Butterflies ~ Conrad Fisher

Chapter twenty one

"Hey guys! Over here." Steven yelled over once he spotted the pair. Ivy put on a smile and dragged Conrad over to the group.

"We have an inflatable for you two." Jere wiggled his eyebrows.

Ivy laughed and sat down on the inflatable. She was half sitting on Conrad though, due to the size of the floatie.

Conrad instantly reached for the drink that was on top of the cooler. He took a sip and started chugging it.

"It's not a race Con." Nicole laughed.

"Yeah save some for the rest of us please." Jeremiah spoke again.

"Okay, wait wait wait. But what if it was a race? I mean, isn't that- isn't that the premise of like, every drinking game?" Isabel stumbled out.

"You want to play a drinking game?" Gigi asked surprised.

"Why not? I mean it's the fourth of July right?"

Ivy sighed heavily and rested her head against Conrad. He leaned down and kissed her on the head.

"It's okay. I don't have to play." He whispered.

"No, it's okay. I don't want to stop you from having fun. I'm just gonna have to get used to not drinking." She tried to joke.

"I'm sorry love, but the end result of this is gonna be so worth it." He kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Ugh, get a room! Am I right?" Isabel slurred out at them.

Everyone just looked at her awkwardly, before getting up and setting the game out.

Everybody was having fun and laughing as they threw the coins into the bowl. They were all pointing at each other when they got it in, signalling for them to drink.

Ivy was smiling along, glad that everyone was having fun. She just sat back watching, not drinking for obvious reasons.

After a little bit of playing that game, the group separated and Ivy was sat next to Shayla on a pool float.

Gigi, Nicole, and Belly were all drunkenly dancing in the sand. Ivy and Shayla were laughing at them.

"So, why aren't you drinking?" Shayla turned to Ivy.

"Uh." Ivy froze up. "I- I just don't feel like it right now." She lied.

"Hmm. Okay." Shayla smiled knowingly at her.

Ivy smiled shyly back and turned her head to look at the boys. They were playing a game of bean bag toss a few feet over.

She smiled dreamingly over at Conrad, without even realizing. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Gigi grabbing her hands.

She turned her head in surprise to see Gigi smiling down at her.

"Stop drooling!" She giggled out.

"Im not drooling!" She defended weakly.

"Oh you so are." Nicole cut in.

Ivy just sarcastically rolled her eyes before getting up from her spot, grabbing Gigi's hands for help.

Everybody started packing up the things and walked back up to the house. Conrad grabbed Ivy's hand and squeezed it as they walked back up.

They put the stuff they had away before walking over to a patch of grass with Jeremiah. Him and Conrad started throwing a ball back and forth as Ivy sat watching the pair.

She got bored after a few minutes and turned to look at the rest of the group in the gazebo. When she looked over there, she saw Isabel looking over and Conrad with a glazed look.

She sighed slightly before laying back against the grass.

Suddenly a new voice joined in on the boys conversation, and Ivy sat up again. It was the boys father, Adam.

"Interception!" Jere laughed as Adam stole the ball from Conrad.

Ivy saw the happiness instantly drain from Conrad's face. She frowned slightly as she saw Adam whispering to him.

"Hey dad, uh we're lighting that big firework you got from Mexico. The one that uh, makes the big palm tree. It's gonna be awesome." Jere smiled brightly.

"Can't wait. Just don't aim it near the house all right? Hey come here, I want to show you guys how to run a post."

"Yeah, we gotta go dig the clam pit." Conrad shut him down.

"Oh, I'll come help."

"Why don't you go spend some time with mom?" Conrad said as he helped Ivy off the grass and started walking away.

~

Ivy decided to not go back to the beach with Conrad, and just lay out by the pool for a few minutes.

She laid out on one of the chairs and just basked in the sun. Everyone was either inside or in the gazebo, so she had the entire pool deck to herself.

The quietness allowed her mind to start reeling, reminding her of past memories from the fourth of July.

Ten year old Ivy was running around the yard being chased by her older brother, Jamie.

She was laughing and having fun until her mother drunkenly fell into the yard and starting yelling at the kids.

"Stop laughing! You're so loud and annoying." She took a sip of her drink and turned back inside.

Ivy's face fell and she stood still as she heard her mothers words. Jamie walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her in comfort.

"I'm sorry Ive, as soon as I turn eighteen, I promise we'll leave this place. Just one more year."

"That's too long. Why do they hate us?" She sadly spoke.

"They don't hate us. They just don't know how to be parents. We got unlucky in that department, but we have each other. It's all gonna be okay."

"Thanks Jamie. You're the best big brother in the world."