ABIGAIL WOKE UP in her own bed. The minute Conrad fell asleep last night, she'd rushed to her own bedroom. Her tangled blond hair clung to her cheeks. She rubbed her eyes, crusted over mascara clinging to her eyelashes. She must've fallen asleep before she could even wash her face. She looked at her clothes. Abigail still sported the same outfit from yesterday.

She crawled out of bed, tugging open her suitcase. Her pajamas were buried beneath her bathing suits and underwear. Abigail pushed them aside, pulling her pajamas out. The familiar material of her brother's old Nirvana t—shirt and basketball shorts met her hands.

She slowly removed her dress from the previous night. It smelled of beer, coconut, and ashes. It all just reminded Abigail of her crazy ass night. Pulling her shirt over her head ached more than she would like to admit. Abigail groaned as she fixed the shirt around her waist. Slipping into the pants was harder. Her bones cracked and popped as they went through the material.

  She trudged to the bathroom. After making making sure no one was in there, Abigail began go wash her face and such. The cool water against her finger splints dulled the aching in her joints for a moment.

   "Mornin', dummy," Clay teased, leaning on the door frame. He was wearing his UCLA sweater his girlfriend back home had gotten for him. God, how Abigail adored Samantha Osborn.  "You sleep well. I heard Laurel yelling at you guys last night. Ma was askin' me 'bout it. Told her you weren't drinkin'."

   "I was drinkin'—"

  "I know. You forget, sweet little sister of mine, I know a lot about you." He pressed a kiss to her hair. Abigail looked at her tooth brush, laughing a  little. "Now, scoot. I gotta help Jamie figure how to get her truck movin' again."

  Jamie and Clay were friends. Or in other words, an ex situation—ship that turned into a weird friendship that consisted of getting high at the St James beach house and watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

  Abigail spit out some tooth paste. Fix Jamie's truck? It was just fine last night though. "What's wrong with Jamie's ride? It was fine last night."

  "It ain't startin'. And since I work at a auto shop back home, I am her personal Handy Manny." He put his tooth brush in his mouth. He hadn't combed his hair yet, so his little curls were sticking up all over the place. "What are you up to today?"

   "I dunno. Probably stay in the house, or head to the St James house."

   "Wow, what a day. You're so busy," Clay teased, poking her with the blunt end of his toothbrush. "You should go with Belly and the moms. They're goin' dress shoppin' for Belly's ball. I remember how excited Ma got. Her chance to see you in white."

Diane was overly excited while they were shopping. Laurel and Susannah had loved the idea of Abigail going into the deb scene. Abigail thinks her illness had something to do with it.

"I remember, alright. I think Momma almost died of overspending." The Parker siblings shared a look. Diane had enough money to buy two beach houses and part of the beach. She worked for NASA and earned a salary in a number too big for Abigail to remember.

   "Ma hadn't died of overspending since—" Pa left. But Clay didn't say that. He gargled some water, avoiding the topic completely. "Well, Abby, better start eatin' breakfast for those damn Fisher eat it all. Though I'm sure you and Belly won't mind lickin' if from Conrad's chest.

   Abigail cringed. "That is disgustin'. Who let you out your cage? I'll be sure to let Momma tighten the bolts on it tonight." Clay shoved her, giving her an amused grin. He ruffled her already messy hair and left her alone in the bathroom.

   She stared into the mirror. She had these dark circles that never really went away, despite all the sleep she's been getting. Sometimes, Abigail saw the same girl from April looking back at her. With her sunken cheeks, chapped lips, and bug eyes that popped out from their sockets. But that wasn't her anymore. Abigail was better. She had to be better.

  She stared at the mirror one last time before exiting the bathroom. Abigail ran down stairs, the smell of eggs in the air. That meant someone was making breakfast. She had her money on Laurel.

   She made it to the bottom step, pushing the kitchen door open. Instantly,  Jeremiah was greeting her. His early morning smile infectious.

  "Good morning, Abby," he said, giving her a quick hug. He smelled like sunblock and that Calvin Klein cologne Laurel bought for his sixteenth.  "We were just talking about my mom's paintings."

  Abigail blinked. "Susannah's painting us this year?" Back when Diane first brought them to the Fisher summer house, Susannah had insisted on painting both Clay and Abigail. Clay tried to paint Susannah right after.

  It did not turn out well.

  "She's painting all of you," Laurel said from the stove. She placed a plate of eggs with an assortment of berries on the island. Abigail instantly went to sit down. "She plans on capturing the youth and hopefulness in each and every one of you."

  Jeremiah's eye brows disappeared behind his hair. "Well, Conrad does not have hope, actually." He grabbed a cup from the counter. Abigail hadn't even noticed the blender full of strange green liquid sitting on the counter beside the stove. "He's hopeless, but my hangover smoothie... it cures all."

