𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗
this book will contain sensitive
topics, such as: family issues,
cursing, underage drinking,
and more. please don't read
if any of these upset you
𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧 24𝘁𝗵, 11:00 𝗔𝗠
The sun beamed down on Oliver's tanned skin as he walked up to the front door of his best friend's house. It was the last day of summer, and they had no time to waste to start their annual Disney marathon. He didn't even bother to knock, knowing the door was unlocked for him. He stepped inside the two story house with a sigh. "Stella! Do you want lemonade or tea?" he called up to the girl as he made his way to the kitchen like he owned the place.
"Mix them together!" His best friend, practically his sister, responded from her bedroom. She was tucked in underneath the multiple layers of blanket that she always sleeps under. Her voice was loud, probably because she knew they were home alone and that there were no parents to scold her for her 'outside voice.'
Oliver did as she asked despite his usual scrunched up face. He seriously didn't get it. And he had tried the potion. Stella had force-fed it to him on multiple occasions. "You're so weird," he rolled his eyes even if she couldn't see him.
"And popcorn too!" Estella called again, cupping her hands over her mouth to make sure he heard her. Stella never messes around with her movie popcorn, it's a must-have in the Carter household.
He opened the plastic wrapping and tossed the bag of popcorn in the microwave, making sure it was the one he and Stella preferred. As the curnles started to pop, he made his way upstairs with their drinks. "Hey sexy, brush your damn hair," he teased as he walked into her room.
Stella sat up from the bed, smoothing her hair down with her hands. "Well aren't you exceptionally charming today." She commented, "Gimme my drink." She held her hands out, manners be damned.
The dark-haired boy did just that, climbing onto the bed next to her and sprawling dramatically across her lap. "What movie are we starting with? The older ones? I need time to prepare my vocals for Frozen."
"Get off." She playfully pushed at him with her hands before she gave up and leaned backwards into her pillows. "I was thinking we could start off with Sleeping Beauty. We never watch that one and it's on discount right now."
He nodded, getting up and walking back down the stairs when the microwaved beeped. He opened the bag of popcorn and filled a large bowl for them to share before returning to Stella's room. "Sounds good to me. We're finishing every single movie, by the way. Normally we quit halfway through but I'm determined."
The brunette moved more to her side of the bed so that Oliver could have more room to himself. "Hey. You're the one who always begs for us to stop. Remember? You always say that you need your 'beauty sleep'" She used air quotes to symbolize her point. "Plus tomorrow's the first day of school, we should be sleeping."
"Sleep is for the weak. I'm a new man, Estella." He grabbed the remote from the door of the bed and handed it to her. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and popped it in his mouth. He washed it down with his sweet tea that probably had about 5 ounces of sugar in it.
"Sure you are." She scoffed sarcastically, "You say that every year." Stella took the remote from his hand and immediately clicked on the movie. "You're also hogging the blanket again. Like you do. Every single time you come over."
"Which is like every day, I practically live here," he laughed. "Okay, play it! I wanna get to Big Hero 6 at least before midnight because crying at night makes me depressed but crying during the day can be healed."
"Oh Lord, you crybaby. I'll try my best." Stella took one last sip from her drink before she set it down onto the dresser next to her. She tugged the blankets over towards herself slightly and tried to get as comfy as possible before she started the movie. "I say we skip all the Snow White and Cinderella movies and go straight into the 2010 movies at least."
"Yes! Perfect, let's get a move on," he shoved more popcorn in his mouth. Did Oliver find Sleeping Beauty entertaining? No, but it did give him a sense of nostalgia so he endured the cheesiness of the movie.
The movie was over before they knew it, probably because they gossiped the whole time. The dialogue in Sleeping Beauty is boring anyways.
"Okay! Next movie!" Stella exclaimed in a chipper tone. "What do you wanna watch? You're more of a Disney freak than I am."
"LILO AND STITCH!" he yelled, snatching the remote from her hands. He was a little too obsessed with the blue alien. He also knew all of Stitch's lines, so that was quite entertaining for Stella to sit through.
————————
Oliver's original mission to finish Big Hero 6 before midnight was an ultimate fail. At around one in the morning, the movie came to an end and the boy sniffled. "Tadashi was too hot to die! Fight me on this, but he's Flynn Rider's runner up. Wait but Naveen—"
Stella was quick to cut him off, knowing how he gets after an emotional movie. Throughout the movie — and Oliver's tears — she had moved over so that she could wrap her arms around him to try and comfort him. "It's okay. It's just a movie! Do you wanna watch a happy movie now?"
