𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

Chapter Ten.

EMBER SAT IN the backseat, arms crossed and glancing between the two sitting up front. "Okay, slow and steady. You're doing great. Just keep going straight, okay?" Jeremiah tells the girl driving who glanced in the rearview mirror at her sister who's on her phone.

"You excited to see Taylor?" The Fisher boy now asked the Conklin girl who raised her brows. "Yeah, uh, of course. So excited." She said with a forced smile. "You sure?" Jeremiah chuckled. "Look, she's my best friend in the world. But, um, I mean, you know how Taylor is. She's like a hurricane." Belly shrugs. "Oh, yeah, yeah. Hurricane Taylor." Jeremiah replied with amusement before they both laugh.

"And I guess I always feel like the supporting character around her, which, normally, I don't mind." Belly explains. "But it's your birthday and you're the main character, Belly, not her." Jeremiah says, smiling as Belly glanced over. "Yeah. Thanks, Jere." She says, smiling widely as Ember glanced up, noticing how the two were looking at one another.

"Look at the road." Ember pointed so Belly swerved. "Whoops." The younger girl says. "Bell, we're gonna need a part two to this driving lesson." The older girl tells her. "And part three and part four." Belly says, making the other two in the vehicle laugh at that. "And what about you, Em? Didn't you miss Levi?" Jeremiah now asked, looking back at her.

"Levi's my platonic soulmate. Of course I missed him." She says, nodding with a small smile. "I don't think I've ever seen Ember smile or laugh as much with anyone else than with Levi." Belly says, chuckling softly as the older girl now glanced over at her. "Because he's my best friend." She explains, shrugging.

At the bus station, Belly and Jeremiah stand together and talk while Ember stood by them with her arms crossed and looking around, her sunglasses on. "Twenty bucks she calls you "Jeremy" again." Belly tells the boy as the bus pulls up. "I don't... I think she learned from last time." Jeremiah tells her.

"You think? That's how she flirts with you." Belly says as the bus passengers all came out of the bus. "Here she comes." Jeremiah says as Taylor got off the bus with balloons. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Belly brought in Taylor into a hug as Levi appears behind the big balloons, smiling widely at Ember who smiles back. "Happy birthday!" Taylor says to Belly. "Thank you." Belly laughs, looking at the balloons. "And to you too, Ember." Taylor tells her quickly as her older brother approached Ember.

"Thanks, Taylor." Ember says before bringing her attention back to Levi who holds up the chocolate he was holding behind his back. "You remembered." She smiles widely at him as Taylor is complimenting Belly on her outfit. "Of course I did. Sandlot promises are never broken." He says as she takes the Kit Kat bar from her best friend's hand.

Ember Park met Levi Jewel on the sandlot at a playground their mothers used to take them. It was Ember's birthday and when she saw Levi had a Kitkat bar, she said it was her favourite. And Levi offered half of it. After that, they would meet at the sandlot everyday. And one day on her birthday, he gave her a whole Kit Kat bar just for herself, and promised he would get her one every single birthday from then on. It was silly, they were just kids but Levi remembers on every single birthday since then.

Especially when Levi knows Ember tries not to make her birthday as big of a deal, for the sake of Belly. "Isn't Belly looking like a snack?" Taylor now looks at the other three. "I don't think I should answer that, Taytay." Levi says, looking at his younger sister who rolls her eyes. "She always is." Jeremiah says with a wide smile. "Oh, here, let me get your bags." Jeremiah takes Taylor's bag and Levi's.

"Thank you. Such a gentleman, Jeremy." Taylor says, smiling as Ember chuckles. "Of course." Jeremiah smiles, looking at Taylor then at Levi who quietly thanks him. "Um... it's Jeremiah, not Jeremy." Belly tells her best friend. "I like "Jeremy" better." Taylor says, smiling at Jeremiah. "Should we head home?" Ember now suggested to the other teens.