The three of them look decently similar; Dahlia can tell they're related, Latino things.
"Is there a reason the whole island is in my bedroom right now?" Aaliyah pushes Mia off and sits up, rubbing her eyes. Then she spots Dahlia there beside Jenna, looking her up and down with a tilt of her head. "Who's this?"
"Dahlia-my girlfriend," Jenna tells her, putting her arm around her territorially.
"Nice to meet you, Dahlia," she smiles, pushing herself up with her hands. Dahlia gulps.
"Put on a shirt," Mia groans, grabbing one from her suitcase and tossing it at her. All she's wearing is a silk slip, which is barely covering anything.
"If I would have known you were all going to burst in here I would have left it on last night," Aaliyah shrugs, pulling it on over her head. Mia crosses her arms and rolls her eyes.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" She asks, pushing her hair back and tying it up in a bun.
"Whatever you guys wanna do is fine with us. We've been hiking, to a spa, played tennis, swam all day. We're cool doing anything," Jenna tells them, as Dahlia puts her arm around her waist. There's something about her presence that keeps her calm.
"I vote we day drink and lay on the sand for the rest of the day," Aaliyah shrugs, getting out of bed and stretching.
"You definitely do take after aunt," Mia sighs under her breath, "Tennis sounds fun, though. Why don't you get ready and we'll meet you at the tennis courts? Mom left us all tennis outfits in our rooms, so I figure we may as well put them to good use."
"I'll be there in twenty," Aaliyah tells them, waving them off as she reaches in the shower to turn the water on.
So the four of them funnel out and then go to their separate ways to get dressed in tennis-appropriate outfits.
"So what do you think?" Jenna asks her, before tossing her the solid-white tennis clothes from the stack that Camila set there for them yesterday. "About my sisters, I mean."
"Um," Dahlia shrugs, pulling her shirt off. "I don't know. They're nice, I guess."
"Aaliyah is always up to something," Jenna tells her, stripping off her own clothes to put on her tennis outfit. "And if she tricks you into thinking she's not up to something, that means she's up to something that's even worse than her normal antics-which are bad enough by themselves."
"Why are you telling me this?" Dahlia asks, pulling on her skirt. She's still weirded out that they're comfortable changing in front of each other now.
"Because I saw the way she was looking at you," Jenna replies, glancing up at her. "And for whatever reason, she's attracted to you. But I did say she's a pretty big horndog, so that explains the reason she was even looking at you in the first place. She's going to try something."
"Oh, I see," she nods, looking at her with a teasing smile. "You're worried I'm gonna want her and you're jealous."
"Not in a million-no, a billion -years," Jenna laughs, pulling her shirt over her head. "I just want to make sure you don't get caught screwing my cousin at my aunt's wedding. We are supposed to be in love, so if you ruin that now I'll kill you. We're in too deep now to just throw it away."
"Of course I wouldn't do that," Dahlia scoffs, plopping down on the bed. "But would you be jealous if I did?"
"Shut up, Dahlia," she groans, reaching over and hitting her with a pillow. She pulls it from her, but she let's go just in time so she doesn't face plant against the bed. She's always quicker than her.
"You still aren't denying it," Dahlia shrugs her shoulders proudly, trying not to give in and laugh. But then she reaches over and shoves her off the bed.
"Since you're an actual baby and have to get confirmation on everything you say, then here: I'm not at all jealous of the hypothetical scenario where you and Aaliyah hook up," Jenna tells her as she groans and sits up, throwing a pillow at her.
"Jesus, Jenna," she rubs her hand over her elbow, sighing. "That's gonna bruise."
"Hope so," Jenna turns to her and smiles, and she rolls her eyes. "Ready?"
"I guess," she replies, slumping her shoulders and following her.
"God, I wish I didn't have to go out and socialize with my crazy ass family right now. I'm not in the mood," Jenna sighs as they walk out, now lowering her voice. "Not that I literally ever am, but still. Seeing them twice a year is awful enough."
Dahlia makes a mental note to dive further into that topic at a later time, but right now Jenna's aunt is making her way towards them on the dock.
"Oh, you both look so good! The spa told me everything went great!" she exclaims, putting a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Yeah, it was so relaxing. And romantic," Jenna gushes, grabbing Dahlia's hand again and looking at her. "Right, Dahli?"
"Of course," she nods, looking at her too with a smile. "Thanks so much."
