XIII. MIDSUMMERS PART ONE
"good morning!" cecelia valentine said happily as she flipped on the big light in briar's room.
"ah, no, mom!" briar groaned, hiding her face in her pillow. "not the big light!"
"oh, hush, child," cecelia opened briar's window, the beach breeze floating in. "we need to get your dress resized, get up. breakfast is ready."
briar walked slowly down the stairs in her pajamas and slippers. "good morning, brenda." she mumbled as she took some bacon and biscuits from the trays the housekeeper had prepared in the kitchen.
"good morning, sweet girl," brenda said with a smile as she poured briar some orange juice. "your mother says we're getting your dress resized today for the baby."
"yeah," briar sighed. "she wants it to fit perfectly."
🃏
"mom, this dress is awful!" briar groaned as she looked in the mirror in the cameron's guest bedroom. "everyone's gonna know i'm pregnant."
"everyone already does," cecelia chided as she curled holly's hair. it was tradition for the valentines and camerons to get ready for the big event together.
"where's sarah?" briar asked as wheezie came back in and plopped herself in front of her cousin.
"she's not coming," wheezie mocked her sister. "can you do my hair please?"
"of course," briar said grabbing the flat iron. "straight or curly?"
"straight," wheezie said. "and yeah, sarah's not coming."
"are you serious?" briar groaned. "there's no way. mom, go tell sarah she has to come."
"you know that if i mention it, she's gonna want to go even less," cecelia sighed as she moved on to the next section of holly's hair. "why don't you talk to her?"
"because," briar sighed. "i spent all day with her yesterday and i need some space."
"does being pregnant get you annoyed with everyone?" wheezie asked honestly.
"yes, wheezie. yes, it does."
"that makes sense," wheezie nodded, flinching when briar held the flat iron too close to her ear. "i'd be annoyed if i had a little person kicking out my insides."
"you understand me, my sweet wheeze," briar pat her cousin's shoulder, unpinning a section of hair.
"sarah says she's not going," wheezie reported to rose when she walked in the room.
"the hell she isn't," rose chuckled. "your father is being coronated as guardian of knights of the rhododendron. you're going."
sarah followed rose in the room. "you're not my mother, i don't have to do what you tell me."
"oh, damn," holly laughed quietly.
"hush, holly," cecelia chided as she tried to hide her own laughter.
"whatever," rose snapped. "ward! your daughter says she's not going."
"she's off topper, jojo," wheezie commented.
"wheezie, please. go," ward said as he wandered into the room putting product in his hair.
"um, no," wheezie said. "briar's doing my hair."
"fine," ward agreed. "sarah, hallway".
"fine," sarah said coming back into the room. "i guess i'll go."
"woohoo!" wheezie cheered. "cousin party!"
🃏
the camerons walked out first, ward being given whatever ward was being given. the valentines paced inside, waiting for their entrance.
holly messed with her hair, not used to the tight curls her mother had done. briar adjusted her dress around her stomach, begging it to cover her bump.
"chase, stop," cecelia slapped her husband's hand away from his tie.
"did you see rose's crown?" chase whispered to his wife and daughters.
"oh, my god," holly groaned. "it was awful!"
"she's gonna poke someone's eye out," briar laughed.
"she really is," cece straightened briar's flower crown. "ready, everybody?"
"ready as i'll ever be," chase shrugged, holding his arm out for his wife to take. briar and holly locked elbows and the valentines made their entrance.
"head of kildare county city council, chase valentine! accompanied by his wife cecelia cameron valentine and his daughters briar rose and holly belle."
holly and briar smiled as they walked out. they would act as though they hated it but the sisters loved the primping and fanciness that came with being chase valentine's daughters.
"briar!" kie called as briar walked off the stage. she talked to holly for a second, promising to find her later and raced off to kie and pope.
"you look ravishing, my dear," briar commented in a bad british accent.
"you aswell, love," kie kissed briar on the cheek.
"pope, my man, striking as ever," briar hugged the boy. "where's our other two?"
pope shrugged. "who the hell knows anymore?" the girls nodded in agreement. "she's gonna poke somebody's eye out with that." he nodded towards rose cameron.
"that's what i said!" the valentine girl agreed.
briar looked around and found holly talking to her friend elliot. holly was still holly, even in midsummers attire. she had on a long black dress with a tight dark green corset around the outside. her crown was a matching collection of greens and dark colors.
briar's dress was was mostly white, blue flowers covering some of it. it tied on top of her shoulders in neat little bows. it cupped her chest nicely and her flower crown was blue to match.
kie was in purple and sarah was all in white. cece's dress was long and dark blue. briar smiled every time her father got lost in staring at her mother.
briar laughed as sarah ducked behind annalise shoupe to get another sip of wine. and another.
"briar?" annalise asked.
"no, no," briar shook her head. "baby on board, i'm sticking to water."
"briar!" holly ran up. "dance with me!"
"always!" briar squealed, grabbing her sisters hands. the girls danced back and forth, twirling each other around. "it's mom and dad." briar pointed to where chase was dipping cece to a song that definitely didn't require such extravagant dance moves.
"did you hear they arrested jj maybank for sinking topper's boat?" annalise whispered.
"what?" briar whipped around, holly coughing as she got a mouthful of her big sister's hair.
"yeah," annalise said. "after that shit he pulled at the beach, thank goodness."
"he was trying to save john b," briar defended.
"he had a gun, briar," annalise shook her head. "do you really want your baby around that?"
"oh, fuck off," briar scoffed and walked away, holly trailing behind.
"hey, calm down," holly followed her. "anna is just spitting back out what her dad tells her. it's not her fault."
"i'm annoyed!" briar huffed. "she doesn't have any right to say anything like that and she needs to shut the fuck up!"
"just come dance it off," holly begged. "please."
"fine," briar sighed. "but a good song better come on." her sister dragged her back to the dance floor with a laugh.
"hey, uh, vicky," jj tapped her shoulder.
"oh, my gosh! hi! i heard you got arrested, i'm sorry," briar hugged the blonde boy.
"yeah, yeah, don't sweat it," jj pat briar's back awkwardly. "this is, uh, from your friend vlad."
"my friend vlad, huh?" briar smiled taking the note. "thank you, sir."
jj nodded and saluted her. "yes, ma'am."
"hey," briar tapped holly. "wanna come on an adventure with me?"
holly nodded quickly and the two girls ran off the dance floor.
"hey," briar whispered coming out of the dark. sarah was sat on the railing and john b stood next to her.
"woah," john b looked at his girlfriend. this beautiful, beautiful girl. and she was carrying his baby. "hi."
"hi," briar smiled and wrapped him in a tight hug. "i brought holly. i hope that's okay."
"yeah, yeah, totally," he nodded, just happy to see her again. "for god's sake, briar you look fucking stunning." he spun her around making her laugh.
"thanks," she smiled. "looking a little underdressed, but not too bad."
"tell her," sarah urged. "tell her about it."
"briar," john b whispered against her ear. "we found it. the gold."
"what?" she screamed. "that's amazing! where?"
"shh," john b hushed. "it's at tannyhill."
"oh, wow."
SADIE SPEAKS!
word count: 1317
cameron valentine
getting ready partiess
>>>