"YOU ARE FAR too excited about this," Finn tells me in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Sorry," I reply unapologetically, "everything you said in the last 10 minutes totally flew over my head. What was that again?"
Finn looks at me like I'm hopeless. But the half grin that forces its way onto his lips when I giddily grab the new GoPro out of his hands tells a different story: he is just as excited as I am.
"I was saying earlier that it was my parents that got it. Well, my dad actually," Finn says. "They seemed chuffed that I made it through to the next round of the competitions. They even promised to be there next time — which I find crazy, they always seem so busy with work these days..."
I look up. "That's great, Finn," I say earnestly. "I'm glad your family are supportive of your surfing. But... do you have the locking plug on you?"
Finn sighs. "It should be in the box over there, I'll get it."
I readjust my position on Finn's board to allow him to shuffle past. The sound of paper packaging and plastic wrappers rustling fills the air, and I put out my hand, waiting expectantly for the warm, tingling sensation of Finn's hand brushing mine. He places the surfboard mount component in my palm.
"I attached the adhesive mounts yesterday, but I had a feeling I didn't do the camera part right," Finn admits. He feels closer than he was a minute ago. I can sense him hovering right behind me. "Is that the part I forgot last time?"
"Mm," I reply. I cast a glimpse sideways to see Finn peering down at his surfboard from behind me, his head all but rested on my shoulder. "Pass me the thumbscrew."
Finn holds up the piece to confirm it's right before passing it to me. As I am feeding the thumbscrew through the hole in the locking plug, I feel my hair tie come undone. My hair tumbles out of the loose bun like a curtain of dark brown tresses, forming a veil around my face.
I pause. With a frown, I look around for the missing hair tie, but my vision is obstructed by my hair and both my hands are currently occupied.
"Need help?" Finn offers.
"Can you see my hair tie?"
"Don't worry, I've got it," he replies. "Stay still."
Before I know it, Finn's hands are sweeping my bare shoulders, gathering my hair into his palm and loosely twisting it into a low ponytail with my hair elastic.
"Should I be trusting you with my hair?"
"I've got a younger sister. I'm not completely clueless."
I slowly go back to attaching the last component of the GoPro. "I've known Hayden all my life and I wouldn't trust him within five feet of my hair."
I can sense the smile on Finn's face when he leans in to whisper, "Good thing I'm a trustworthy person."
"Wow, I never knew setting up a GoPro surfboard mount could be a two-person job."
The sudden addition of a third voice to our conversation nearly sends me into cardiac arrest. At the sight of Hunter standing above us with his arms folded across his chest, Finn springs up, scrambling as far as possible away from me.
I momentarily turn to shoot him a dirty look. He is acting like he did something wrong.
"What the hell, Hunter," I hiss. "How long have you been standing there?"
"You said you might need my help setting up something."
Right. Fifteen minutes ago when Finn texted me to come out to see his 'surprise', aka his brand new, half-assembled GoPro gifted to him by his parents. I wasn't sure exactly what Finn needed help with then, so I'd asked Hunter to be on standby just in case.
"I thought you went back in!" I protest.
Hunter shrugs. I narrow my eyes at him.
Finding excuses to hang around during Finn's surfing practice has become Hunter's new favourite hobby. He's been like this since yesterday and it's already driving me insane.
I get off Finn's surfboard, sparing a glance back at its owner. "How long has it been since you attached the adhesive mounts?" I ask.
"I did it around four or five yesterday, so about twenty hours? Give or take."
I nod. "We should give it a couple more hours before you take it in the water. We'll try surfing this evening instead."
"Alright," Finn replies apprehensively, eyes drifting to Hunter behind me.
"I'll go get my laptop so we can try linking them up," I say, prompting Finn to snap his attention back to me. "You... read through the user manual again, or whatever."
Without waiting for Finn's reply, I latch my hand onto Hunter's, tugging him towards our house and as far away from Finn as possible.
"I thought you were happy with me training Finn," I say once we're out of hearing distance. "Why are you here playing crazed stalker chaperone?"
"Well, I didn't think you'd need any sort of chaperone before — considering how much you seemed to hate Finn," Hunter replies. "I didn't realise when you two got so... pally."
"Pally," I repeat flatly.
"Pally enough to find him sleeping in your room."
I freeze, turning back to make sure Finn hadn't overhead, even though it should be almost impossible at this distance. To Hunter, I say, "You're blowing this out of proportion."
And he really is. The real story is a lot less lecherous than whatever Hunter is imagining. But to explain, I'd have to go back to two days ago, the evening of Finn's competition.
<•)}}}><
Two Days Ago...
