As the sounds of an old Spongebob Squarepants rerun played through the speakers of the living room television, coupled with the laughter of both Conrad and Jeremiah, whose attentions were both firmly planted on the screen before them, Sam turned back to the book in front of her, letting her mind wander back to the words on the page, and the world that waited beyond them.

"What?" Conrad suddenly exclaimed, imitating the voice of the elderly woman on the show and causing Sam to look back up from her book as she looked over at her best friend in disbelief. "What are they selling?"

"Chocolates!" Jeremiah continued the next line.

"What?" Conrad repeated.

"Chocolates!"

"I can't hear you!" Conrad insisted.

"They're selling chocolates!" Jeremiah shouted.

"They're selling chocolates?"

"Yeah!"

"Chocolate." Conrad mused with a smile. "I remember when they first invented chocolate. Sweet, sweet chocolate."

"I always hated it!" the brothers chorused together as they began to laugh, before looking over to see Sam staring at them blankly.

"Yes, thank you for that," Sam chided sarcastically, resisting the grin that threatened to turn up the corners of her mouth as she turned back to her book.

From outside the house, a car horn sounded from the driveway, and Sam turned around to peek through the window blinds, catching sight of a silver car with a New York license plate slowing down in the driveway. Through the car windows, she could just make out the figures of a dark haired woman behind the wheel, and a teenage boy in the passenger seat.

"They're here!" Susannah called from the kitchen, and Conrad and Jeremiah were instantly on their feet, rushing out to greet the Conklin family.

"Sammie, Sammie, come on, come meet Laurel, Belly, and Steven," Conrad said excitedly, hanging back in the doorway to allow Sam time to catch up while Jeremiah continued to hurry out to the car, pulling the woman into a hug as she climbed out of the driver's seat.

For years, Sam had heard countless stories of Susannah's best friend Laurel, as well as her two kids, Steven and Belly, but she had yet to ever meet them. Pictures of summers spent at Cousins over the years decorated the mantle of the Fisher family's home back in Boston, and at the start of every school year, when Conrad had made it back from Cousins and Sam had returned from visiting her mother in Michigan, Conrad always had a story to tell about the trouble he and Jeremiah had gotten into with Steven during that summer.

Sam followed Conrad out of the house and into the yard as Steven climbed out of the passenger seat, and the backseat door opened to reveal a girl a couple years younger than herself, her dark hair pulled up in a ponytail and a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She wore a wide smile as she looked at Jeremiah and Conrad, though Sam couldn't help but notice the nervous expression that crossed her face as she saw the blonde girl standing behind the older Fisher brother.

"Connie!" Laurel exclaimed as she released Jeremiah from her hug, stepping forward to pull Conrad into her arms. "I swear you grow a foot every time I see you."

"Good to see you, Laurel," Conrad said, hugging her back before stepping back from her embrace. "This is Sam, my best friend from back home. Sammie, this is Laurel, Steven, and Belly."

"It is so nice to finally meet you," Laurel said, pulling Sam into a warm hug. "Susannah and Connie have talked about you nonstop over the years. I'm so glad you could join us this summer."

"Me too," Sam agreed with a smile as the kids finished their greetings, with Jeremiah picking up Belly and excitedly spinning her around, the nervous expression fading from the younger girl's face as she began to laugh. "I've heard a lot about you guys, too."

"Hey guys," Steven spoke up, a mischievous grin beginning to form. "I don't know about you, but..." he glanced down at his bare wrist, imitating checking the time on a watch. "I think it's time for..."

"A Belly flop!" the other boys joined in, and Belly's eyes widened as she began to back up, shaking her head before breaking out into a run in the opposite direction.

"No!" Belly exclaimed as they ran after her, Conrad soon catching up to her and grabbing her around the waist. "No no no no no no no!"

Jeremiah and Steven caught up to them shortly after, each of them grabbing Belly's legs out from under her as they began to carry her towards the open gate leading to the backyard. Sam's eyes widened as she watched the guys, following after them as they made their way to the pool, stopping at the edge and holding her aloft over the water.

"Guys, c'mon," Belly pleaded. "Put me down!"

"One..." they chanted, swinging her over the water but not quite letting her go as they pulled her back over dry land. "Two... three!"

On three, they let Belly go, sending the younger girl flying over the water with a shriek before falling into the pool with a splash. After a moment, she swam back up top, breaking the surface of the water and wiping any excess away from her eyes.

"How's the water?" Jeremiah teased as Sam watched Belly from the edge of the concrete, unaware of the taller figure sneaking up behind her.

"Boo!" Conrad shouted, pushing Sam forward with one hand.

