Another Summer | C.F

Chapter two

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ADDISON ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Once I finished unpacking everything, Belly went to the beach with Jere. I started scrolling through my phone when I heard someone knocking at the door. I was expecting it to be Belly, so I just yelled, "The door is unlocked, just come in." I was surprised to see that the person coming in was Conrad. "Hey, what's up?" I asked him as I sat up.

"Hey, do you want to go to the beach? Just to talk," he asked me, looking nervous.

"Yeah, sure." Once we got to the beach, he seemed a lot less nervous. "So, how has this year been? Has something changed?"

"Stop pretending. You already noticed that I am acting differently from past years."

"Con, trust me, I know what it means to have a bad year. You didn't see me a lot last summer, but I was devastated. I hated myself and my family. Even though the divorce happened two years ago, it's like all the memories started repeating all over my head again and again. I just wanted to be like we used to be, a happy family, if you could say so. I stopped eating most of my meals, never left my room more than two times a week, stopped going to school, and I almost lost my opportunity to go to college. I don't know what you are going through, but I think I could understand if you want to tell me."

He stopped walking once I finished talking and took my hand to turn me to face him. "I had no idea you went through all that. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I wanted to keep it a secret. Last summer, I was better. My mom got me the help I needed, and now I am the same as always. And you have something to tell me?"

"I quit football a few weeks ago."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. I lost interest, I guess. Since last year, I started feeling that football was more my father's dream than mine. I stopped liking it since then, and now was the perfect time to quit."

"What do you mean, the perfect time? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter." He cut eye contact and sat down, looking at the sea. I sat next to him and saw he took something from behind his ear, a joint.

"So now you smoke? You used to say you wouldn't kill your body by doing that."

"I used to say a lot of shit. I used to be a football player, but now I am not. So who fucking cares?"

"Can I try some?"

"No."

"But why the fuck can you do it, and I can't? And for the record, this wouldn't be my first time doing it."

"No, you aren't as fucked up as I am."

"Con, I'm sorry."

"For what?" He didn't let me finish. He took the joint and buried it in the sand.

"That's better. See, you don't need that shit on your body to feel better." I thought he would be mad at me for doing that, but he wasn't mad at all. He was even smiling a bit. "Oh fuck."

"What? What happened?"

"Smoking just kills your last working neuron in your head. Now you have a dumb face."

"This face? It isn't because of smoking. It's because I am here with you. Whenever we are together I feel free"

"No, don't say that. That was way too cheesy for me. But I feel the same way, being honest. And now I'm being cheesy. What have you done to me?"

"Come on, let's go to the house. It's almost dinnertime," he takes my hand and starts walking towards the house. He never lets go of my hand. Once we enter the house, I see Steven and Jere playing some game on the TV.

"Hey bro, tonight there's a bonfire at the beach, and you should come with us," Jere tells Conrad.

"Thank you for the invitation, Jere. That's very generous of you," I add sarcastically.

"You can come too if you want, but I thought you would prefer to stay here with Belly," Steven chimes in.

"Why don't we all go? Belly wants to have an amazing summer, and you guys are still treating her like a baby."

"I still think it's better for her to stay here," I glare at Steven once he finishes talking. "Hey, don't look at me like that. She's only 15," he defends himself.

"She will be turning 16 next week, and she is so much more mature than you are," I retort. As I finish talking, I notice that Jere is looking directly at something. I had completely forgotten that I was still holding hands with Conrad, and Jere had seen us. As if his hand burned me, I let go as fast as I could and Conrad looks at my face embarrassed. I give him a small smile before turning and walking up to the room.

Once I enter the room that I share with Belly, I see her in her bed talking to Taylor. "Hi, Taylor!" I yell.

"Hi, Addi. Please make her leave the house to spend the summer in the best way possible," Taylor requests.

"That's the plan. Belly, dress up in something nice. We're going to a bonfire."

"The same one the guys are going to?" Belly asks.

"Yes, you knew?"

"I was there when Steven and Jere found out about it."

"We're going right after they leave after dinner. Belly, I promise you this will be your best summer, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks Addi, I wish I had a big sister like you" I could hear Tay's voice on the other side of the line 

"Now you are making me feel old Tay" I say standing behind Belly and seeing at the screen "Now Belly let's go, dinner is almost ready."