Paper Rings - (J.F.)

Chapter 06

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Chapter 6

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Delilah's first night of the summer couldn't have been any more chaotic, but now she was carrying a very drunk Conrad back to the car.

Conrad and another random guy at the beach had gotten into a fist fight earlier that night. The situation immediately escalated when the Fisher brother was mercilessly pummeled while already highly intoxicated. He even managed to accidentally punch Isabel, who was merely attempting to intervene between the two boys.

One thing led to another, and Jeremiah had individually determined that leaving for the night was probably a good idea.

So there she was, attempting to carry Conrad by his legs as Jeremiah carried him by his shoulders towards the car. Jeremiah snuck a glimpse at his best friend as they staggered towards the car, hoping to attract her attention in some way. He'd been trying for a while to get her to talk to him after their earlier misunderstanding. Delilah, on the other hand, was far too stubborn for her own good to grant him that opportunity.

Once the two teenagers dropped a dozed-off Conrad in the back, Delilah reluctantly sat down in the passenger seat. She watched in awe out her window as Isabel chatted shyly to a boy she had met at the bonfire - his name was Cameron. Cam for short.

When she felt someone brush her arm, she turned her attention away from the affectionate teenagers. She watched as Jeremiah reached over her shoulder and grabbed her seatbelt, looping it around her and fastening it in place.

"I wanna learn how to drive, my ass," he mocked from beneath his breath. "When she can't even remember to fasten her seatbelt."

Well, she was certainly not expecting such a comment from him.

"Why are you so obsessed with me, Jere?" she shot back with a sarcastic tone and he looked slightly offended by her - mind you - untrue accusation.

"In. Your. Dreams."

Her mouth parted in shock.

"God, please, would you two just take it to a fucking room?"

Conrad grumbled from behind them, causing the two teenagers to quit their heated argument and look over their shoulders to see the weary boy. Both Delilah and Jeremiah glared at him before turning back to glare at each other next.

It was not uncommon for the two best friends to have arguments with one another. They were almost always for the most ridiculous reasons. Sometimes even they didn't understand why they tended to start random disputes with each other.

But this time Delilah actually had a valid reason to be upset. So, she wondered who gave Jeremiah the right to be angry with her when he was the one who had caused the problem in the first place.

By this point, Isabel had finally sat down in the car, on a backseat beside Conrad who only had eyes for her. She was completely oblivious to the argument between the two.

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes before cranking up the engine, and as soon as he started to drive away - he came to a screeching halt. "Fuck."

"What?" Isabel asked him.

"We forgot Steven."

He instantly unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, sprinting back to the beach to find Steven, who was most likely entirely oblivious that they were about to leave. Delilah could hear soft whispers from the backseat, the familiar voices of Conrad and Isabel. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but a smile slowly erupted onto her face - they were talking, at least. It was a start.

And then she heard Conrad, a little louder, direct his mildly annoyed tone at her. "Can't you two just go home and make-up, or something? It's so annoying when you two fight."

"Don't even start, Conrad."

Conrad's mouth gaped in bewilderment as he tried to sit up, but his vision blurred and he slumped back down. "Says the girl who randomly picks fights with her supposed best friend."

"Jere and I literally saved your ass from being knocked out because of a fight that you started. You have no right to speak."

"Both of you are so immature."

"Excuse me, Conrad," Delilah countered, cocking her head to glare at him in the eyes. "You have literally no idea what happened."

Delilah shifted her body forward and crossed her arms. She was already in a grumpy mood as a result of what had happened between her and Jeremiah, and Conrad criticizing her was far too much. He's just very drunk, she told herself.

"Knowing my brother, it was most likely his fault." Conrad's demeanour and eyes were completely emotionless. When she didn't respond right away, he only sighed because he knew that he was right and the conversation was now over.

When they heard a knocking from the driver's window, they all looked over to see a police officer standing there. Delilah exchanged a concerned glance with the others before closing her eyes briefly in exasperation. She would have a lot of explaining to do tonight.

***

That was precisely what Delilah and the rest of the kids had to do when they reached home later that night. After Laurel was able to make amends with the police office that had caught the teenagers coming back from the party, she had immediately began scolding each and every one of them. She even pointed fingers - even at Delilah.

Delilah assumed she deserved what she got that night, but she was just upset because it wasn't like it was completely her fault. She didn't even drink, not a single sip. She hadn't done anything controversial or incited a riot, either. She was, however, apparently partially responsible.

Despite the fact that her bedroom light was turned off, she was unable to sleep. She had too many thoughts racing through her head at the same time, each one manifesting in her mind as a sequence of fast-paced flashbacks. Her journey to Cousins Beach was followed by her being tossed into the pool. Her arrival at the party, and eventually her pointless disagreement with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah.

Her best friend.

Her first love.

Delilah still hadn't made up with him. She knew that they had brought up a fight over the stupidest thing imaginable, and all she wanted to do was make amends with him.

As if all her wishes were immediately answered, she heard the sound of a knock echo into her room. She smiled to herself, immediately knowing where it came from.

Jeremiah and Delilah's rooms were directly next to one another, and they had been knocking on each other's walls randomly ever since they were children to simply develop an understanding between each other. It had been a long time since they had done this, so hearing it again brought back fond memories.

Delilah shook her head out of her mindless thoughts and slowly lifted her knuckles to the wall, knocking back. Although she couldn't see his expression, she knew that Jeremiah was probably smiling as well.

It was their way to say that they were all good with each other.

And that was the only thing that mattered.

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Author's Note:

Not incorporating that adorable wall knocking scene from the show to my story would be absolutely criminal