"Don't thank me," she laughs, waving them off. "I'm glad you guys had fun! So have you talked to your sisters yet? I thought I heard them up and about."
"Yeah, we're actually about to go play tennis with them," Jenna nods, following her aunt down the dock. "Mia and her boyfriend are getting ready now, but Aaliyah just woke up so I assume she'll take longer."
"Most likely," Camila laughs, before Mia and Jordan stumble out of their bungalow wiping their mouths and messily fixing their clothes.
"Oh, hi Camila," Mia laughs, trying to compose herself.
"Hi baby," her aunt tells her, pulling her in for a hug. Mia looks at Jenna and Dahlia with a roll of her eyes and a laugh, before their hug ends and they pull back. "I've missed you! How was your midterms?"
"Great," Mia shrugs proudly, smiling. "Currently all A-pluses!"
"Of course," Camila laughs, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "And it's great to see you, Jordan!"
"Yeah, Miss Camila, you too," he nods and smiles, pulling her in for a hug.
"Well I won't hold you guys back from fun any longer," Camila laughs, and just then Jenna's mom walks out of her bungalow, coming towards them. "Me and your aunt are going to hit the bar while you four play a few rounds."
"Did someone say bar?" Aaliyah now steps out, joining the ever-growing group. She's wearing her tennis outfit too, "Whatever it is, I'm in."
"Me and your mom are hitting the bar, Aaliyah, and you're playing tennis with your sisters," Camila tells her, giving her a hug. Aaliyah groans and all but pushes her off in annoyance.
"You two get more and more beautiful every time I see you," Jenna's mom hugs Mia, kissing her on the cheek. All this time, Dahlia thought she was incapable of love and affection, but she was wrong. She is capable of it, just not towards Jenna. "Is Princeton as wonderful as you hoped?"
"Oh, definitely," Mia gushes to her, and Jenna's mom is smiling at her, and listening to her, and hugging her. Jenna looks down at the dock beneath her, shifting her feet uncomfortably. Dahlia squeezes her hand. "It's all so...Ivy League, you know? It's everything I've dreamed of since I was a kid."
"You've always been smart, Mia! I've been trying to tell Jenna she should drop out of that college and do something better, but she never listens to me. And do you see these two Jenna? All I'm asking is for a few swipes of mascara, foundation, and some lip gloss. It would do wonders for you. Is it really that hard?" She looks at her and laughs a little, like it's a lighthearted joke. Right in front of everyone. Dahlia wants to push her off this dock, because everyone is now staring at Jenna and no one is saying anything.
"She shouldn't have to if she doesn't want to," Dahlia smiles at her mom, but only to spite her. Both of Jenna's sisters eyes widen, and their mouths practically fall open. How could they sit there and not say something? "Who's ready to play?"
So they all head down the dock and over to the tennis courts, Jenna's mom and aunt going their separate ways so they can watch from the bar. She can feel her mom giving her dirty looks, but she couldn't care less.
Dahlia looks at Jenna to make sure she's okay, and she just nods and gives a slight smile in response, grabbing her tennis racket. She's not okay, but she can't blame her, either.
Dahlia and Jenna are horrendous at the game-losing every single time-so Dahlia just decides to give up her spot to Aaliyah and let her fully play instead of only playing as an alternate.
So she sits down on the bench and watches, not really paying attention at all. She just fully uses this time to think over everything going on right now, including Jenna's sisters, her mom, and even their fake relationship. It's all overwhelming.
"It's about time to start getting cleaned up for dinner," Jenna's mom walks up to them, not even daring to look at Dahlia. She never thought she could like someone as much as she dislikes her. "Everyone be out and ready at seven, please."
Jenna jogs off the court and up to Dahlia, and she hands her water bottle up to her. "You need to stay hydrated."
"I'm not drinking from a water bottle you put your mouth on," she laughs a little, plopping down on the bench beside her and dabbing the sweat from her forehead. She can tell she's still off, but she's trying. "That's disgusting."
"We've literally kissed, like, five times," Dahlia argues, confused. "That's way worse."
"Making sure to keep count so you can put it in your diary when you get back home?" Jenna nudges her, grinning.
"Obviously," Dahlia replies with an eye roll, before shoving the water bottle into her hands. "Now stop being a baby and drink some water right now before you pass out."
"Have I ever told you that it turns me on when you boss me around like that?" she replies, before finally grabbing the bottle and gulping it down. She rolls her eyes again.
