit the ball to Taylor and back at Steven. Julia stood behind her little sister and her friend, awkwardly not knowing what to do since she was shorter than them and had a less advantage.

However, the girls won another point when Steven hit the ball to low, running it into the net.

"You're slipping, Steven." Taylor shook her head, smiling. Julia smiled, having to admit that Taylor was right. For one very athletic and a slightly athletic boy, they weren't winning many points.

"Yeah? Yeah?" Steven questioned, smirking.

"Yeah." Taylor replied in an obvious tone as she shrugged her shoulders flatly.

"Okay. No, no, now it's on." Steven snickered, tossing the ball up in the air torwards Taylor. Belly jumped in hitting the ball to Taylor, who then hit it to Jeremiah, who hit it to Steven. Then the boys lost another point, causing Julia to snort a laugh.

"Oh, you be quiet." Jeremiah shook his head smiling as he pointed in the distance at her. "You laugh a lot for someone who only hit the ball once." Julia pretended to be offended at his words before the two laughed, shaking the joke off before they kept playing, but the boys had gained a point after a while. Jeremiah sent her a mocking glare before she rolled her eyes with a smile.

"I don't think your ready." Taylor commented before hitting the ball in the air, sending it in the wrong direction as the ball met with Nicole's face.

"Ow." Nicole whined, going up to reach for her face.

"Oh, my God." Taylor laughed beside Julia, earning a harsh elbow to her ribcage, knowing it wasn't a good time to be laughing considering she didn't know the girl well.

"Are you okay?" Steven questioned.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't..." Taylor said through a laugh, which Belly quickly glared at.

"Taylor." Belly and Julia spoke in unison, both annoyed of the girl for laughing.

"It was an accident." Taylor's smile immediatly fell as she saw the angry look on Belly's face. The dirty-blonde girl dropped her shoulders as she looked around nervously.

"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Belly questioned. Julia and Jeremiah looked at each other across the net, the girl rolling her eyes in annoyance torwards Taylor. Jeremiah pursed his lips before they both turned back to the situation.

"yeah, no, I'm-I'm totally fine." Nicole shook her head in reassurance as Conrad tried looking at her face. "Y-You guys keep playing." The girl tried shrugging it off as Belly contined to question the girl.

"Let's go inside." Conrad looked torwards the group with an annoyed glare as the couple stood up, walking torwards the house.

"Conrad, it's okay."

"I'm so, so sorry again, Nicole." Belly tried apologizing since Taylor could clearly care less, and it added another reason for Julia to not like her. "Feel better, okay?"

"Yeah." Nicole smiled before her and Conrad walked off.

"Come on, Belly. Conrad can take care of Nicole." Taylor commented, rolling her eyes. "Let's go inside and look at ourselves in the mirror some more." Her words caused everyone to look between Conrad and Belly in confusion. Julia watched at Belly and Conrad stared at each other for a while, it was clear that they must have gotten into some sort of argument.

"Yeah, have fun with that." Conrad finally spoke before he finally walked off with Nicole. Julia sighed, swimming torwards the ledge and pulling herself up.

"That's enough fun for me." She mumbled before wrapping herself in her towel and sitting down on one of the outdoor chairs.

***

Julia stayed home while Belly and Taylor went to walk on the beach, not caring enough to hang around Taylor. She quickly slipped on jean shorts, leaving her bikini top on and  brushing through her hair.

She stood in the kitchen with her mother and Susannah, watching as they cooked food for the birthday dinner. She smiled, already excited for the night everyone was waiting for, well, besides Taylor.

"I thought we were keeping dinner simple?" Laurel questioned, noticing everything Julia was helping Susannah take out for later.

"Since when are Belly's birthday dinners simple?" Julia raised a brow at her mother as she continued putting the lobsters into the bowl.

"It's Belly's sweet 16." Susannah stated obviously. "Is Connie done shucking the corn?" Susannah asked, earning a shrug from Julia.

"Mm, not yet." Laurel looked up out of the window, seeing the upset boy angrily pulling the leaves of the corn off. Julia looked over her shoulder from where she was standing, wondering what was wrong with him. "I can't believe he forgot Belly's birthday. What's up with that?"

"He's been shut down like this since April." Susannah mentioned.

"Was that when he and his girlfriend split?" Julia asked, earning a nod from the blonde mother.

"Yeah, but he won't talk to me about it." Susannah sighed as she looked out at her son. "I just, I want to make sure he's okay."

"Remember that time he broke his arm and didn't tell anyone because he didn't want to be a bother?" Laurel mentioned, causing Julia to turn her lips upside down in sadness, knowing that he's always been sensitive and she missed when he would go to her for things, and he did, at least until this summer when he suddenly changed.

