IT'S BELLY'S BIRTHDAY, a big event for the summer. It's the only birthday out of everyone, and the boys (and Carlee) go all out to make sure it's a memorable birthday every year.
They're all up before Belly is even awake, and Carlee had walked over to help set up with Laurel and Susannah. Meanwhile, the boys (minus Conrad, who's sullenly eating cereal) help Jeremiah get the pancakes ready.
"Morning, everyone." Belly announces her arrival, and there she is; on the day of her sweet sixteen, looking ecstatic.
"Happy birthday!" everyone says in unison, greeting her with wide smiles.
"Happy Birthday, Belly Baby!" exclaims Carlee, wrapping Belly in a tight hug as soon as the girl enters the room. "You look so beautiful."
"Thanks, Carlee." Belly blushes, smiling as she pulls back from the hug.
"There's the birthday girl," gushes Susannah, also enveloping Belly in a hug, "looking like a vision in floral. Happy Birthday."
"Happy sweet sixteen, Bells." beams Jeremiah, who has been telling the boys how he needs her birthday to go perfectly.
"Happy Birthday, Princess." Nate hugs Belly, smiling at her as he pulls away. He whispers, "Sorry for the other night." She shrugs, still smiling. "I think my gift will make up for it, though."
"Now Belly Button's getting old finally." Steven holds a plate of pancakes above his head with a grin. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, everyone." she gushes, her face a bright shade of red from all the attention she's receiving. Belly's shy, Nate knows that.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Laurel says, coming up behind her daughter and smiling.
"Thanks, Mom." mumbles Belly with a grin.
"Your Mickey Mouse pancakes are ready."
"Actually, I'm not really, uh, hungry." Laurel looks disappointed; her face drops.
"Shall we open gifts?" Susannah asks swiftly before an uncomfortable silence can overcome the happy group.
"Oh, you're gonna love mine." Jeremiah grins as he holds up a small box. Conrad stays silent.
The group moves into the living room, Belly sitting on the big couch so everyone can watch her. Nate sits on the floor beside Steven's chair with Carlee beside him. He's holding their shared gift in his lap, and Carlee is practically shaking with excitement.
Belly opens her mom's gift first. It's a book of poems that Belly studies closely. Nate can tell she's not completely interested.
"It's a first edition." Laurel explains slowly, looking hopeful. "I got it from a rare book dealer."
"Thanks, Mom." says Belly with a somewhat forced smile.
Laurel rolls her eyes, tilting her head. "Turn to the bookmarked page. It's your favorite poem."
"Oh, yeah." Belly's forced smile fades into a real one, her eyes scanning the page excitedly. "I remember Susannah teaching us to recite this. 'For whatever we lose..."
"'Like a you or a me,'" the rest of the group joins in, "'It's always ourselves we find in the sea.'"
"Thank you." Belly beams at her mom. "I love it."
"You're welcome."
"Okay, open mine now, Belly." Susannah hands Belly a medium-sized box, which Belly tears the wrapping paper off. Inside are some sizable pearls that Belly gasps at.
"Oh, wow." she murmurs under her breath, admiring them with widened eyes. "They're gorgeous. Thank you, Susannah."
"My mom gave me these pearls for my sweet sixteen." Susannah explains to Belly as she helps her put them on. The group stares at Belly with the pearls. "Radiant, isn't she?"
"Oh, I'm next." Jeremiah quickly hands Belly his smaller box, grinning ear-to-ear. "Here."
"Thank you." Belly laughs as she opens the box, revealing a small charm.
"It's a good-luck charm to help you pass your driving test." Jeremiah tells her as she puts it on her bracelet, smiling as she does so.
"Perfect." she holds her arm up with a grin. "Thank you."
"Here, Princess." Nate hands her the box he's been holding. "It's a joint gift from me and Carlee."
Belly tears the box open, revealing a new pair of Converse. She raises her brows, beaming at the shoes as her eyes flicker back and forth between them and the siblings. "Wow. Oh... thank you so much, guys."
"No problem." they say in unison.
"Think fast, Belly." shouts Steven, tossing a poorly wrapped item at Belly's head.
"What?" groans a muffled Belly as the item hits her in the face. She unwraps it as Laurel sends Steven a warning look. Inside is a Princeton sweatshirt, and she raises her brows at him, impressed. "Wow, Steven, I can't believe you actually spent money on me."
"Relax." laughs Steven, shaking his head. "I just didn't want you stealing mine next year when I get in."
Laurel looks at him, confused. "I didn't know you were still considering Princeton."
"You know, I-I think I'm gonna apply for some scholarships, and Dad thinks I can get some financial aid." he watches her expression closely. "I-I don't know. I'll see if I get in."
"Conrad, uh, do you want to give Belly your present?" Susannah leans towards her oldest son, who has been sitting silently in his chair, his head pointed downwards.
"Sorry, I forgot." he shrugs, as if it's no big deal. Carlee looks at Nate, who frowns at his older friend. It's not like Conrad to forget such an important event.
Belly looks hurt, and Nate doesn't blame her for feeling so, but she just shakes her head and smiles. It's more forced than the smile she gave to Laurel before.
