NATE IS AWOKEN the next morning by sunlight peering in through his blinds. He groans, rolling onto his stomach as he slowly wakes up.
Then everything from the night before hits him like a train, and his groans turn into whines of agony; Belly and Carlee are pissed at him and he abandoned Taylor at the party.
In fact, Nicole had been the one to take him home last night. She didn't seem mad about it, and he drunk confessed to her that he was in a relationship and Belly was not happy about it.
"What are you even saying right now, Nate?" she had asked, glancing over at him. She had claimed that she was sober because she was hosting.
"I'm dating her best friend!" he cried out, leaning against her window. "And we were just... we was just making out upstairs and she caught us and she yelled at me... and you saw Carlee yelling at me..."
"You have a girlfriend?" Nicole asked with a small frown. "I didn't... I didn't know that."
He leans up against his headboard, holding his head in his hands. He hears the door open to reveal Steven peeking in, smiling slightly.
"Headache?" the older of the two inquires, holding out one of Jeremiah's smoothies. "Here. He and Belly just left, but he had this on the counter for you."
"Yeah, thanks." mutters Nate, taking it out of Steven's hand as the boy sits on the edge of his bed. "Belly say anything to you?"
Steven shakes his head. "No. Pretty sure she's pissed though."
Nate nods. "Yeah, figures. Maybe we should've told her before we, you know."
"Yeah, maybe. You could've told me, too, man. Leaving me out. How come Jere got to know?"
"He just figured it out." scoffs Nate, shaking his head at the ceiling. "I have no idea how, that kid is... something else."
Steven laughs quietly. "Yeah, true." he notes Nate's sullen look. "Hey, listen, I don't think Belly is mad at you. I think she's just upset you guys didn't tell her first."
"Maybe." Nate buries his head in his hands. "Jesus. This sucks. I hate having Belly mad at me. She's scary."
"Oh, yeah, totally." chuckles Steven, leaning forward. "Would not have wanted to be you last night, bro."
"Absolutely fucking not."
Steven leaves a few minutes later, and Nate quickly downs the rest of the smoothie. He knows Taylor is getting ready to leave, and he already feels like a massive dick, so he heads into Belly's bedroom to apologize.
Indeed, she's packing her stuff into her suitcase. She hardly spares him a glance, continuing to shove her clothes away.
"You need something, perv?" she snaps, standing up straight when she notices he's still in the doorway, leaned up against the wall. "Heard you got a ride home from Nicole last night."
"Listen, would you, please?" he begs, and she sighs, crossing her arms bitterly and raising her brows. "I'm sorry for being a dick last night, alright? You didn't deserve that. I was just... after Belly and Carlee saw us, I just got fucking wasted-"
"Seems like that's a reoccurring pattern when you get intimate with a girl." Taylor reminds him, scoffing a little. "Maybe you need to stop drinking."
Nate grins sheepishly at her, taking a seat on Belly's bed and resting Junior Mint on his lap. His eyes don't leave Taylor's, and hers don't leave his. "That's a good idea. Think I'm gonna start doing that."
Taylor hums, turning back to her packing. "Whatever, Nathan."
"Fuck, listen," he can tell she's actually pissed at him; she's using his real name, "I didn't want to hurt you, and I didn't want to hurt Belly."
Taylor exhales into her hands, staring at Nate when she picks her head back up. "Jesus Christ. God, okay, you're so desperate for me to forgive you." she rolls her eyes, and he immediately perks up. "I forgive you, okay? Not even that mad. I'm just hoping that when Belly drops me off today, she'll, like, actually speak to me."
Nate forces a smile in her direction. "I really am sorry though, I swear. I shouldn't have left without you. I mean it, TayTay."
Taylor laughs a little, covering her mouth with her hand. "You're so corny." Nate grins at her.
*
"There you are, just the boy I was looking for," beams Susannah, wrapping her arm around Nate. "Wanna work on your portrait a little?"
"Sounds good to me, Susannah." he smiles at her; he has nothing else to do, other than avoid Belly. He knows she won't start talking about Taylor in front of Susannah. "Where do you want me?"
"Let's head down to the pier." she suggests. "I'll be down in a few minutes. My easel is already down there, I just need to get some brushes."
Nate heads down to the pier, taking a seat in front of the easel. He's always been really impressed by Susannah's artistic ability; he's never been an artist. In fact, he's far from it. He can hardly draw a stick figure.
