Strangers ~ Conrad Fisher

thirteen

It was the Fourth of July. Every year we have a party, we invite some of our friends, the dads come visit, and the boys buy tons of fireworks.

We were eating cereal in the kitchen when my mom walked in all dressed up.

"Wait are you wearing makeup?" Susannah asked my mom.

"Yeah she's wearing makeup!" I said.

"She definitely is." Steven added.

"Wooahhhh" Jere chanted.

"What we're having a party?" She responded.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming to the clam bake..." Susannah continued.

"The husbands always come for the fourth." She responded.

"He's not your husband anymore." Belly said.

We all looked at her. I elbowed her in the side.

"Whoops, ex husband."

"I still don't understand why you invited dad's girlfriend?" Steven spat.

"Her name is Amelia and your father wanted us all to meet her, oh and Vic I need you to make up the guest bed."

"Wait dad and Amelia are staying here?" I asked. She gave me a look. "In the room next to mine?"

"Yeah."

I groaned. Unbelievable.

"Oh speaking of dads, yours called. He's closing a deal so, he can't come." Susannah added.

"What?" Jeremiah asked confused.

Conrad walked in, "did you say dads not coming?"

"Mhm."

"But I got some serious fireworks for the show this year." Jere said,

"We'll take a video." Susannah suggested.
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I was upstairs trying to make the guest bed, but for some reason it was deeming to be difficult.

"You're doing a horrible job." Someone said. I turned around to face Conrad. "If you want clean corners you need to fold it at a 45° angle."

"Well come help then."

He smiled and walked over. He started folding it. "See come here." I watched him as he made the sheets look perfect.

"I'm sorry your dads not coming." I apologized.

"Don't be, I'm not."

A few moments passed and we finished making up the bed.

"I can't believe they're staying in the room next to mine." I said annoyed.

"I'm sure they won't have loud sex." He suggested.

I gave him a disgusted look. "Don't say that, that's disgusting." I scoffed, "I don't understand why he's bringing his bitchy girlfriend anyway."

"Hey... what if she's really nice."

"Okay just hear me out, what if she's a total bitch."

We laughed as he threw a pillow at me, hitting me in the face. Then we heard a car pull up, followed by a honk.

He smiled at me, "the bitch is here."

We got downstairs and my mom and Susannah were introducing themselves to Amelia.

"There is no way she's dads age." I said to Steven. "Check her ID."

"She is, it's fine."

"Oh and John let me stop at a fruit stand on the way here," she handed Susannah some pomegranates, "I thought I could make pomegranate margaritas."

"What a kind gesture." Susannah followed.

Everyone went out in the back as Amelia showed us how to make them. We offered to make the rest so she could go outside with the other adults.

"Whatcha making?" Conrad asked as he walked in.

"Pomegranate margaritas." Belly said.

"Let's use the good blender," he said reaching down to grab it.

"If dad saw us using that we'd be dead!" Jere laughed. "We haven't used that in so long."

"Well it's a good thing he's not coming." Conrad smirked.

We all laughed as we made some more margaritas and tried them all.

"You know what I miss?" Conrad spit, "laurel putting dad in his place, she'd be like 'adam!" He said impersonating my mom.

"Adam! You came."

We turned back to see Mr. Fisher walking in." I looked at Conrad to see his facial expression dim, his good mood was gone.

He said hello to everyone as we got up to leave. "Hey Connie can I talk to you?" He asked.

Conrad pushed past him, not saying anything.
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I was walking down to the beach where all the kids were. When I got down there I saw Gigi, jere, Steven, shayla, my sister, cam, Conrad, and Nicole.

"I brought margaritas!" I cheered.

Everyone poured theirselves a cup and started drinking.

"It's not a race Conrad, save some for the rest of us." Nicole spat as he chugged down his second drink.

"Why isn't it? Isn't like that the whole premise of like all drinking games?" Belly asked.

"You want to play a drinking game?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Okay then." I said.

We all started to play a game, everyone was drinking. Soon we were all drunk, laughing at everything.

As the night went on, it seemed to wear off for everyone but I kept drinking.