"Classic Connie." Susannah and Laurel both let out airy laughs, while Julia frowned.

"I'm worried about him." Julia sighed, turning her head over her shoulders to look out at him, the two mother's looking over at Julia. "I know, you both say he's just upset about his previous break up but I don't know... I guess I think it's more than that." The blonde girl shrugged, not knowing what she thought exactly but she knew it was deeper.

"Hey, Jules. Do you think you could talk to him?" Susannah's words caused Julia to turn her head back facing them. "I mean, you two were always so close and he seemed to always be open with you." She smiled at the blonde teen. "It's okay if you don't want to, but... But I think it would be easier talking about it with you."

Julia nodded, giving her an answer without words. Julia turned around in her seat, looking out at him for a while before sighing. She slid off of the stool before walking torwards the back door, leaving the moms in the kitchen to finish preparing the dinner.

The blonde girl walked towards him, sitting down on the lounge chair next to him. "Hey." She muttered.

Conrad looked up at her to see who it was before pursing his lips, looking back down at his task. "Hey."

"Can we talk?" She quickly avoided the small talk, knowing it would possibly bore him.

"If it's about you thinking I'm acting different- just like everyone else- then, no, at least not about that." He shook his head, watching as she pursed her lips.

"Actually, that's exactly what I was going to say." She watched as he scoffed, shaking his head before aggressively pulling the leaves off of the corn. "Look, I know you don't want to talk about whatever it is, but I know you. Something is wrong, and you always used to come to be when you needed to talk." Julia sighed, looking down at his eyes, hoping she could read them. "I know, I've been hanging around everyone else more but I'm still here for you."

Conrad looked down as a just barely smile tugged at him lips. "Thanks. But I'm fine."

Julia sighed, shaking her head to herself before reaching for her friends hand. "Conrad. Come on." She pleaded softly, hoping she could get some reasonable answer to her question.

"Why do you care? Did- did the moms put you up to this?" He questioned, finally looking up to meet her eyes.

"Yes..." She watched as he rolled his eyes. "But I'm not out here because they asked me to. I'm out here because I'm worried. I'm worried, Conrad."

"Just leave it, Jules. Please." She saw the slight emotion in his eyes before he looked back down, trying to hide what he wished he could tell her.

Julia sighed before standing up. "Fine. I'll leave it. But I'm serious. You can always come to me for anything." She watched as he nodded to her without eye contact, knowing he cared but didn't want to show it. Julia sighed once more before walking off and back into the house, meeting the moms back in the kitchen.

"How'd it go?" Susannah smiled, earning a head shake from Julia.

"He's quiet. He wouldn't tell me anything." She shrugged before sitting back into her spot on the stool. Susannah and Laurel sighed before Julia went back to putting the lobsters in the bowl. She couldn't help but worry about the one person who knew every secret of hers, and her knowing every secret of his. But this time, it was different and he didn't want to share the things he always would with her. He was one of the closest people to her and now it was like he was slowly shutting down, and not even her could help.

***

The family was all sitting down around the dining room table, Taylor and Cam joining them. Julia was sitting in between Jeremiah and Conrad since Taylor and Cam had taken up the other side which she usually sat at, wearing one of the flower crowns that Susannah had made, which Jeremiah had tried multiple times to take from her head. She threw on a t-shirt crop top with yellow flowers on it quickly.

The room was filled with laughter as everyone stuffed their faces with food, Julia slowly getting to know Cam, and Belly seeming to be embarrassed by her family every once in a while.

"This is delicious." Cam smiled torwards Belly, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

"So, Cam." Jeremiah suddenly spoke, grabbing Julia's attention, figuring he was going to say something to embarrass Belly once more. "You mind if I call you Cam Cameron?"

Instead of being ready to scold Jeremiah quietly, Julia smiled quietly as his joke, remembering the night at the bonfire where her best friend had mistaken his name for Cam Cameron, which turn out was actually Cameron, Cam for short.

"Mm-hmm. Yeah, man. Feel free. That's funny." Julia drank her water as she smiled across the table at Belly,  silently messing with her.

"Cool." Jeremiah nodded torwards Julia.

"I'm glad you're here, Cameron." Susannah cut in. "I know your mom, Denise, from the club. I have heard a lot about you." Susannah smirked torwards the boy.

"Good things?" Julia joked, looking towards the mother at the end of the table.

"Of course." Susannah smiled, tilting her head at Julia in obviousness, who laughed slightly before looking back at Cam.

"Thank you so much more having me, Susannah." Cameron smiled before eating a piece of food. "My mom says hi."

"Cam, have you ever had miyeok-guk before?" Laurel questioned, sitting up from her spot and pouring a bit of a Korean recipe into his bowl. "It's a Korean birthday tradition."