Hunter's compromise to Finn not wanting a big celebration was a small pizza party back at ours. Beside my siblings and Finn, the other attendees are Jay and Gia and far too many boxes of pizza than the seven of us could eat in one night.
Within an hour of arriving back home, the living room is filled with the sound of music, chatter and Harry glued to Finn, eagerly asking for details of the surf competition.
After the day I've had, the thought of being around a large group of people for any longer exhausts me, and soon I find myself making excuses to leave and go upstairs early.
Hunter protests almost immediately, and I don't miss the disappointment in Gia's eyes when I bring it up — but fortunately, Hayden covers for me.
"It's been a busy day, and she's already stayed here for an hour," he says. "You know how Harvey is with her 'me-time'. It's better to let her go up and get rest, otherwise she'll be grumpy and trying to rip all our heads off tomorrow."
I throw him a grateful look when Hunter grudgingly agrees, finding no reason to stop me from retreating to my bedroom for the rest of the day.
My room is quiet and cosy; the perfect respite from my chaotic day. I throw myself onto my bed, turning on the TV mounted on my wall, hoping to block out the dull thrumming in my head with the sound of white noise.
Ninety minutes later, there's a knock at my door.
Raising an eyebrow, I call out, "Come in."
Slowly, cautiously, the door creeks open, revealing Finn standing at the other side holding a box of pizza.
I sit up.
"Um," Finn begins. "There was a box of pizza left. Apparently it's your favourite, so Hunter said I should bring it up to you, in case you wanted some."
I stare at the pizza box in Finn's hand. The taquito I had earlier had killed my appetite, but now with the inviting aroma of warm, freshly baked pizza dough and melted cheese in front of me, I'm having second thoughts.
"Sure," I reply. "Bring it in."
I roll off my bed onto the floor just as Finn walks in, handing the pizza box over to me.
"Jay left about twenty minutes ago," he says. "And Hayden went out not too long ago to drop Gia home."
"I know," I reply, lifting up the lid of the pizza box to peek at the toppings. "Gia came up to say bye before leaving."
"Right, of course." Finn pauses. "I was thinking of going soon myself."
I shrug in response, more focused on pulling out the slice of pizza I had my eye on.
Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek sounds from the TV, causing me to nearly drop the entire box in the floor. My eyes dart up to catch sight of a demonic creature flash on the television screen, eyes bloodshot and bulging, with a ghoulish expression on its face.
Oh, right. Jump scare at the forty-two minute mark. I always forget about it.
Finn's gaze shifts to the TV screen. "Japanese horror films? That's your way of relaxing?"
"They're actually very calming," I argue. They're not. But they are excellent at distracting.
"I'm sure they are," Finn replies disbelievingly, folding his arms in front of his chest as his eyes unconsciously follow the action on screen. "Have you watched this other one... what's it called again? It's by the same director. I think I know how to spell it but I can never pronounce it right."
I shoot him a quizzical look, pulling out my phone to search the title suggestions he throws at me until we come across one he thinks is right.
"Yeah, that one," Finn confirms, leaning over to check my phone. "It's a little older, but I think it's his best work so far. The ending messes with your head for days."
"Why haven't I heard of this before?" I murmur as I click on the movie on my phone, casting the video on to the television set.
"You're watching it now?" Finn sounds surprised.
"I've already watched the other one way too many times."
The movie plays for a few minutes before Finn speaks up again. "Wait, I don't remember this part."
I tear my eyes away from the TV, eyebrows drawing together. "What?"
"Oh no. Never mind," Finn says a few moments later once the opening scene concludes, "I think I remember now."
He chuckles. Which is a disturbing contrast to the mildly unsettling plot unfolding on screen.
"Well, have fun," he says.
He's leaving? I sit up straighter, diverting my full attention to Finn.
"You recommend a movie to me and don't even stay long enough to confirm it's the right one?" I ask. "That's rather irresponsible of you."
Finn falters at the door. He stares at me for a moment, as if questioning my motives. Then he replies in a casual voice, "Alright. If you say so."
I watch as Finn returns back into the middle of the room, coming to sit on the other side of the pizza box by me, with the back of his head rested on the footboard of my bed.
"I'm pretty sure everyone in this scene dies before the thirty minute mark," Finn comments.
"No spoiling."
I turn to shoot Finn a glare when I notice the sleepy smile on his face at my reaction. His eyes are still focused on the TV, but his lids are lowered, as if in a gruelling battle with gravity to stay open. He has one arm tucked beneath the other, head nodding forward ever so slightly.