"Yes," he sighed as another tear slipped down his cheek. "Why are Disney movies always so fucking sad? They're for kids! I'm a mature young man and I still cry."
"Mature? That's funny." She teased. "Why don't we watch the Greatest Showman? I know it's a big jump but it's so cute!"
"Yes! I love Zac, he's so fine. Also, I'd go straight for Zendaya."
"Perfect!" Stella flipped through the movies until she found the Greatest Showman and she turned it on with a smile, resting her head onto Oli's shoulder. "Look, we're almost at the 2020 movies and it's only one in the morning!"
"We skipped half of them, but I'm gonna count it," he laughed as the intro to the movie played. He grabbed Stella's shoulder and shook it violently as he shouted along.
Stella laughed slightly, letting him shake her while she began to sing along with him. "I fucking love Disney." She giggled in the middle.
Oliver nodded. "The only movies that have songs I would unironically add to my playlists." He sighed as the song ended and the movie moved along.
The movie continued, both of them now screaming along to "From Now On." Stella laughed when Oli had a small voice crack, sending both of them into a fit of giggles. Their loud singing now no longer blocked out background noise, they heard a muted voice from downstairs.
"Are your parents home?"
"Um." Estella sat up and looked at the door, "I guess so. Where's the remote?" She began to pat around the bed for the remote. She knew her parents didn't care that Oli came over, they never did.
Oliver grabbed the remote and handed it to her, eyebrows furrowed in concern. When she paused the movie, it was clear the two were yelling downstairs.
Stella shushed Oliver, trying to focus on what her parents were saying downstairs, flinching slightly once the yelling got louder. Her face turned a slight pink in embarrassment and she mouthed a small sorry to her friend. "I can't hear them." She muttered, "Come with me." She grabbed Oli's arm and began to pull him out to the hallway.
Oliver crept towards the top of the stairs, trying to figure out why they were yelling or what they were talking about. He saw the two arguing in the living room, neither even thinking to glance in their direction. He waved Stella over so she could see.
Stella quietly walked over to where he was standing, hugging herself slightly. There wasn't a trace of any emotion on her face, and she proceeded to watch her two parents with a blank expression.
The only words that were able to clear any confusion the two had were what her father said next: "I want a divorce."
"Don't be like that, Blake. People make mistakes. There's no need to get a divorce-" Mrs. Carter began, lowering her voice. "Stop being dramatic and be a man."
"Oh, right. My apologies, Kate. I want a divorce, but it's okay because you're sorry. Bullshit! I'm not the one who went off and hooked up with someone else, am I?"
"Stop that!" She snapped back. "You saw it coming! We both did! Stop acting so goddamn surprised!"
He laughed bitterly. "Maybe I did, but at least I tried to save this. Not for me, not for you, but for our kids. Did you ever think of them when you went to go get fucked by another guy in the bathroom?"
"Oh so now we're talking about the kids?" Kate scoffed, crossing her arms. "Real smooth, Blake. I'm not going to let you guilt trip me by mentioning that I have kids! Maybe you should've thought about that before you even married me."
Stella let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding, her face turning paler and paler with each word that was muttered. She didn't know what to say, did she even want to hear them saying these things? She couldn't move, it felt like her feet were glued to the floor. It felt like she had to watch this.
"Actually, rewind. Let's talk about your fucking kids, like maybe, the one standing right fucking here," Oliver spoke up. He watched both of Stella's parents turned to look at the two of them standing at the top of the stairs.
"Stella, honey— shit," her father looked back at Kate. He wasn't sure what to call her, but "wife" wasn't exactly a pleasant title for her.
Mrs. Carter didn't miss a beat, in fact, she acted completely unbothered. "You two should be asleep, Oliver, go home." She clapped her hands once the two teenagers didn't move. "I said, now."
Oliver stormed down the stairs with a scowl. "Go fuck yourself," he spat at the woman and slammed the door behind him.
The brunette stood in her place at the top of the stairs, her jaw dropped open. As she looked at her mother she began to take note of her disheveled state. Her hair was messed up and her lipstick was so smudged that it was practically gone and her dress wasn't zipped up completely in the back. "Mom— Dad—?" She couldn't form any more words, her eyes desperately scanning in between the two for some sort of explanation.
The front door opened yet again as Oliver's mother stormed into the house, her son close behind. "Mom, mom!" His mother ignored him, walking right up to Kate. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm not in the mood for your bullshit today, Janet." Estella's mom sighed, running a hand through her hair. She refused to make eye contact with Oliver's mom, knowing that she would lose the argument the second that she did. Instead, she turned around and made a move towards the kitchen, most likely to grab a glass of wine.