"Uh, that's... that's cool. Um..." she rambles, and Carlee mutters a curse against Conrad under her breath. "I wasn't really expecting anything anyway, so..."
Conrad gets up. "Oh, so I got to go. Um, I promised Cleveland that I'd show him some knots today, so..." he stops in the doorway, looking back for a second. "Happy birthday, Belly." he leaves.
Jeremiah immediately notices Belly's hurt expression and smiles at her. "Hey. Why don't we take my car and practice driving before we have to pick up Taylor
from the bus station. Nate, you coming with?"
"Sure." shrugs Nate, standing up. "Let's hit the roads, Belly."
*
Belly is a shaky driver. Nate is practically clutching the back of Jeremiah's seat as she swerves around on the road, chuckling weakly as she does so.
"Okay, slow and steady." Jeremiah advises, watching her with a smile. "You're doing great."
"Define great," says Nate between gritted teeth.
"Just keep going straight, okay?" Jeremiah commands, and she nods. "You excited to see Taylor?" there's a twist in Nate's stomach at the mention of Taylor.
How is this entire thing going to work out? He's not sure what they're going to do, or how Belly is going to react when she finds out they're "dating." He doesn't know if he's doing a good thing.
"Yeah, uh, of course." Belly's tone is forced. "So excited."
"Sure sounds like it." grins Nate from the backseat, leaning into the seat behind him. "Come on, lay it on us, Princess. What happened?"
"Nothing happened." Belly clarifies worriedly. "Look, she's my best friend in the world, but, um, I mean, you know how Taylor is. She's like a hurricane."
Nate wants to agree and state how annoying Taylor actually is, but bites his tongue. Can guys call their girlfriends annoying? Fuck, he wishes he wasn't so noncommittal so he knows how to act in a relationship.
"Oh, yeah, yeah." Jeremiah laughs, nodding. "Hurricane Taylor." the entire car laughs, including Nate.
"And I guess I always feel like the supporting character around her," Belly continues, her mood dipping a little, "which, normally, I don't mind."
"But it's your birthday, and you're the main character, Belly, not her." Jeremiah assures her with a wink.
"Don't worry, Belly," Nate speaks up, and their eyes meet in the mirror. "Today is your day. Taylor is the supporting cast. We all are. It's Belly Day."
"Yeah. Thanks, guys." she smiles, biting her lip. She's distracted for a moment, and she swerves into the opposing lane for half a second until she corrects herself. Nate yells in fear, and Jeremiah grips the dash.
"Bells?" Jeremiah breathes out, grinning at her. "We're gonna need a part two to this driving lesson, okay?"
"And part three and part four." adds Belly with a laugh, breathing heavily. "You okay back there, Nate?"
Nate raises a brow at her. "As soon as Jere takes the wheel, I will be."
*
"Twenty bucks she calls you 'Jeremy' again." Belly elbows Jeremiah jokingly before turning to Nate. "Or 'Nathaniel.' She's called you that since the dawn of time."
"Not quite sure where she even got it from," laughs Nate, putting his hands in his pockets. "I had to have told her I was Nathan six hundred times. Pissed seven-year-old me off."
"That's how she flirts with you." shrugs Belly, smiling up at him. Nate rolls his eyes.
"I think she's learned from the Jeremy Incident last year." Jeremiah gives Taylor some props— she probably doesn't deserve it.
"No way," scoffs Nate, shaking his head. "I want twenty, too."
"Here she comes." sings Belly. Taylor is carrying a large amount of balloons with her, to the point that Nate swallows thickly at the thought of having to carry them for her; he knows she'll make him carrying something.
Taylor beams as she sees Belly, sprinting over to her. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God." she giggles, embracing Belly in a hug. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." says Belly happily, staring at Taylor's abundance of gifts.
"Belly, you little tart." scoffs Taylor, examining Belly's outfit. Belly stares at her with a raised brow, just as confused as the two boys feel. "You finally took my advice. This outfit is snatched."
"The hell does that mean?" mumbles Nate to Jeremiah, who shakes his head.
"Isn't Belly looking like a snack?" Taylor looks to the two boys, and her gaze gives no indication that she even cares about Nate whatsoever.
"Always." winks Jeremiah, to which Belly flushes and mumbles a shy "thank you."
"Oh, uh, here," Nate reaches out for the gift bag Taylor is holding, "let me get your bag." their hands brush across each others as he grabs it from her. He mutters to Jeremiah, "You get the balloons, Jere Bear."
"Thank you." Taylor pats his shoulder. "You're such a gentleman, Nathaniel." he rolls his eyes. "You too, Jeremy. Good boys."
"Um..." Belly laughs awkwardly at Taylor. "It's Jeremiah, not Jeremy."
She shakes her head carelessly. "I like Jeremy better."
"Uh, should we, uh, head home?" Belly suggests, but Taylor looks at the three others with a bright grin.
"Ooh, actually, can we make a stop first?"
*
Somehow, Nate ends up paying for Belly and Taylor's ice cream. As they get out of the car, Taylor whispers something about "boyfriend duties" to him, and with a grumble, he purchases the ice cream.
