"next to a red head named abigail and soon enough you're best friends"
—— taylor swift
"hey, guys. abby's coming over."
"who's abby?"
"she's our neighbor, we grew up with her."
"she's nice, you'll like her."
and just as if on cue the front door flies open and a tall red head comes running in to the living room.
"how dare you guys be here and not tell me?!" she yelled and hugged all the boys.
then she spotted me and gasped pulling me off the couch and examining me from head to toe. she turned me around to face the boys and held me to her side.
"and how dare you bring this gorgeous girl and not tell me?! i'm abby." she said shaking my hand.
"delilah."
"well, nice to meet you, delilah. we are going to be best friends. wanna go with me shopping around the center today, i haven't been here long but the guys are already annoying me just by looking at them, i don't know how you've handled it." she whispers to me.
i laughed and nodded.
"uh, sure. when?"
"now." she said grabbing my arm and pulling me up the stairs so i could get my stuff.
she grabbed my belt bag that was sitting on the dresser and ran with me downstairs.
"we're heading out, boys. don't miss us too much!"
"ok, bye downton abby, bye wisconsin dells!" trevor shouted at the two of us.
we both rolled our eyes and left laughing.
"so, tell me all about you, how'd you meet the boys? any crushes?"
"i met luke in college, i met the rest of the family at his drafting party and ellen and luke wanted me to tag along when they came here so i just said yes."
"ok, ok. well, you're too hot for at least one of the boys to not like you, so which one is it?" she asked eagerly.
"well, i haven't really known them for that long." i mumbled with a pink face.
"omg, but you're bright pink, there's totally someone! ok ok, i'll tell you mine first. trevor and i had a thing going on last summer, we went to parties together and did some things at my house, but we won't go into those details. he texts me a lot, there's a bunch of 'i miss you's and 'when am i going to see you again?'s. he was the one that told me you guys were here."
"awww, trevor's a cutie you guys would look so good together."
"i mean, not to toot my own horn, but i know." we laughed.
"sooooo, what about you?"
"jack and i have had a few moments since i've gotten here."
"ooo, like what?"
"he took me on the roof last night to watch the sunset with him and he held my hand, and then today i went through some emotional rant about my family and then he slow danced with me to taylor swift in my bathroom. then he called me gorgeous and i didn't really know how to respond so i just said thank you."
"awwww, that's so cute, what the hell? you guys are like perfect for each other."
"his mom wants us to get together."
"what? ellen wants you to get with her boy, ok then jack for real is a keeper. i know that one of the most important things to him in a relationship is that his mom has to like them, and if you and ellen are already buddy buddy then i agree with her, you and jack should get together." she clapped her hands.
"i don't know... i mean we've only known each other for like four days, and i don't know how he feels about the age gap. i mean, would it look weird if an eighteen year old was dating a twenty year old?"
"i mean, i don't think so. when do you turn nineteen?"
"in march."
"so there'll be a couple months where you're nineteen and he's twenty. i don't think there's a problem with that."
"i guess not."
"and as it goes with how long you've known each other, sure, it's fast, but there is no minimum time it takes to fall in love with someone. not saying that you're at that level with him, but you definitely have a crush, right?"
"yeah.."
"so... you guys can continue how it is now and you can go on a couple dates and then decide where that brings you. by then you would've known each other for about a month, right?"
"yeah, that's true."
"see. everything will work out, you just have to be in it for the long run. ok, enough about boys, there's a party tomorrow down on the beach, wanna come with me?"
"yeah, i'll go."
"yay! do you have any dresses for a party."
"i mean, i have sundresses but party dresses, no."
"ok, well we can look while we go shopping if we don't find anything your style you can just pick one from my closet i have so many."
"ok." i laughed.
we made it to the little shopping square in town and we shopped for a couple hours. you know the saying shop until you drop, yeah that's apparently a real thing.
we went back to her house and sat our stuff down on the floor.
"oh my lord, it's hot outside."
"no kidding." i said fanning myself with my hands.
"ok, let's go find you a dress."
we both ran up the stairs to her room and she opened her huge walk in closet door. i swear it was like a shop in here.
"hm, ok. i think your color is red. i'm wearing a hot pink dress, but lucky for you, i mostly wear red, so i have so many you can choose from."
"wow, you are not kidding."
"nope, ok let's try some on, yeah?"
i tried on almost all of the dresses, most of them getting a no, or not good enough for you, until we finally got to one with a slit on the side.
"o.m.g. this is the one!" she said leading me to her full length mirror.
"look at how hot you are!"
"i love it."
"we are going to take pictures on insta and post them to make the boys jealous." we both laughed.
abby and i both grabbed my bags and walked over next door back to the hughes lake house. the house was oddly quiet and ellen was in the kitchen sipping on a glass of wine.
"hey, girls. how was your shopping trip?"
"it was good, ellen. you should come with us next time!" abby exclaimed.
"anything to get out of the house." ellen laughed.
"come on, let's go sit this in your room, get a bikini on and then go tan. i'm assuming the boys are on the boat."
we went upstairs and set everything down, i lent abby a yellow bikini while i wore a pink and orange flower patterned one.
i threw on a t shirt over mine and abby just put her shorts back on and we walked outside to see the boys messing around in the lake.
"hey, girls." nico greeted.
"hey, guys."
"how was the shopping trip?"
"fun, better than being with you guys."
"how rude."
they all hopped out of the water and dried off in their towels. jack wrapped his around his neck and walked over to me.
"you have fun?"
"yeah, i did. i like her."
"that's good, you guys can hang out so you aren't stuck with only boys the whole time."