"Great! You look perfect just like that." she says cheerfully as she sits in front of the canvas. "Thanks for cooperating with me."
"Well, you know I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else." he grins at her, and she rolls her eyes with a bright smile.
"Except in with the boys playing video games." she raises a brow, and he laughs sheepishly.
Susannah has felt like a mom to him ever since his mom had died. They've grown really close over the years, and Nate couldn't ask for a better mother figure. He adores her, and he hopes she knows that.
"So, lay it on me." Susanna looks at him over the edge of the canvas. "Who is this girl you're talking to?"
Nate laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not talking to any girls, Susannah." he's not lying, but he's not telling the truth, either.
"So who was the girl at the dinner table, huh?"
"It was Taylor." says another voice, and Nate freezes in fear; he immediately recognizes the voice as Belly's, and she's standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. Susannah bites her lip, raising her brows fearfully at Nate before resuming her painting.
"Hi, Belly Baby." she greets, as if Belly's glare isn't cutting Nate apart. "How was the party last night? When I woke up, you weren't here."
"Yeah, me and Jere went to get muffins." she answers, her eyes still glued on Nate. "And then I dropped his girlfriend off at the bus stop."
Susannah's eyes widen. She turns to Nate, beaming at him; it makes him feel unsettled because there's a complete contrast between her expression and Belly's. "You and Taylor are dating? That's amazing, sweetheart!"
"Uh..." murmurs Nate, his eyes flickering between the two girls before him, "yeah, thanks, Susannah."
She looks back up at Belly, who is still furious. Susannah clears her throat, setting her paintbrush down and smiling awkwardly at Belly.
"I'm going to go get a glass of water." she tells them as she stands up. "I'll be right back!"
"I can get it for you." Nate offers swiftly, but she rejects his offer and heads up towards the house. Nate sighs before looking over at Belly, wincing. "Okay, tell me how much of an idiot I am. I know you're pissed."
Belly sighs, running her hands down her face exasperatedly as she looks for the words she needs to respond to Nate, who stands awkwardly against the wooden railing.
"I'm not... pissed at you, Nate." she explains slowly, which makes him raise his brows. "I'm just upset you guys didn't tell me. I had to find out for myself."
"Yeah." Nate rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, that's... that's my bad, probably. I just... wanted to take it slow, didn't want to tell anyone right away. We haven't even been dating a month yet, you know?"
"But Taylor tells me everything!"
"I know. I'm sorry, Bells. It's my fault. Don't blame Taylor."
Belly stares at him. "Are you guys happy?"
Nate almost laughs in her face— he and Taylor are never happy with each other. He wishes he could tell Belly the truth, but that would only complicate things between her and Taylor more.
"Yeah, definitely." he responds with a small smile, hoping the beat of silence wasn't too long. Belly doesn't seem to pick up on anything.
"You better treat her right. She's liked you since, like, the third grade."
Nate grins to himself. "Oh, has she?" he clears his throat when he sees Susannah coming back down the pier. "Y-Yeah, I'll treat her right, Princess. Don't worry about that."
Susannah comes back to paint him and Belly leaves without another word. Nate knows she's not pleased with him, but at least she's not outright furious.
nathaniel
Third grade? Really TayTay??
TJ
please stop talking!
TJ
i'm gonna break up w u
nathaniel
You'd be so upset
nathaniel
Missing me already?
TJ
i should be asking you that
you're the one who texted me
nathaniel
Yeah yeah whatever I was concerned
TJ
well anyway apparently belly doesn't
care that we're together
nathaniel
She just wishes we told her
TJ
yep
nathaniel
Yeah she cornered me while
I was getting my portrait
done
TJ
i bet you look like a fool
nathaniel
Don't start drooling please
TJ
oh like you were in
the pool yesterday?
nathaniel
When I saw Nicole?
TJ
stfu about nickole
nathaniel
NICOLE
nathaniel
Why is this so difficult for you
tayTay
TJ
stop calling me that.
nathaniel
You love it
TJ
you're so annoying
nathaniel
Any plans to come back
to Cousins
TJ
idk
TJ
maybe you haven't noticed
but belly is pretty mad at me rn
nathaniel
No way!