Taylor hums happily as she eats the ice cream. "I live. I would literally eat this every day if I could." Nate wishes he could understand her lingo, but he knows it's an unfulfillable wish.
"Me, too." agrees Belly, smiling.
"Okay." Taylor hands Belly the gift bag. She and Nate are sitting beside one another, her free hand playing with the bracelets on his wrist. "Open your present. I think it'll look so hot on you." Belly pulls a purple bikini out of the bag, to which Jeremiah and Nate shoot each other skeptical looks. "Do you like it?"
"Okay, Belly would never wear that." laughs Jeremiah, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that's not a Belly swimsuit." agrees Nate, shaking his head. Taylor sends him a glare, and he shrugs.
"Actually," Belly narrows her eyes jokingly at the boys, "I really like it. Thank you, Taylor."
"You're welcome." she smiles back. "Okay, so, what's the plan for tonight? Where's the party?"
"Well, Susannah always plans a big lobster dinner." Belly tells her.
"Boring." yawns Taylor, whose hand leaves Nate's wrist to rest on the table "No. It's your sixteenth birthday. We have to go out."
"No, no, no. These dinners are really, really fun." disputes Belly, unbothered by Taylor's distaste. "And Susannah had the idea to make it Midsommar themed, so she got flower crowns especially made for us and everything."
"Don't you think you should be spending your birthday with people your own age?"
"I am. You're here."
"Hello?" Jeremiah scoffs, looking at Belly, feigning offense. "Am I invisible?"
"Yeah, what the hell." Nate waves a hand in front of Taylor's face, but she just grabs it and holds it under the table. He doesn't understand why she's being so touchy; Steven isn't around.
"And Cam's coming, too." Belly adds excitedly, her face reddening. Jeremiah rolls his eyes subtly.
"Yay, I'm so excited to meet the guy who finally got you to take your eyes off of you-know-who." Taylor leans forward, grinning at Belly.
"Taylor." hisses Belly warningly, her eyes widening.
"What?"
"I have an idea." Jeremiah raises a suggestive hand. "We can go to Nicole's big blowout at her place tonight. Maybe go after dinner?"
Taylor subtly looks at Nate out of the corner of her eye, and he feels her grip on his hand tighten a little before loosening. "Nicole...?"
"She's my big sister for the deb ball." Belly explains with a smile. "She's super nice and just really cool and fun and... I think she's with Conrad."
"And Nate and her totally had a thing last year," teases Jeremiah, leaning towards his best friend, "that he won't tell me anything about."
"Because she's with Con-"
"Ugh, I'm, like, melting right now." whines Taylor, twisting a lock of hair around her finger as she bats her eyes at Nate. "Can we go back to the house? I want to change into my bikini and jump in the pool."
"Yeah." Nate nods. Jeremiah watches their interaction suspiciously, but Belly seems to miss it. "Sure. I'll drive?" he raises a brow at Jeremiah who nods.
"Yay!" exclaims Taylor, dragging Nate up by his arm. "I call shotgun."
*
"She's fucking into you, bro." Jeremiah says for the thousandth time since they've gotten back to the house. Steven, Jeremiah, and Nate are on one side of the pool while Taylor and Belly are talking under their breaths on the other side.
"Whatever, Jere." scoffs Nate, who has no idea what to say. Does he say he's "dating" her? Does he deny it? "You suck at reading signals."
Jeremiah shakes his head before turning on Steven. "I can't believe you went against my very sound advice and went and got booed up anyway." He's talking about Steven agreeing to be Shayla's escort for the ball.
"I guess." sighs Steven, looking anxious. "I mean, she's, like, the hottest girl I've ever met."
"We know you're gossiping about us over there." calls out Taylor from the other side of the pool.
"Yeah, you wish." Steven scoffs, rolling his eyes at Jeremiah and Nate, who snicker.
Taylor gasps abruptly, clapping her hands together. "Let's play chicken."
"No!" shouts out Belly, looking worried. "Not chicken."
"Yes!"
"I was like twelve the last time we played."
"Oh, come on, it'll be hilarious!"
"Hey, I'm down." Jeremiah grins, wading over to the girls. "Come on, Steven, Nate."
"Oh, hell no." Steven shakes his head, leaping up onto the side of the pool. "I'll be the judge."
"Fine." groans Jeremiah. "Please tell me you're still in, Nate."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." shrugs Nate, following behind Jeremiah to the girls. Taylor practically leaps towards him.
"Dibs on Nathaniel." she sings out, wrapping an arm around his neck.
Jeremiah grins down at Belly, who is beaming up at him excitedly. "Let's take them down, Bell."
"Nah, fuck that." laughs Nate as Taylor gets behind him. "You're going down, Princess." he dunks himself underwater until Taylor wraps her legs around his shoulders. He surfaces, pushing the hair off his face.
"You guys ready?" asks Jeremiah with a smirk, his hands on Belly's thighs.
"Jesus, Nathaniel," scoffs Taylor, gripping his hands with her own, "can you, like, get a stronger grip please? What are you, seven years old?"
