The 4th of July in cousins is all about traditions. The dad's come up for the weekend, the mum's deck the whole house, the boys steam clams and shoot fireworks.
All the other Fourth of Julys, Belly and I wear just tagging along. But this year we have plans. We have friends.
"Can i finish your milk?" Jeremiah asks me, as i finish my bowl of cereal.
"Sure" I say handing him the bowl, with the shake of my head. What weirdo drinks the milk. We laugh as he begins to tips the bowl back and slurp down the milk.
"Yo, i'm going to go wash the calms" Conrad grabs our attention while walking into the kitchen "Did you get the lighter fluid?"
Jeremiah hums "Yeah, it's already on the beach" his tilts his head back, signalling towards the backdoor that leads to the beach.
"Are we done with the portrait yet?" Steven asks Susanah, walking into the kitchen, from the door Jeremiah just pointed to.
"Yeah for today" Susanah tells him, wiping off her paint brush with a cloth. "But you do look good in a dress suit. Which makes me think if Belly doesn't hurry up and ask Cam, you should go with her"
"Ew no way." Belly protest, from beside me, putting down her glass of orange juice.
"No. no. yeah, yeah" Steven disagrees with Susanah but agrees with Belly "I'm already going with Shayla"
"To the debutante ball?" Laural asks, walking into the kitchen, standing next to Susanah by the island
"Yes" Steven laughs, shaking his head
"As in escort?" Laural questions again.
"Wrap your head around it mum, all right?" Steven nods, sitting down on a stall, at the end of the island "Shayla's coming today with Nicole and Gigi. So you'll meet her"
"I already asked Cam" Belly tells us with a smile, causing the attention to go towards her
My head turns to her "You did?" She didn't tell me that.
"Yeah" She nods "He said yes" She nudges my shoulder "What about you?"
"Oh uh" I turn away, looking down at my hands on my lap "I haven't really thought about it"
"Really?" Suasanah questions me, causing my head to lift up to look at her "I thought you would have men lining up for you"
Steven lets out snort "She wishes" He mumbles. Ouch.
"I think she does" Hannah remarks walking into the kitchen "They are just to chicken to ask her" She sits down opposite me on the table.
i shoot her a grateful smile. I'm so lucky to have a friend like Hannah.
"Well don't forget Ms. Covington's first dance rehearsal is tomorrow so, uh tik-tok Mads" Susanah tells me.
Great. I have got until tomorrow to find someone who is willing enough to go to a deb ball.
"I don't know my kids anymore" Laurel tells Susanah, causing both of them to let out a giggle.
"Wait" Susanah look closly at my mum "Are yo wearing makeup?"
"Ohhhhhh, she definetly is" Steven drums the table with his hands.
"So what?" She defends, fiddling with a blue cloth in her hand "We're having a party"
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming to the clam bake?" Susanah questions, peeling an orange.
"Oh please" Laurel rolls her eyes "The husbands always come for the Fourth"
"He's not your husband anymore" Belly shoots, but i think in a more sharp tone than she intended.
"Oops. Yeah" Laurel chuckles akwardly "Ex-Husband"
"You know, I still don't uderstand why you invited dad's girlfriend" Steven comments, his eyes moving towards his lap.
"Her name is Victoria" Laurel says, folding up some napkins "And your father wanted us to meet her"
Tuning out the others convosation i turn my attention to Hannah, who sitting across from me. "Hey" Her eyes dart to mine "Speaking of parents, how come yours let you stay here?"
I grab the orange juice carton and pour a glass of orange juice, sliding it across to Hannah.
"Well" She clutches the glass between both her hands "My dad and his new girlfriend went to Italy and my mum went to meet her boyfriend's family for the Fourth so i would of been at a home by myself"
I nod my head at her respons. Hannah's parents have also split up, but way before my parents did. I remember the night it happened, she called me in tears, scared what was going to happen. Hannah and I are like the same person in a way, always scared of the future, loves dancing, and enjoys hanging out with friends. We never want to be alone.
