𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 (𝐂𝐅)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧- 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐱

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It was the day before the Deb ball, the nerves were creeping up on me, I felt like I had a hundred million things to do. It didn't help belly was also freaking out  as well, we were both messes!

"This movie sucks." I tell Shayla while shoving a handful of popcorn into my mouth. "You love this movie." She rolls her eyes at me. "How can you hate so much about a person and yet still be in love with them!" I throw a piece of popcorn at Shayla's TV.

"She loved him in spite of all the things she hates and she doesn't really hate all that stuff, she loves it, she hates herself for loving it, make sense?" She turns to me as I raise my eyebrows.

"Whatever all romantic movies now suck." I sigh placing more popcorn into my mouth. "Oh also you're mum invited me to a dinner tonight at the house." She adds as I give her a confused look.

"I had no clue." I laugh as she giggles throwing poor one at me. "You're part of the family dummy you're automatically invited."

"Yeah but I don't think I'm gonna go." I place the popcorn down, before I eat the whole packet. "You can't not go, don't you think they'll get suspicious if you don't come to a family dinner and I do?" She was right, if I stay here they know I'm avoiding the house, it wasn't fair on the rest of the house who had no clue.

"I'm only going cause your going." She turns to me booping my nose as I bat her hand away. "It will be fine, come on! Get up, get dressed and have a lovely dinner." She smiles at me standing up. I was so thankful for Shayla through all this, I was going to miss her, and knowing this might be our last year at cousins, I'm glad I spent the week with her.

We get ready in Shayla's room, I wear a short floral white dress, loosely curling my hair and placing on a small amount of makeup. I look at myself in the full length mirror straightening my dress.

"Are you okay?" Shayla asks coming up behind my placing her head on my shoulder. "It's just for one night, it'll be fine." I smile as head out the door, deciding to walk to the house since we both wanted to drink, that's if susanna would let me drink the night before the Deb ball.

We get to the house as I open it and we walk in. "Smelly ellie!" Jeremiah comes thumping down the stairs picking me up and spinning me round. "Put me down idiot!" I giggle slapping his shoulder before he puts me down.

"Shayla, a pleasure as always." He smiles at her. "So where's me boyfriend? He hasn't responded to my text." Shayla shoves her phone up to Jeremiah. "Playing video games." He points upstairs.

"I'm going to drag your brothers eyes away from the screen, I'll be back in a bit." She says before heading upstairs. "So how you doing?" Jeremiah asks as we both walk further into the house. "I'm okay, spent the week binging on junk food with Shayla, can't really get better than that." He let's out a small laugh as we get to the kitchen.

"Oh and here's our other Deb!" I love how Susanna referred to me and Belly as hers and laurels, like they were both our mums. Susanna comes over placing her hands on my jaw spinning my head side to side. "Good no pimples." She claps as I roll my eyes.

"Speaking of, where is my sister?" I look around the room. "Swimming, where else." I leave the kitchen heading outside where I see belly doing laps as usual. I sit on the edge of the pool letting my legs dip into the water.

Just on cue she spots me at the end of the pool and comes swimming over quickly. "I can't believe you've left me to fend for myself with these boys." Is the first thing she says to me while getting out the pool and sitting next to me.

"Sorry." I laugh as I sigh holding my head back letting it catch the last few sun rays of the night. "So update on you and Jeremiah?" I ask raising my eyebrows to her. "Well he's taking me to the Deb hall, and we've kissed a couple of times, all PG." I don't think Belly had ever intended to fall for Jeremiah, they had always been best friends but I think that's why they work so well together, they were perfect.

I wonder if anyone ever thought that about me and Conrad.

This would be the perfect time to come clean about me and Conrad to belly, tell her how my summer had been so different from the rest. I open my mouth , her eyes set on me. I'm in love with Conrad.

I wanted to tell her but I close my mouth giving a weak smile. "Let's go help with dinner come on." I was a coward, I should be able to talk to my sister about this stuff, but why should I tell her. Me and Conrad were over, all the things I wanted to tell her meant nothing anymore.

We go over to the kitchen where Susanna takes out some roasted vegetables from the oven creating a warm smell in the air. "I will never get tired of your cooking." I swoon as she smiles brightly back at me. "How can we help?" Susanna places the food down on the counter before coming over to me. "Yes you and bells can sit and look pretty, tomorrow is going to be a stressful day just rest for now." She holds both of her hands.

"We'll I'm gonna dry off upstairs." Belly leaves first waving us both goodbye. "You two Ellie you heard me." She points a spoon at me, i roll my eyes walking out the kitchen and head up the stairs and that's when I see him. He looked like he had been crying, or sleeping, his eyes were bloodshot.

I wanted to cry. I look away before he sees me and head to my room my heart beating like crazy. I sit on the floor leaning myself up against the bed taking deep breaths. I just had to get through the last couple of days here and then it would be over.

-

Age 14, last day of cousins

I looked at the present, I was proud of myself, it was probably the most thoughtful present I had gotten someone. It was a wooden box, it was engraved with the words 'Cousins forever.'

It was a wind up box and when used it played the instrumental to our favourite song we would sing together. Iris by the googoo dolls. And when the wooden box opened it was a small photo of me and him.

I had also gotten him a card, and what I wrote was about my feelings for him. Feelings I was confused about and wondered if it was just because he now hated me I had seen what I had missed. Still, I knew I had to tell him.

I grab the card and present and leave my room heading downstairs, maybe now he wouldn't hate me, if he knew how I really felt about him. I walk into the living room where I hear him watching TV. Everyone was out, it was the perfect timing. I open the door to see him, but not alone. He was with Aubrey.

"Shouldn't you be leaving soon?" He asks without even looking at me. "Hi Ellie." Aubrey smiles. Usually we had guests at the beach house and friends stay over from time to time but something about Aubrey here, it felt like the house had been broken in to, like she was an intruder.

I quickly place the present and card behind my back. "Hi Aubrey and uh yes I'm packing now." With that I knew whatever feelings I had meant nothing because he hated me. Conrad hated me.

-

I turn around moving my bed back a little pulling out the boxes of junk and memories. I grab a blue box filled high with photos of summers at cousins, I take a stack revealing the perfectly wrapped wooden box and card labelled 'connie.' With a love heart next to it.

I grab the present heading downstairs to the kitchen and straight over to the bin where I chuck the present and card. "Did you just chuck one of your birthday presents?" Steven asks. "No it's nothing." I sigh. "It was nothing."

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