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05. | PASSENGER PRINCESS
"Happy birthday!" Tae and Esenae rush into the Conklin girl's room, jumping on top of her sleeping body.
"Guys." The girl groans, trying to push them off.
"Happy 16, Bells." Esenae kisses her cheek. "Come on. Get ready! I want pancakes."
"Oh, my God." Tae groans. "Pancakes sound so good right now."
"I know right." The two leave the birthday girl as they walk downstairs, still talking about pancakes. "Jere!" Esenae exclaims, going to grab a pancake with Tae.
"Nope." He takes the plate of pancakes away from the two. "You guys do this every summer. Belly gets the first round of pancakes."
"I wish I had a summer birthday." The girl rolls her eyes.
"Well, you don't. Boo-hoo." Jeremiah sticks his tongue out at the girl.
"You're childish." She scoffs, grabbing a piece of bacon, but Jeremiah slaps it out of her hand. "You said the first round of pancakes were for her!"
"Well, you called me childish so you have to wait for the bacon too." He says, causing the girl to roll her eyes and walk away.
"Morning, everyone." Belly entered the kitchen.
"Hey!" Everyone spoke up. "Happy birthday."
"There's the birthday girl looking like a vision in floral." Susannah went to hug the teen. "Happy birthday."
"Happy sweet 16, Bells." Jeremiah hugs the girl.
"Now Belly Button's getting old finally." Steven jokes. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, everyone." The girl smiles.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Laurel hugs her daughter.
"Thanks, Mom." She hugs her back. "Your Mickey Mouse pancakes are ready."
"Yes! Finally!" Tae and Esenae exclaim, jumping up to go get pancakes.
"Actually, I'm not really, uh, hungry." Belly admits, while her two best friends were currently stuffing their faces, causing her to laugh.
"Shall we open gifts?" Susannah suggests.
"Oh, you're gonna love mine." Jeremiah speaks up.
"Our gift is better." Tae speaks for him and Ess.
"I don't know about that." Jeremiah laughs, swinging his arm around the boy, causing him to blush.
Everyone piles in the living room, watching as Belly opens her first gift. Esenae furrows her eyebrows as she reveals a book, knowing that no 16 year old would want that gift for their sweet 16.
"It's a first edition." Laurel tells her daughter. "I got it from a rare book dealer."
"Not my kind of dealer." Esenae mutters to her two friends, causing them to laugh.
