Everything According to Juliana

Chapter Thirty-Two: Regret

Brittany's mother and Jen sat at the long table beside the pool, engrossed in a new book. They shouted over the drilling, thanks to the installment of the new patio, and sipped on sweet tea. Brittany walked past them, holding a bottle of water and a towel with her left hand as she texted with her right.

Her mother stopped reading when she saw what her daughter was clothed in. "Excuse me, Jen," she said as she slammed her book shut, turning around to look at her daughter. "Brittany Rivera! What makes you think you can strut around the backyard wearing a thong for a swimsuit bottom? Did I not teach you any manners? We have more than one guest, as you can see."

"You're right, mom," she laughed, putting her water bottle and phone down on the side table next to her chair before lying out her towel. Her eyes were fixed on Toby, who was digging a hole in her yard. She pointed to him. "We don't want Toby falling into the hole he's digging."

Jen laughed as she turned to her son, watching as he paid no attention to Brittany who was serving glances from the younger workers. "Relax, Madison. If I had a body like her, I would also be showing it off."

"She's fifteen—almost sixteen," she corrected, lifting her glass of sweet tea from the table. "She should not be wearing that skimpy of a bikini without my approval."

Jen shook her head, laughing at her best friend's words. "Listen, I don't have daughters like you so I can't put myself in your shoes but Brittany looks good. You did well. She's stunning."

"Yeah," Madison laughed, turning to look at her daughter again. She was standing next to the lounge chair, texting on her phone. "Don't say that around her. We don't want to give her an even bigger confidence boost. She doesn't need it."

Brittany then remembered her favorite pair of shorts and sunglasses were left on her boat from when she and her father went out on the lake the other day. She practically ran towards the boat. "I'm grabbing something on the boat. I'll be right back."

"Hopefully clothes," her mother said, eyeing up her bikini as she walked away.

Brittany walked onto the lawn and towards the direction of her boat, passing by the landscapers that worked in her yard. Toby's co-worker hit him in the chest as he continued to dig a hole in the yard. "Damn!" He exclaimed as Toby stopped digging, looking up at him. "She's a smoke show."

"Shut up!" He exclaimed, watching as Brittany walked past him. She was wearing a dark purple bikini, but the only thing he noticed was her derrière, which more than half of was exposed. "You aren't even going to say hello, Brittany? How rude!"

She giggled, waving without turning around to look at him. "Hello, Toby."

She had a smile on her face as she walked onto the boat dock, knowing that she achieved her goal. She wanted Toby to notice her in her slutty swimsuit. She mentally checked her achievement off her list.

But her mood changed when she stepped onto the boat and received a text. She looked down at her phone, surprised to see a message from Parker: Hey. If you're down to hang tonight, I'm free. Let me know.

She closed her phone, grabbing her jean shorts before slipping them on. She then quickly grabbed her sunglasses as her heart raced. She walked inside the boat, intentionally cutting open the skin on her arm against the pointy edge of the glass table. She then jumped outside of the boat and towards her father who was now standing on the boat dock, conversing with Toby's father.

She held her bleeding arm as she approached her father who had a very concerned look on her face. "What happened?" Her father asked as he pushed her onto the lawn and towards the house. "Did you go near the table when I told you not to?"