OCEAN EYES ━ steven conklin ✓

𝟬𝟯 taylors' here

It was the same every year, Belly's birthday fell on the fourth of July weekend, this year Taylor would be coming and Solange despised the girl, not because of the time she came for Isabella's fourteenth birthday and made the whole day about herself, it wasn't even the time she compared her 'tragic' origin story to Annie (the recent version) and said she could write a story about it, or how she kept calling Jeremiah 'Jeremy' because she thought it was cute but the way she always made Belly feel like a side character in her own life, it was obvious, anyone who had eyes could see it.

Solange hated the fourth weekend, sure Mr fisher would be at the house throughout the year, playing family with his kids but it felt like she was the only one without a father during the fourth of July-she watched how Mr. Conklin bonded with his two kids and then how even someone as cold as Adam fisher loved and cared for his sons, Solange already felt disregarded and alone naturally even though Susannah treated her like her very own child. The girl ate from the Gummy bears' package, sniffling as she flipped through the pages in the living room.

It was her mother's photo book, of course, it stopped at around page twenty because she died four years after giving birth. Solange scanned over the pictures of her second birthday, Laurel being there, she hated feeling sorry for herself but it was better to do it now when no one was awake before the dads got here in a day or two "you okay?" Steven's voice pulled her out of the train wreck in her head "oh yeah, I'm fine" she lied, her voice cracking.

"you reading?" he asked, no longer following his path to the kitchen and coming to sit next to her, he reached for the gummy bears but Solange slapped his hand away "no it's pictures of when I was younger and don't eat those, they're edibles" she demanded.

Steven's eyebrows furrowed, scooting closer and looking at the pictures with her "you're a very, shocking, person" he laughed, looking at the picture of her on the toilet, it looked as if she fell in "is that a compliment?"

"Kinda, I like shocking people."

"So, why have you decided to go through pictures at almost three am?" Steven questioned the girl once she went silent, continuing to look through pictures "so I won't forget what my parents look like" Solange honestly responded.

Steven narrowed his eyes, "my mom was right, you do look just like your mother" he said, watching her tear up, the boys' eyes narrowed, just watching a single tear fall from her face "she was really pretty" Solange bellowed, the black-haired boy still didn't know what to do, so he awkwardly hugged her, it was like he was fifty feet away until she scooted closer.

"I-"

"And you made it weird" she moved away.

"What? how!" Steven paused, following her body as she stood up, he followed behind her, now rising to his feet "wait let me try again."

"No? you're making it even weirder you don't plan a hug and you don't speak during one, it's like a rule" Solange responded, tucking her black braids behind her ears, "noted, next time I won't talk and I won't ask for permission" he nodded.

"Who says it'll be a next time?"

"It'll be a next time" he reassured.

⁂

Solange laid sprawled out in the backseat, "look, tried to take somebody bitch cause' I'm a bad person" she sung her heart out, Jeremiah looked at her in the rear view mirror, smiling at her pouring her soul into the song, screaming, the three teens drove to pick up Belly's' friend Taylor for her birthday weekend, "if I were you, I'd stay in school" Jeremiah mumbled under his voice, the darker girl took off her shoe, throwing it towards the front of the car.