"i mean, i would be perfectly content with spending time with your mom, but she's a good plus."
"i'm glad you and my mom get along so well."
"me too."
"hey, guys. they opened that karaoke bar back, you wanna go?" ellen asked everyone.
long story short, we all got ready super fast and went to the karaoke bar.
we got a good laugh at everyone singing up on the stage. it wasn't too crowded, it was mainly us and a couple strays.
trevor decided it was a great idea to put all our names in a hat and three of us would have to go on stage.
"shit, man i got myself." we all laughed.
"and we got the couple of the hour, jack and delilah."
"come on, of all people." jack complained.
trevor decided to get up and sing you belong with me. he kept looking at abby the whole time and i kept laughing and nudging her shoulder.
the bar got a little more crowded and everyone was singing along to trevor's song of choice.
"come on, rowdie it's your turn."
"i'll go with you." nico offered and they both whiskey glasses by morgan wallen.
it was pretty funny watching them both try not to laugh while they were singing.
then sooner or later it was my turn. i decided to sing dress. i know, kind of a dirty song, but it's easily one of my favorites.
our secret moments in your crowded room
they got no idea, about me and you
there is an indentation in the shape of you
made your mark on me a golden tattoo
all of this silence and patience pining in anticipation
my hands are shaking from holding back from you ah,ah,ah
all of this silence and patience pining and desperately waiting
my hands are shaking from all this ah, ah, ah, ahhh
say my name and everything just stops
i don't want you like a best friend
only bought this dress so you could take it off
take it o-o-o-off
carve your name in to my bed post
cause i don't want you like a best friend
only bought this dress so you could take it off
take it o-o-o-off
Inescapable, I'm not even gonna try
And if I get burned, at least we were electrified
I'm spilling wine in the bathtub
You kiss my face and we're both drunk
Everyone thinks that they know us
But they know nothing about
as i kept singing everyone was standing there with suprised expressions. some strays were singing and dancing along.
i held in a laugh as alex placed a hat in front of the stage but was surprised when people actually started placing money in it.
flashback when you met me
your buzz cut and my hair bleached
even in my worst times you could see the best in me
flashback to my mistakes, my rebounds and my earthquakes
even in my worst lies you could see the truth me
and i woke up just in time
now i wake up by your side, oh
my one and only my lifeline
and i woke up just in time
now i wake up by your side
my hands shake
i can't explain this, ah ah ah ahhh
once i finished the song everyone erupted in applause and i blushed and handed the mic back to the employee before walking down the stairs.
that's when i heard everyone chanting to go again.
"wanna go again?" the guy asked.
"i guess."
i took the mic back from him and this time decided to sing the very first night because it's more upbeat and a really cute song.
I wish I could fly
I'd pick you up and we'd go back in time
I'd write this in the sky
I miss you like it was the very first night
And so it goes, every weekend, the same party
I never go alone and I don't seem broken-hearted
My friends all say they know everything I'm going through
I drive down different roads but they all lead back to you
Cause they don't know about the night in the hotel
They weren't ridin' in the car when we both fell
Didn't read the note on the Polaroid picture
They don't know how much I miss you
once i was done everyone clapped again and i laughed and gave the employee the mic once again.
"nice job."
"thanks." i smiled.
i walked back down the stairs and met our group towards the front of the bar.
"dude, that was insane."
"you did not tell us you could sing."
"i've known you for how long and you didn't tell me?"
"hey, you made $75 from that."
i laughed as alex handed me the money from his hat.
"you should really do something with that, deli."
"hey, we could have you sing the national anthem at a devils game when we're in michigan."
"uh, i don't know. that's a big crowd and on live tv? that's pushing it."
"alright guys, let's leave the poor girl alone and walk home." ellen laughed.
we all got up and started heading back to the lake house. abby and i were towards the middle of the group and trevor and jack were right behind us. we turned around for a second and started engaging the boys in our conversation.
"so, trevor. i hear you're a swiftie."
"well duh, i see you are too, huh, wisconsin dells?"
"it's a crime not to be."
"i'm not." abby and jack said at the same time.
"ok, abby, i'll work on you, and jack i already told you for the time being you're an honorary swiftie. trust me, you'll never be able to escape the powers of taylor swift she's a literal mastermind."
"you make it sound like you guys are apart of a cult."
"it kinda is, to be honest but without the summoning demons and stuff." trevor waved his hands around.
"what's your favorite song?"
"you belong with me."
"oh, fearless kinda guy, i like it."
"how about you?"
"daylight."
"lover kinda gal, i like it." he mocked me.
i laughed and shoved him in the shoulder.
"your guy is annoying." i whispered to abby making her laugh.
"what are you two talking about?" jack asked.
"oh, nothing."
"uh huh, yeah, sure."
"you don't believe us."
"should we believe you?"
"not really." we both said and started running to the house as the boys chased after us.
we both ran in and ran to the backyard where the docks were leading to the lake.
"god damn, why are you such a good runner?"
"i did track, softball, and cheer my first three years of high school."
"holy shit, you guys are fast." jack and trevor came stumbling out to the backyard.
"wait why didn't you do sports your senior year."
"i was more of an honorary member of the team. in cheer during the summer my bases decided to throw me in the air but step away instead of catch me so i broke my spine. not a great year for me."
"oh, wow. i'm so sorry."
"don't be, i recovered. i still do it in college."
"you have great courage girl, i could never go back."
"well it was with lots and lots of therapy." we all laughed.
we ended up swimming in the pool in the backyard for a few hours in the moonlight without a care in the world.