"No, No! Don't you walk away from me," she grabbed the woman by the wrist to stop her. She tried to collect herself before she spoke. "I just...really? After everything? After Oli's dad, and after everything your husband did for you?"
"Let me go." She growled, yanking her hand away from Janet. "You're supposed to be on my side. You're my best friend."
"And you were mine!" Janet yelled, crossing her arms. "When I left Oliver's father, you were there for me. Now, what? You just went and did exactly what he did. God, Kate, you know what he did to me. What he did to my son!"
"It's not the same." Kate muttered, "How dare you put that on me. How fucking dare you, Janet." She turned around and stormed into the kitchen.
Janet followed her, blood boiling. "It's not the same because why, exactly? Because it was only once? Because why, Kate? Why?"
"Janet, stop!" She whipped back around. "You're being so emotional. And you know what? I don't regret it. I don't regret it one fucking bit—"
Janet slapped her right across the face. "Fuck. You." She stormed out of the kitchen, grabbing her son's hand. "Stella, come on. How about you stay at ours for tonight." Blake sent her a thankful smile and she nodded in return.
Stella nodded hurriedly and rushed down the stairs, not looking at either of her parents. She was out the door on a rush, eager to be anywhere other than her house at the moment.
Oliver and his mother were quick to follow. The three of them were all experiencing very different emotions. They all entered the neighboring house, Oli rushing upstairs with Stella close behind.
Stella immediately ran into the bathroom that stood next to Oliver's room, locking the door behind her with a click. She felt herself slowly slide down the wall, her breathing quickening as the effects of her shocks turned into sadness.
She leaned her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. Her hands were set over her heart while she tried to control her breathing to the best of her ability. Each deep breath calmed her down more and more until she finally stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Stella hated the shock that was still evident on her face, she hated it so much. Unlike Oliver, Stella hated it when people saw her cry. In fact, Oli was the only person who even had the chance to see her cry on a regular basis. She turned on the sink and washed her face quickly before she turned and made her way towards Oliver's room.
Oliver sat down on his bed, pulling his favorite stuffed animal close to his chest. The old thing was practically falling apart, but it held such a deep meaning to him. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop his tears from falling, but it was no use.
Stella knockedgently onto his door. "Oli? Can I come in?" . "Come in," he weakly called to the girl. He pulled the stuffed animal away from his chest, examining it and holding it gently. It had been his favorite since he was a little boy, and ever since his father tried to take it from him in his parent's own messy divorce, he never slept without it.
"I'm really sorry," he frowned. Normally Oli was better at comforting others, but the situation caught him so off-guard he didn't know what to think or say.
Stella sat down on the bed next to him, "you don't have to apologize," she told him gently. "I know it's a sensitive topic for you and your mom. I'm fine." She rested her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it in a way to comfort him.
He leaned his own head on top of hers, wrapping an arm around her. He glanced over at her phone when it chimed with a message from her father. I'm sorry ella, I love you.
She picked up her phone and turned it on, she shot a quick ily2 back to him before she rested her head where her hand was previously on his shoulder. "School hasn't even started yet, but everything's already going to hell."
"It'll be okay. I mean, maybe not now, but it gets better. I should know. If you have a parent that's willing to cheat, especially one that doesn't regret it, they don't deserve to be in your life. It's hard, but...you know you can talk to me. Especially about this sort of thing."
Estella sat up, "You're such a good friend." She told him, "And I'm here for you too. It's a package deal, okay?"
He smiled at her. "Oh shit it's three in the morning and we have school tomorrow—"
"Fuck." She flopped back down next to him. "Guess it's time for bed." She pulled the covers over herself, "scoot over."
He moved over to the side, laying down on his pillow and sighing. His eyes were heavy from all the crying the day had brought. "G'night Stells," he mumbled.
"Night, Oli." Stella closed her eyes, letting her sleepiness take her towards the sleep she knew she desperately needed for the day ahead.
As the clock slowly continued to move towards the inevitable morning, students from all around the town began to wake up and get ready for the most dreaded day of the year: the first day of school, where anything and everything can go wrong.
NOTE
thank you so much for reading the prologue! we wanted to release it quickly to build up some excitement for the actual chapters. this is mainly just background information about our ocs leading up into the first day of school. we're probably gonna start writing soon but we'll only include characters with opinions done so hurry quickly!
also please join the disc server that ashe made! the link will be in the comments and on our mbs but if you need it sent to you just dm me!
anyways lots of love,
janie and ashe