  He went into the living room, where Conrad was rubbing his temple. He was definitely coming down from a huge hangover. Abigail grabbed her plate of breakfast and sat in the chair beside him. He looked up at her, squinting through a painful headache.

   "Morning, sunshine," he grumbled, taking a sip from Jeremiah's hangover smoothie.

  "Mornin', darlin'," she said with a smile. Abigail picked at a blueberry with her finger. "Did you sleep well?"

   Conrad looked at her, a faint smile on his face. "Yeah, sure." He looked away again, sitting in silence for a moment. The awkwardness made Abigail feel uneasy. They were never awkward. They weren't even awkward when they first met.

  "Oh, okay! Well, I'm glad you slept well." She offered him a strawberry, which he took and placed in his own mouth. "You were incredibly drunk last night. I had to help you undressed.

  "You worded that horribly," Clay said, watching them with an amused grin. Abigail jumped. Her plate almost landed on the floor. Conrad had a blank expression on his face.  "You should word things better, Abby. You don't want people gettin' the wrong idea."

   Abigail rolled her eyes. "Get outta here, Clay. Go do a man's job and fix Jamie's truck."

   Clay scoffed. "Oh I will go do a man's job. With my pink tools with Barbie stickers." He raised his tool bag, the tools clattering inside. He turned away and the door slammed behind him.

   "I still can't believe he uses the tools you and Belly painted," Conrad said through sips of his drink. His hair was messy around his eyes, strands falling in strange patterns all over. "I would've thought he bought new ones by now."

  "He loves 'em. Says he feels like a man when he's usin' 'em." Conrad gave her another weak smile. Progress!

  "Good morning." Belly's voice traveled through the first floor. Abigail got up, offering Conrad her hand. He took it, surprisingly, and they walked into the kitchen. She dropped his hand when she saw Belly, almost tripping over her feet (again) as she gave her a quick hug.

  Laurel looked up from the stove, staring at Belly's face. "Is that a bruise?" Where she was hit yesterday turned into a nasty black eye. Abigail winced as she remembered the punch to the face Belly received.

  Belly just hid her face in Abigail's shoulder for a good minute. "I—I bumped into someone." Laurel met Abigail's eyes and suddenly, Abigail felt guilty again.

  "You bumped into someone?" The skepticism in Laurel's voice made Abigail feel even worse. She should've never let Belly try to break up that fight.

   "It doesn't look bad. Right, Abby?" Belly hit her with the patented Conklin Puppy Eyes. One of Abigail's many weaknesses.

  Abigail fought the urge to bundle Belly in bubble wrap and lock her away for the rest of the summer. "Right." It looks like you went twelve rounds with my daddy. But for obvious reasons, she didn't say that.

Susannah and Diane burst into the kitchen, wearing matching smiles. "Belly's going to be a debutante!" Susannah exclaimed.

The different reactions that filled the kitchen were amusing to say the least. Conrad was staring holes in Susannah's soul, Jeremiah dropped his fork, and Steven looked like he'd been brutally stabbed.

Steven recovered first. He pointed at Belly with an open mouth. "I'm sorry. Like, Belly? Like, my sister? Like, that thing right there?"

Belly grinned. "Shut up, cretin."

Diane put a hand on her chest. "Both our girls are now debutants." Diane marched over to Abigail and pressed a dramatic kiss on her forehead. "Isn't that lovely?"

"Okay, this is gonna be so much fun. Just you wait. There is, uh... there's the tea, the auction, the ball, of course, the rehearsal. I got to write this down." Susannah snapped her fingers and her and Diane shared a look. "We have to go shopping!"

Diane nodded. "Yes, of course. We can go to the same ones as last summer!" Susannah nodded.

"This sounds... expensive." The hesitance in Laurel's voice made Abigail feel bad. She was privileged to have a mother to worked a high paying job and who came from money, while Laurel wasn't as privileged. Money was a sensitive topic sometimes.

Susannah shook her head. "Oh, don't worry, Laur. It's on me. It was my idea after all, and we still need to style you for your book party, so..."

Laurel gave Belly a look. "Belly, are you sure you want to do this? Ir doesn't seem like you."

Conrad scoffed, looking out the window. "It's not."

Abigail frowned. "Come on, darlin'. Be supportive for Bels." Conrad rolled his eyes.

Susannah cleared her throat. "Now, which one of you is gonna be Belly's escort to the ball?" Everyone just stared at each other.

Conrad shook his head. "Not me. I went last year."

"Yeah, and I swore off balls." Abigail coughed, hiding her laugh. Jeremiah and Steven laughed at the other.