Dahlia sits there and waits for Jenna to rehydrate, trying to avoid looking at the general vicinity where Mia and Jordan are making out on the tennis court. Aaliyah already walking on the dock next to her mom, both of them making their way back to their rooms.
"Ready to get ready?" Jenna asks, standing up and looking down at her.
"Yeah, let's go," Dahlia nods, following behind her.
"So damn gross," she sighs, glancing over at them stillmaking out with a shake of her head.
"Uncomfortable, maybe, but I don't think there's anything gross about love and affection," Dahlia argues, shrugging. "It's kinda sweet, you know?"
"You only think that because you are gross too, Dahli," she laughs, elbowing her.
"Okay, well you are the one actually making me do that same exact stuff in public, so you can't talk," she retorts, not backing down.
"That's only because we're putting on a show, dummy," she sighs, opening the door to their bungalow. "I would never actually want to make out with someone in public. It's weird."
"I'm not saying just in public in general, just...whenever it feels right. And, like, feeling like you're the only two people there," Dahlia replies, leaning against the wall while she grabs things from her suitcase. "I don't know, it's romantic."
"Yeah, yeah, Romeo, it's time for me to take a shower so beat it," Jenna replies, walking past her to the shower to get the water warm.
"Fine," she sighs, walking out the back door and doing her now-daily evening routine where she plops down on the chair on their porch, and watches the sunset. It's always slightly different every night; sometimes it's pink, sometimes it's orange, sometimes it's purple. It never fails to amaze her, though.
She hears the water turn off twenty minutes in, and only a few minutes later she hears voices in the room. Dahlia is confused for a second, before she recognizes her mom's voice.
"I brought this makeup for you to use tonight," she hears her demand to Jenna, "I want you to wear it. You can pull this shit around your girlfriend all you want, but you won't embarrass me around your family. Especially when your sisters actually know how to act and dress. Just do one thing right for once, Jenna. That's all I'm asking, and it's not much."
She's not sure if Jenna replies or not, but it's quiet if so, because she never heard anything. Her heart is pounding in her chest in anger. Dahlia gets out and is about to burst into the room and really yell at her mom, but she thinks of Jenna before she does. That would only make it all worse for her, and she doesn't want that.
She stands at the door and gathers her thoughts, trying to think of what she can do. During this, she hears the front door shut and her mom leave. She clears her head and calms herself down, before knocking on the door.
"Can I come in? I have to get ready too, you know," Dahlia laughs a little, pressing her forehead to the door. She tries to joke, because she knows that Jenna hates pity.
"You can come in," Jenna tells her, so she opens the door and steps inside.
Jenna's there in the bathroom, leaning over the counter as she puts on her mom's makeup. Her hair is neatly tucked back with bobby pins, too, which also looks like her mother's doing.
"You're putting on makeup?" Dahlia asks, standing in the doorway as she applies eyeshadow in the mirror. "I thought you weren't trying to impress your mom anymore."
"Just...shut up, Dahlia," she sighs, not even glancing up to look at her.
"Jenna, you don't have to do that," she tells her more firmly, walking up to stand beside her. "Your family is all about looks and all about appearances, but you aren't. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what you want."
"What if I do want this, Dahlia? What if I want to put on makeup, and I want to fix my hair?" she turns to her, clenching her fists at her sides. She hates seeing her like this; scared, tired, upset, and confused about what she could ever do to make her family accept her.
"Then you should do that if you want. And you know I'd support you," Dahlia replies softly, knowing that's what she needs right now. Someone who can tell her they accept her for who she is, and can talk to her like she's a human they respect. "But don't do it for them. Not for people like that, who are so goddamn shallow that they don't care about anything or anyone beyond that. You're better than that, and you're better than them. You don't need their approval. If you do this-or god, if you do anything-do it for yourself."
Jenna looks at her then likes she's on the verge of tears, and she feels pain herself just seeing her this way. She's torn, and tormented, and hurt.
"I'll close the door so you can shower, but I have to finish getting ready," she breathes out, her expression suddenly changing, her body language changing. She's being standoffish and guarded like she always gets when they talk about something serious; especially if it's about her family.
Dahlia sighs as she shuts the door on her, closing her eyes and thinking it over. Her mom is getting exactly what she wants: beating Jenna down until she complies to what she expects from her, what she wants from her. Dahlia hates even having to watch it.