𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮
☼☼☼
It had now been a few hours since the bonfire, and since the kids got busted for underage drinking by the police... and laurel, and now noa was standing in the kitchen with a glass of water scrolling on her phone, before she was startled by someone else entering the room.
"jesus, you scared me" noa said placing her hand over her heart
"oh sorry" belly apologised to the older girl
"what's up?" noa asked
"oh nothing, i thought you were conrad" belly smiled looking down
"god no, he passed out ages ago, like literally the second i put him bed, big baby" noa laughed thinking about her boyfriends actions, this made belly smile
"so uh are you doing the deb thing?" belly asked, hoping she would say no so she could have conrad as her escort.
"yeah probably, my mom was desperate for me to do one, so may as well get it over with" noa shrugged, "you?"
"yeah, i want to show everyone that i am mature now" belly stood up
"well i've only known you for like a day and i think you're pretty mature, so who's gonna be your date?" noa quizzed her excitedly, in belly's mind she knew exactly who she wanted to be her date, but unfortunately she couldn't tell noa that.
"oh i really don't know, i met this guy last night, so maybe him" belly sighed rubbing her arm
"cam? he was a cutie" noa smiled at the younger girl
"yeah cam, he was really nice" belly nodded before sighing, "the only thing is i don't want the boys to tease me, like they're so annoying".
"don't even worry about them, they will always be boys, aka dumb and annoying, i speak from experience when i say older brothers are the worse, i have two, but you get to a point when you go back to being best friends, it just takes a while" noa smiled, thinking about her relationships with her older brothers.
"now if you'll excuse me, i have to go check on a big dumb boy who drank too much last night" she giggled standing up from her stool she had been sitting on, "night belly"
"night noa" belly waved off the older girl up the stairs. as she sit with the silence she couldn't help but feel awful, she had been so mean to noa, and still the girl was lovely to her, how was she supposed to steal her boyfriend?
☼☼☼
"how are you feeling today?"
"i'm good, how's your head? you took a rough hit noa" conrad asked
"how many times do i have to say it? i'm fine, that dude barely got me" noa rolled her eyes at conrad's actions
"i'm just concerned for your pretty little head" conrad smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead, "don't you have something you have to ask me?"
"what do i have to ask you?" noa asked her boyfriend with a confused look on her face
"gosh noa, i really hope you didn't already ask someone else to be your escort?" conrad asked with a dramatic sigh acting shocked, which noa rolled her eyes at.
"you know i heard from someone that deb balls are for sheep, you wouldn't want to be a sheep escort would you? could be pretty bad for that reputation you've got going" noa said with amusement in her voice, this time it was conrad rolling his eyes for a change.
"i only said that because i didn't want to be your escort, but i would rather it be me than anyone else" he smiled looking down at her
"well that's just too bad i asked jere already" she shrugged jokingly
"don't joke about that, i think he still has a thing for you" conrad shook his head
"you're kidding, i seriously thought he was over it, i even referred to him as my little brother just to see if that would end it" noa said placing her head in between her legs, her words making conrad laugh.
"i could do with this view everyday" noa said lifting her head to look at the beach during sunrise, it bringing calmness over her.
"i could do with this view everyday" conrad repeated but instead looking at noa rather than the beach
"god you are so cheesy" noa laughed leaning in to kiss the boy, "come on let's go inside, i'll make you some food".
the couple stood up interlocking hands to walk back inside, unaware of the eyes of a younger girl following them, filled with jealousy and envy.
☼☼☼
"go lay down on the couch, i'll bring your stuff" noa instructed conrad as they entered the beach house, the girl making her way to the kitchen as conrad followed her words, walking directly to the couch.
"hey jere," she smiled, "could you make connie one of those magical hangover cure drinks, you know the one you made me after my birthday?"
"oh yeah, sure thing" the boys eyes brightened realising she remembered it was him that took care of her after she got trashed at her party, he knew he didn't have a chance with noa, she loved his brother, but he could still have a crush right?
"morning, morning, morning!" steven exclaimed entering the kitchen, which was met from a shush from noa, who was pointing to her severely hungover boyfriend asleep in the living room.
