Seaglass Promises in the Midnight Sky

Rainy Summer Days

Lorraine was bored out of her mind. It had been raining for the past couple of days and the others didn't seem capable to do much. It was like they didn't understand the concept of a beach house in the rain. She was sure there were plenty of board games they could play but everyone was locked up in their rooms.

She didn't know the Fishers well enough to feel comfortable seeking out their company and the Conklins were all in a weird mood. It was like they all knew something she didn't.

She was just beginning to regret coming to Cousins in the first place when Belly, Jeremiah, and Steven came down the stairs.

They nearly made it to the door before Belly turned around and said, "Hey you don't want to come with us right? We're going to the movies but it's going to be a rom-com and I know you don't like those so..."

"Uh, Nah, I'm good." Lorraine managed, choking down any feelings that attempted to surface. It was probably her own imagination suggesting that the look on Belly's face was urging her not to go with them. Even so, she suddenly didn't think she'd make good company.

"'Kay, bye."

Belly and the boys headed out, Steven glancing back at Lorraine one more time before leaving. She didn't know if she could believe that anyone other than Belly wanted to see a rom-com. Maybe they were so bored they'd watch paint dry if it would distract them from the weather.

She looked over at the dark tv, the only noise in the room being the constant patter of rain against the windows. Lorraine sighed and headed up the stairs.

When she got to the top, she paused, thinking of the one person who wasn't at the movies or doing whatever it was the parents did. She had wanted to make sure the Fisher boys were decent, as Belly's friend, but she had. Conrad was great, even if he did some things Belly would never approve of and seemed different from what she had described. She didn't know much about Jeremiah yet, but he seemed genuine and it wasn't like Conrad was going to snitch on his brother.

What had sent her down his side of the hall was the knowledge that she was sharing a room with Belly, who she wasn't quite ready to see for the rest of the day.

Having no real reason to and nothing to say, she didn't knock on Conrad's door, she just sat down beside it. It felt less lonely in the narrow hall, just a wall away from someone else.

Guilt set in as she stared at the eggshell white wall across from her. She had promised herself to be more friendly last summer. She had thought she was doing well, but she was sure that staying at the house on the account of not liking rom-coms wasn't very outgoing. She knew Steven didn't like them and he was still going, she could have stayed with him if things got too annoying.

The door opening interrupted her thoughts, freezing them where they were running wild.

"Lorraine?"

She looked up, meeting Conrad's confused gaze, "Hi?"

"What are you doing outside my room?" He asked. She shrugged, knowing her reasoning, as sound as it may seem in her own head, would only be weird to him.

"You didn't go out with the others." He said, moving over her legs to sit on her right side. She pulled her feet up to her chest once he successfully moved over.

"Nope. Not a big fan of rom-coms." She explained wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Neither is Jere. Or Steven."

"You?" Lorraine asked, sure that Belly had mentioned something about him liking the Titanic.

"Depends." He said neutrally. Silence permeated, filling the narrow space, it was pressing but not suffocating. Lorraine wondered just how much Belly really knew about this boy.

"What's your favorite movie then?" She asked, curious to hear what he would tell a girl he just met.

"Real or bullshit?" He asked, looking over at her in a way that weighed heavy on her heart. She wasn't sure she knew what to do with it.

"Give me both."

"Okay, uh, bullshit answer is Avengers Endgame." He gave the sentence time to fall and settle in the space between them and the far wall. Lorraine watched him, thinking about how different the lighting was now.

"The truth? Grease."

"Wanna watch it?" Lorraine offered, watching his face closely as it moved through a couple of different emotions before becoming closed off again, unreadable. He was a book in a different language, but Lorraine thought she was beginning to learn it.

"C'mon, it will be fun." She got to her feet and headed for the stairs, hearing him start down after her.