016 Put a Finger Down

Julia, Belly and Taylor all walked down the dock, Julia dressed in her same dress with orange embroidered flowers on the chest and orange converse, while Belly and Taylor were both wearing jean shorts and crop tops, Taylor's blue and Belly's pink. Although, Julia's curled had loosened over time, but she didn't mind.

"It's the one thing I've wanted my whole life, for Conrad to ask me to go somewhere, and to-to an actual ball." Belly spoke. "And it was all because his mom asked." Belly complained.

"Just proves my point why Jelly thrives and Bonrad blows. If it were the came where Jeremiah is single." Taylor shrugged.

"Well, he's spoken for." Julia said as she looked ahead of her, then looking back at Taylor.

"Yeah, my point is he's the better brother and Conrad is just an asshole." Julia gave Taylor a warning glare, knowing that what Conrad did was wrong, but he was still her family and didn't like to see anyone talk about her family.

"'Bonrad' is a terrible couple name." Belly grimaced, turning to her best friend.

"Okay, precisely. 'Jelly' is, like, cute and catchy if Jeremiah was single." Taylor argued, looking at Julia as if she knew that she wasn't trying to split them up. Taylor all of the sudden gasped, causing Julia to turn her head away from the water quickly and at the girl in the middle.

"What?" Julia chuckled softly.

"We have to make a Julia and Jeremiah ship name!" As Taylor started laughing, Julia groaned, shaking her head with a grimace. "Oh, my God." Taylor snickered. Belly smiled from the other side of Taylor, while Julia was sighing with a smile, knowing there was no stopping her.

"It's like impossible." Belly stated, knowing both of their names started with J's.

"Guys, stop." Julia laughed, shaking her head still.

"Wait... What about Jerelia." Taylor and Belly began to laugh in excitement as Julia tried hiding her smile, hitting Taylor on the arm. "It's cute." Taylor giggled, nodding at Julia.

"No, it's not. It's cheesy." Julia sighed.

"No, it's not cheesy. It's what we're going with from now on." Taylor stated confidently, causing Julia to scoff, not having any other choice but to let her be. As Taylor and Belly continued to laugh and talk about their new ship name, Julia stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropping in complete awe. She scoffed in suprise, grabbing the girls' attention.

"Oh, my God." Belly gawked as she turned her head to the huge boat the Nicole was sitting at the top of.

"Fuck me." Taylor and Julia said in unison as they chuckled, fist bumping as Julia said, "Jinx."

As the night fell into darkness, all of the girls on the boat were sitting around, playing the game Put a Finger Down. Julia was sitting in the middle of Taylor and Belly, ever now and then Taylor would whisper things to the girl.

"Put a finger down if you've ever made out with two people within 24 hours of each other." Taylor said through a smirk, everyone putting their fingers down except for Belly and Julia.

"Okay, put a finger down if you've ever used a stuffed animal to... you know." One girl had said with a smirk, Taylor putting her finger down as Julia laughed. "His name was Harry Bear Styles. Like..." Julia laughed, leaning onto Taylor's shoulder before getting back up.

"You had a name for yours?" Gigi asked through a laugh.

"Okay, put a finger down if you've ever had sex." Dara said, watching as everyone put their fingers down while Julia and Belly once again didn't looking around in nervousness. "If you've ever been to third." Dara said, everyone putting their fingers down as once again, the sisters didn't. Julia could feel all eyes on her and her sister as she looked down at her knees.

"Put a finger down if you've ever gone to second." The girls, as usual, kept their fingers up. Julia bit her lip in embarrassment as she picked at her nails.

"Put a finger down if you've ever made out with Jeremiah Fisher or Cam." Taylor said suddenly, knowing damn well what she was doing, which Julia turned her head at. Julia and Belly slowly put a finger down, everyone laughing and talking.

"Shut the fuck up!" Dara laughed.

"Wait. Belly, Julia, we want all the tea." Nicole said as she looked between the girls, Julia crossing her legs. Julia pursed her lips through a smile.

"Well, me and Cam aren't together anymore so it doesn't matter." Belly stated, looking over at Julia as all eyes fell on her. Julia cursed under her breath before sitting up.

"I don't know, we just kissed on Fourth of July. It's not really that much to tell." Taylor scoffed at Julia's response.

"Oh, yeah, so you aren't dating anymore?" Taylor asked Julia with a raised brow, watching with a smirk as everyone laughed once again. Julia elbowed Taylor in the ribcage, sighing as she watched Belly and Taylor laugh to one another.

"You're dating?" Gigi asked with a faint smile, Julia nodding slowly, secretly hating Taylor's guts at the moment.

