The Summer Drake Turned Pretty (and Susan blushed a lot)

he gave me back my smile, but he kept my camera to sell

Susan jumps out of the car and runs to get her vinyl. When she comes here, Joni Mitchell is the first port of call. As 'California' comes through the speakers, she does a 360 of the room,
The blue couch where her, Dean and Sam watched the Simpsons.
The fridge from which Nia would pull the most delicious desserts.
The dining table, where Monopoly games had broken into vicious wars.
Home.
She walks outside and sees the board where she first learnt to play darts, when she was six and had to stand only a metre away from the board to get a good shot.
The table Her, Dean and Sam sat on when Pa had the accident.
The table which housed many tears that night, but also soft smiles when they tried to cheer her up with movies about eccentric detectives and absurd cowboys.
As Susan has grown, the house has stayed the same.
She remembers first reading one of her favourite books in this house. The way she smiled when the main character(who was a girl)'s rocket beat all of the boys', and the fear she felt when a boy named Christopher nearly killed the young girl she had grown quite fond of with garden shears.
As the vinyl ends, she takes up the needle and heads downstairs to get her guitar, when Maimeó calls her. Maimeó is sitting on the porch, with Nia. Nia, or Ma as everyone calls her, has raised Drake ever since Susan can remember. She also happens to be best friends with Maimeó. They all come to the summer home together, each year. The Sanchezes lived in Victoria. Only a state away from the Baines' grand family home, but sometimes it felt a lifetime away.
"Susan, get the papers, will you?"
And so she went out the back door. The wind slaps her red hair about her face, but only when some gets caught in her lip-gloss does she feel the need to tie it up. She's going to see Drake for the first time since Easter. Her best friend.

...
When Susan finally got to the newsagent, she skipped inside the complex and ran towards the shop. What it held for her was a shock. Since when was Drake... hot?
"Hey shortass,"
"Not so short anymore..." he replied.
"Yeah, well I suppose not. I'll have to break out some heels!"
Susan saw a girl a similar age to her walk out of the back door, however that was pretty much where the similarities stopped. While Susan was tall and lanky, this girl was short, and didn't look like a giraffe - lost in her arms and legs. While Susan was freckled all over, this girl had the clearest, dewiest skin she had ever seen. And then she kisses Drake. The fuck? It was just on the cheek of course, but really?

Susan supposes that's what happens. Maybe she liked him when they were younger. Maybe she thought he would always hold a place in his heart for her. But then again, Drake watched Susan go from boyfriend to boyfriend as they got older, always bringing them to the summer house and kissing right in front of him. That's how life goes, she supposes.
"So, what's your name?"
"Um, I'm Sharon. And you are?"
"Susan? Ring any bells?"
"Um no. Drake, who is this?"
"You know, my best friend? Come on, don't be an ass Ronnie,"
"Okayokay fine. I'll let you guys have your little reunion then,"

"What was that all about?" Susan enquired,
"Oh, you know, she just gets a bit nervy around new people,"
Sure she does.
...
"Hey girls," Susan spoke into the phone. It was a Group FaceTime call, practically a gossip ritual every night at 11:03 for the girls.
"Susan. What's wrong?"
They say that one never senses their last hiccup. If that were true, Friday Astrella Barnes would simply never stop. However, it is her best friend, Melanie, who has the hint on social cues. Head in the clouds, except when someone piques her interest with a fresh slice of gossip or a drowsy sigh. As Maimeó would say, 'Together they make one normal person,". Susan guesses that's why they're so close.

"It's Drake,"
"Oh is he alright? Good sort that one..." Why is Rajiv on "the girls 🫶" group chat? Well you can't exactly gossip about things like boys and which celebrity had which cosmetic surgery without him, can you???
"No, he's..."
"Pretty?" Wai-Yi chimed in
"YES! and what do I do because he's gone, and he's gotten a..."
"A girlfriend?" Friday provided
"YES! And I just want to..."
"Break into her room at night and threaten her with a pair of nunchucks?" Rajiv chuckled,
"No, dumbass. I just want to... well I don't want them to be together. Because I mean, his EYES. like I get that they were always like that but now I can actually see them because he's not a midget anymore. And he grew out of his bowl cut. And he moved up into first devision basketball because of his growth spurt, Ma says. And when I'm tall, I look like a clumsy giraffe_"
"do NOT!"
"Pelly I swear to god. But when he's tall he just looks like..."
"A Greek god?"
"Yes, actually, Friday,"
"Well you'd know what they look like Fri, wouldn't you? Oh, Wainscott's so.."
"Melanie stop."
"Just banter. Just banter-"
"Anyway and I feel like year seven Susan all over again and I don't WANT TO because I'm year eleven Susan this year, and she should know that she'll never get the guy,"
"Come on Suz. You're just being cruel to yourself at this point. Now he's liked you forever, and you've liked him forever,"
"Have NOT!"
"I'm just talking facts," Wai-Yi continued, "As we've learned from our dear friend Fri over here, facts are insanely important. What I can tell you, from the outside looking in, is that you are two lovesick idiots who need to get their shit together. I mean-"
Susan left the call, only to be bombarded by messages from Rajiv, ranging from 'come back pooks <3' to 'I CAN HEAR YOUR EVIL GINGER LURKING GET BACK HERE,'. She rejoined the call.
"Now, what were we saying about Wainscott? Have you two finally got your shit together?" Susan swiftly deflected the attention.
"They're hopeless, Suz, I tell you. Ian asked Friday if she wanted to get ice cream three days IN ADVANCE, which he never does, and then Friday keeps telling me it's not a date, so why is Ian so stressed all of a sudden, and she's going to go tomorrow..."
"Today, Mel. I'm leaving in fourteen hours and twenty-eight minutes,"
"Why are you so stressed little miss 'it's not a date'? And you can't chicken out this time Fri, you just can't. I mean, last time you went to school and then when you were meant to leave at four you texted and said you had caught some random disease that NO ONE could pronounce. I think he-"
Susan could see Friday roll her eyes on the screen. If Melanie and Friday didn't take up the same little bubble on screen, Friday definitely would've left the call by now. Susan can tell. Susan tells a lot of things.

She can tell that although Rajiv would never say it, he's head over heels for Epstein. Epstein likes him too, obviously. Wow. THREE COUPLES who need to sort their shit out. Wait what? Did she just say three?
She can tell that even as Drake has devoted his life to basketball, he is equally as good at chess.
She can tell that Melanie just had her braids done in a slightly different colour to normal.
So yes, maybe Friday and Melanie are the 'observant ones'.
Susan wouldn't miss a hiccup either.
"-hated each other AND were top of the class and we all know academic rivals to lovers is the best trope out there so that's why I can honestly state that Friday Barnes and Ian Wainscott should date. Now for the afterword, by my dear friend Wai-Yi,"
"Yes? Sorry! Gotta go! Big day tomorrow!" Just like that Friday was snoring. Sure.

Big day, huh? That made two of them.

A/N
ew I kind of hate this dw I'll give Sharon a redemption arc
the title's from California by joni, im gonna try to give each chapter a Joni lyric bc susan would love her I can just tell.
Also the FaceTime was so real like yes they are my Friend group wdym? i kind of want to write Friday and Ian's date but that'll probs be up on fbp. COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE and um thanks for reading
Also I FORGOT HOW FUN THIS FANDOM IS?

Lots of love see you soon

aimée
xoxoxoxoxo