Our Beloved Summer | A TSITP Story

Chapter 22

Today was the deb ball, only a short time after that night on the dock with Conrad. Everyone else was in good spirits besides us. Once I noticed it, it stuck out to me like a sore thumb. What also stuck out to me was my hypocrisy. I was so angry at him for avoiding me for so many years but now I was avoiding him. No matter the circumstances, I was still doing it. I hated that I was doing it but I couldn't stop myself from walking out of the room once he entered one.

As I came down the stairs I could hear my mother say 'I thought maybe you could drive yourself'. I was all the way down the stairs as I saw Belly grab onto the keys mom was dangling in the air.

"Woah, you're letting Belly drive? Must be a special day." I nudged Belly's side as I came up next to her. She smiled widely at me and said, "Shut up" in a joking manner.

"Have fun getting ready, fart face." I said, making more of a suggestion than a parting comment.

Belly was almost fully turned around to leave as I said it, but she turned back to face me. "Could you actually come a little earlier than everyone? To help me?"

"Sure." I didn't expect her to want me to do that but I was more than willing to do so.

I hadn't even paid attention to anyone else in the kitchen besides my mother and Belly. Standing at the kitchen island and watching Belly walk away, I heard a box being moved across the counter. I looked down to see a single muffin and a hand covering the box it was in. I looked up the arm that the hand was attached to. I didn't have to see his face to know it was Conrad, but he was too close for me to avoid.

"They only had one more Cinnamon muffin so I made sure no one else ate it." He said.

I didn't want to respond but again, he was too close to slip away from. "Thanks. I'll eat it later."

He looked defeated as he took his hand from the box and went to lean against the kitchen sink. I looked at the box and then up at my mother, who had watched the whole awkward ordeal. She pursed her lips then opened her mouth slightly, only to close it immediately after.

She tapped her coffee mug that was sitting on the counter. The three of us stood in a stoic triangle, but my mother was the first to break free. "Dani, I want you to come see something." She said, nodding her head over to the stairs as she walked past Conrad to them. I didn't say anything and just glanced at Conrad as I turned back towards the stairs.

Once we were both upstairs, my mother led me to her room. She picked up one of her bags and set it on her bed, rummaging through it like she always did. She reached all the way to the bottom until she stopped and gasped. "Here it is!" She said, holding out a small tube of lipstick to me.

She was smiling, but I couldn't have been more confused. I slowly reached up to take the lipstick out of her hand. "What is this?" I more so asked that as in a 'what do you want me to do with this?' sort of way. She just rolled her eyes and let out a short sigh.

"It has come to my realization that I restrict you in a lot of ways. But tonight is a special night so..." She put her hand out towards the lipstick I was holding, "lipstick. Cherry Bombshell to be exact."

I looked down at the small name sticker on the bottom, it did in fact say Cherry Bombshell. It was the color she threw a hissy fit over when she found out cheerleaders wore it at games.

"Mom!" I was astounded that she was willing to let me wear red lipstick. She always told me I looked too grown up and had to say something about every time I cheered.

This wasn't an apology but it was a moment I'd never had with my mom before. I wasn't going to let it just pass me by.

"You wear some." I offered, kindly, passing the lipstick her way.