The Red Coral Bracelet

Chapter 14

Navy

"NAVY!" Beth screamed my name and I shot up.

"If it's before 10, I'm going to kill you." I mumbled and I heard her say something. Was someone else in the room?

"Luke and I want McDonalds." She giggled and I glared.

"You can get it yourselves. Don't need little ole me." I laid back down and pulled the covers over my head only to have them ripped off again. "Beth, you're pushing it."

"I push it all the time. Let's go." They dragged out of bed and put me my truck.

"You got me out of bed so I could drive. Is someone scared that I would shave her head?"

"No!" She replied quickly and Luke burst out laughing.

I turned on the radio and we drove singing loudly to whatever song came on. I stayed in Gronk because I was only in my pajamas and they promised to get me a Sausage McMuffin. I heard them way before I saw them and I took my food from Beth before she could put her mouth near it.

"What are we doing today?" I asked the pair. I figured they had something planned. They were the schemers of the family.

"Gonna drop water balloons on unsuspecting people at the ranch." Luke shrugged like it was nothing.

"Oh yay! I get a normal day with my brother and bestie!"

They let me change into my bikini with shorts and a shirt over it. We headed out to the ranch and snuck around like ninjas -Beth's term- trying to fill up all of our balloons without anyone seeing. I was in charge of choosing and photographing the victim! That sounds so evil!

The three of us were sitting on top of the shed when I spotted the first target. I took two pictures of before the balloons were dropped. I motioned for them to release. We all had our hands over each other mouths trying not to laugh. I snapped the pictures then scooted to the middle with them.

"That was beautiful." I whispered. "Need a different hiding place."

They nodded and we crept off somewhere else. We did this for hours. We stopped because we ran out of balloons and were starving. We hid the camera and the empty bag under the seats in my truck. Mama had made us lunch and the entire ranch ate in the living room.

"Navy?" Mama asked.

"Yes?"

"I want to talk to you about my cancer." We were sitting in the livng room by ourselves, just looking around.

"Mama, can we not?"

"If anything happens to me and Dad, we are leaving the ranch to you. Also, I want you to put your photographs in a gallery. You have a, pardon my language, shit ton of talent and only a few indiviuals get to see it."

"I'll work on it. Right now, I'm going to help out around the ranch. I promised Tanner that he would be a Stone when he gets back, so I want to do a big family thing for him."

"Does he have any family?"

"No and that's why I want to do it. To show him that he has one now."

"We can whip something up."

After that conversation, all of my nieces and nephews dragged me out and told me what they wanted to do. Not all of them knew how to ride a horse and they wanted to learn so that's how I spent the rest of the day. I taught them how to ride, saddle, and clean the horses. It was fun and I promised them that I would continue to teach them after school.

*One month later*

The Military Ball was tomorrow and Beth was spending the night at my apartment while Luke was with Drew. I was excited about it, more than I thought I would. My entire family that weren't retired was going to be there, along with most of the men and women from the nearby base.

"Halo, what do you think being married will be like?" Beth finally voiced what had been bothering her for the past week.

"I think it'll be the same, but now you two will together forever. Nothing has ever torn you and Drew apart."

"He seems different."

"Different how?"

"He is hiding something from me."

"Maybe he wants to surprise you with an amazing dinner to show how much he loves you." I threw that out. It was pretty close to the truth and it would put her mind at ease. The stress of planning the wedding was getting to her, but I was going to help her.

"You think so?"

"Yeah I do."

"Now onto you and Tanner. What's happening?"

"We talk almost everyday. I tell him everything about what has occured over the day and he does the same."

"Are you going to tell him you love him?"

"Not over the phone. I want to do it at the party we throw for him."

"That would be really cute!" She squealed and picked up another piece of popcorn. "Now we are done with boy talk, scary or comedy?"

"Comedy!" I laughed as Beth went to pick out a funny movie for us to watch. Being a little child at heart, she chose Hotel Translyvannia. "Bleh bleh bleh!" I quoted.

"I've never said bleh bleh bleh in my life!"

Laughing hard during the entire movie, we fell asleep on the couch. I made sure during the movie, I had texted Tanner Lee good night and I figured he was off on a mission or something because he didn't reply.

Gosh, I missed all the guys of Two- Five. I need to see them soon. I still got care packages from them.

I woke up from the sunlight streaming through the window. Note to self: close curtains beforing sleeping in the living room. Groaning, I sat up and headed to the kitchen. Beth had made coffee and left a note saying she went to go get more hairspray and nailpolish. That girl.

After finishing my cup of coffee, I set the mug in the sink, then took a long bubble bath. We had all day to get me ready for the ball, but Beth was a perfectionist when it came to fancy events, so it always took all day.

I had just wrapped my fluffy white towel around my body when I heard Beth announce her presence. I looked at the two colors of polish she got and choose the blue. The other was a hot pink and I refused to wear it. I'm not pink's biggest fan and it wouldn't look good with my dress.

Let the games begin, I thought as she sat me down to do my nails.

*****

I am sooooo sorry! I haven't updated in forever! I've had terrible writers block for this story and I just got over it! YAY! Beth is shaped after my bestie, Elisbeth and she is my basically my other half!

Please keep reading and I will update more since I got all my ideas sorted out! Woo Hoo!

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