TJ
i cant talk to you
nathaniel
Oh yeah?
nathaniel
Too nervous to I bet
TJ
it's like talking to a brick wall
Tj
same brain power anyway
nathaniel
Alright whatever
nathaniel
I gotta go be admired
nathaniel
bye bye TJ
Junior🦕
I'm sorry me and Taylor got
together without telling you
Junior 🦕
I'm a bad brother
carl🧌
no you're not
carl🧌
i shouldn't have freaked out
on you
carl🧌
as long as you guys are happy
i'm happy
carl🧌
just don't be a dick to her
carl🧌
i don't wanna lose her as a friend
junior🦕
Don't worry about that
*
Nate is sitting at the kitchen counter, scrolling through TikTok as Jeremiah and Belly talk at the table while eating their breakfasts. Since the argument, Nate and Belly have finally begun talking again— it's all back to normal.
"Yo, I'm gonna go wash the clams." Conrad enters the kitchen, pointing back to the backyard. "Did you get the lighter fluid?"
Jeremiah hums, grinning. "Yeah, it's already on the beach."
"Are we done with the portrait yet?" asks Steven, who comes in with Susannah at his heels.
"Yeah, for today." she replies, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you do look good in a dress shirt, Steven. Uh, which makes me think if Belly doesn't hurry up and ask Cam to that ball, you should take her."
Steven and Belly exchange horrified looks, although Susannah clearly doesn't understand why. She glances between them, her brows furrowed, as Laurel enters the room.
"Ew. No way." scoffs Belly, shaking her head.
"No, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm already going with Shayla." Steven adds, laughing awkwardly.
"To the debutante ball?" Laurel tilts her head, confused.
"Yes."
"As an escort?"
"Wrap your head around it, Mom, alright?" grins Steven, raising a brow. "Shayla's coming today with Nicole and Gigi, so you'll meet her."
"That's wonderful." Susannah exclaims, clapping her hands together happily. "Oh, and don't forget, Ms. Covington's first dance rehearsal is tomorrow, so, uh, tick-tock."
Belly sighs, holding her hands up in surrender with a weak smile. "I'm asking Cam today."
"I don't know my kids anymore." mumbles Laurel, shaking her head.
"Wait, are you wearing makeup?" Susannah demands, her brows raised in surprise. Laurel almost never wears makeup, at least nothing evident.
"Yeah, she's wearing makeup." laughs Steven, pointing excitedly at her. The room erupts in cheers for Laurel, who hides her face behind her hands.
"So what?" she says defensively. "We're having a party."
Susannah hums suspiciously, grinning. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming to the clam bake?"
"Oh, please." scoffs Laurel dismissively. "The husbands always come for the Fourth."
"He's not your husband anymore." Belly reminds her, and Laurel laughs awkwardly.
"Oh. Yeah. Ex-husband."
"You know, I still don't understand why you invited Dad's girlfriend." Steven says quietly, shaking his head at the idea.
"Her name is Victoria, and your father wanted us all to meet her." Laurel shrugs— she doesn't seem upset by the idea. "Oh, Belly, I need you to make up the guest bed."
"Wait, Dad and Victoria are staying here?" huffs Belly, looking disgusted. "In the room next to mine?"
Nate makes bed creaking noises quietly, and Belly slaps him away, groaning as her mom confirms her worries. Nate grins at Jeremiah, who laughs loudly.
"Oh, speaking of dads, yours called." Susannah's eyes meet Jeremiah, who looks up at her worriedly. "He's closing a deal, so he can't come."
"What?" whines Jeremiah, heartbroken. Nate knows he and Conrad have drastically different opinions on their father. It hasn't always been like that— it was kinda of abrupt.
"Did you say Dad's not coming?" inquires an unbothered Conrad, who reenters the house. Case in point.
"But I got some serious fireworks for the show this year."
"We'll take a video." Susannah shrugs with a small smile.
"It's not the same." grumbles Jeremiah, resting his head on his hand and staring sadly down at the table. Meanwhile, Conrad is standing on the sink trying to repress a grin.
"What're you smiling over there for?" Jeremiah demands with a frown.
"No reason." Conrad replies, erasing his grin completely. Nate raises a brow at the older boy, but Conrad looks away.
*
The kids are grouped around the front door, staring at John and his new girlfriend. She's a lot younger than he is, and there's one thing almost all the guys are thinking.
"Hot damn." laughs Nate, trying to get as close to the glass as he can until Belly tugs on the back of his shirt, pulling him away.