"Wow, guys, stop fighting over me," Belly teased, sitting st the island and grabbing some cereal. "Um, I'm not going with either of you. I am going to find my own date."

Abigail raised her hand for a high five, which Belly happily gave her. "Independent women."

Conrad suddenly stood up. "I'm going for a swim." Abigail was tempted to follow after him. What was his issue with debutante balls? He had acted the exact same way last summer, when Abigail had done the ball.

She waved goodbye at everyone. She was exhausted already. Abigail felt her hands shake just a bit as she pressed one to the doorknob of her bedroom door. She made it to her bed before practically collapsing against it.

Her knees ached but they weren't swollen. Abigail groaned a little, rubbing her knees. Her finger splints were cold against the tender skin of her knee.

Her phone vibrated on her nightstand. Abigail grimaced as she sat up, using her pillows to help prop herself up. She took her phone and raised her notifications to be visible. Texts from Belly, Aurelia, an unknown number, and Conrad?

She went to open Conrad's text first, surprised to see so many messages from him.

abby
do u wanna go for a swim
also ill the cold packs if u need them
i noticed ur hands hurting during breakfast
ur an idiot sunshine
but seriously im by the pool

im coming??!!
give me a second to change n stuffs
dont worry darling ill b down soon

never said i was worried

whatever u say conrad

The sunshine nickname made her laugh a little. She pulled out her bathing suit, trying her hardest to get dressed fast enough. In between pulling her bikini bottoms on, she was rushing to answer texts from everyone. Aurelia wanted to know if she wanted to go out to lunch later, Belly was asking for her to come with the debutante shopping squad, and the unknown number was Daniel, who'd gotten Abigail's number from Aurelia.

   She adjusted her bikini top before looking at her self in the mirror. She wasn't conceited of anything. Abigail enjoyed seeing her body become healthier. Her hip bones no longer  scarily poked through her skin. Her rips no longer tore through her skin. She looked healthy again. No longer caged by the illness that owned her body.

  Abigail grabbed a bag from her dresser, throwing in her headphones, sunblock, and chapstick. Her beach towel in one hand, and her bag in the other. She walked past the empty rooms of the Fisher house and grinned at Conrad, who was waiting for her by the pool, with a cigarette in between his lips.

  "Smokin' is bad for your lungs," she said, plucking the cigarette from her lips. Abigail had never smoked a day in her life, mostly because of her lupus. Weak ass lungs. "Wouldn't want your mama havin' a fit because you're dyin' on lung issues, now would we?"

  Conrad shrugged. "Who cares anyway? It's a cigarette. I'm not gonna die, y'know?" He must have realized what he said was insensitive because he quickly clarified. "Look, Abby, I won't smoke around you, if that help."

  "Okay, darlin'. What ever you say," she sung, poking him with her finger nail. "Now, shall I beat you in a race to the beach or—"

  Conrad laughed. His laugh was like a cool breeze coursing through her entire body. "Not if I beat you first, sunshine." He turned on the ball of his feet and started to run.

   Abigail chased after him, her feet prickling underneath the shell and rock infested sand. He was ahead of her, but she didn't care about winning in this moment. She wad just happy to have Conrad laughing and smiling again. Oh how she wished Susannah was here to see her oldest son like this, happy and care free. They reached the water and Conrad won.

   She tossed her bag aside, letting the water hit her ankles. She shivered. A splash of water hit her face, causing her to cough. Conrad was smirking at her with this annoying smirk she missed.

  "I win," he said.

   Abigail felt like she couldn't breathe. "Oh, did you know?" She kicked water at him, causing him to attack. He splashed her again, tossing more water at her face. "Conrad!"

  He disappeared from in front of her. Abigail pushed her wet hair from her face, tucking the wet strands of blond behind her ears. Then she felt arms around her waist and the feeling of falling.

  "I win, Abby," he teased as they both emerged from the water. Abigail coughed the water out of her lungs. "Admit it."

  "You played dirty, Conrad," she said. Conrad raised his eyebrows in mock hurt. Abigail noted the little droplets of salt water clinging to his eyelashes. They ran down his face like little droplets of sunshine.

  "I'm not cheater, Abby," he said, dunking her again. She pulled him down with her. He coughed as he brushed his hair out of his face when he re--emerged from the water.

   "Blah, blah, blah," she said, salt water dripping into her eyes. It burned but all she could manage was a laugh. Conrad rolled his eyes and laughed back at her. "You invited me just to torture me, didn't you?"

   Conrad faked a pout, it was extremely hilarious.  "I can not believe you think so little of me. I would never do that." His tone said other wise.

