Daya's POV
"Harder! Harder," Harper softly says while stirring in her sleep. While her whispers and dreams of Navia annoy me every time I sleepover, her house is a silent retreat compared to both my homes. At my dad's Sawyer has learned the graceful and indulging word, "no," and uses it for every occasion. In other words the terrible twos are no joke, and my surprised my dad didn't learn that from Vince, Me, or Dani who similar to Sawyer found pleasure in waking up the whole neighborhood.
Now on the other hand at my moms there aren't cries or tantrums, but cries from the oven and stove top as my mom has taken up the hobby of baking and cooking frantically. Or rather the hobby of spilling flour and buying tons of measuring supplies only to find the ones she had in the back of the cabinet. It started when Dani got her phone and earbuds deciding that YouTube was more interesting than pleasing mom. Thanks to Dani's eyes being glued to a screen my mom attempts countless recipes from a manifold of cookbooks, and it has been something. Thank god for Harper wanting to spend more time with me.
To my liking Harper doesn't moan Navia's name again, and I'm able to sleep peacefully until my 7 am alarm goes off and Harper and I both jump up.
"Daya what did I tell you, it's summer you don't need to wake up early," Harper whines.
"Sorry," I say turning off the alarm. School might've ended, but my brain is still running like I have to rush from class to class.
"You know this is going to be like a fucking amazing summer," Harper squeals and jumps up off of her bed while I get up from the futon next to it.
"Yeah sure." Normally I love summer, but this one is going to be different as Vince is moving away to college, but at least I get more time with Ziyah. Hopefully.
"Sure? Daya come on this summer is going to be great especially for you." Harper heads into her bathroom and then raises her blonde eyebrow knowingly at me.
I know exactly what she's talking about, but it's too early and I just shake my head at Harper. Something I do often, even though I've come to fully accept Harper's enthusiastic ass as my best friend, and not some girl my parents forced me to hang out with. Lucky for me Harper changes the subject, and we go downstairs for breakfast where it's just Harper and I. Her parents are off at some rich people place, and her two brothers are doing god knows what leaving the Falims's big house and Rosa to ourselves. Rosa who actually has become my friend because I give her a break, and clean up after myself.
After I have my morning talk with Ziyah and get ready for whatever Harper wants to do, Harper jumps in the shower and I sit on her bed writing in my journal that Vince clowns me about. It's a thick one with like 400 pages, but I need everyone because I have a lot of ideas and things I want to write about. I used to close myself off just to writing screenplays, but now I've found intrest in poetry, short stories, and any thing that comes to my mind.
I'm in the middle of a character description I hear the doorbell ring from downstairs, and Rosa's voice. Seconds later Navia prances in the room in one of her dresses that might as well be a napkin.
"Hey," I say and she gives me one of those little waves she does, because hi's are just too hard to say. She looks around Harper's grand room not hearing the sound of the shower, and then the lightbulb goes off in her head. She doesn't sit right next to me and wait for Harper, instead she puts her bag on my bed and pulls down her napkin of a dress giving me a look at her matching pink underwear. The fuck? She doesn't pay me any mind and continues to undress until she's what Joe Budden would call, "but ass."
At least she doesn't stand there showing off her body and instead waltzes into Harper's bathroom. In the next minutes all I hear are the moans Harper was trying to imitate in her sleep along with the sound of the running water. I want to ignore them, but I don't and instead Navia's actions makes me think of the thing I've been trying not to think about. SEX. I Daya Price have never had it, and I've pretty much just stayed on the first base with Ziyah. Now that I'm in a sort of relationship with someone I truly care about, do I want to have it? Yes, but am I going to jump in the shower and be bold like Navia, nope. That has everything to do with me being a wuss, and now the thought of being naked with Ziyah gives me a tingle between my legs. I can picture it in the romantic comedy way, all nice and clean, but I've watched too much rated TV MA to know it aint that pretty.
Taking me out of my thoughts Harper and Navia come out of the bathroom with flushed faces, towels wrapped around their bodies, and probably no thoughts about if I heard them in there.
"Sorry about that Daya," is all Harper says before Navia puts her napkin dress back on and Harper goes to change for what will now be a day of me third wheeling. When Harper's in her little 90s school girl outfit her and Navia catch me in my thoughts again and jump on Harper's bed.
"Daya what in the world are you thinking about?" Harper asks while brushing her hair. Navia sits beside her with a curious expression like she didn't just strip in front of me. Sometimes I have to remind myself that all of my thoughts don't have to remain in my head, and instead I can tell them to people excluding my family. This like some times when I'm with Ziyah is one of these frequent times.
"What said in here stays in here right?" My eyes are mostly focused on Navia because over the past months Harper has minimized her blabbing which is something Jada has yet to do.
"Of course," Harper says and Navia nods with her.
"Do you think knowing someone for 4 months is a long time to stay on first base?" Like they're some identical twins they both let their mouths fall wide open giving me the answer to my question. Thanks Tia and Tamera.