"She's hot." agrees Jeremiah, and the two boys high-five.
"Dude." grins Conrad scoldingly, raising a brow at the two boys standing behind him.
"Come on, Connie." Nate motions to the woman standing on the other side of the door. He can't deny that (had she been a few years younger), she'd be just his type.
"We're just saying what everyone else is thinking." Jeremiah raises his hands, but it only makes Nate laugh even harder.
"I wasn't thinking that." Belly clarifies, shaking her head in disagreement.
"Yo, that could be their future stepmom." Conrad mutters as he stares out the glass, grinning widely.
"Dude, what the hell?" groans Steven, pushing him jokingly. Conrad pushes him back, laughing loudly.
"Guys, they're coming, they're coming." Belly yelps, pushing the three non-Fisher boys out of the foyer. They go hide in the other room, laughing to themselves as they watch the scene unfold in front of them.
"Yeah, no, she's even hotter when there's no glass blocking her." whispers Nate to the other two boys, which makes them laugh. They have to duck into the kitchen so Victoria and John can't hear them.
The party is smooth at first— Nate converses with Shayla for a few minutes. She's a nice girl, and he really thinks she's good for Steven. For the most part, his eyes are on Nicole, but she's with Conrad. Maybe she really is serious about him.
After a little while, he notes the disappearance of Jeremiah and Belly. He assumes they've headed into the house, so that's where he goes. He passes Victoria, who winks at him (he nearly faints).
"Sous-chef," giggles Belly from the kitchen, which is where Nate heads, "I'm gonna need some more pomegranate juice."
"You got it." Jeremiah snaps his fingers at her before turning and seeing Nate. "What's up, Nate?"
"What're you making there, Chef Belle?" Nate asks, taking a seat at the island.
"Pomegranate margarita." she replies, which surprises Nate; she doesn't usually drink, but it seems like she already has something in her system. "Here, try Victoria's." she slides a glass towards him, and he takes a drink from it.
"Yeah, damn, no, Belly," Nate grins at her, which makes her raise a suspicious brow, "that woman is perfect. Your dad is a lucky man."
"Oh, shut up, pervert," laughs Belly, shaking her head.
"What are you guys making?" Conrad enters the kitchen, looking around at the supplies littering the kitchen counter.
"Pomegranate margaritas, but with a twist." grins Belly with a small giggle. Jeremiah and Nate motion with their hands at the area they have set up.
"Well, you got to use the good blender." shrugs Conrad, going over to the cabinet underneath the sink.
"Oh, I-I haven't used that thing since the great Kool-Aid debacle of 2011." shudders Jeremiah reminiscently.
Conrad laughs as he places the other blender on the counter, plugging it into the outlet. "I remember, the counters were sticky for... two summers?"
"Yeah. Just about. Dad kept his, uh, briefcase in my room for a year. 'As a reminder that all mistakes
are not reversible.'"
"Wait, won't he be mad if he finds out?" Belly stops the boys from continuing.
"Well, he's not gonna find out." Conrad raises his brows at her. "He's not coming."
"Yeah, you heard Susannah, Princess." Nate adds, putting his hands on her shoulders and shaking them until she pushes him off.
Together, the group of teens began to assemble the drink, putting pomegranate in and (in Conrad's words) a lot more tequila.
"Man, you know what I miss?" sighs Conrad, smiling reminiscently at the ceiling. Everyone else raises their brows curiously. "Watching Laurel put Dad in his place. You know, she'd walk in, she'd be like, 'Adam.'"
"Adam." Laurel's voice says, and Nate looks up and then behind him. Adam is standing in the doorway, a broad smile on his face. Jeremiah practically jumps up while Conrad tenses. "You came."
"Happy Fourth." grins Adam, holding his arms out.
"Dad!" laughs Jeremiah, hugging Adam as tightly as he can. "You came."
"Hey, guys." greets Adam, almost breathlessly. "Hey, Connie." Conrad ignores him, so Adam clears his throat uncomfortably. "I'll have a little of what you're mixing up there."
"Yeah, sure." Belly hands him a glass with a small smile. He thanks her as he takes the glass from her hands. Conrad stares bitterly at him.
"Oh, you're gonna love the firework show this year." gushes Jeremiah excitedly. "It's gonna be the best one yet."
"I believe it." laughs Adam, whose voice quiets as another person enters the kitchen.