He tightens his grip around her thighs, rolling his eyes up at her. "Shut the hell up, TJ, or I'm going to purposefully throw you in the water."
"Alright!" Steven announces from the side of the pool, grinning at the sight below him. "Three, two, one, go."
Nate and Jeremiah almost collide as Belly and Taylor try to shove each other off the boys' shoulders. Nate unknowingly holds on tighter to Taylor, afraid she's going to snap his neck if she goes down.
"Pull it together, Jewel." scoffs Nate, rolling his eyes as Belly gets a good hit on Taylor.
Within a few more tries, Belly manages to push Taylor back, and she brings Nate down into the water with her. He surfaces up, brushing the hair off of his face and glaring at Taylor.
"Yeah!" cheers Jeremiah victoriously, and Nate can hear Steven cheering too. "Give me some."
"Oh, good job!" mocks Nate, placing his hands on his hips and staring down at Taylor. "Was that the best you've got?"
"That was your fault!" she retaliated, pointing at him accusingly.
"Are you kidding me?" he gestures wildly with his hands. "That was completely your fault!"
"Hey, guys." speaks a voice, and Nate immediately turns when he recognizes it— it's Nicole. He swallows nervously.
"Hey, Nicole." he stammers out. Luckily his nervousness is masked by the fact that Belly also said Nicole at the same time.
"Hi." she says to Nate before turning to Belly. "Happy birthday, Belly." she looks around, raising a brow. "Are you guys playing chicken?"
"Um, yeah." laughs Belly awkwardly. "It was, it was Taylor's idea."
Taylor steps up beside Nate, who is stuck in a complete trance, although he's shaken out of it has Taylor's shoulder brushes against his arm. "Hey, I'm Taylor."
"Hi." waves Nicole in return, smiling at Taylor kindly. Taylor's body language is standoffish, and Nate isn't sure why.
"She's my best friend from home." explains Belly, looking between the two girls.
"Just visiting for the weekend." Taylor continues, turning slightly red.
"Oh. That's cute." Nicole trails off when Carlee enters the backyard, waving at everyone.
"Hey, Carlee!" exclaims Taylor, her mood improving instantly as she waves over her head.
"Hey, TayTay." beams Carlee back, pulling her clothes off to reveal her bathing suit underneath.
"You guys want to play a real game?" suggests Belly with a small grin as Carlee jumps into the pool.
Everyone mutters positive noises, and even Steven comes back in. They set up the volleyball net and play boys versus girls. Taylor, Carlee, and Belly are on one side of the net while Jeremiah, Nate, and Steven are on the other side.
"You idiots are going down." laughs Carlee, leaning forward to tease them.
"Oh, you wish, Peppers." replies Steven with a similar competitive fire. He high-fives Nate and Jeremiah, getting ready.
Steven isn't good at volleyball, at least not when they're in the pool. He keeps hitting it into the net, making Nate and Jeremiah groan in unison.
"I'm sorry!" he apologizes profusely, putting his hands in his hair.
"You're so bad, Steve!" the other two say, laughing loudly as Belly, Carlee, and Taylor high-five.
"You're slipping, Steven." teases Taylor from the other side of the net, grinning victoriously across at him.
He narrows his eyes at her. "Yeah? Yeah?"
"Okay." Nate waves his hands in front of his face. "No, no, now it's on. You can't let her win." Taylor laughs at him, and he splashes her.
The boys manage to get a few points off the girls, the three teasing the other three relentlessly. Taylor rolls her eyes, not impressed in the slightest.
"Oh, come on, TJ." he shrugs at her, grinning. "You thought that was good."
"Hell no." she giggles, leaning into Belly, who is also laughing at the boys.
"What you want, Belly?" Steven mocks as he hits another right in front of her, widening his eyes. "Belly."
"Shut up." she laughs, picking the ball back up with an eye roll.
"I don't think you're ready." Taylor says competitively, narrowing her eyes at a grinning Nate.
"Come on." he says to her. "Bring it, Jewel."
She serves it up into the air and then right into Nicole's face, who groans as the ball hits her right above the eye. Nate freezes, turning to look at her.
"Oh, my God." laughs Taylor, covering her mouth with her hand, "I'm so sorry. I didn't-"
"Taylor." hisses Belly begrudgingly, to which Taylor's smile drops immediately.
"It was an accident."
"You okay, Nicole?" Nate asks, stepping closer to the edge of the pool as Conrad helps her up.
"Yeah, I'm so sorry." adds Belly, her brows creasing together worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, no, I'm-I'm-I'm totally fine." Nicole stammers, waving off their concern. "Y-You guys keep playing."
"Let me see it." Conrad mumbles to her as he leads her inside. "Let's go inside. I'll get you some ice."
"Conrad, it's okay."
"I'm so, so sorry again, Nicole." Belly once again apologizes profusely.
"Feel better." calls out Nate, placing his hands on his hips as he watches her walk inside the house. He sighs.
"Come on, Belly." Taylor speaks up, her tone bitter. "Conrad can take care of Nicole. Let's go inside and look at ourselves in the mirror some more."
Conrad stops in the doorway, his eyes slightly narrowed towards Belly, who stares back at him blankly. She doesn't look like she cares too much.
