𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 ✸ fisher

𝟬𝟯. the deal of the decade

"It wasn't the . . entire house. Just— Belly and Conrad and Steven." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"So, pretty much everyone. Great." She rolled her eyes. Absentmindedly, she shook her head.

"Is this what you needed? You want me to tell anyone that asks we went on a date tonight?" She asked him, brows furrowed.

"'Course not," He scoffed. Then, he pulled his car keys from his pocket and twirled them around his finger. "I came to take you on a date."

"What?" She scoffed, turning to head back inside her house.

"Nope!" He pulled her back by the wrist, out of reach of the doorknob. "C'mon, I'm offering to buy you ice cream at the pier, and all you have to do is sit there and be pretty, kay?"

Staring at him for a moment in contemplation, Vivica gave in.

"Fine." She complied. "Only because you went along with it today at the club with Cam."

Jeremiah fist-pumped the air in celebration, as Vivica hopped down the front steps and to his jeep. Quickly, the boy scrambled to the passenger-side door and pulled it open for her.

"After you," He said formally, presenting the open door to her.

"Yeah, whatever." She grumbled, climbing on in. She shot a quick text to JB about where she was going and telling him to let her know when her mom got home.

Not that she was expecting her to. Her mother was out with some friends, which meant she probably wouldn't be back until the next day.

The ride was silent and rather awkward— the two had never been alone together before longer than five minutes, something that was now very obvious.

Thankfully, Vivica only lived about seven minutes from the pier, and with Jeremiah gassing it, it was more like three.

When they got there, he opened the door up for her and she actually thanked him that time, stepping inside the cool, air conditioned building.

The woman at the front counter smiled at the pair, quipping a, "What can I get you two tonight?"

"Um, one strawberry and one . ." Jeremiah began, turning with an expectant look at Vivica for her to pick her ice cream of choice.

"Mint chocolate chip, please." She smiled at the woman, absentmindedly tapping the area on the glass display that said the dessert's title.

Jeremiah's nose crinkled at her flavor request, murmuring, "That's gross, but okay."

As the worker laughed, Vivica delivered a soft punch to his shoulder. "I didn't say anything about your little girl order."

"Little what?" He asked, chuckling in amusement.

"Strawberry's what I always got when I was like, ten, solely because it was pink." She explained, hoping with everything in her that he knew she was just joking.

"Okay, so you were a weirdo as a kid. Leave my ice cream outta it." He replied with a small smile.

When the ice creams were ready, Jeremiah took them from the kind worker and handed Vivica hers with an exaggerated look of disgust, mumbling another jab about it being nasty.

Vivica reached to unzip her purse in search of her wallet, only for the boy to smack her hand down.

"Jeremiah, quit. I'm pa—"

"Um, no ma'am." He interrupted her. "I told you before— this little date was my idea. You're not paying for your ice cream"

"You guys are on a date?" A voice from behind them asked. Unfortunately, they both knew that voice.