Sam pitched forward with a surprised yelp, trying to catch her balance and failing as she fell into the pool after Belly. She broke the surface of the water, the cold instantly seeping in as she gathered her bearings, pulling herself back up. She reached the surface to the sounds of Steven and Jeremiah doubled over with laughter, and Conrad watching the two girls in the pool with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Oh, I'll remember this, Fisher," Sam assured him, a laugh bubbling up from her chest. "Don't you forget it."

Sam glanced over at Belly next to her in the pool, a smile fading away from her features as she nervously looked down towards the water, and Sam swam back towards the edge of the pool, grabbing the end of the concrete and pulling herself back up onto dry land. She crossed over to where Susannah had laid a few pool towels on one of the chairs, grabbing one for herself before handing another one to Belly, who had followed behind her.

"Thanks," Belly said, giving Sam a small smile as she took the towel from the older girl, though her gaze was still trained downwards, not meeting Sam's eyes.

Sam wrapped the towel around her shoulders as Steven led the group back into the house, moving past where Susannah and Laurel were both putting food away in the kitchen and heading towards the staircase. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Steven said as they passed the living room, his gaze trained on the copy of The Way of Kings that still sat on the coffee table where Sam had abandoned it. "Who's reading Brandon Sanderson?"

"That would be me," Sam said, raising a hand, and Steven turned back to face her with an impressed grin.

"I like her," Steven said approvingly. "Connie, you should've been bringing her every summer."

"Believe me, I've tried." Conrad assured him.

As the boys moved to grab the Conklins' suitcases from the pile that now sat just inside the front door, Belly and Sam both hurried up the stairs, anxious to get out of their sopping wet clothes. The girls split up at their respective rooms, and Sam slid the lock into place behind her, stripping out of the wet clothes and hanging them up before pulling on a new pair of denim shorts and a blue top. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror, noticing the smudged mascara rimming her eyes from her dip in the pool, and grabbed a tissue to fix it, wiping away any of the damage before applying a fresh coat.

As she opened the bedroom door, stepping out into the hallway, she could hear the rowdy sounds of the boys laughing from a room down the hall, which she guessed to be Steven's. She followed the sound to see Conrad and Jeremiah both sitting on the bed while Steven unpacked his suitcase, setting the clothes in the dresser drawers as the three boys caught each other up on what they'd missed during the school year.

"Sammie!" Conrad exclaimed as she knocked lightly on the open door to announce her presence before stepping inside. "You're just in time. I need your help tonight."

"Interesting choice of words after pushing somebody into a pool," Sam teased, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's up?"

"You're playing Connie's wingman tonight," Jeremiah said.

"I'm what?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

"You remember Kinsley, our waitress from dinner last night?" Jere continued, and Sam nodded in response.

"You guys went to Harper's last night?" Steven sighed. "Man, I'm jealous."

"Kinsley's going to be at Jumper's bonfire tonight." Jeremiah continued.

"What does this have to do with me?" Sam asked. "I don't know any of these people."

"You're a girl," Conrad explained. "I've seen you talk to people, Sam. You could have a conversation with a maple tree and it would thank you when you were done. So I don't know, maybe meet the girls, get to know them, and maybe mention you came out here this summer with your awesome best friend who's both single and available?"

Sam blinked back in Conrad's direction as she attempted to process his words. "Okay, yeah, I guess you've got a point there. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to fix my hair before trying to set anybody up. Nobody's going to listen to me if I look like I just crawled out of the Black Lagoon."

"You're the best!" Conrad called after her as she left the room, heading back into her bedroom to search for her hair dryer.

By the time Sam had finished drying her hair and straightening it for the party, the sun had started to set, painting the blue sky in streaks of pink and orange. Susannah had made a spaghetti dinner to welcome the Conklins' to the party, with everyone finally in one place with the exception of Conrad and Jeremiah's father Adam, who was on a work trip and wouldn't be joining the group for a few more weeks. Once dinner had finished, Sam grabbed her shoes, meeting the boys by the front door as the moms waited to bid them goodbye.

"Don't stay out too late," Laurel instructed them, her glare directed towards her eldest son.

"Yes, Mom," Steven assured her.

"And make good choices," Susannah reminded the four of them. "Sammie, dear, remember, you're in charge."

Sam smiled proudly. "Yes, boys, remember, I'm in charge."

"Yet, I'm still the one driving," Jeremiah said with a shrug, spinning the keys around on his pointer finger before leading the others out to the car.

"Belly's not coming with us?" Sam asked as they piled into the car, Sam and Conrad both climbing into the backseat.

"Belly?" Steven echoed with a laugh. "That's a good one. Belly doesn't go anywhere in Cousins."

"Why not?" Sam asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

"She mostly just hangs out with the moms," Conrad explained. "She'll swim and hang out with us during the day sometimes, but at night it's really just the guys and you. Tonight she's going with my mom and Laurel to the bookstore, to make sure everything's ready for Laurel's book signing tomorrow night."

