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I cannot believe you talked me into this Sarah." I grumble, fidgeting with the straps to my baby blue dress. "Oh don't complain. If I have to go to this thing I'm bringing you down with me. Now stop messing with it, you look fine." She slaps my hand off of the hem of my dress and reaches up to fix the white flower crown bobby-pinned into my scalp so tight I thought she was going to puncture my brain.
As we walk in following my parents, who seem weirdly okay after earlier today, and Sarah's parents I scan the crowd of people, not really knowing what I'm searching for until my gaze lands on topper, who is staring right at Sarah. Oh this isn't going to end well.
"Unfortunately no lover boy but boyfriend coming up two o'clock." I nudge Sarah, glancing at topper and she gets my message, squeezing my hand before letting go and walking towards him. Not knowing what to do with my hands I cross them over my stomach.
"Hey how have you been?" A voice says from behind me and I spin around to see Kelce, wearing a salmon colored suit with a checkered undershirt. "I've been pretty busy but other than that I'm good. How about you?"
"I've been good. Hey Lilah can we talk about what happened at the party?" His face softens as his hand reaches out to me and my first instinct is to flinch. "What's there to talk about? I'm sorry Kelce but I don't feel the same way. Besides I'm in a relationship, but that doesn't mean that we can't still be friends." I place a hand onto his shoulder but he immediately shrugs it off. "No Delilah. We can't."
He turns on his heal and starts to walk away but I catch his arm. "Kelce wait." He yanks it out of my reach, shaking his head. "Whoever the asshole is, I hope you guys are happy." He continues to storm off, meeting up with Rafe and topper.
"What was that about?" Sarah comes up nexts to me, handing me a glass of wine and I bring it to my lips and immediately remove it, handing it back to Sarah.
"Okay one, I can't have that cause of... and two Kelce is in love with me and I tried to let him down easy and he basically told me to fuck myself. How was your talk with topper?" I huff, sitting down onto a chair circling the dance floor.
"Not good. I need to break up with him but I'm not really sure how. Or when. Any advice?" She asks, slumping into the chair next to me and I can't help but laugh. "You are asking the wrong person. I fell for a Pogue and got my dumbass pregnant so I wouldn't take life advice from me."
"Fair point." She laughs softly, and we both shift our gaze over to our parents and their friends. Ward is laughing at something that my dad said as my mother is attached to him by the arm. "Why are your parents acting like nothing happened?"
"Because my father is a psychopath and my mother is in denial." I say bluntly, accidentally making eye contact with my mom who waves Sarah and I over to them. Sarah and I share the same look before I get up, groaning, and we make our way over to them.
"Hey sweetie how have you been?" One of my mother's friends asks me and I plaster a smile onto my face, doing as I was told when we attended these events. "I've been pretty busy. How have you been Ms. Marshall?"
"I've been good myself, your mother mentioned that you made care packages for the Women's shelter uptown. That's very generous of you, maybe you should try to rub some of that responsibility onto some other here." Her gaze goes over to where Kiara is standing next to Pope. It takes all that I have to hold my tongue in front of the mid ages women, so I just nod and smile.
"Yes we are pretty proud of our daughter." My dad smiles, pulling me into a side hug and I feel myself automatically tighten. "Delilah and I should get going, we promised Wheezie a dance before the night ended." Sarah takes my hand and I silently thank her for getting me out of his grasp.
"Honey at least stay for the recognitions," my mother shoots me a stern look and I crinkle my eyebrows before looking at the microphone in the entrance of the building to see a women start to tap it.
"My I have your attention everyone. It is a pleasure to have you at this year's Midsummers and usually I would start this speech with a thank you to everyone who helped put this event together but most of us thought it would better use in another way. Can the Covey family please come up here?" She waves is over to her and my eyes widen as my mother takes my arm.
"This family has been through a great deal of grief throughout the last year after losing their oldest daughter to a tragic accident. They have taken all of this with such grace and continued to help the community in any ways they can so can we please give it up for the Covey family." She smiles as we stand in front of everyone as they all clap respectfully.
After the applause dies down she goes into logistics of the event and my mother and my father leave the stage, me following closely behind. "Talk about a trophy family." I hear someone say underneath their breath and I can't help but let a laugh escape my lips. If only they the shit that goes on in my family. They would know they were dead wrong.
"That was god awful." I whisper to Sarah and she laughs, "Hey at least you looked cute standing up there. I could almost notice your bump." She jokes but suddenly I felt myself become self conscious.
"Wait really?" I run my hand over my stomach and glance at it from the side. "No I was kidding, I'm sorry I didn't mean for you to worry." She frowns and I shake my head, trying to brush it off.
"Hey let's go dance, it'll get your mind off of it." A smile suddenly spreads across her face as she pulls me to the dance floor. Various songs play and we take turns dancing with Wheezie as she laughs.
I remember when Sarah and I were younger we spend our whole time at midsummers dancing and laughing. Charlotte would join us for a little bit but as we got older she started to spend it with Rafe. I guess that's one of the reasons why I wasn't surprised when they started to date.
Sarah taps me on the shoulder, signaling that it was her turn to dance with her sister and I smile, letting go of Wheezie's hands and stepping to the side so that they could dance. My gaze shifts from them to scan the room to see Kiara leaning against a banister and I make a beeline towards her.
