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august 20, 2023
"forty minutes. max," estelle glared her sister, receiving a groan in response from victoria as she tried to open the car door, quickly to realise it was locked, delaying her exiting the car ever so slightly. "victoria!"
"yes. estelle. forty minutes," she mocked the way the elder said it and emphasising the girl's name to prove she's not her mother, huffing as she opened the door and stepped out onto the side walk.
"you're lucky i even brought you here!" she argued, just getting cut off slightly as the door was almost slammed shut.
staying parked out the front of benjamin's house, watching her sister walk up to the door. from what estella could see, if any words were even shared, they were definitely cut short as violet's hands went up to the boy's cheeks. connecting their lips whilst his arm went around her back, swooping her inside and quickly shutting the door.
shaking her head, she turned back to her car, locking the doors again and shifting gears, estella pulled away from the curb and starting the drive to one of her favorite local gardens.
the carpark looked over the place, seeing mostly parents and their kids wandering around the space trying to get their little ones' energy out for the night.
estella wasn't the biggest fan of being alone in public spaces, but it was still light out and would be the whole time, the car was turned off and the doors were locked, so unless there was someone with bad intentions and was actively looking, she'd be good.
plus zach was going to call her, so she technically wasn't alone.
grabbing her tote bag from the back seat, she pulled it over to the front. she knew zach was going to be a couple minutes — as he had told her so. so she put her headphones on and she quietly played some music as she read a little more of her book.
getting through half a chapter before her music was cut off with an incoming call. sliding her book mark into the page, setting the closed book on her lap. she pulled her headphones down to around her neck with a smile on her face, she slide across to accept the voice call, exchanging a small, soft 'hi' as she brought it to her ear.
"hey pheonix.."
oh his voice
"how are you?" estelle questioned.
"i'm swell, thank you." she softly furrowed to herself, letting out an inaudible giggle at his odd choice in wording. "how was your lunch?"
"it was good, very chill," she answered. "it was nice to see cami and her boyfriend, it had been a few weeks."
"mh.. is that your sister? cami?"
"camille, yeah."
"and what are you up to now?"
"i'm sitting in my car at the japanese garden of friendship," she quietly giggled at the way she spoke the place's name to make it sound quite fancy. "reading, trying to make the next thirty minutes pass quickly till i have to get my other sister."
"does.. she work there?"
"oh, no.. she's at her boyfriend's.. who our parents don't allow her to be with," she chuckled. "so i can't go home till she's back with me."
"rebel children," he laughed.
"not me," she disagreed. "her. she's the rebel child. it was an deal we made."
"well maybe she'll cover for you when you finally come here," he suggested.
"there's no way she'll do that. she'd use it against me for the rest of my life," estelle promptly replied. "and plus, it's not as easy as 'i'll let you have forty minutes' while mom and dad think we're out getting a sweet treat, it's a whole other state i gotta get to."
"why do you have to live so far," he groaned.
"why do you have to live so far?"
"i use to live in texas, is that closer?"
"no," she laughed.
"what?! i told you i didn't finish school! don't bully me!"
"you're 22, should know you should know where your own country's states are," the same playful laugh fell from her lips. "or at least the ones around you."
"fine. i don't know where arizona is," he followed with a chuckle. "is that what ya wanna hear, phoenix?"
the smile on her face was so controllable that her cheeks were starting to hurt. "are you messing with me?"
"well.. it mustn't be that far from.. san diego, cause i fell asleep on the bus and woke up in phoenix the next morning."
"you've been here before but you don't know where it is?"
"it's also close to vegas."
"so process of elimination means.."
"it's the state over, i know, i'm not completely stupid, phoenix," he laughed. "sure, maybe i don't know what some of the middle states are, but not yours ess."
ess. the way he said it melted her heart.
".. so when did you come here?" she finally managed to find words to come out of her mouth.
"last year." he snickered, "when i was on my world tour." he knew she wouldn't believe him, hence why he was willing to say it.
"stop lying to me!" estelle shook her head despite him not being able to see.
"you don't believe anything i say, do you?" he laughed once again. "hey! process of elimination.. why would i be on a bus from san diego to phoenix, phoenix?"
"mh.. i guess small artists go on tours here-"
he interrupted her with a scoff. "small artists. you don't even know how many teenage girls love me."
"okay harry styles," she teased.
"oh god," zach groaned. "i wish you were with me right now, so i can kiss you just to make you shut up."
oh. my. god.
"you still there, essie?" he chuckled after a couple seconds of silence.
"yes, mhm, yeah.."
"did that do somethin' for ya?" she could practically hear the smirk on zach's face while she hesitantly hummed, not knowing what to say. "i'll keep it in mind."
"so what are you up to?" she switched the conversation.
"talkin' to you."
"well i know thatt," she playfully dragged the word out. "do you have any plans later?"
"mmh.. probably not, haven't decided yet."
"oh okay," estelle pulled her phone away from her ear for a second to read the notification she just received and checked the time. "i should probably go- not that i'm trying to stop talking to you.."
"yeah, okay, it's fine, phoenix."
"i need to go get my sister before our parents get suspicious, that's all.."
"of course.."
"it was nice talking to you.."
"yea, same goes. bye ess," he quietly chuckled.
"bye.."
𖥔 ࣪ ᥫ᭡ ꗃ⋆࣪.
author's note, i guess i lied when i said updates will be slow lol