How he could look so restful amidst the sounds of someone getting gutted and having their organs harvested by a cult of cannibals, I'll never understand. But somehow, staring at Finn as he gradually loses the fight to stay awake — the exhaustion from waking up early and surfing all day finally getting to him, I find myself once again thinking back to Finn's words from Gia's party.
"Is 'complicated' really such a bad thing?"
Yes.
A month ago, I'd give that answer in a heartbeat.
'Complicated' was Hayden going out with Lindsey-Mae, one of my closest friends from middle school; then her pouring her iced soda over my head when he broke up with her three weeks later.
'Complicated' was two girls in the grade above befriending me for a solid three months back in 9th grade, then suddenly shutting me out when they realised they had no chance getting with Hunter simply by hanging around me.
Lindsey-Mae later apologised for taking her anger out on me. She moved states last year, so I haven't had to deal with her since, but it's safe to say we don't talk as much anymore. The other two girls are still around school, but besides the occasional glower my way, they don't bother to acknowledge my presence anymore.
It hurt at the time, but I've gotten over it. It's difficult to blame my brothers when they are so clueless of their own actions. If anything, it has taught me a lesson:
Complicated is a very bad thing.
And yet...
Somehow. Finn makes me want to consider complicated. He makes me hope for a different sort of 'complicated' that doesn't leave a string of broken hearts, severed friendships and half-sincere apologies.
And above the ear-splitting shrill of tense music playing from the ongoing film, I begin to wonder:
'Is that sort of complicated okay?'.
><{{{(•>
At some point, I must have fallen asleep as well. Because the next thing I remember is waking up to an onslaught of Japanese swear words and Hunter screeching at us to wake up.
Now, I am explaining to Hunter the same thing I did two days ago.
"He fell asleep for like 20 minutes because he was tired from waking up at 5 am and having to surf all day long, not to mention you insisting on throwing him a party," I remind my older brother.
"Maybe, but why in your room?" Hunter argues. "His house is a literal forty second walk away. I'm sure he could manage it."
"Weren't you the one to tell him to bring pizza up to my room? That's a literal twenty second walk," I counter. "I'm sure you could have managed as well."
Hunter stalls by the backdoor, realising he has no counter argument.
"You're right," he laments, "it's my fault. I'm responsible for exposing my poor, innocent baby sister to the cruel horrors of this world."
"What has Finn done to be called a 'cruel horror' of the world?" I respond incredulously as we head into the house. "He accidentally fell asleep. It was a one-time, completely innocent act."
"Finn's a teenage boy, there's nothing innocent about that. They're all evil."
"Our brother is a teenage boy. In fact, you still technically count as one."
Hunter shrugs. "Exactly. That's why I know what I'm saying. For instance, take him asking you for help to set up the GoPro. Who can't set up a surfboard mount? It's so straightforward. Plus he was there when you helped set up the first one. He definitely just did it as an excuse to spend more time with you."
"You think?"
Why does that make me feel strangely happy?
I shake my head.
"Anyway, whatever it is. It's none of your concern. I'm Finn's coach and the next round of his competition is coming up soon and he needs to practice," I say seriously. "So I swear to God, Hunter, please stop interrupting our surf lessons or I'll poison your next meal."
Hunter frowns. "Message received. But don't you think that threat is taking it a little far?"
I shrug. "Not all poisons are lethal. All it takes is one poorly prepared meal, and bingo, food poisoning for two weeks. You learn all kinds of things in books these days."
Hunter's frown deepens, his brows furrowing. "Worrying. But I don't put it past you."
"I'm glad you know."
Hunter casts a gaze out the window to the beach outside. There is still a deep furrow in his brows but he doesn't say a word. Perhaps out of fear of my next threat.
"Fine," he grudgingly decides. "I'll let it go for now." He turns to face me before adding, "You're still coming grocery shopping with me today, aren't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. You don't have to worry, I won't leave you with Hayden," I reply. "There's this dish I saw online the other day that I want to try making."
Hunter passes me an apprehensive smile. "I think we should leave all the cooking to me this week, but great. Round up things with Brit Boy outside and we'll leave in an hour."
><{{{(•>
It wouldn't be a visit to the White if I didn't run into at least one person I know.
Hunter and I are browsing around the large supermarket for items on our shopping list when we come across Delaney Johnson — which is unsurprising, considering she works here. Surprising however, is the fact that today she isn't dressed in her usual employee uniform, but regular everyday clothes.
"Oh! Hi, Hunter, Harvey," she greets us in an amicable tone, adjusting the shopping basket under her arm.
Also surprising: today she isn't avoiding Hunter.
"Hi, Laney," I greet back, my gaze shifting from her to Hunter. Weird. Somehow it feels like there is a different vibe between them.
