emmy conklin had been going to the summer house in cousins ever since she was born, and every summer she'd go there and fall even deeper in love with a boy, a very special boy, a boy she'd grown up beside her whole life and admired, conrad beck fish...
"my family's been going to susannah's beach house in cousins every summer since i was a baby. since before i was even born. all year long, i count the days until i'm in that house. the dads come to visit, but it's not their place. they don't belong to it. not the way we do. the mothers and us kids. the summer house is made up of lots of things. the beach. the swimming pool late at night. movie nights with the moms. but the boys... the boys most of all. it's the same every summer. i've always loved that about it. for me, everything good, everything magical happens between the months of june and august,"
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the car ride to cousins always was amazing, belly always knew the best way to describe it, 'like coming home after a long long time,'.
the conklin siblings loved the summer, meeting up with the one family they had grown up with and known their whole lives, the fishers.
belly was singing loudly in the front seat beside steven while emmy sat in the back with her mom, rubbing her eyes from belly waking her by blasting the music up louder. her mom smiled at belly dancing around in the front seat while in reality emily knew steven, her twin brother, was probably losing it as well as regretting to not let emmy sit beside him instead of belly. but all she'd probably do was sleep from being so exhausted on they way over.
"uh, can you guys turn it down a little, please?" laurel asked nicely, "yes, please," steven said agreeing with their mom. "thank you," she speaks once belly turns it down again.
"i want you to be better about helping out this summer. like, don't just leave your dishes in the sink. load them into the dishwasher. and not just your own dish, either, steven," "what? but i..-" "i want you to be good houseguests," "mom, susannah has people who clean, doesn't she?" steven says to their mother who then whacks his head, "steven," she says in a serious tone.
"ow!" he says loudly, gaining a small smile from belly and emmy both. "all right. all right. sorry,"
"my mom is weird about money. the fact that susannah has a lot and we don't,"
"just be considerate and act like i raised you right. steven and emma, that means don't stay out too late," "mom, i'm too old for curfew!" steven says annoyed, emmy didn't care too much, the only people she really knew in cousins was the boys anyways so why would she be staying out late. she preferred to be with susannah and laurel anyways.
"wait, what about me? i don't have a curfew either, right?" belly asks, which confused steven as belly never left the house normally, she'd get dragged into spending time with the moms because the boys would never allow her to join them, but emmy knew she was upset about it. she wanted to join in with them like she did.