  She tried to leave the water, but Conrad grabbed her from behind, spinning her around. Abigail kicked and screamed and laughed at the same time. "Conrad—oh my god!" She hit the water, coughing in between laughs. Conrad laughed again, offering her a hand.

   She tugged on it, pulling him in beside her. Conrad hit the water with a plop! Abigail snickered, leaning back on her hands. Conrad wiped the water from his face, little droplets of salt water hitting Abigail's body.

  "Now whose torturing who?" Conrad said in between fast breathes. Abigail just smiled, batting her eyelashes mock—innocence. "You are an evil, evil girl, Parker."

   "Said no one ever,"Abigail grinned.

   They spent the next two hours swimming, talking, and sharing some ice cream. Abigail just was happy she had her best friend back. He was her other half, as many would often say. Conrad was smiling. The same smile she'd seen almost her entire life. The same smile she'd seen over Face—Time. The same smile Abigail was met with every single summer before this one.

   Conrad talked about random things, ranging from food to dolphins. Abigail talked about school back in San Antonio and getting back into tennis. She had cold packs on her hands to help with the pain in her joints, courtesy of one Conrad Fisher.

   "My mom just texted me," Conrad said, checking his phone. His smile disappeared again, replaced by the same blank expression she'd seen since yesterday. "She wants to start our portraits."

   "Well, in that case," Abigail began, brushing some more hair out of her face. "Shall we get back, darlin'? We still have all the time in the world to torture each other at the beach, y'know?"

   Conrad sighed, already trudging back to the beach house. "I guess. Now, come on, Abby. I'm not going first." He started to lightly jog. Oh, it was on!

   She jogged after him, already out of breath. By the time they made it back to the house, Abigail was resting her forehead on the back of Conrad's shoulder. They were breathing heavily and that's when they spotted Susannah, smiling at the both of them.

  "How was the beach?" Susannah asked, already rearranging her paint brushes.

  Conrad went silent, moving away from Abigail. She already missed the Conrad from only moments ago. "It was nice. The waters great for a swim." Or being dunked in repeatedly.

   "Oh, Abby? Your mom called earlier. She needs you dressed for the debutant meeting today."

   Abigail frowned. "What debutant meeting?"

   "They're inviting girls from last year to be coaches for the new debs. And your mother signed you up!" Abigail nearly threw herself into the pool. Why would her mother sigh her up for something without telling her?

   "How long do I have until I'm late?" Susannah told her half an hour. Well, shit. She went to give Conrad a hug, but he'd turned away from her completely. All she could see was the back of his wet hair.

   Why was he like this?

SHE WAS ALMOST late. Abigail scrambled up the stairs in her heels. Her mother had bought her a dress while they were shopping for Belly. The soft cream colored material felt like silk. It brushed against her knees, with the sleeves thin around her shoulders. She adjusted her hat (fascinator) before stepping inside.

   "Ah, Miss Parker!" Paige said with an excited smile. "We've been waiting for you." Of course she was.

   Abigail gave her a kiss on either cheek, trying to hide the irritation clawing at her lips. "Well, this was such a surprise, Paige. But I'm glad to be here. Where should I sit?"

   Paige looked down at her clipboard, before making an 'ah' sound. "You're with Table Two. We assigned two former debutants per table. You're going to be coaching with Nicole."

  Abigail smiled at the idea of being close to Nicole again. "Great! Once again, sorry for keepin' you waitin'." She politely excused herself and made her way to her table. Nicole hugged her, smelling like sunblock and the beach.

   "Oh, Abby! I had no idea we were coaching together." She motioned to the rest of the table, Belly and Aurelia's bright brown eyes staring back at Abigail. "Girls, this is Abby. We were debs last year." A chorus of 'Hi, Abbys' rang through the t

   Belly had a nervous smile. "Surprise?" She said to Abigail once she sat down.

   "Were you in on this?" Abigail whispered, taking one of the sweets from the tower. Belly looked away, embarassed. Then Abigail's eyes wandered to Aurelia, who seemed way too focused on her salad fork. "Were both of you in on this?"

   "Your mom told us to keep it hush. It's why Clay went to work on my sister's truck. It was to keep him from spoiling the surprise." She picked at a cookie from the sweets tower. Abigail noticed how uneasy Aurelia seemed. Definitely forced into this by her mother. Rosa St James was a scary woman who was hard to stay no to. Abigail had tried to, multiple times at that. "It's why I invited you to lunch."

  "It's also why I invited you dress shopping."

  "I went swimmin' with Conrad. I didn't even think it was part of a master plan created by my momma." Aurelia and Belly laughed. Belly put her hand on Aurelia's shoulder as she laughed. The blush that crept up Aurelia's neck did not go unnoticed by Abigail, who was starting to suspect something was up between the two of them.