"Dell... Fancy seeing you here," Hunter says with a smile, quirking an amused brow.
There's a light, playful look in Delaney's eyes as she replies, "Figured I should try to use up my work discounts while I still have the chance."
"You're quitting?" I ask, making note of another surprising fact: Hunter is acting a lot less bulldozer-y than usual. What is going on? It seems ever since I started coaching Finn, I have become out of touch with all the other drama going on around me.
Delaney shrugs in response. "Not yet. Tomorrow is my last day. It was only a temporary thing anyway. I'll be getting busy again soon, so I thought it'd be best to leave before everything becomes too hectic."
"How're you feeling about heading back? Prepared?" Hunter asks.
Delaney's face twists. "I wish," she sighs. "I have a ton of reading to catch up on. I'll probably be holed up in my room all next week."
Hunter chuckles.
Delaney smiles, running a hand through her red hair. "I should get going. I'll catch up with you guys again later. Bye Harvey."
I blink back to attention. "Yeah. See you later, Laney."
Delaney sends us a friendly wave goodbye, but as she turns to walk away, Hunter adds in a playful tone, "I expect you'll be treating me to a meal when you get that final pay cheque!"
I furrow my eyebrows.
Delaney slows down, a smile tugging at her lip as she briefly looks back to say, "We'll see."
My mouth drops open. I turn to notice the goofy grin broadening on Hunter's face as Delaney's figure disappears at the end of the aisle.
My head is about to explode. What did I just witness? Hunter brazenly flirting with Dell is nothing new, but except if I've gone insane, that was definitely her flirting back.
"What just happened?" I gape at Hunter. "Are you really my brother?"
Hunter immediately sobers up, eyes dropping down to send me a glower.
"It's not that big of a deal," he says. "That wasn't so out of character for me."
"Umm, usually at this point you would have already thrown yourself at her three times, but okay sure," I reply back. "What changed?"
Hunter rolls his eyes, walking over to a nearby shelf to pick up an item before dropping it into our shopping cart.
"The summer's nearly over and Dell's going back to college in a couple weeks. I decided we can afford to slow down so she realises I'm serious about us," Hunter replies honestly. "Her college isn't too far from mine, so long distance isn't that impossible —and as long as she doesn't get sick of me, I don't plan on going anywhere. The last thing I want is her thinking she's just a summer fling."
Hunter's words strike a cord with me, and I don't know if it's because I'm surprised they come from him, or because they resonated with me in a different way.
The summer is nearly over... and soon, things will go back to the way they were before.
Does that mean Finn will leave soon as well?
For the rest of our shopping trip, this thought gnaws at me. England isn't just a two hour car ride up north. All this time while I have been considering whether to take a risk on 'complicated' or not, I forgot another important factor to consider:
What exactly would Finn and I be?
Is he hoping for something long term? Or are these brief, heart-fluttering feelings fated to be but a prelude to a fleetingly insignificant summer fling?
These thoughts weigh down on me as I trudge into Hunter's car at the end of the day.
I am quiet all throughout the drive home, too absorbed in my own worries and contemplations to make conversation, even when we arrive home and start unloading the car.
"Uh, hold on, Harv," Hunter begins to say after I take a hold of a set of bag handles and begin to lug the carrier bags towards the front door. "I think you should—"
The rest of his sentence is lost to my ears, because the moment I open the front door, I am doused in a bag of flour.
I inhale sharply, slightly choking on the powdery white substance that lingers in the air around me, sticking to my skin.
I slowly grit my teeth to stop myself from lashing out at Hayden, who is stood a few feet indoors, clutching his stomach and cackling loudly at the sight of me like the insolent brat he is. Lashing out at Hayden would be unsportsmanlike, and I'd most likely get points deducted.
After all, out of all our rivalries, this is the most important week of them all. And I'd almost forgotten about it:
Prank Week.
It has begun.
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A/N:
Yes, you read that right, instead of focusing on all the other impending topics, next chapter will be dedicated solely* to the final ultimate (very adult and not-at-all immature) battle between Hayden and Harvey: Prank Week!
*alright fine, not solely. There'll be other drama too, as per usual.
I wanted to give you guys the opportunity to take part in the creation of next chapter. Comment any fun pranks you think of here, and who knows, you might see a couple of them featured in Chapter 21 👀
This chapter is dedicated to @Moyooo101 for always being patient with me and reminding me that even if 5+ days feels like a few hours to me, it might be a lot longer to everyone else...
Thanks as always for reading!
♕ Carmen ♕
P.s. anyone spot the backwards fish emoticon? <•)}}}><