"ok boys, beck wants to get started on your portraits today, and noa she said she knows you said you were fine, and she didn't need to do it, she is painting one of you" laurel said addressing everyone in the kitchen
"do we physically have to sit for them?" jeremiah asked as he continued making conrads smoothie and breakfast for everyone.
"can't she just, like look at a picture on her phone or something?" steven joined in, as he leaned over jeremiah's shoulder trying to see what he was doing.
"okay, that's it get out" jeremiah ordered his friend
"what, why?"
"she needs to see you in the flesh in order to capture your essence, while you're still young and full of hope." laurel continued, "her words"
"well, conrad does not have hope, actually, he's hopeless, but my hangover smoothie, cures it all" jeremiah smiled from the stove
"can you please just hurry up?!" conrad groaned
"just go back to bed, all right?" jeremiah shouted before whispering to noa, "please go calm down the man child" she giggled in response, making him smile.
as the girl walked out of the kitchen to check on her boyfriend, steven leaned back over to his friend to whisper something,
"god you want her so bad, can't blame you she's hot" he smirked
"steven!" his mother whispered in a sharp tone
"all right, seriously, steven get out" jeremiah rolled his eyes
"oh, come on, seriously"
"this is a delicate science, and your heavy breathing and stupid remarks are gonna break the yolk."
"okay, okay, okay" steven shook his head stepping away
"she hasn't painted you since you were little. i think it would be nice to have these portraits for when you're older" laurel joined in
"old, please." steven scoffed, "no, when i'm older i'm sure there'll be like holograms or something i can watch of myself, you?"
"just sit for your portraits," laurel rolled her eyes, "i don't see conrad complaining"
"he'll complain when he's concious" jeremiah remarked as he walked into the living room to see noa laying on the couch, conrad laying between her legs, head on her chest arms wrapped around her.
"thanks jere" noa smiled to the tanned boy, taking the brown liquid from him. "connie, drink this"
conrad lifted his head from noa's chest to inspect the beverage handed to him.
"no way i'm drinking this shit"
"stop being a baby, i did it, i was fine" noa laughed at the boys dramatics
"you're telling me i kissed that mouth, after it had this in it?" he asked with false concern, making her roll her eyes
"and i'll still kiss that mouth, after it's had the smoothie in it" noa smirked pointing to conrad's mouth. the boy in question shrugged before downing the drink.
"god that was awful" he stuck his tongue out
"shut up conrad!" jeremiah yelled
"alright thats enough you boys go to work" laurel rolled her eyes as the boys walked out of the kitchen before saying hi to belly
"sups bells"
"morning sunshine"
"bye guys have fun at work" belly smiled, before noticing the couple on the couch and rolling her eyes, and then entering the kitchen smiling at her mother.
"OH MY GOD!" susannah shouted as she entered the kitchen "noa and belly are gonna be debutantes"
"it's really not that big of a deal" belly shrugged
"okay this is gonna be so much fun" susannah started, "just you wait, there is, uh... there's the tea, the auction, the ball of course, the rehearsal" she sighed, "i need to write this down. we need to go shopping"
"this sounds, expensive" laurel sighed,
"oh, don't worry, laur, it's on me. it was my idea of course, and we still need to style you for your book party" susannah smiled before looking at the couple on the couch, "noa sweetheart, you can stay here i know what you like to wear" she called out to the girl who had her fingers threading through conrad's hair.
"sounds great thanks sannah!" she called back
"wikipedia says debutante balls require instruction in morals and social etiquette"
"we're gonna go swim" conrad announced as he pulled noa behind him, who was waving to everyone in the kitchen, jealousy once again taking over belly
"no offence, beck, but i don't feel like a country club is the best place to be teaching belly about morals."
"laur times have changed. there's a girl debbing this season, and she's bringing her girlfriend as her escort, and the club was fine with it" susannah said reassuringly
"how very progressive of them"
"well hurry up we have shopping to do!" susannah exclaimed clapping.
"it's not like i was getting any work done anyway" laurel sighed as she shut her computer, "come on belly" she called out moving the girl from her stare at conrad and noa who were smiling and laughing chasing each other around the pool, she wanted that so badly.