"Yeah," he says under his breath, "have fun with that."
*
Nate is standing in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of juice. He watches as Taylor enters the kitchen, a towel in her hair. She's still wearing her bikini, but she's now wearing jean shorts over them.
"What a hit." he mutters, crossing his arms as he watches her sit down at the island, pulling her phone out.
"Oh, shut up." she replies begrudgingly. "It was an accident, and I didn't even hit her that hard. She and Conrad were so overdramatic about it."
"Do you think you'll be banned from her party tonight?" he asks teasingly, grinning. She looks up at him, raising a brow.
"You think she hates me that much already?" she says jokingly, leaning forward on the counter as he approaches the other side.
"Oh, yeah." he nods. "You're competition. I mean, after all," he motions to himself, "I'm the prize, aren't I?"
"Maybe a fifth place prize." scoffs Taylor, leaning her head on her hand. Nate grins at her, taking a drink from the cup. "You're not all that good."
"Oh, sure, just lie about it."
She hums, getting up and approaching him at the counter. He stares at her questioningly, but she ignores his inquisitive gaze.
"We need to figure out how we're going to do this tonight." she tells him, leaning back against the opposing counter. "At the party. You want me to start making out with you in front of Nicole?"
"You want me to start making out with you in front of Steven?" he retaliates, grinning at her. "I think Nicole and Belly might be together a lot of tonight." Taylor scowls. "Okay, what's up?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You jealous or something?"
"Of what?" before he can ask anything else, Belly enters the kitchen, glancing between her two best friends.
"Hey, guys." she says slowly, her eyes flickering rapidly between them. Nate and Taylor share a look before Taylor pushes herself off the counter and wraps her arm around Belly's.
"You ready to go?" she asks with a smile, and Belly nods. "Okay, let's go." she looks at Nate over her shoulder. "We're going to the beach."
"Have fun." he replies monotonously, staring at the wall until he hears the front door shut behind them.
Just as they leave, Jeremiah enters the room. It seems as if he had been listening in. Nate feels dread run cold through his body as he thinks of Jeremiah knowing the truth.
"I heard you and Taylor flirting in here," he grins knowingly with a wink. Nate shakes his head, turning away. "Oh come on, Nate. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything!"
"I could, but I won't." laughs Nate, putting his glass in the sink. "What if you betray me?" Nate puts a hand over his heart. Jeremiah rolls his eyes, still smiling.
"Please?" begs Jeremiah, putting his hands on Nate's shoulders. "Come on, I promise I won't tell anyone. I swear it."
Nate sighs— if he wants it to be real, he assumes he has to at least try. He steps away from Jeremiah, shaking his head. "Alright, then. Taylor and I are... dating." he forces himself not to shudder at the end of the sentence.
Jeremiah's face almost immediately brightens, and Nate won't be surprised if he starts jumping up and down for joy.
"No way! I totally knew it. I called it! You heard me!"
"Shut up, bro." scoffs Nate, grinning. "Listen, don't say anything to anyone. It's a... uh... secret."
Jeremiah gives him a thumbs-up and pats him on the back as he exits the kitchen. As soon as Nate hears him wander up the stairs, he sighs out, grumbling under his breath.
*
The family is sitting at the table in the dining room— Deion has come over, as has Cam Cameron, who sits right beside Belly with a happy smile on his face.
Nate hasn't gotten the chance to tell Taylor that Jeremiah knows (at least half of it), so she gives him confused glances through the entire dinner as Jeremiah repeatedly elbows him and laughs.
"So, Cam." Jeremiah clears his throat, raising a brow at Belly's boyfriend. "You mind if I call you Cam Cameron?"
Cam hums, laughing. Even though Jeremiah is trying to trigger something in the curly-haired boy, it doesn't work. "Yeah, man. Feel free. That's funny."
"I'm glad you're here, Cameron." says Susannah happily. "I know your mom, Denise, from the club. I have heard a lot about you."
"Thank you so much for having me, Susannah." Cam smiles back. "My mom says hi."
"Cam, have you ever had miyeok-guk before?" asks Laurel, who is serving it around the table. "It's a Korean birthday tradition."
"No." he shakes his head, accepting the plate from her. "Looks so good. Thank you."
"Belly told me you're vegetarian, so I didn't put any meat in it."
"Thank you, Laurel. Wow."
"It's hella good, Cam." Nate tells him, and Cam grins excitedly.
"Why don't you eat meat, Cam Cameron?" demands Jeremiah suspiciously. Nate rolls his eyes, sighing.
"Uh, the meat industry is, like, the number one contributor to global warming." explains Cam with a smile. "And I just... I like animals."
"Just don't come for my leather jacket." laughs Taylor, and Cam smiles back at her.
"I'm pretty sure you mean pleather." retorts Steven, leaning back in his seat with a smirk. Nate grins, and Taylor flips the both of them off.
"Defend your girl, bro." hisses Jeremiah. Nate slaps him on the back of the head.