"That's so cool," Sam said excitedly, already thinking about the event taking place at Whale of a Tale the next evening. "I can't wait."

"You say that now." Steven said. "But just wait until you're sitting at the bookstore for four hours while she signs books with no end in sight."

"That sounds kind of awesome, actually." Sam pointed out with a shrug.

"I think you've met your match, Steven," Jeremiah added with a smirk, his gaze finding Sam in the rear view mirror. "As long as there's a book in sight, Sam can keep busy for hours."

Sam looked out the window as Jeremiah pulled into the parking lot for the beach, the sun having sunk over the horizon and the only source of light in the night that of the roaring bonfire on the sand. Throughout the beach mingled dozens of teenagers scattered in groups, most of which held a red plastic cup in hand as they danced to the pop music blaring from the speakers.

"Sammie, welcome to Cousins," Conrad announced as they piled out of the car, already making a path towards the center of the party.

In the light of the bonfire, Sam could just make out a few of the unfamiliar faces surrounding her, though most of them cheered at the sight of the Fisher boys, with Steven even greeting quite a few he knew from summers past. At this, Sam took her leave over to the table filled with drinks, and a few boys manning a keg nearby.

"One for the lady?" the boy closest to her asked, gesturing towards the keg, and Sam nodded as he grabbed an empty cup.

"Sure, yeah," Sam said, nodding as the boy next to him filled up the cup and passed it back to her. "Thanks,"

Sam took a sip of the beer that filled her cup as she wandered back towards the snacks, looking up to see where the boys had gone off to. While Jeremiah had wasted no time in talking to a few girls Sam didn't recognize, Conrad still stood near Steven, but Sam followed his gaze to where a group of girls were gathered, and she recognized Kinsley as the redheaded waitress from the night before.

"Are you new here?" a voice spoke up from Sam's left, and she looked over to see a boy around her age standing near the food, watching her with a curious expression.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked, and the brunette boy chuckled.

"Maybe a little," he said. "I grew up here, but I don't think I've ever seen you before." his gaze moved briefly over to Conrad and Steven before looking back at Sam. "Are you here with Conrad Fisher?"

"Yeah," she said, noticing a shift in his expression that Sam couldn't quite discern. "Well, not like with him, with him. He's a friend from back home, and I'm spending the summer with them."

"That's a relief," he sighed, chuckling. "My best friend dragged me here tonight asking if I'd play wingman for her with Conrad, and I don't know if I had the heart to tell her he brought a date." he pointed back in the direction of the group of girls. "She's the redhead on the right, Kinsley Harper."

"No shit," Sam's jaw dropped. "Conrad dragged me here tonight begging me to play wingman so he could talk to Kinsley." she reached her cup forward, clinking it against his. "We're officially in this together. Cheers,"

"Cheers," he agreed, taking a sip of his drink before extending a hand to Sam. "I'm Calvin,"

"Sam," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

Sam and Calvin both looked back at Conrad as he shook his arms out, no doubt trying to hype himself up in preparation to talk to Kinsley, and he looked back over, catching sight of Sam standing next to someone who was very much not the group of girls over by the water. Conrad turned and started walking in their direction, jerking his head back towards the group of girls, and Sam walked over to meet him with Calvin hot on her heels.

"What are you doing?" Conrad whisper yelled.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"You're supposed to be talking me up to Kinsley." he reminded her.

"I had to get a drink first," she said with a shrug. "I couldn't just go right in and start talking about you, that'd be weird."

"It would?" he asked, his shoulders slumping nervously.

"And get this," she said, gesturing back to Calvin and slinging an arm around the wingman's shoulders. "I met Calvin here, who Kinsley brought along tonight specifically so he could hype her up to you. Your wingman found her wingman."

"Hold on," he said. "So you're saying that she-"

"Is already waiting for you to go talk to her?" Calvin finished for him, nodding, and the three of them looked over to see Kinsley's gaze trained on them, but as their eyes met hers, she quickly looked away, back towards the beach.

"This is your chance, Connie," Sam said, starting to push him away from them and towards where Kinsley still stood with the other girls. "Go,"

"Wait, wait, wait, I need this," Conrad said, grabbing the red plastic cup from Sam's hands and proceeding to chug half of it before giving it back to her. "Thanks guys,"

Sam watched with a proud yet slightly concerned smile as Conrad found his footing with the small amount of liquid courage, making his way over to the group of girls. She and Calvin both watched with bated breath as Conrad began to speak, and they watched as Kinsley nodded before following him away from the rest of her friends.

"Yes!" they cheered in a whisper, careful not to attract the attention of others as they high-fived, clinking their drinks together again.

"I believe our work here is done."