  A blond girl, Marissa, if Abigail recalled correctly sighed. "I told my mom the only way I would do this is if I could bring my girlfriend, 'cause I thought it would be a deal killer, but the club has been surprisingly chill about the whole thing."

   "I came with Aurelia's older sister last year, and they seemed pretty chill about it," Abigail said, leaning on her palm. The girls stared at her with a shocked expression. "What?"

   Another girl, Dara, swallowed. "No offense, but we didn't think you liked girls, Abby. We thought you were like into the Fishers or the new life guard."

   Abigail was the biggest bisexual in the world. Jamie was her gay awakening and she stood by it. But that's not why her and Jamie went together. "Girls are pretty, what can I say?" Was all she supplied them with, a sly grin on her face.

   Marissa gave her a high five from across the table. Abigail loved these girls already. They then launched into a conversation about colleges. Some of the girls claimed they were only doing this for college, while others said they were doing it just to appease their families. Aurelia was one of the girls who said the latter. She knew it.

  They all turned to Belly and Aurelia, who both seemed caught off guard by the sudden attention.

  "What about you about you two?"

  Aurelia swallowed nervously, looking around. "Well, I'm a sophomore and Belly's—"

  "Also a sophomore, right? Conrad told me." Conrad talked about Belly with Nicole? That's so sweet. Abigail noticed Belly shifting uncomfortably at the mention of Conrad's name.

  "Yeah, I-I'll be a junior in the fall."

  "Is this your first summers in Cousin's?"

  Belly shook her head. "Well, it's Aur's fifth summer and I've been coming my whole life." She let a nervous giggle escape her glossed lips.

  Abigail gave Aurelia and Belly a supportive smile. They both returned it. "They're family friends with Conrad and Jeremiah," Nicole said, motioning at the three girls. "But only you two live with them, right?" Belly and Abigail nodded.

  "Uh, so are you and Jeremiah, like, a-a thing, or are you gonna take him to the ball?" Gigi, another girl in the group, asked, squinting at Belly. Belly looked completely confused, but she still opened her mouth to speak, even if nothing came out.

  "Oh, my God, back off, Geeg,"Marissa teased.

  "It was a question."

  "They're, like, basically related, okay? You have nothing to worry about."

  "I'm not worried." Gigi was definitely worried.

  Though Abigail was getting increasingly uncomfortable as this didn't really seem like a fun conversation between girls, but more so, girls claiming their territories over certain boys.

  Then the girl from the bonfire spoke up,  beautiful girl named Shayla. "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that, babe." Shayla's accent was intoxicating. No wonder Steven was enamored with her. She leaned forward, like she was about to drop the juiciest bit of gossip in the world. "Gigi has had this thing for Jeremiah... Ever since he got abs?"

Before the conversation could delve in Jeremiah Fisher and his abs, Abigail had to excuse herself to use the bathroom. In other words, take her medication. A pill every twenty four hours. She went to walk down the hall, only to bump into Jeremiah, who was carrying an abnormal amount of towers.

"Need any help?" She asked, grabbing some of the towels from his arms. Jeremiah stared at her for a good twenty seconds. "Do I have somethin' on my face?"

"Well, don't you look all cutesy! My mom definitely picked that out with the help of your mom. Because that dress is so pretty." He circled her, smiling at her. The towels reached his chin, so he had placed his chin on top of them. "You don't needa help me out though. I got good ol' Danny to help out!"

As if on cue, Daniel from the bonfire appeared. He was wearing a white tank top with red swim trunks. His curls were sticking to his forehead, most likely because of the heat. "Jeremiah, did you get the—oh! Hi, Abby!" He took the towels from her hand as they rounded the corner. "I didn't know you were one of the girls doing the fancy ball thing?"

Fancy ball thing made her laugh. It definitely was a fancy ball thing, now that she was thinking about it. "I'm a big sis for the new girls. I did it last year." She nudged Daniel with her shoulder. "You wouldn't be interested in being some lucky girl's date, would you?"

Jeremiah clicked his tongue, stopping to stand in front of Daniel. "Don't do it, Danny. Just stay being a life guard with me." He looked at Abigail with a suspicious expression on his face, though he had a faint smile tugging on his lips. "Are you flirting with Danny?"

Abigail laughed, covering her mouth to silence the loudness that escaped her lips. "No, sorry. No offense, Danny, I was just askin' incase you were interested in goin' with any of the girls." She adjusted her gloves, making sure her finger splints didn't tear the material. "I'll see you two lovely boy later than."