"No. Looks so good. Thank you." Cam smiled, accepting the food.

"Belly told me you're vegetarian, so I didn't put any meat in it." Laurel countered.

"Thank you, Laurel. Oh, geez." Cam smiled, looking down at the food. Julia had to admit, Cam was a good guy for Belly and a good way to take her mind off of Conrad. She liked the boy and hoped he would stick around.

"Why don't you eat meat, Cam Cameron?" Jeremiah questioned.

"Uh, the meat industry is, like, the number one contributor to the global warming. And I just, I like animals." The boy stated with a shrug, earning a nod from Jeremiah.

"Mm."

"Just don't come for my leather jacket." Taylor joked before chuckling.

"Im pretty sure you mean pleather." Steven retorted with a smile as Jeremiah laughed. Taylor stuck her middle finger up at Steven, causing Julia to lightly kick her under the table, knowing the moms hated it when foil language or inappropriate manner was used.

"You know, uh, actually, Belly eats meat." Jeremiah informed Cameron. "Soz you let her kids you with those lips?" Jeremiah joked, earning a scolding look from Julia, which he didn't see, but Steven did.

"Guys." Belly said flatly, clearly annoyed. The boys all laughed as Belly looked at them in anger. "Stop."

"No, I don't judge people for eating meat. It's just, like, a personal choice. I don't care." Cam smiled.

"So you don't mind if, uh, like, her lips touch a dead animal, and then those dead animal lips touch your lips, right?" Jeremiah questioned, earning a hard lunch in the shoulder from Julia, causing him to scoff at her. Cam looked at the two across the table awkwardly, figuring she usually yelled at him when he was being stupid. "Ow." The curly-haired boy whined.

Cam chuckled before saying, "I don't mind at all." He shrugged. "Um, in fact..." Suddenly, Cam reached over to Belly and quickly pressed his lips onto hers, causing Julia to look at them cutely. The table fell silent as everyone gave the two different expressions, most being in a fond way, while Conrad rolled his eyes.

Susannah sighed sweetly before saying, "Aw."

Jeremiah and Steven both began pretending to retch, Julia rolling her eyes as she sat in the middle of them, rethinking all of her life choices. Belly and Cam looked at her with smiles as they watched her suffer, putting her head in her hands.

"Stop." Julia smacked Steven in the back of the head as he leaned over her, causing Jeremiah to laugh. "You're so annoying." Julia took another bite, trying to ignore her brother and Jeremiah's childish acts.

"All right, all right." Laurel complained, trying to stop the two idiotic boys. "Belly's allowed to kiss, but that's it." Laurel quickly turned to Cam with a stern look before breaking out in laughter. Belly rolled her eyes at her mother in embarrassment.

"Mom, please. No. You're so not funny." Belly had her hand rested on her cheek in annoyance with her family. "No more wine for you, okay?"

"I'm sorry. I just dont understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who once fully shat in the bathtub." Steven then brought up, earning a sigh from Julia and an even angrier look from Belly and Taylor.

"What does that have to do with any of this?" Julia shrugged as she tilted her head at her brother, only earning a laugh.

"I was like two years old." Belly defended herself in annoyance.

"Two? More like six." Steven laughed.

"Six." Jeremiah agreed with him.

"Shut up, Steven." Belly finally snapped, raising her voice at her older brother, who kept trying to egg her on. Julia raised her brows at her younger sister before smiling.

"Go, Bells." She muttered under her breath.

"Steven." Laurel looked at her oldest child in warning as he stopped laughing.

"Aw, I remember that." Susannah smiled, although Belly didn't understand how it was helping the situation. "God, that feels like a lifetime ago."

"I remember when I visited last summer, and you and you," Taylor started, pointing at Jeremiah and Conrad. "Dared him," she then pointed to Steven. "To pee in the fireplace, and you stunk up the entire house for days. Do you remember that?" Taylor smiled, knowing Steven deserved some payback.

Everyone started laughing as Steven looked around in anger, embarrassed, now.

"I blamed the neighbor's cat." Susannah looked at them in disbelief, having no idea of the situation until now.

"We were drunk. We were drunk." Steven defended himself angrily.

"On like half a White Claw." Belly retorted, causing everyone to break out in laughter again.

"She got you there." Jeremiah laughed with raised brows. Julia reached over the table, high fiving Belly as the two girls smiled.

"Wait, where was I?" Julia then realized she had no memory of it. "Why don't I remember this?"

"Oh, you were definitely passed out, drunk." Jeremiah smiled, nodding torwards his best friend. Everyone laughed as Julia nodded with pursed lips, now understanding why she didn't remember the event.

"You know, um, I'm thinking maybe we should go to Nicole's party." Belly then looked at Taylor, changing the subject.