oxygen (e.d.)

short chapter 13: boardwalk

HAHA HI GUYS IM BACK! just for a few more ;) i've been wayyyy too bored and unmotivated for new stories, so i've decided i'll write a few more of these small little chapters :)) hope you enjoy!!
(yes i totally changed the setting and turned off the little tab that says "completed" at the bottom. when i turn it back on then you'll know i'm done with these updates for good) (sorry if this is annoying lol but i realllyyyy am bored and i miss writing oxygen and two doors down🥺)

|emerson|
^^pay attention

i laugh loudly as my mom shoves an ice cream cone in my dad's gaping face.

"riles," he says, astonished that she actually did that.

she can only giggle and bite her lip to stop from full on cackling.

i like seeing them like this.

i used to think it's was really cringe when i was 13, and i guess it technically is, but it gives me hope that love is actually real.

dad spits the creamsicle orange flavor out of his mouth off the side of the boardwalk and leans in to kiss my mom on the cheek teasingly.

she shrieks and tries to swat him and his sticky, ice cream covered face away, but he plants a big kiss on the side of her forehead.

"ethan," she mutters, playfully irritated, "now my head's sticky." i hand her a napkin and she wipes it off her face and my dad's.

"is this normal?" cody whispers into my ear.

"yes," i whisper back with a small giggle, "very normal for them. i swear they never left their honeymoon stage."

cody and i have been dating for about 7 months. he's really sweet, honestly. him and my dad have even bonded over their love of skateboarding. dad doesn't really do it anymore, but he teaches cody a few things and has busted his ass once attempting a kick-flip. mom took away his old, beat up board after that.

"em, cody," dad smiles, "you don't have to hang out with us all day if you don't want. go enjoy the beach." he waves his hand at the water, "we'll be at the ferris wheel in the front, okay?"

"here's some money for games or something," my mom says, planting cash in my hand, "go have fun," she grins and pushes us away.

cody and i stumble a bit and laugh. as we walk down the boardwalk, he holds out his hand. i entwine my finger with his and smile at his perfectly tousled blond hair and bright, green eyes.

"how are you and your dad doing?" he asks me with curious eyes and a cocked eyebrow.

i choose my words carefully. "better," i say slowly, "way better. you know how we do like the daddy daughter bonding things every month?"

he nods, and i say, "well, last week was the weekend. it was really fun. he took me back to where he met my mom. the exact dorm building and floor. he told me where she stood when they first locked eyes and it was really interesting."

"they just let you guys walk in like that?"

"an old friend was working security in the dorm building," i shrug, "but anyway, yeah. then there's always the bad days."

"we're still so young," cody states, "and i think you've calmed down a bit since 8th grade."

"what's that supposed to mean?" i shove his shoulder playfully.

"you were wild," he raises his eyebrows with a grin, "i don't blame your dad at all for being the way he was."

"oh whatever," i scoff, "so what? i snuck out a few times, smoked one cigarette-"

"two," he corrects.

"whatever. the point is, i'm good now. all that stuff is stupid anyway. my uncle grayson said you don't need any of that to have fun, and i thought he was a total liar, but i've learned that he's right. water nerf gun fights are more fun than getting wasted at the ripe age of 14."

he pulls me close, ruffles my hair, and kisses my head gently.

we look up from our own little world and see everyone else, scurrying around.

kids laughing, babies crying, parents sighing, teenagers eye rolling, and grandparents nodding off in the ice cream parlors. it all seemed so plastic, so fake when i was younger. now, it's anything but artificial. everything is alive.

"steak on a stick?" cody offers and motions his hand out to the vendor in front of us.

i laugh. "yes please."