She turned on the ball of her heel and walked to the ladies room. Abigail took her orange pill bottle from her purse, placing it on the counter. She pulled off her gloves. She cupped one of her hands under the faucet, filling it up. Abigail placed one of her medications onto her tongue, and swallowed it using the water in her palm. It was bitter tasting, and she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

After a couple seconds of trying to get the nasty bitter taste out of her mouth, Abigail slipped her gloves back on. She adjusted her fascinator, and made her way back to the meeting.

THAT WAS THE most anxiety inducing situation of my entire life," Belly groaned once they made it back to the house. Abigail, Aurelia, and Belly were sitting in a circle in Belly's room. "They kept talking and talking and I was just like—huh?"

Aurelia nodded, tugging on a borrowed shirt that belonged to Abigail. "Every time they mentioned the Fisher boys and Steven, I wanted to scream. Just a bit." Her blond hair was now in two neat braids at both sides of her face. "It was nice though. I like being a deb. Plus, we have two amazing big sisters doing it too."

Belly put her hands out, like she just remembered something. "Holy crap. I forgot to tell you guys, remember hoodie boy?" Aurelia nodded, while Abigail seemed a little confused. "His name is Cam. Jeremiah calls him Cam Cameron. It's a little funny. Anyway, he asked me to the drive in tonight."

The room went silent. Then Abigail grabbed both of Belly's shoulders. "What? Isabel Conklin, you can't just casually drop that you have a date tonight at random!? Is he cute??"

Aurelia remained silent before speaking. "We need to get you all pretty then. Well, just change clothes but you're so pretty already, Bels." Belly flushed, looking at her hands. She was picking at the skin beside her nails.

Abigail pulled Belly up, then Aurelia. "We have a mission right now. Call Taylor Jewel because we're gettin' Belly ready for a date."

AFTER EXACTLY TWELVE outfit changes, four Pinterest consultations, and two snack breaks, Belly was ready for her date. A cute crop top with her jean shorts, and Aurelia's earrings, tied with Abigail's hair clips tied it all together. Taylor had given advice for makeup and even aided Aurelia in picking jewelry out. It was a group effort and it turned out beautifully.

"I could fall in love with you," Aurelia said, fixing Belly's hair. Abigail felt that there was some truth behind that statement. "Have fun during your date, Bels. But please, practice safe sex."

"We are not partaking in sexual activities," Belly said, with cheeks red and eyes wide. She cleared her throats. "It's just a date, nothing more!"

Aurelia nodded, hugging Belly tight. "I know, Bels. I'm just teasing." Abigail smiled at the scene in front of her.

"I'm gonna go put these dishes in the sink, I'll be right back!" Belly grabbed the various snack plates from the bed, placing the cups right on top. She used her sneaker to open her bedroom door. The sound of her descending feet filled the air before they could no longer be heard.

Abigail turned to Aurelia, giving her a knowing smile. "So, you 'could fall in love' with Belly, huh?"

Aurelia's expression was one of terror. "No—no. I don't like Belly. That's not me. I'm not gay. I mean, I'm not homophobic but I'm not—I don't—I was just being nice." Her tone was panicked and incredibly defensive.

Abigail instantly wrapped her arms around Aurelia, putting her hand beyond the younger girl's head. "I didn't mean to offend you, my sweet girl. I know you're not homophobic. I was just teasin' you." She pressed a kiss to Aurelia's hair. "Come on, Aur. Let's go bid Belly goodbye on her date."

Aurelia only nodded, but took Abigail's hand into her own. The two walked out of Belly's room, walking down the stairs. Aurelia's hands were smaller in her's and it was comforting.

Belly's voice rang through the first floor. "I'm not going to the book party. I'm going to the drive-in."

Abigail was already dressed to go to the book party, while Aurelia was just wearing a jumble of borrowed clothes. Aurelia was going to get picked up by Jamie for a night out, paid for by her brother, of course.

"With who?" Conrad asked. Steven was about to say something but paused when he spotted Aurelia. The two were friends, despite having dated for two summers (two years). No one ever learned the specifics, but it was a mutual break up according to Belly.

One of the boys' phones beeped and Steven groaned. He looked up at the Fisher brothers with an annoyed glare. "Come on, guys. Focus."

Belly went to hug Abigail one last time, smiling with the radiance of a thousand suns. She was wearing one of Abigail's Ariana Grande perfumes. The faint smell of lavender and apple blossoms filled the air where Belly once stood. She watched Belly entire the boy's car, and they pulled out of the drive way.

"Abby," Steven said, not looking up from the game. "Do you and Aur wanna play?" Aurelia stared at Steven's extended hand with a slight frown. She plucked a remote from Steven's hand, and Abigail grabbed one from the coffee table.

"Girls versus boys?" Jeremiah offered.