"Yeah. Last night." Julia nodded, clearly embarrassed to talked about it after telling Jeremiah that they had to keep it private, that clearly going down the drain now. "I don't know..." Julia shrugged, not knowing to say as everyone contined to look at her.

"Yeah, whatever. Enough about Jeremiah." Taylor stepped in, Julia clearly embarrassed. "Uh, put a finger down if you've ever been skinny-dipping."

"Put a finger down if you've ever gone skinny-dipping at Hopper's Cove." Julia snorted a laugh as she looked over at Nicole, who was clearly thinking of something as she smiled widely.

"Is that a dare?" Julia questioned with a smile.

"Absolutely." Nicole agreed, Taylor and Julia laughing to each other.

***

Julia, Nicole, Taylor and Belly all were splashing one another in the water as they all laughed, Julia not thinking she was going to have this much fun earlier that day. Julia shouted as Taylor splashed a huge amount of water at her, blocking her face with her hands.

"Hey, watch out for jellyfish." Gigi said as she came running up the dock, beiginning to unbotton her shirt. "I do not want to have to pee on any of you guys."

"The other two girls missed out." Taylor said.

"I know. I figured Dara wouldn't, but Marissa?" Nicole tilted her head, looking at Julia and Taylor.

Julia turned to see Gigi looking down at Nicole's phone. "Yeah, that's what I though."

"Nicole." Gigi called out to Nicole.

"Yeah?"

"Conrad's texting you." Gigi told her, Nicole nodding before swimming torwards the dock, leaving Belly, Julia and Taylor out in the water. Taylor splashed a little water at Belly, all of the girl's laughing. Belly sighed, looking up at the sky.

"This is so nice." Belly sighed in relief.

"Have to admit, I like your friends." Taylor nodded, Julia smiled as she watched Taylor actually try giving everything a shot. She didn't know why she was all of the sudden so nice, but she didn't mind and she liked the nice Taylor.

"I knew you would." Belly nodded.

"She told you so." Julia smiled, looking at the sky with the other two girls.

"They all seem down with you and Jeremiah." Taylor commented, looking over at Julia, who had looked down at Taylor with a smile. "Even Gigi, whose veins just about exploded when she heard." Julia laughed.

"I don't know about her. She's never liked me. At all." Julia scoffed, shaking her head.

"Well, to be fair, you've never liked her, either." Belly stated, causing Julia and Taylor to break out into laughter, quickly stopping when the car headlights flashed at them, Julia squinting her eyes. They watched as the car drove away, Julia's face forming in confusion.

Taylor opened her mouth in shock. "I knew they were bitches." She shook her head, swimming torwards the dock, Julia following behind her.

"What's happening?" Belly questioned.

"They took everything. Except for your phone, which has a really incriminating text from Conbad." Taylor said, holding up the phone as Julia put her hands on the dock, looking over Taylor's shoulder.

"Those little whores." Julia muttered, shaking her head.

"Wait, what does it say?" Belly asked, swimming torwards the girls.

"Oh, my God. 'My mom did as me to ask you to the ball, but that's not why I did it. I did it because I wanted to.'" Julia read the text with a scrunched face, shaking her head.

"Oh, my God." Belly went on the other side of Julia, looking at the phone in shock. When Belly began smiling, Julia sighed, dropping her head on the dock.

"Belly, concentrate." Taylor stated, looking at her with anger. Belly let out an airy laugh, Julia smacking her shoulder.

"Belly." Taylor looked at her with wide eyes.

"What? Okay, okay, okay. W-Well, wh-what do we do? I mean, we cannot walk home naked." Belly said with an unbelieved chuckle.

"It-it could be worse." Taylor stated with a slight shrugged.

"It could be worse? What could be worse than this?" Julia scoffed, looking over at Taylor as if she was thinking crazily, which technically, was understandable.

Belly laughed as she shook her head. "Okay. Wh... What about that?" Belly pointed to a large blanket like thing, Taylor immediatly shaking her head.

"No." Taylor groaned.

"We don't have any other choice." Julia shrugged.

***

The three girls were all wrapped in the blanket, Julia rolling her eyes as she walked in the middle of Taylor and Belly, for some reason holding Belly's phone. Julia turned her head at every sound she heard, scared the the three were going to get kidnapped.

"This is so bad. So bad." Belly muttered, shaking her head.

"I knew those girls were shit." Taylor spoke threw a clenched jaw. Julia nodded, agreeing with Taylor for once.

"Belly, I officially hate your friends." Julia said, looking behind them at the sound of a dog barking.

"Okay, enough." Belly snapped at them quietly, turning to them. "Okay, I get it. You two were right."