"Where'd everyone go?" Susannah begins, but trails off when she sees Adam standing in her kitchen. Nate frowns; similarly to Conrad, she also tenses up. What the hell is going on. "Adam. You managed to get off work."
"Yeah, couldn't miss the Fourth with my family." he grins at his sons. Only one reciprocates it.
"Alright, well," Susannah claps her hands together, "let's get back to the party."
"Okay, let's go, kids."
Nate and Belly look at one another before heading outside together, ignoring the way Conrad brushes past Adam like he doesn't even know who he is.
*
Nate is sitting down on a beach chair in the sand, talking with a grin to Gigi, who is listening to him with avid anticipation.
"No, I swear, this guy, like, rammed straight into me-"
"May I present," Belly's arrival cuts him off as she holds up the pitcher filled with pomegranate margaritas. He rolls his eyes a little, smiling at her pride, "The Belly Special?"
"Those look awesome." compliments Nicole, and Shayla nods in agreement.
"Uh," Gigi motions down to the inflatable unicorn pool toy that is laying in the sand, "we saved you the inflatable unicorn."
"Well, thank you." laughs Belly, taking a seat in it. She's careful not to spill her margarita everywhere.
"Hey! Hey!" shouts Jeremiah, coming down to the beach with Cam Cameron at his side. "Hey. Check out who I found. It's Cam Cameron."
"Cam!" everyone cheers, and he waves awkwardly, beaming at the group of teenagers sitting in front of him. Conrad offers him a drink, but he declines.
"Oh, I'm good, man." he brushes it off. "Thank you, I don't drink."
"Yes, that's right." Conrad nods, snapping his fingers. "More for me." he downs the cup quickly.
"It's not a race, Con." laughs Nicole teasingly as Nate accepts a cup from Gigi.
"Yeah, we all want some, buddy." Nate gently kicks some sand at Conrad, who rolls his eyes with a laugh.
"Okay, wait, wait, wait." Belly holds her hands up to silence the group. "But what if it was a race?" everyone stares at her. "I mean, isn't that... isn't... Isn't that the premise of, like, every drinking game?"
"You want to play a drinking game?" Gigi raises a brow at Belly.
"Why not? I mean, it's the Fourth of July, right?"
"Great way to celebrate your independence, Belle." Nate winks at her, and she giggles as she downs some more of her drink.
Most of the kids relocate to the pier after the fun on the beach is done, but Jeremiah and Conrad head unto the lawn to play some football. The girls had been talking about Lindsay Lohan or something, but Nate hadn't really been paying too much attention.
"So, Nate," says Nicole, which makes his head snap up immediately, "who is this girlfriend of yours? I only know her because she threw a volleyball at my head."
Nate laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, she's great. She's not always so violent."
"You have a girlfriend?" Gigi questions, leaning forward with her brows raised. "Since when?"
"Oh, he's dating my best friend!" exclaims Belly drunkenly, wrapping an arm around Nate's shoulders. "Oh, and they're totally cute together. Right, Nate?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, Belly." chuckles Nate, smiling gently at her. "She's... you know, sweet. Really... pretty." he suppresses the urge to wince.
"Is she the girl you were yelling at that night?" Gigi asks Belly curiously. "At Nicole's party?"
"Oh, yeah." Belly nods drunkenly. "Yeah, they didn't tell me they were dating, so I was... I was upset."
"Is it serious?" Nicole questions, and the seriousness of her voice should make Nate feel excited; it doesn't. He feels almost uninterested.
"Yeah." he speaks out— he says something he shouldn't have said, but doesn't regret it. "I think so."
"Are you guys having sex yet?" asks Belly with a gasp, leaning into Nate. Nicole stiffens from where she's sitting. "Can you explain it to me?"
"Okay..." mumbles Nate, standing up. He looks at Steven, who looks amused. "I'm gonna head back inside, get something to eat."
"Bye, Nate!" everyone calls out as he departs. He can't think straight; he can't stop thinking about Taylor.
jack
thank god for taylor swift dropping 1989 because it's my favorite album by far
no one asked but i'm going to rank her albums and this is going to be CONTROVERSIAL. stick with me
1. 1989
2. reputation
3. lover
4. red
5. speak now
6. fearless
7. folklore
8. midnights
9. evermore
10. taylor swift
sorry not sorry (can you tell i hate country)