"What'd you say, Jere?" questions Belly from across the table, frowning. "Did you-"
"I didn't say anything." shrugs Jeremiah innocently, although Taylor tilts her head at Nate, who shakes his own. Jeremiah quickly adds, "You know, uh, actually, Belly eats meat. So, you let her kiss you with those lips?"
"Guys." warns Belly as the boys start laughing. "Stop."
"No, I don't judge people for eating meat." Cam shakes his head, laughing a little himself. "It's just, like, a personal choice. I don't care."
"So you don't mind if, uh, like, her lips touch a dead animal, and then those dead animal lips touch your lips, right? Ow." he winces as Belly kicks him under the table.
"I don't mind at all. Um, in fact..." he leans over and quickly presses his lips to Belly's, who blushes uncontrollably.
Susannah leans her head on her head, staring at the interaction in admiration. "Aw."
However, Nate, Steven, and Jeremiah hold their stomachs and gag loudly at the interaction. Belly scowls at them.
"Alright." Laurel holds up her hands warningly and the boys slowly quiet down. "Alright, alright. Belly's allowed to kiss, but that's it."
"Mom, please." whines Belly, her embarrassment returning. "No. You're so not funny. No more wine for you, okay?"
"I'm sorry." Steven holds his hands up, shaking his head. "I just don't understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who once fully shit in the bathtub."
"Okay, I was like two years old."
"Two? More like six."
"Shut up, Steven."
"Steven." Laurel warns.
"You know what?" Deion leans forward. "I remember that. I was with your dad and you came downstairs crying, Steve-O."
"Aw, I remember that." sighs Susannah, who looks reminiscent. "God, that feels like a lifetime ago."
"I remember when I visited last summer," Taylor begins, narrowing her eyes at the boys, "and you three," she points at Conrad, Jeremiah, and Nate respectively, "dared him," she points at Steven, "to piss in the fireplace, and the whole house was like a toxic waste zone for days. Do you remember that?"
The boys (minus Steven, who is trying to come up with an excuse) laugh loudly. Jeremiah and Nate practically collapse into one another.
"Holy shit, I remember that." Carlee grins at Steven. "Jesus."
"I blamed the neighbor's cat." gasps Susannah, covering her mouth with her hands.
"We were drunk." admits Steven over the noise. "We were drunk!"
"On like half a White Claw!" Belly grins, making Steven tilt his head back, embarrassed.
"She got you there." Nate puts a hand on Steven's shoulder, who slaps him away. "Damn, Stevie, you shouldn't have started anything."
"He's an idiot." Carlee joins in on the teasing, so Steven throws a piece of bread at her, which makes
Laurel yelp disapprovingly.
"You know, um," Belly turns to Taylor, biting her lip, "I'm thinking maybe we should go to Nicole's party."
"Yes!" exclaims Taylor excitedly. "Oh, my God. I love you. I'm so excited."
*
"You're riding with Cam Cameron?" huffs Jeremiah jealously. "What the hell? Why?"
"Uh..." Nate wants to come up with an excuse; for one, Taylor asked him to, and for another, he likes Cam. "Taylor is-"
"Oh!" Jeremiah shouts out, grinning mischievously. "Say no more, say no more! See you there."
He goes out through the front door, and Cam comes up next to Nate, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets.
"So, uh, thanks for riding with me." Cam says, smiling forcefully. "Didn't want it to be just me and the girls."
"Yeah, no totally." nods Nate with a small grin. "Yeah, I don't blame you. The two of them together can be...
something else." Cam nods. "So, uh, you're the DD?"
"I don't drink, so, yeah." Cam tells him honestly. "It's just... not good for me, so."
"Yeah, I get that. That's cool." Nate looks at Cam. "I think you're good for Belly. Thanks for, like, being nice to her."
"Oh, yeah, totally." says Cam, his face brightening at the mention of the girl. "She's amazing. I really like her."
Before their conversation can continue, Taylor and Belly come downstairs. They still have their flower crowns on, and Taylor smirks at the boys.
"Well?" she says expectantly, placing her hands on her hips. "Let's get going, why don't we?"
"Your wish is my command." Nate opens the door for her as Cam and Belly walk out together.
Within a few minutes, they're outside Nicole's house. There's definitely a party ongoing; even from the car, Nate can hear people laughing from all over.
They enter the house, Cam and Nate walking behind Belly and Taylor. Just as they enter, some guy slides down the bannister, yelling out cheers as he high-fives an unwilling Cam.
"Belly, you came!" exclaims a voice— it's Nicole, who is smiling at the group. "Hey, Nate."
"H-Hi, Nicole." he stammers, grinning at her. "Nice party."
"Hey, Nicole." Belly elbows Nate a little. "You look so pretty."
"Yeah, totally." whispers Nate until his breath.
"Oh, me?" Nicole admires Belly, motioning to her. "Look at you. Oh, my goodness. Are those real flowers?"
"Yeah." smiles Belly, showing her crown off.
"Incredible. Well, we have to show Gigi."
"Yeah, yeah, totally." Belly smiles.
"Okay, let's go." Nicole beckons for Belly to follow her. "Bye, Nate."
"Bye Nicole." he waves stupidly back at her, biting his lip to contain a grin. "Damn."
