❝ Is this your disgusting attempt at saying hello to
me ❞
❝ I see you still have the same attitude from when I last saw you ❞
IN WHICH, leila vader spends the summer trying to win first place of the National East Coast Surfing Championships all whi...
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Back at the summer house, greetings were being passed around. While the Vaders and Fishers lived only thirty minutes away from each other, the Conklins were hours away so Laurel, Belly, and Steven were barely seen. This sucked for Leila at times when she just wanted to walk across the hall to Belly's bedroom and tell her the smallest, stupidest thing that only she would laugh at and understand. Instead, Leila had to text her and wait for a response.
Leila could feel when Conrad was a few feet behind and she knew when he slowed his pace so that he wasn't caught up to her. She wanted to laugh but she didn't, she was focused on faking a smile and turning her anger into excitement. She was at Cousins for three whole months, she was on summer vacation and could do whatever she wanted without having a curfew, and the beach was practically in the backyard. Everything was fine, for now.
She saw Belly first but Steven was the first to notice her walking through the driveway. Belly was happily engaged in a conversation with Jeremiah who was surprised to see how much she had grown during the school year. Steven had left his conversation with Oliver, who wanted to greet Laurel with Susannah and Ruby, to meet with Leila.
"And if it isn't the surf legend herself" Steven holds his arms up for a supporting hug which Leila accepts. Steven was inches shorter than Conrad and Jeremiah who were at least six feet but he was a couple of inches taller than Leila who was five foot six and stopped right by his chin.
"Woah, I definitely would not call myself a legend" Leila joked letting go of him, pretending not to notice Conrad walking past her and over to Belly who had been waiting for him the entire trip there.
"Yeah well, I definitely would" Steven demanded, "I saw the highlight reel you posted the other day, that shit was sick. You have got to teach me how to surf this summer."
Leila shook her head and giggled. You could always go to Steven Conklin for a good time and a good conversation. She looked around and noticed the moms had already gone inside so not only did she miss her chance to say hi to Laurel but also to Susannah who she felt bad about not greeting as soon as she got there. However, she knew Susannah would understand because she knew that Leila preferred her space when upset and when she was ready to talk, she would.
Jeremiah, Oliver, Conrad, and Belly walked over to insert themselves in their conversation and just being in their presence, Leila couldn't stop herself from admitting how much she missed this. Recently, she had been closed off because of her parent's divorce after being together for twenty years. But Leila kept a secret that she wasn't upset over their divorce, she just felt guilty that she was happy about not having to see her father as often.
Her father was not the same person he was when she and Oliver were growing up. He was not the same person who cried every first day of preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school. He was not the same person who set mandatory family days every Sunday. As their high school years started, so did his coldness and absence. He didn't go school shopping anymore, he just supplied the money. Sundays were spent at his boss' house for meetings that were "mandatory." He never gave advice, conversations longer than a few minutes, family dinners, acknowledgment of his kid's accomplishments, or any emotion other than distaste.