Aurelia grinned. "I'm going to wipe the floor with you, Fisher." Aurelia was definitely the most competitive person Abigail had ever met. Maybe it was the fact Aurelia was an academic prodigy, or the fact she was a talented chess player. But there was always competitive fire boiling inside Aurelia. Abigail admired it.

   Aurelia nestled in between Steven and Abigail. She leaned her head on Steven's shoulder. It was intimate, and it bothered Abigail. Was Aurelia flirting with Steven or was this a friendly lean? Like her and Jeremiah?

   And surprise, surprise—the boys lost! Abigail and Aurelia cheered, hugging each other. Steven groaned and Jeremiah grimaced. Conrad, however, was staring off into space, the game controller dangling from his hands.

  The door bell rang and Aurelia stood up. "That's probably Jamie. Have fun at Laurel's party." She hugged Abigail, Jeremiah, and get this, Steven. It was a friendly hug, as Abigail was an expert at this stuff. Sometimes. She gave Conrad a polite smile, which he didn't return. The sound of Jamie and Aurelia talking became muted once the front door closed.

  "Should we start driving?" Jeremiah asked, checking the time. Steven sighed, pressing his hands on his knees as he stood up. That meant yes.

  Abigail placed the game controllers on the coffee table, before standing up. She ignored the pain in her ankles and the nausea in her throat. Jeremiah gave her a concerned look before turning to get the keys.

  "Abby?" Steven whispered, moving closer to the front door. She followed him, a little confused. "Aur doesn't have feelings for me anymore, and I don't have feelings for her. We're just friends. I saw the way your looked at us—"

  So he'd noticed her staring? Well, it happens. "I was just confused. It's not my business and it's a you and Aur conversation, not an Abby and Steven conversation." She grabbed his hands. Abigail felt hm shiver under the touch of her cold hands. "It's not my business. Plus, I see the way that pretty girl from the bonfire looks at you. She was practically begging for you to look at her. She was all over the idea of you, at least according to Belly."

   Steven grinned, his cheeks dusted with red. "Really?"

   "Duh!"

THE SECOND CONRAD saw the wine, he poured himself a full glass. Jeremiah and Steven had left the two of them to help promote Laurel's book. Abigail sipped a glass of chardonnay, staring at everyone talking. Diane Parker was talking amongst a couple of elderly couple, holding a glass of ice water in her hand. Abigail smiled as she took another sip of wine.

   Abigail winced as she adjusted herself, feeling a sharp pain run through her lower back. She knew it wasn't a period cramp, and just one of her many lupus aches. Conrad glanced at her, before pouring himself his fourth glass since they'd gotten here.

  She tilted her head back and chugged the last of thee stuff in her glass. Abigail handed Conrad her   glass. "Pour me another, would you, darlin'?"

  "How about no."

  She took the bottle from his hand, pouring more until it spilled a couple droplets over the rim of the glass. Abigail placed it back onto the counter. She took a long sip, finishing half the glass.

  "Not the boss of me, Conrad," she said, not drunk but not completely sober. Conrad shook his head as he rolled his eyes. Abigail grinned. She nudged him with her shoulder. "How was your paintin'?"

  "It was okay. She was fully prepared to do yours but you escaped to do that stupid deb ball shit." He sounded so angry whenever the deb ball came up. Abigail just wanted to know why. Conrad grabbed the bottle of chardonnay, chugging it's contents.

  "Conrad!" Laurel called. She beckoned Conrad over. He wiped his mouth and handed his glass to Abigail, who was caught off guard by the sudden feeling of their hands brushing against each other.

  "Hi, baby girl," Diane said, brushing some strands of her away from Abigail's face. Abigail felt her skin prickled under the touch. "I'm sorry for not tellin' you about the deb ball coachin' thing. I meant to tell you, but I got wrapped up in the shoppin' for Belly's dress. I shouldn't have sprung it up on you. That's my mistake. I'm sorry, baby."

   Communication was a big part of Diane's parenting style. Abigail never met her mother's parents, but she knew they weren't good people. It's okay, because all Abigail ever really needed was her mother and Clay.

  "It's okay, momma. I enjoyed it. It was nice seein' all the new girls. Last year's was fun, and I hope it's just as fun for Aur and Belly like it was for me."

  Diane pressed a lipstick kiss to her forehead, smiling. "That's my girl. My amazing daughter." She gave Abigail another kiss. "I love you, baby." Then she walked back to the party, leaving Abigail with two red lipstick marks on her face and a warm feeling in her chest. God, how she adored her mother.

  Jeremiah bounced over, a grin on his face. "Wanna go to the drive—in?"

  "I'm not crashin' Belly's date," she said, taking a sip from her glass. Jeremiah grabbed her and Conrad's glasses on the table beside the bar. She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  "Would you rather stay here and watch people talk and talk and talk all night?" Okay, Jeremiah had an amazing point. This was boring. She'd read Laurel's book, and she loved it, but seemed more like an adults only event. It was boring and lonely here.

