MOLTEN HEART ♱ BELLY CONKLIN

10. Holiday Stress

ILLICIT BLUES.
10.   ╱ Holiday Stress

   FOR MARIGOLD, FOURTH OF JULY HAS NEVER BEEN ENJOYABLE. A day of bullshitting one another, acting like you're the happiest family when in reality, you're not. Everything seems to go wrong. When she was younger, these days were much more enjoyable, but the older she got, the worse they turned. Marigold don't like this holiday one bit───something Conrad and Marigold agree very strongly about.

Their mom decks out the entire house and backyard, makes a big feast, she absolutely adores the Fourth. Marigold tried to, wanting to please Susannah but it was clear to the both of them that that wasn't possible. But there's a real reason she hates this day.

   Her father.

   Fourth of July, the time of the summer where the father's decide to show up and ruin the fun. Marigold hated her father . . . It wasn't like she ever tried to hide it. This was very obvious. Her father never really liked her much either───he didn't have to say it for her to know.

Ever since Marigold was a little girl, she knew her father despised her. She knew that she wished she was a boy (even if he already had two). She was a disappointment in his eyes───truthfully, she sometimes agreed.

   There was nothing enjoyable about these days, but Jeremiah would say differently. Belly would too. Belly was the only thing that ever got Marigold to make it through the day, because at the end, Marigold knew she would by lying in the girl's arms as she comforted her.

   "Can I finish your milk?" Jeremiah pulled Marigold away from her thoughts. She sat at the other end of the table, across from the boy, who's right was occupied by the Conklin girl.

   Belly nodded, sliding the bowl over to the boy who then brought it to his lips.

   Marigold pushed around her cereal that she had no intention to eat, not after she played with it for too long that it turned super soggy. Jeremiah slurped the milk, loudly, Marigold might add. "Could you slurp, maybe just a bit quieter?"

   "Oh, I'm sorry my existence is annoying you right now," Jeremiah jests, adding onto the joke going around about Marigold's bitter attitude this morning. She smiled, bitterly, standing up from the table and going to the sink.

   "Yo," Conrad greeted as he walked in, offering a slight wave to his younger sister before turning to his brother. "I'm gonna go wash the clams. And did you get the lighter fluid?"

   Jeremiah hummed. "Yeah, it's already on the beach."

   Conrad whistles as he exits while Steven and Susannah enter almost instantly after. "Are we done with the portrait yet?"

   "Yeah, for today," Susannah replied, carrying some paint and brushes in her painting outfit. "But you do look good in a dress shirt, Steven."

Walking beside Marigold who leaned against the counter, Susannah then turned towards Belly. "Uh, which makes me think, if Belly doesn't hurry up and ask Cam to that ball, you should take her."

   "Ew. No way." Belly's nose crinkles in disgust.

   "No, no." Steven agreed before adding on. "Yeah, I'm already going with Shayla."