𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌, embry call ✓

𝐒𝐈𝐗

┏━━━━⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚⋆━━━━┓

PARTY CRASHERS

"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN AVOIDING BRADY FULLER BY ANY CHANCE, HAVE YOU?"

Judging by the pale look on Tate Sequoia's face, one that screamed guilt in the first degree, Nelly figured that the Fuller siblings hadn't been lying to her just for shits.

Nelly made it her mission to approach her brother after she'd returned from the morning bonfire, her being filled with confusion as to why Tate had yet to reach out to Brady. They were practically inseparable before they'd gone back to Lummi, and she couldn't figure out what had changed.

Tate, in all of his middle–schooler charisma, merely turned his back towards her and put his headset back over his ears. "I'm busy, Penelope."

The use of her real name grated on her ears, and it made her surge forward. She yanked the headset from his head and took it in her grasp as she moved to sit on his small twin bed. She ignored the frustrated look on his tan face and gave him one of pure smugness. "Sorry Tatum, did you want me to tell Ma that you got a suspension last month?" she questioned, and her eyes narrowed at the way his gaze faltered from hers, "because yeah, she doesn't know about that. Yet."

His eyes narrowed back at her. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I literally would," she replied instantaneously. "I've snitched you out for less before— this is peanuts to me."

Tate's lip curled up, slamming a fist down onto his keyboard to turn his computer off haphazardly. Nelly startled at the noise for a moment, before she noticed the way her brother pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What's going on?" she asked gently, and somewhere distantly in her mind, this situation reminded her of another.

There was a beat of thick silence, nothing else to be heard except for their neighbour's lawn mower going haywire down the road. Nelly watched with acute attention at how Tate's shoulders hunched inward while he prodded at a stray hangnail on his finger.

"I haven't— I haven't been feeling like me ever since we got back," was his quiet admittance, "and I don't want to scare Brady."

Nelly's heart sank, seeing her brother look so small before her very own eyes. They hadn't even been home for a full week, and yet Tate was clearly dealing with something. The Sequoias were a tight knit duo, and everyone on both the Quileute reservation and on the alumni reservation knew that. She even took pride in helping shape him into the kind, sweet boy he was— so what had suddenly changed? What had happened that made him worry he'd scare his best friend away?

What had happened that made him think he couldn't have come to her about this sooner?

"If you haven't been feeling like you, then how have you been feeling?" she questioned, desperate to get to the root of the problem.

Tate wordlessly got up from his chair and climbed onto the bed next to her. He folded himself so that his head was resting in her lap with his lanky legs barely staying put on the small bed. "I'm always angry," he said, and Nelly could almost smell the bitterness in his tone, "and it makes me so tired, El."

Her hand migrated to his warm forehead, combing through his hair like she used to do whenever Tate would have a nightmare and seek her out in the night. That was back when they were kids, but based on the way his eyes momentarily drifted shut, she figured it was still comforting to the boy.

"You're still the same kid I know," she reassured him with a whisper. "Talk to Brady, alright?"

She felt him nod against her. "Okay."

˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

Friday rolled around quickly, meaning the trio of girls were about to embark on their predetermined trip to the movies.

Only, the Connweller girl asked if she could be picked up from her boyfriend's house, and so after Nelly had picked up Akira in her mother's car, the two girls found themselves traversing towards the Cameron residence.

"I talked to Tate," she mentioned to her friend, when they were about five minutes away from Jared's home. This captured Akira's attention, the girl turning in her seat to face Nelly as she spoke with her fingers tapping against the wheel. "He hasn't been feeling great— but he promised to reach out to Brady."

Her brother's business was his, and as much as Nelly would trust Akira Fuller with her entire life, it wasn't fair to Tate if she was airing out his anxieties and troubles to everyone. Tate was a quiet kid, especially in comparison to Nelly, which is how she knew he wouldn't like the attention on him that much anyways.

"That's a relief," Akira sighed out, collapsing back in the seat dramatically, "I thought Brady would've been knocking your door down by now."

Nelly only laughed, knowing full well the lengths Brady went to in order to see her brother. "Oh, I'm fully aware."

The pair pulled up in front of the Cameron residence, and there was a small crowd of individuals gathered in front of it. One of which was the Connweller girl they were looking for.

Akira rolled down her window, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Let's get going, Kimberly!" she shouted, easily getting the attention of all four teens who were gathered. "I will not be late to this movie because of you!"

Nelly lowered her head so she could see the girl in question, and her retort of that not even being Kim's actual name died on her tongue at the sight of Paul, Jared, and fucking Quil Ateara surrounding her on the Cameron's front porch.

Kim easily jogged up to the car, sticking her head through the window with a grimace, and that look alone made Nelly's hands clench onto the steering wheel tighter. "I might've spilled that we were going to see the new Adam Sandler movie, and now the boys wanna tag along," she told the two girls, though she set her apologetic gaze onto Nelly before she tacked on a, "would it be alright if they came along? The boys will drive with Paul."

As much as Nelly loved Kim, she wanted to strangle her in that moment. Akira was tensed at the idea too, obviously sensing her friend's agitated disposition right beside her. Sure, she'd grown up with these boys, but they were Embry's friends — and now Kim's, as it seemed — not hers.

But ultimately, it was because Nelly loved Kim that she stiffly nodded her head. "We need to leave now if we wanna make it."

Akira looked at her with owlish eyes. "Nell, are you sure?" she double-checked, a hand going to touch her friend's forearm.

The Sequoia girl gave the three boys another look, noting that they were already staring at the girls but averted their eyes towards the ground when Nelly caught them.

"They're harmless," she waved off, "but get your ass in the car, Kim; Kira wants to watch the previews."

At that, Kim heaved a small sigh of what looked like relief, shouting out to the three boys that they'd meet them at the local theatre in Forks. They received enthusiastic hollers from them before they watched the boys clamour into Paul's truck.

Nelly took that as her sign to put the car in drive, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.

It was just the movies... what could go wrong?

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚⋆

[ wyn's note ]

whomp whomp... setting up the next chap LOL

also, i'm eagerly trying to find a decent face claim for my tatey boy— will update the main casting list once i do so :)

thanks for the love on this fic so far!! xx