"Wait you and Ziyah haven't done anything? Like anything?" Harper makes some gestures, and I just shake my head. I've thought about it though. I guess the main reason I'm a celibate Mary is the fact I have parents who keep tabs on me most of the time as opposed to the latch key kid who's house is always empty. The fact that I sleep on a bunk bed is also a factor. Also Ziyah and I just barely started talking again.
"So you guys haven't been close to doing it?" I don't know what close means to Navia and Harper, but I have a feeling the answer Navia is waiting for is no. There has been two occasions when Ziyah and I have been in intense make out sessions, but the second Ziyah's lips made their way to my neck I budged. Ziyah being the great guy he is stopped leaving me with confusion as I asked myself why I would want something that felt so good to stop.
"No we haven't and we're not even really together," I answer with a harsher tone. I really didn't want to have this kind of conversation this early in the morning.
Harper and Navia exchange looks and move their eyebrows up and down. When they're done stretching their faces out smiles comes to both of their faces. "We're going shopping that's definitely the perfect way to start off the summer!" Harper shouts and jumps off of the bed. Oh brother.
Navia of course gets shot gun in Harper's shiny Buick that she received from her parents. Harper drives recklessly, but I stay on my phone texting ziyah making it not much of a problem. We get to the Santa Monica promenade where groups of teens annoy store owners as they window shop, and homeless people lay on the concrete not bothering to hold their cardboard signs up. My whole body jolts forward as Harper parks, and lets out a soft, "sorry."
The first store Harper and Navia lay their eyes on is Brandy Melville, and being blinded by the sale sign they don't see the problem with me or frankly Navia wearing their one size fits all clothes. I stay quiet, but really I want to tell Harper one size will fit her slim body perfectly and squeeze all of my curves to the point they are slipping out.
"Ooh a tube top Daya would look great in this!" Navia says holding up what looks to me like a bra.
"I prefer to have sleeves," I say as more skinny girls rush into the store making me cover my chest with my arms. Navia turns away from the lavender sweaters that captivated her, and places her hand on her hip to scold me.
"Daya you're 16, with like double d's and the perfect body, why do you drown yourself in baggy clothes?" Navia gestures to my mom jeans and Biggie t shirt that hits my thighs.
"I don't know I'm just not a fan of showing skin."
"I hate to allude that there is a connection between how you dress, and sex, but don't you think if Ziyah sees you as sexy maybe you guys will..." Navia's smile finishes her sentence, and Harper leads her to a rack of plaid skirts. I know it's not, but I hope the end of her sentence is get back together.
Sometimes I do wonder if I'm just adorable to Ziyah, and a fragile object that he can only touch so much. I wish I could get into his head, and see the thoughts that circle in his mind when his eyes hit me. But I don't need to do that to know Ziyah doesn't see me as sexy or hot. I shouldn't even be worrying about sex, if we're not even officially together yet. Sure we've been talking a lot, but I feel like he can just find an Ella at any second and leave me.
Harper doesn't seem too excited, but we head to forever 21 through the crowds of girls summer shopping. We maneuver through and Harper and Navia gather handfuls of clothing items before we settle in the largest dressing room. Harper places the ball of clothing on a bench and stands over it gazing at each item of clothing.
"Shirts first then bottoms, then rompers or dresses," Navia announces and like this morning slips her dress off, and Harper follows. Like a hungry family at a dinner table they reach for the tops then shoot me a look as I'm taking advantage of the spacious room with my clothes on. It only takes one harsh glance from Navia for me to step out of my Doc Martens, and puts my clothes in the corner of the room signaling for Navia to throw me a flaxen crop top.
The top is not in my comfort zone, and when I raise my arms it rises even more. Unfortunately most of the tops Harper and Navia picked up don't reach my belly button, and the only thing i like in the mirror is the bracelet Dani got me from sea world.
"Ok, now pants Daya these should go with your graphic tees," Harper says before throwing me a pair of bike shorts. When I take them from her and do a once over my mind goes to the school cops who try to catch speeders on their bikes. These shorts aren't like theres though, and the gray fabric instead hides under the graphic tee I threw on. They're comfortable, but boy do I look like I have no pants on.
"Those are perfect Daya," Navia says even though she can't even see the shorts.
Like some elementary school kiss ass I say, "I don't think my dad will let me wear these."
Harper doesn't hide that she's trying to hold back laughter. "Daya we're getting them," she says sternly and when I shimmy out of them she places them in the large yes pile. I end up posing in more clothes all of which exemplify some part of my body. We end up leaving the store with a bright yellow bag that Harper carries proudly. For the rest of our time at the promenade I play the third wheel as Harper and Navia are linked together. As we walk down the mall I notice all of the girls I see dressed in the same clothing I tried on. Biker shorts, tube tops, fashion nova dresses, and the most important accessory the guy who is behind them staring at their asses.
Author Note
Hope you guys are liking the sequel so far!