The summer of the exchange - Stucky au

Party bathrooms

A few days later, Amelia found herself waiting by the front door for what felt like ages.

"Come onnn! We're going to be late!" She shouted from the front door as the boys shoved stuff in bags and ran down. "What took you so long? Were you doing your hair?"

"He was", James giggled and pointed over to the blonde.

"You took longer", he teased back.

"Would you both shut it", she sighed. "Now come on, Nat is already there".

James jogged the few steps until he was walking next to her with his towel over his shoulder.

"Where we go now?"

"Did Steve not tell you? Uh Steve you're annoying. We're going to our friend's house who has a huge pool in the back yard. There won't be as many people as the last party though, maybe ten or so?"

He understood most of what she was saying. The important bits anyway. Party, pool, and Steve's annoying.

They approached a very large house and could already hear the music coming from the back as they opened the side gate and went through.

A group of people were already splashing about in the pool with big inflatables, or sitting around on loungers in the sun. Amelia waved at everyone and dragged James away to meet some of her friends despite them all being in Steve's yeargroup.

And as usual, Steve went over to Nat and sat with her at the edge of the pool with their feet dipping into the cold water.

"Didn't think you'd come", she told him.

"I wasn't going to but I had a feeling I'd be roped into more gardening with mom if I stayed home".

She laughed but knew he didn't really hate gardening. He didn't like the bugs or the sun, that she believed, but he would always seem much more relaxed after he'd been out there cutting the grass or tending to the flowers.

"Apparently Amy was meant to come today", she commented as if he already knew who that was.

"Huh?"

"This is Tracy's party", she told him but still nothing clicked. "How is it possible you've made it this far in high school WITH friends".

The answer to that shrieked over the other side of the pool and jumped in with a huge splash. Amelia resurfaced a second later and splashed at James who had obviously pushed her in. The other girls had her back and shoved him in after, laughing.

"Oh yea", Nat said before turning back around and sipping on her drink.

The day somehow got hotter the longer it went on and Steve resorted to lying back on the concrete and into the grass, topless, as his legs stayed in the pool.

He would have actually got in the pool but he wasn't a fan after spending so much of his childhood allergic to chlorine. He could swim fine, he just didn't like it.

"Don't tell me you haven't moved from this spot", Nat came back over after speaking to some of the others.

"Why would I move? It's nice here".

"Maybe to be social?" She suggested. "Or at least to get a drink".

"There's people over there", he scrunched his nose.

"You're going to dehydrate yourself just so you can avoid a conversation".

"Yep".

"You're ridiculous", she sighed with a smile before looking at his shoulders. "You also have sunburn, right here".