"No, Taylor was right. I liked them, until they stole our clothes- my clothes. I had nothing to do with this." Julia argued, turning to look at Belly.

"Why can't we just call Jeremiah? We're gonna be, like, murdered." Taylor complained, looking over at Belly and Julia.

"Don't say that." Julia smacked Taylor's arm.

"No. Calling Jeremiah would be too much drama." Belly quickly said, shaking her head at the two girls. Julia scoffed, shaking her head at her little sister. "Actually, calling Conrad would be too much drama. Jeremiah can come pick us up, Belly."

"I can't walk two more miles." Taylor whined, dropping her head back.

"Well, you're gonna have to." Belly shrugged, thinking that they three girls had no other choice, while Julia and Taylor both wanted to call Jeremiah.

"Oh, my God." Taylor groaned. The three girls suddenly heard a dog howling, shortly after Taylor was imitating the dog, causing Belly and Julia to laugh. Then, Taylor started laughing shortly after, all three of them now laughing. Julia knew it definitely was not a good time to be laughing, but what else was there to do?

"No, but this is why Conrad's a disaster." Taylor whined. "Like, he's hot and mysterious. You know. I get it. I know. But everything he touches turns to total shit." Belly sighed, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Yeah. I-I dn't know why I keep letting him suck me in. It's just, like, today, he was like the old Conrad and-and everything, it felt just like it used to. You know?" Belly spoke as she scrunched her face, looking at her sister and best friend.

"He'g got you back under his spell." Taylor stated.

"And then the spell broke, and I realized I literally just ruined my life for him." Julia's facial expression softened as she looked at her sister.

"Yeah, you kind of did do that." Taylor stated, leaning forward to look at Belly.

"I, um, I used to dream about Conrad and imagine what it would be like, and I felt safe." Belly spoke as she turned to her sister and her best friend. "Because, you know, it was never gonna come true. He would never feel for me what I feel for him. And I don't know if I'll feel that again." Belly shrugged, clearly upset as she turned to continue walking. Taylor and Julia exchanged glances before they followed after her.

"Bells, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm not waiting her any longer. I'm calling Jere." Julia smiled, pulling her phone up to her and dialing his number.

"Julia!" Belly tried to stop her, but Jeremiah had already answered the phone.

"Belly? What's up?" He questioned, Julia could tell he was smiling.

"Um, It's, uh, It's actually Julia. Can you pick us up?" She said as she adjusted her shoulder while holding the phone to her ear.

"Yeah, yeah, of course. Is everything okay?" He questioned on the other line.

"Yeah. I'll send you our location. Bye." She hung up, shrugging at Taylor and Belly with a smile before she continued walking, not paying attention to the looks Belly and Taylor were giving her.

The three girls eventually sat down on the curb, looking around as they waited for Jeremiah to come get them. The three turned when they heard a car pulling up, although it wasn't Jeremiah's jeep, but eventually the jeep followed behind the car.

Taylor sighed, Julia standing up immediatly. As Jeremiah got out of the small black car, he quickly walked up to Julia.

"Oh, my God, Jules, are you okay?" He questioned, putting his hand on her shoulder. When she nodded, he sighed, the girls turning to see Conrad stepping out of the jeep. He walked up to them, holding up a bag with their clothes in it, Julia dropping her head back and sighing.

"What are you doing here?" Taylor sassed.

"Nicole... she told me about, um..." Conrad pointed at the girls, Julia looking up at Conrad in anger.

"Oh, yeah, your girlfriend? The one that left us?" Julia titled her head as Jeremiah looked at her in worry.

"I hope you told her to watch her back." Taylor agreed. The girls walked past the boys as they held the blanket up, Conrad and Jeremiah each taking a corner.

The boys held the blanket up awkwardly as they changed, Julia pulling her hair behind her shoulders and walking out of the blanket once her dress was on, sliding her orange converse on. She walked up to Jeremiah, who gave her a side hug before Belly and Taylor went to Conrad's car, while Julia went to Jeremiah's.

She closed the door with a sigh, looking over at Jeremiah with a smile as he got in the car. But when she looked at him to see his face formed in worry, she turned her body to him.

"Hey, are you okay?" She questioned, tilting her head at him slightly.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Julia smirked, looking up in his eyes.

"You already did." Jeremiah and Julia both laughed softly before Julia looked down at her lap, picking at her nails. When she looked back up, Jeremiah had been observing her features, looking back into her eyes with a smile. "Jere. Thank you for coming to get me today."

Jeremiah only smiled as he reached for her hand. "I'll always come and get you." He laced their fingers together before he drove the car, following slowly behind Conrad and the other two girls. Julia smiled to herself before laying her head on his shoulder, him looking down at her softly.