"You want to come?" Belly asks Cam, who waves her off.
"You have fun over there." he tells her, smiling widely.
"I'm gonna go find a drink." Taylor tells her. Belly nods as she walks after Nicole. Then, Taylor wraps her arm around Nate's. "Come on, loverboy. Let's get something to drink."
She drags him into the living room. Jeremiah is sitting on the couch, flirting with some guy that Nate doesn't recognize. He knows Jeremiah is bisexual (he's known since before Jeremiah's entire family) and he thinks it's awesome. More than anything, he's happy Jeremiah wanted to tell him before he told anyone else.
"You seen Steven?" Taylor asks quietly, looking up at Nate as she hands him a cup.
"No," he tells her honestly, because the boys had arrived before they did. "But I did see Nicole and you just let me stand there like an idiot!"
Taylor giggles a little. "Yeah, you go so nervous. It was cute."
"Shut up, TJ." he sighs, drinking his cup. "So, you gonna tell me why you don't like Nicole? She's fucking great."
"She's dramatic." corrects Taylor, lowering her voice. "And don't say that so loud. This is her house, in case you forgot."
"No way." says Nate sarcastically. "Yeah, don't worry. I didn't forget."
"Oh, my God." gags Taylor, putting a hand over her mouth. "I think I just got sick. Is this where you fucked?"
Nate grins proudly at her and she shoves him away, scoffing. He isn't lying; her parents hadn't been home and it was right after a big party. Nate had been wasted, but he knew what he wanted. He still wants it.
"Alright, hey," Nate puts a hand on Taylor's shoulder, "I tell you something, you tell me why you're upset. Sound good?"
"Yo! Nate!" yells Jeremiah, who isn't kissing the guy anymore. "Let's play a drinking game, man!"
Nate looks down at Taylor, whose eyes have averted
to the floor. He looks back up at Jeremiah, smiling.
"Maybe later. I'll be back in a minute." he misses the way Taylor looks up at him hopefully. "You wanna go upstairs?"
"Jesus, are you trying to break one of the rules?" she mutters teasingly before grabbing his hand and leading him up there.
Steven is standing up against the wall, staring down at his phone. He looks sullen as he scrolls through, although Taylor freezes, her hand still in Nate's. It feels like slow motion when Steven looks up.
Nate should expect it to happen, but he doesn't. He doesn't know what's going on until Taylor's hands are flat against his abdomen. She pushes him up against the wall and practically smashes her lips onto his roughly.
Nate grips Taylor's hips as tight as he can as her hands wander into his hair. He doesn't understand why he likes kissing Taylor, but maybe it's because it's far more passionate than the kisses he's had with other girls because they know each other.
"Holy shit!" shouts Steven, his jaw dropped. He's standing beside Nate, his hands on top of his head. "Are you guys-"
"Shut up, Steven." mutters Taylor, grabbing Nate's face once more. Before she can fully connect their lips, Steven clears his throat.
"Sorry, Taylor, but this is my best friend." Steven reminds her, putting his hands on his hips. "A-And he's, like, a brother to Belly."
"You jealous or something, Steve-O?" grins Nate, raising a brow at Steven. "What? Come on."
"No, I don't care." Steven shrugs, and his tone indicates that he really doesn't. Nate looks at Taylor out of the corner of his eye, and he can only see a small bit of hurt from her. "I'm just saying, Belly's going to lose her shit when she finds out. Or does she already know?"
"Steven!" someone yells down the hallway, and he sighs before heading down the hallway.
"Good job," Taylor pats his shoulder when Steven is gone. "Okay, we can talk now."
"What? You're just, like, done with that?" Nate scoffs as they walk into one of the bedrooms. He shuts the door behind him. "Jesus, you're fast."
"We have nothing to talk about." she shrugs in response, leaning up against the dresser. "That's our plan."
"Okay, so next time I see Nicole, I just, what? Push you up against a wall without consent?"
"Did you not want to do that?"
"Doesn't matter." he mumbles under his breath. "What's up with you and Belly?"
"You first." she says with a proud smirk. "You said you'd tell me something first."
"Fuck, fine." he rolls his eyes, taking a seat on the bed before her. "Nicole was my first. Like, the first person I've ever had sex with. And she was my last," he adds quietly, but Taylor still heard him.
"You haven't had sex since? Are you trying to be abstinent?" Taylor laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. He glares at her. "Sorry, sorry."
"Nah, I'm not trying to be." he shrugs, leaning back on his elbows on the bed and staring up at Taylor. "I just... don't wanna do it. Like, there's tons of hot girls here in Cousins and back in Philly, but none of them are, like, it for me. Plus, I hardly remember how to do it because I was wasted when I did."
Taylor looks mildly concerned. "Isn't that, like, technically rape?"
"Nah, she was drunk, too." he tells her, wincing. "Was it? I don't know. I'm not sure." he tilts his head at her. "Guess that's why I still want her. She was my first... like, love? Like? I don't know."
Taylor laughs, almost teasingly. "If you're still obsessed with her a year later, it's definitely love. I mean, I don't get the hype, but you do you."
