The summer everything changed | CF

5~ It's perfect

Belly has been in love with Conrad for what seems like forever; honestly, I didn't blame her. I mean, aside from this summer, he was sweet and also wasn't bad to look at. I sat on the beach in the sand. Conrad was surfing. I watched him ever since he learned. I watched him surf; that was some that never changed. I always wanted to learn how to surf but hated not being able to hear. But I wasn't allowed to get my processor wet, and the waterproof case was pretty expensive.

So I watched. I watched everyone else splash and play, do games of chicken, surf, and swim laps around the pool. I had someone ask me why I liked Cousins so much if I couldn't do all the "fun stuff."  The truth was Cousins was more than just the water. It was Susannah and the boys, it was late-night movies with the moms, and it was baking in the sun. I do wish I could do the water stuff, but I still had fun. It was home. Conrad eventually walked out of the water, up to me. The silence was starting to become our way of talking.

    "I thought you were supposed to go shopping." He dropped his surfboard and sat in the sand.

  "Your mom wanted to go shopping with us separately and said something about how it would be more special. To individually make time for us girls, which honestly I appreciate." I explained, and he nodded. "Since Belly is older, she took her first."

    "Right you're younger by?"

    "23 minutes." I chuckled. "She's never going to let me live it down." I had nothing better to do than to talk to Conrad. He was the only one home, and my best friend was ignoring me. Steven and Jeremiah were working. The other girls were shopping. When they got back from shopping, Belly and I would switch places, and it'd be my turn.

    "You really want to do this thing?" He didn't look at me. He looked at the sand. Like he wasn't impressed by my decision.

    "I mostly wanted to do it because I thought Belly wouldn't do it. Maybe I'd get to do something that was my choice, on my own."

    "Are you upset that Belly is doing it?" He asked, standing dripping in the sand. I shook my head with a little shrug.

    "No, of course not, because I know your mom and I know she treats us as separate people. Not like my dad." He furrowed his eyebrows, confused by my comment.

    "What about your dad?"

    "Nothing." I let out what I thought was a barely noticeable sigh. Looking away from him at the crashing waves.

    He pressed his lips together for a second before quickly letting out. "My dad cheated on my mom." My head quickly snapped in his direction. "When she was going through treatment the first time." He explained making my insides stir, anger building in me slightly. "That's why I quit football. My dad made me play because he wanted me to. I don't want to be like my dad, cheating on your wife while she has cancer. Like a fucking coward." He explained, and his anger on the subject made it seem like there was smoke coming out of his ears.

    "Is that what's been bugging you?" He looked up, not at me but at the clear blue sky. Then he nodded softly. That only seemed like the partial truth, but I'll take it. "My dad saw me as less than Belly. He basically admitted to me that he wished I would have suffocated and died when I was born. Of course he didn't say those words, but he said I was a house he wish he could have bought if I wasn't alive." I told him, and I could see the pity on his face. I didn't enjoy it.

    It got quiet between us—a comforting feeling of getting something off your chest. I made progress with Conrad, and I was glad about that. I heard a honk and knew it was meant for me.

    "I got to go." I stood up, brushing the sand off the back of my shorts.

    "Wait why?"

    "Your mom honked." I pointed. I knew he didn't hear it.

    "Right you can hear really well." He laughed, getting himself up from the sand himself as well.

    "Well, I'm deaf, but I can hear well with these puppies." I pointed. I knew everything he said was not to be discussed around anyone else. I hope he knew the same thing. It wasn't the best topic of a conversation though so I had nothing to worry about.

    "Right, I'll see you later, Ollie." He said it with almost a smile, but still not quite. I will get a smile out of him.

   

                  ~~~~~

   "Okay Belly already went through this, but those are fascinators. All the girls wear them." I starred at a window case full of weird-looking tacky miniature hats. Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?

    We walked into a dress store, and it had simple summer dresses, which I got a couple of. My favorite was a white one with little blue flowers all over it and poofy arm sleeves. A green one with a corset that held up the boobs I didn't have. Another dark red one that made my eyes look crazy bright.

    "Heels?" Susannah held up a strappy pair of white heels to me. I stared for a moment before nodding with one of the dresses on. I laced them my around my legs, I tried to stand up and walk around. It was difficult, but I did it. I never wore heels before. "And gloves." I put those on too. Just to spin for my mom and Susannah, almost making me fall.

    "Darling you're beautiful." Susannah smiled widely, looking at me.

    "Thank you." I smiled.

    "Now it's time for the big day dress." Oh no. Picking out an expensive poofy dress would be challenging. Normally I looked at a dress and immediately looked at the price tag to judge. But that wasn't the goal for today. Today was to find a dress that I truly loved.

    I tried on about twenty dresses before I almost lost hope. Some were obviously too big and tacky, not me or too itchy. Some were close, but mom and Susannah were picky. Twenty-two, I thought was really pretty, but mom said it was too expensive. Twenty-five, I thought could have been the one. But Susannah said it was too short. Twenty seven, twenty seven dresses before I found the one we all loved.

    Susannah gasped, walking over to me to spin me. "Perfect, Livvy." She pinched my cheeks.

    It was a gorgeous white dress with a sweetheart neckline that perfectly complimented my chest. It appeared to be strapless, but the top was actually made of lace. It had little fabric butterflies all over the top half of the dress. Some along the skirt. And the skirt was straight and long, flowing. It showed my ankles, which was unusual because I wasn't gifted in the hight department that was Belly. I loved it. Susannah was right.

    It's perfect.

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Hi the author here I'm just trying to edit and change some things slightly. Not much will change virtually but hopefully I will get better my with grammar and punctuation. Sorry for disappearing😅