Hannah is an only child, so when we became friends, we were inseparable. I remember we used to always make up silly dances and preform them to our mums and beg them to let us have a sleepover, every single night. Even on school nights. When the answer was no, we used to run and hind under bed sheets or hide in a closet so one of us didn'thave to go home, unfortunatly we where always found.
"Well now you get to hang with me" I send her a bright smile.
Belly head falls onto the table as she lets out a groan of annoyance. What was that about?
"Speaking of dad's" Susanah says. Still talking about the dad's. "Yours called, he's closing a deal so he can't come."
"What?" Disappointement clouds over Jeremiahs eyes.
A door closing causing my head to turn towards the back door. Conrad walks into the kitchen "Did you say dad's not coming?" He asks, carring a bucket across the room and dumping to contents into the sink.
"But i got some serious firework for the show this year" Jeremiah looks down towards his lap.
Susanah shrugs, swollowing a piece of orange "We'll take a video"
"It's not the same" He mumbles, shaking his head
"I know" Susanah agrees with him, popping another piece of orange in her mouth.
Conrad turns around, resting his hands agaisnt the sink, a smile resting upon his lips.
"What are you smiling for?" Jeremiah asks him. It's like he just read my mind.
"No reason" Conrad shakes his head, drumming his fingers against the side of the sink.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little while later, Belly has been sent off to make the guest bed for my dad and Victoria, Conrad has gone off somewhere, Jeremiah and Steven are on the other couch playing video games, while my head rests on the arm of the other couch with my legs flung over Hannah's lap. I hold my phone, with both hands, and scroll through my instagram feed. Strangly, i haven't seen a single post from any of my dance group friends, they always post over the summer.
A hornk of a car horn catches my attention as i look towards the kitchen to see if anyone walks through.
"Belly, Maddsion, Steven" Laurel calls out from the hall, causing Steven to pause the game. My dad must be here.
The four of us skid our way, through the kitchen, to the door. Both Jeremiah and Steven running at full speed. Walking down the hallway, i see both Belly and Conrad, peering through the window of the front door, spying on the adults outside.
"What does she look like?" I asks curious, wedging myself in between the two to get a close look.
You have got to be shitting me. No way. "Oh. My. God!" I exlaim, making me feeling 3 set of eyes on my from behind.
I turn around to face my best friend, letting laughter slip from my throat. What are the chances. "Hannah" I grab her hand and bring her next to me, she peers out the window,
"No way" She looks at me, eyes widening.
"What?" Jeremiah asks the both of us, one of his eyebrows raise, confused.
"Victoria" I peer back out at the woman standing next to my dad. "As in your mum Victoria"
Hannah's mum is standing outside the Fisher's smmer house, hand in hand, with my dad. Her long, wavy, brown hair is tied up into a high ponytail. She is wear a white summer dress, that puffs out at the waist, with a glod necklace.
"No way" Steven exlaims peacking over the top of our heads and out the window
"She hot" Jeremiah breathes out, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Yo! that my mum!" Hannah scrunches her face up in disgust at Jeremiah.
"What?" He defends "I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking"
"I wasn't thinking that" Belly tells him, her eyes saying glued on the pair outside.
"That could be their future stepmum" Conrad adds in, causing a light bulb of realisation to go off in my head.
"If they get married" I turn and look at Hannah to see her gaze is already on me "That means we would be stepsisters"
"Crazy" She mutters before diverting her gaze back outside.
"Dude what the hell?" Steven pushes Conrad at his comment.
The push starts a fake fight between the two boys until Belly pushes them back "Guys, they're coming"
"They're coming. Ah" Jeremiah exlaims before running off with conrad. Leaving Belly, Steven, Hannah and I waiting at the front door for them to enter.
A/N
I hope you guys are enjoying this book so far xx