Nate sits up. "Okay, so that leads us to you. What's up? Why are you so... against Nicole?"
Taylor looks away for a second, taking her flower crown off her head and looking down at it sadly. "I don't know. Feels like... Belly is really attached to those girls. All of them, not just Nicole. And you think she's the greatest thing to grace the earth or whatever the hell delusion you're living through."
He grins at her. "Listen, Belly is having fun doing the deb stuff. But that's not her life. Those girls aren't anything like Belly, but you are." he stands up, a few feet away from Taylor. "She's always gonna need you,
okay? And once deb season is over, don't even sweat it. Even now she needs you. I bet you twenty-five dollars she's looking for you right now."
Taylor raises a brow at him, biting her lip to contain a smile. She sighs, "Thanks. Listen, I just... I have a lot of emotions right now. I think my period is starting."
Nate raises a brow at her. "Thanks?"
Taylor grabs the front of his shirt, yanking him towards her. He places his hands on either side of her against the wood of the dresser. He's definitely a lot taller than her, so he towers over her.
"Just let me get my emotions out really quick?" she asks, raising a brow. "Do you consent?"
"Fuck it," he breathes out, "I've got some too. I consent."
Taylor leans up and presses her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. He grabs her under the thighs and places her on top of the dresser so she can reach his lips more comfortably.
It's weird the way Nicole leaves Nate's mind almost immediately, as if their entire conversation didn't revolve around her. Before, he'd imagined Nicole in Taylor's place. He doesn't anymore, and his brain blurs the lines between what's real and what's fake.
He places his hands on her thighs gently, right above her kneecaps while she squeezes the back of his shirt tightly, humming into his mouth passionately. She tosses her flower crown on the bed, her hands roaming his back after she does so.
"What the fuck?" shouts a voice, making them break apart. Nate's jaw drops as he sees Belly standing in the doorway, a horrified expression on her face. Not far behind her is Carlee, looking just as pissed.
"Belly. Carlee." gasps Taylor, her hands falling off of Nate's shoulders as he turns to face his best friend and older sister. "Oh, my God. Uh..."
"Belly, listen-" Nate begins, but she's quick to cut him off.
"Get the fuck out, Nate." she growls angrily, pointing towards the door. When he doesn't move, she reiterates her point; "Get the fuck out!"
"Yeah, yeah." Nate nods, exiting the room. Taylor calls his name, but he ignores her and heads straight down the stairs, where he rams into Steven.
"The fuck is going on?" demands Steven, who looks wasted. "I-You and Taylor?"
"Jesus, Steve." groans Nate, covering his face with his hands. "I don't know."
"Nathan." snaps Carlee, charging after him. He watches her regretfully. "What the fuck?" she shoves him. "Taylor? She's like a little sister to me, dickhead!"
"Well, she's not..." Nate stammers, feeling oddly resentful of the way Carlee is treating him. "She's not like that to me, alright? Jesus fucking Christ, not everything is about you, Carlee."
Carlee looks angrier than Nate has ever seen her. "I never said it was. You're so selfish, you know that?"
"Oh, I'm sure I am." he bristles, waving mockingly at her. "Why don't you just go back to whatever manwhore you were trying to hook up with?"
"Calm down, Nate-" Steven tries to advise, placing a hand on Nate's shoulder. The younger boy shrugs it off as soon as he feels it.
"No. She needs to learn that not everything I do is about her." Nate snaps, his tone portraying just how bitter she feels. "She did the same damn thing to me last year with..."
"Oh, so even when you have a new girl, you're still thinking about Nicole?" Carlee laughs sarcastically. "And here I was, hoping you could at least treat Taylor right enough so that I can still talk to her after you break up."
"Who says we're breaking up?"
"Did I hear my name?" Nicole hops up the stairs, her happy expression fading when she sees the two siblings in the center of the hallway, looking just about ready to knock each other out. "Oh, sorry. Am I... interrupting something?"
Nicole and Carlee had been really close the summer prior until Nate and Nicole had hooked up. It had occurred towards the end of summer, which is what Carlee had initially blamed their fading friendship on. Eventually Nate finally told her the truth, and she stayed mad at him for weeks until she finally came around; Nicole had finally texted her asking how she had been.
"No." growls Carlee, her eyes narrowing sharply towards her younger brother. "I was just leaving." she brushes past Nate, storming down the stairs.
"Carlee, wait!" Steven calls out, practically tripping down the stairs himself as he chases after her. Nicole watches them go for a second before her eyes flicker back to Nate.
Nate stares at her for a few seconds before exhaling. "I'm getting something to drink," he mumbles to no one in particular.
"Here, I'll come with you." Nicole offers tentatively, grabbing his forearm and pulling him closer to her. Neither of them notice Taylor watching from the doorway, shrunken back on herself.
jack
felt bad abt making you guys wait a WHOLE WEEK (not even it was actually only 6 days🙄) so here you go: probably the longest chapter i'll post!
also btw LOVE it when you guys comment so PLEASEEE don't be afraid to spam my chapters with comments because they make my day!! and thank you guys so much for all of the support already, you truly don't know how much it means to me