𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗕𝗘 // 𝗖.𝗙

𝓜𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓤𝓹

"MAY I present." Belly announces, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she approached her friends and siblings, a tray of glasses in her hands. "The Belly Special."

"Give me, give me." Sylvia chirps, sitting up in her beach chair and eagerly reaching out to Belly, who happily handed her a drink.

The two sisters weren't exactly on speaking terms, the remnants of a recent argument still lingering in the air between them. But they were slowly finding their way back to each other, their bond stronger than any petty disagreement.

They had a knack for ignoring problems until they simply faded away, a familiar pattern in their relationship.

"We saved you the inflatable unicorn." Gigi, a friend of Nicole's who happened to be there, chimes in, pointing to the massive unicorn bobbing gently in the shallows.

"Well, thank you." Belly says gratefully, making her way towards the inflatable, a sense of belonging washing over her.

"You want some?" Sylvia offers, holding her drink out to Conrad, her eyes sparkling with a mix of affection and challenge.

"Of course." Conrad replies, taking the cup and tilting it back, chugging down half of the sweet, fruity concoction.

Sylvia playfully slaps his chest, a familiar gesture of annoyance and fondness.

"Hey!" Sylvia frowns, feigning indignation.

Conrad grins, unrepentant. "That's karma for my smoothie."

"That's it." Sylvia declares, snatching her cup back. "You made it clear that we can never share again."

"Aww, Via. Don't be like that." Conrad pouts, his eyes softening. "I love sharing with you, I just had to get you back somehow."

"No, I don't care." Sylvia says, crossing her arms over her chest, a stubborn set to her jaw. "I never want to share with you again."

"Fine." Conrad huffs, grabbing the blender and pouring himself a drink. "I never want to share with you again either."

Sylvia opens her mouth to retort, but she was cut off by Nicole, who had been watching the exchange with thinly veiled interest. "Hey, Conrad. You think you can pass me one of those?"

The girl bats her eyelashes and twirled the end of her hair, a clear invitation in her eyes.

Conrad instinctively reaches for the blender, but a sharp glare from Sylvia stops him in his tracks.

"Mm, good boy." She purrs, a hint of possessiveness in her voice.

Conrad felt his cheeks flush at her words, a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure swirling within him. Sylvia chuckles, a triumphant glint in her eyes, and passes Nicole the blender and a small cup.

Nicole grumpily accepts them, her flirtatious facade faltering in the face of Sylvia's silent dominance.

"Hey guys!" Jeremiah's voice cut through the murmur of the party, instantly drawing everyone's attention. He strode confidently toward the group, Beau and Cam flanking him like loyal wingmen. "Check out who we found."

"Cam!" Belly's shriek of delight was the loudest, the others echoing her enthusiasm as they surge forward to greet the newcomer.

Conrad wordlessly offers Cam a drink. Cam politely declines with a shake of his head. "Oh, I'm good, man. Thank you, I don't drink."

Sylvia rolls her eyes, playfully shoving Conrad's head. "Yeah, Con, keep up. He literally told us that when you guys were playing beer pong."

"Shut up." Conrad mumbles, his hand tightening around his cup as he took another long swallow. "That's a plus for me, I get to drink more."