"Hey have you seen JJ since this morning?" I ask when I reach her but she just shakes her head. "No but I'm sure he's fine. He knows how to take care of himself." I sigh, nodding. "I know, I'm just worried. His dad is relentless and I'm sure things didn't turn out well after JJ was arrested. I just want to know if he's okay."
"You really love him don't you?" Ki smirks and I shove her lightly, a sheepish smile on my face. "Shut up Ki." She crinkles her nose at me in a teasing manor and I shove her one more time for good measure before walking back to Sarah, who is twirling her younger sister, a grin on her face.
"You girls having too much fun without me?!" I smile but it immediately disappears as a wave of nausea washes over me. "Hey Li are you okay?" Sarah asks in a worried tone and I nod slowly.
"Yeah. Do you know where the bathroom is?" I try to seem as normal as possible but Sarah isn't buying it. Before she can ask me anything more I feel someone lace their fingers with mine and I glance up to see JJ standing next to me. There is bruising not only on his cheek but around his eye and his lips is busted, almost completely identical to mine.
"JJ?" Sarah says and JJ releases his grip from mine and nods at her, lifting is pointer finger to his lips. "Yep." He spins around, trying to act as natural as possible as he pulls a piece of notebook paper out of his pocket. "Got a uh, note from vlad." He hands it to her before grabbing one of my hands and twirling me around.
"From.. vlad?" She asks as he nods before trying
to hush her. "Just read the note." He whispers before bringing his attention back to me but instead of me smiling at him I feel my stomach lurch and I bend over, grasping my stomach.
"Woah are you okay?" JJ whispers, tilting my chin up so that he can make eye contact with me and I shake my head. "I think I'm going to throw up, can you walk me to the bathroom?" I ask weakly, a swallowing the bike that had started to rise in my throat and he nods, wrapping my arm around his and starts to lead me off of the dance floor.
It feels like a million years before we reach the bathroom and he shoos everyone out as I collapse on my knees, emptying what was left in my stomach into the toilet. Within seconds I feel his hands grab my hair, getting it out of my face. Once I'm done I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and sit on the cold linoleum as JJ sends me a sympathetic look.
"Yes you feel bad, this is your fault!" I joke but it comes out more weakly than I would have liked but JJ gets the message, throwing up his hands in defense, "Hey what did I do?"
I don't have time to respond back because suddenly the door to the bathroom slams open and Rafe's voice echos throughout the room. "Maybank I know you're in here!" JJ presses a finger to his lips before closing the door to my stall and I lean over, locking it.
"Hey man what are you doing in the women's restroom?!" Rafe yells and I hear JJ yell a 'fuck you' before someone grabs him. "Hold him still. What- what do you think ? A four iron, right? Keep him still." Rafe spits as I hear JJ grunt. I have to cover my mouth to not make a noise.
"Very Rafe of you. Five on one?" JJ sounds like he's struggling for breath and Rafe sighs. " Could you please stop talking? It's very disrespectful while I'm trying to hit a ball. Learn your etiquette my friend." The announce palpable in his voice.
"Your face looks really bad. Starting to look like your dad a lot more." Rafe sneers and it take all of me not to open the stall door and beat his ass for that one comment. Instead I just pull my knees closer into my chest. I hear who I assume was JJ spit and Rafe swears but just as he starts to say a comeback the lights start to flicker.
"Gentlemen, is there a problem here guys? In the..."
He pauses, probably looking at the sign to see if he read it correctly. "In the women's restroom?" There is a thump and then JJ clears his throat. "Pardon me officer. No, there is not an issue. I just- Actually, yes. No, there is an issue. Uh, we got a criminal trust pass in progress here. Beep! Call it in, right? Blatant disrespect for private property. I'm in violation of all kinds of shit, sir. But these young gentlemen caught me sir and they were going to take me away. And that's what you should do escort me out of here. You got me!" He lies through his teeth and I can just picture the look on all of their faces.
"Fix that tie son. You're looking spiffy, too. You Powerpuff girls have fun!" JJ remarks and I kneel up from my standing position, ready to open the doer when Rafe says, "Tell Delilah she looks pretty hot for a Pogue!"
All I hear is a shit ton rustling and grunting until the door closes JJ going with it. I unlock the door, meeting both Rafe and Kelce in the eye before pushing past them, "You guys are assholes, you know?"
I walk as fast as I can to catch up to him but I'm too late. All I see is JJ shove a server and make eye contact with me and Kiara, who happens to be right next to me. "Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's!" He points at both of us and I glance at Ki before shrugging.
"Rixon's cove, let's roll. All right Del, kie, come on!" He waves us to come over to him and I look at both of my parents before grabbing Kiara's hand and making a run for it. JJ beams as he runs backwards and I laugh as he yells, "C'mon Lilah!"
Once we reach them JJ wraps his arms around my waist, spinning me around as I laugh. He sets me down gently before grabbing my hand as John b shouts, "Later losers!" behind us and Ki and I laugh in unison as we run down the lawn, saying goodbye to the trophy life I once loved.
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MIDSUMMERS!!!
Did you guys like it cause
I think it might be one
of my favorite chapters.
Well until next time,
I love you guys!