The summer everything changed | CF

11~Smiling for him

    The Fourth of July was probably my favorite holiday. Mostly because it was the only holiday we spent here. This year might be different because I am the only kid who didn't have friends to invite here. Susannah decks out the whole house, the dads come up for the weekend, the boys steam clams and shoot off fireworks. The fireworks were my favorite part, I know a lot of people who hated them because of the loud noises. I didn't have that problem, I basically just unplugged my ears and watched the pretty colors. It was the best. They were like fire bubbles.

     "Yo, I'm gonna go wash the clams." Conrad opened the back door, he was talking to Jeremiah. I still had hardly even looked in his direction since my birthday. I was upset at him, he knew it, Conrad knew it, Susannah definitely knew. She had a thing for telling when any of us weren't getting along. She wanted to do my painting today but I asked her if she'd start Steven's instead. I knew she would ask about him, I mean of course she wanted us kids to get along.

"Did you get the lighter fluid?" Jeremiah asked him and he hummed back.

    "Yeah it's already on the beach."

    Steven walked into the room with a dress shirt on making me raise an eyebrow. "Are we done with the portrait yet?"

    "Yeah for today." Susannah kindly smiled, sometimes I wish I was Susannah's daughter. I mean I basically was she treated me like I was. My life would be so much different if I wasn't a twin. "But you look good in a dress shirt Steven. If the girls don't hurry up and ask someone you might have to go." Belly and I both looked up.

    "Ew no way." Belly spoke for the two of us.

    "No, no, no, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm already going with Shayla." Steven spoke up making belly and I turn to each other.

    "To the debutant ball?" Susannah was as shocked as I was I mean I saw the signs.

"Yes."

Susannah looked confused. "As an escort?" Mom asked as she walked in. I wondered why Conrad thought this wasn't something I'd do, then why did he go last year? If he says it's for sheep then why go yourself? Was Nicole that wrapped around his finger.

"Girl's tomorrow is rehearsal, so tick tock." Susannah reminded us making it feel even more real than it already did.

"I'm asking Cam today." Mom looked at Belly, then at me.

"I think I have someone in mind." That was a lie mostly, but she believed it and I looked up through my lashes and saw Conrad. I wasn't going to ask him but he could be a back up, I definitely didn't want to go with Jeremiah. He wasn't even a back up at this point.

    "I don't know my children anymore."

"Are you wearing makeup?" Susannah inspects my mother's face, she is. Why?

"Oh, my she definitely is!" Belly exclaims and we all look confused. Mom hardly ever wore makeup she was just naturally pretty, me on the other hand I could use some.

"So what we're having a party!" She cleaned a dish, Susannah hummed calling her bluff.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with John coming." What? Dad's coming, dad didn't come last summer. Why this summer?

"Why's dad coming?" Abruptly I spoke.

Mom looked back at me puzzled. "Husbands always come for the fourth." Was her reasoning.

"He's not your husband anymore." Susannah reminded her and she looked up with a laugh.

"Oops yeah. Ex husband." I looked up annoyed, I've had a lot of people tell me I have a lot of very expressive facial expressions.

"You know, I still don't understand why you invited Dad's girlfriend." Steven spoke up, huh now? Dad has a girlfriend, I guess that's what I get for not talking to dad.

    "Her name is Victoria," Stupid name, I thought stirring around my bowl that only had one piece of cereal left in it. "And your father wanted us to meet her. Oh, Belly I need you to make the guest bed."

    "Wait, Dad and Victoria are staying here?" She asked confused. "In the room next to mine?" I laughed a little on the inside, I no longer regret the choice of taking the technically smaller bedroom.

    "Oh speaking of dads, yours is closing a deal. So, he can't make it." That was clearly a lie, now that I knew about Mr. Fisher I could tell in Susannah's behavior.

    The door opened again and I hadn't even noticed that Conrad left to go outside. "Did you say dad's not coming?" He almost sounded excited, Susannah hummed and continued to prepare whatever she was cooking.

    "But I got some serious fireworks for the show this year." Jeremiah sounded a little disappointed, he clearly didn't know about his dad.

    "We'll take a video."

    "It's not the same." He mumbled saying to his mom.

    "I know." Susannah looked up at Conrad causing me to do the same, and he had a smile on his face? "What're you smiling for?"

    "No reason." I looked down, smiling for him.

               ~~~~~~~~

    I heard the honk of the car horn telling me that Dad and his new girlfriend were here, I came down the stairs right behind Conrad. I stood behind him on the stairs, a step above him I was the same height as him. "I'm sorry your dad's not coming." I talked quietly so no one could hear me but him.

    He looked over, straight into my eyes. "Don't be, I'm not."

    "She's hot." I heard Jeremiah say and I scrunched my nose confused. That's a little weird to say about a grown woman? "I'm just saying what everyone else was thinking." I stepped over leaning towards the railing of the stairs so I could peak out the window.

    "I wasn't thinking that." Conrad spoke, I was standing closer to him now, on accident but I could almost feel his body heat.

    "Yo, that could be your future stepmom." Jeremiah teased us, ew.

    "Dude what the hell." Steven looked back at the bright eyed boy.

    "Guy, they're coming." Jeremiah spoke in panic, Conrad turned around the corner of the steps and rushed towards the kitchen with Jeremiah.

    "Hey." Steven was the one to hold composure as the door opened, making Belly chuckle a laughter trying to hide it. Mom looked at us and walked by saying.

    "Be nice." With a look of what we were all thinking. Holy Shit was she young or maybe she just looked young? No she was definitely young.

    Steven and Belly gave dad a hug and I stayed on the stairs a distance away. "Um," He looked at me. "This is Victoria."

    "Hi, it's really nice to meet you." I followed behind everyone as we all walked towards the kitchen where Susannahs boys were. "I've heard nothing but five star reviews." I rolled my eyes at the comment sitting down at the counter. After some long pointed banter I finally zoned back into the conversation.

    "So... I convinced John to stop at a fruit stand on the way over, and I figured I could make some pomegranate margaritas later." She sounded sweet I'll give that to her, but him I still wasn't in a good place with. Belly was his little girl.

"Oh how thoughtful of you." Mom looked over at Susannah as she grabbed the bag of pomegranates. That's when the doorbell rang.

"Oh, I'll get it." Steven turned excited.

"The debs have arrived."