  "Let's get outta here."

  "We knew you'd say yes."

  The four of them piled back into the car. Abigail bit back a groan every fucking time Steven ran over a pot hole. She closed her eyes, and dug her nails into her palms. Jeremiah stared at her position, moving to open her palms. His hand intertwined with hers, and she leaned on his shoulder.

  "What hurts?" He whispered, his breath blowing strands of hair from Abigail's face.

  "Back. I'll be okay though." Jeremiah pressed his lips together, sucking in his cheeks. He began to move around in his spot, taking off her seatbelt. "Jere, what are you doin'?"

   "Helping you out, dummy. Lay on your side. We won't totally be breaking laws." Her head rested in Jeremiah's lap, his fingers running through her hair. If there was one thing she could count on, it was that no matter what, her and Jeremiah's friendship never turned into something more. That was her ride or die.

  Steven made another turn, and the movie dialogue floated through the open windows of the car. Abigail yawned, closing her eyes a little. Definitely her new meds making her sleepy but oh well!

  "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Belly's voice instantly made Abigail snap up. She bumped her head against Jeremiah's chin. The both of them rubbed their faces, wincing a little.

   Steven laughed a little, looking at Belly's red cheeks. "Uh, just catching the end of our favorite movie. I mean..."

  Belly let out a loud groan of frustration. "You have no right! You have to go!" Her hands clamped around the door handle of the driver's side.

  Jeremiah moved to the front, once again, playing mediator. Abigail wondered if Jeremiah ever got tired of being in the middle of things. "Oh, Belly, relax. We—we were just joking around."

  Belly glared. She looked at Steven, her eyes blazing with fury. "Steven, if you don't leave, I swear to God I will send everyone in this car your Dramione fanfic."

   "No fuckin' way," Abigail laughed, pressing a fist against her lips. "You actually wrote Dramione fan fiction?"

   Steven scoffed. "You wouldn't."

   Belly grinned, knowing she was pushing all the right buttons. She leaned in closer, looking around the area making sure the passersby's could hear. "Oh, he spent an entire chapter talking about Draco's wand."

   Conrad blinked rapidly, his mouth curving into a frown of disgust. "Bro."

   "You know, don't be embarrassed, man. Draco's hot," Jeremiah said, making a dumbass smile of bisexual pining.

  "No, he is not! You know whose hot, his momma! God lord the things I would let that woman do—"

   "We're leaving," Conrad said, quickly looking at the backseat.

  Steven turned to face Conrad. "Wait—what?"

  "Steven," Conrad said again, this time slower. "Start the car."

  The eldest Conklin huffed, putting the key in and starting the car. "You're the one who wanted to come in the first place, Conrad."

  The drive home was quiet. They didn't even turn on the radio. Abigail decided to text Belly an apology.

bels im s sorry abt that
i rhought we'd just go see a movie
not crash ur date
im sorry bels
rlyy
i hooe ur date went well
im kiknda sleepy but if i dont get to see u
ehen u getbime
then im stry belly
ur welcome to hell at me when u get home

   The minute they pulled into the drive way, Abigail went to the front porch and practically collapsed. Jeremiah was there by her side, grabbing her arm. "Jere, I'm fine." She was, in fact, lying. Her body ached again and she was starting to think these new meds were praying kn her down fall.

   Jeremiah led her to her own bedroom, helping her to sit on her bed. He removed her shoes and undid the braids in her hair. "At least lemme help you out, blondie."

  "Ha ha, Frank Ocean moment." Her head hurt. "Jere, will you stay? Just for a little."

  He sat beside her, leaning back. His curls melted into her pillows. "I'm right here, idiot best friend of mine. Now, nap time, for Abigail Parker."

  "Blah, blah, blah," she mumbled, sleepily. She turned on her side, facing away from Jeremiah as the sleep from earlier crept up on her again. The dull aching in her joints overcame her and soon, she found herself sleeping. Drifting away from her body as her dreams welcomed her with open arms.

   In her dreams, she wasn't sick.

  In her dreams, she could fly.

chapter dos!!! (my hands hurt so much from this chap) i wrote this in one day and i lowk burned myself out but i loved writing this. i love abby sm. and i want to clarify: jeremiah is NOT abbys love interest. men and women have such weird friendship dynamics in media so i wanted to do this platonic friendships with hugs and taking care of each other. they are only FRIENDS.

aur& steven relationship context is smtg u will NOT get in this book. maybe...

long chapters r only for this fic bcuz u will never catch me writing a 7000 word chapter for sofia or family line.