Natasha Conklin was a teenage prodigy. She woke up with the sun, taking a cold shower to wash away the curses of the night before. Hell, the entire day, because Natasha Conklin had no plans of remembering her sour encounter with Conrad Fisher. And the beach-kissed sunlight flooding into her guest room at Susannah's beach house made her feel whole, the brunette forgetting everything about the foul past days, no sight of a gloom setting atop her. And light music rang through her headphones as the girl walked downstairs, clad in a pair of denim shorts and a dark green tank top she had purchased at her downtown Brandy Melville. Gold necklaces hung around her neck, her fingers adorned in gold rings to match, and a multitude of bracelets were wrapped around her wrists. Belly and Jeremiah were sitting in the kitchen, Belly shoving spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth.

          "Oh, hey. Do you wanna go on a muffin run with us?" Jeremiah asked and Tasha could sense Belly freeze up. Tasha nodded gleefully, walking towards the sink to fill up her Hydro Flask with cold water. "I'm always down for a muffin run, come on Jeremiah, you know you don't even have to ask," Tasha laughed.

          "Alright, do you mind grabbing the keys from Conrad's room? He's not home because he spent the night at Nicole's. They should be in his desk." Tasha screwed the lid back on her flask and nodded once again, rushing back up the stairs to Conrad's room. She rummaged around his desk, opening the top drawer to find a small jewelry box. Curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, ever so delicately, to find the most alluring necklace, one with an infinity charm dangling from it. And Natasha's mind began to wander because Conrad Fisher couldn't just have an infinity necklace in his drawer just for the fucks. Then it dawned on her, in the most jaw dropping way, that this was Tasha's birthday gift, the one Conrad had "forgot to buy". She scoffed, closing the jewelry box and grabbing the keys that sat next to it, closing the desk drawer before exiting the boy's room. And she wondered if Conrad knew that she would've traveled endlessly around those curves, just for him.

          "You good?" Jeremiah looked at Tasha's face as she came back down the stairs, grabbing her Hydro Flask from the counter and walking towards the door where Jeremiah was putting on his shoes.

          "I just ..." Tasha paused, unsure of whether or not she should confess her confusion about Conrad to his brother. Eventually, she gave in, desperate to explain to someone exactly how the boy was making her feel. "I just don't get Conrad this summer." Jeremiah looked at her perplexed, yet, a sense of understanding washed over his face as he remembered the events of the previous day. "Why? Is it because he forgot your birthday?"

          "No. It's because he's been acting weird since the first day I got here. We usually tell each other everything but he's been a little distant. We even fought the other night when you guys crashed my date. We haven't spoken since then." Tasha bent forward, slipping on her shoes and following Jeremiah out the front door as he gave her a sympathetic look. "Yeah, trust me, he's been weird for months. Sucks that you guys fought, though." He laughed slightly. "I don't think I ever apologized about that. I'm sorry." They walked to the car, Jere walking around to sit in the driver's seat, Belly in the passengers, and Tasha in the back. "Just forget about him. He needs some time to figure out his shit, I guess."

          "Forget about who? Miles?" Belly inquired about the conversation they were having, turning around to face Natasha, but she was met with a cold look and she shut up, looking down at her phone.

         Most of the drive was spent in silence, Belly and Jere exchanged small conversations while Natasha sat in the back, going back and forth between looking down at her phone and out the window. The palm trees of Cousins shaded the road slightly from the roaring summer heat, their copious leaves fanning in the light breeze. Tasha watched as kiosks and small stands that fruit vendors put up at dawn every morning rolled past the window, melting into the scenery as the car drove past. And there was a little angel watching over her, watching as she scrolled through her Instagram feed, staring at girls her age and daydreaming about all the lives she was not living. Maybe it was midmorning blues, reminiscing on the sorrow filled previous days.

          Belly was the one to get out of the car and grab muffins from the store. Jeremiah broke the silence in the car, making Tasha look up from her phone. "I'm happy you invited Miles last night. He's really cool. Have you asked him to the deb ball yet?" Tasha was caught by surprise at his sudden raise of voice, taking time to process all of what he had just said.

          "No." A pause. "Do you think I should?" She turned to Jeremiah and was faced with an enthusiastic nodding of his head. But, he stopped shortly, realizing something.

          "Wait. Didn't Conrad say that he would take you to the deb ball? That one day when Mom asked. I swear I remember him saying yes. He would say yes to anything you asked him to do, to be completely honest."

          Natasha had completely forgotten about the fact that Conrad was supposed to take her to the ball. After their falling out, they hadn't spoken a single word to one another, and she wasn't really sure Conrad would want to take her anymore. Jeremiah continued talking, bringing Tasha out of her thoughts. "I know you guys are fighting, but have you talked to Conrad about whether or not he's still down to going to the deb with you? It's not really too late to just forgive and make up, you know? Plus I highly doubt he has a second option even if he doesn't want to take you anymore."

          Tasha shrugged, unsure. "Well, there's a girl, Nicole. She really likes Conrad. And if he's not into her then that's just messed up." Natasha contemplated telling Jeremiah about Belly's love for Conrad. "Also, I don't know if you know this but Belly is totally head-over-heels in love with Conrad, too. So, my chances of taking him to the ball are slim to none. It's fine though, I have Miles. I could just ask him like you were suggesting."

          Tasha sensed Jeremiah freeze in his seat, his hands slowly dropping from the steering wheel to lay in his lap, his eyes wandering down to the dashboard of the car and then to Belly, who was exiting the shop. It was obvious to Tasha that Jere had feelings for Belly, and maybe it wasn't the best idea for her to have told Jere about it. But something about the way a wave of hurt washed over Jere's eyes satisfied her. And Natasha couldn't explain why. If anything she would want to see Conrad hurt, right?

          "Alright. So, I got muffins for Jere and I and a bagel for you, Tasha. I didn't ask for cream cheese because I'm pretty sure I saw some in the fridge back at the house." Belly climbed back into the driver's seat, holding the paper bag in her lap as the tension in the car slowly diffused. Jere started the car, hesitantly looking at Belly before backing out of the parking space they were occupying and driving back home. An awkward silence filled the car, and Tasha almost regretted telling Jere about Belly and Conrad. But, knowing Jeremiah Fisher, she knew he wouldn't let his older brother take Belly away from him, and a sense of reassurance hung above her as she watched the scenery roll by the window once again.

          Jere pulled into the driveway after an unusually long car ride, and the three got out of the car, walking back towards the house. Belly left again with Taylor and Laurel, and Tasha assumed they were leaving to take Taylor to the bus stop. They returned shortly after, and Tasha could hear a faint chatter coming from the backyard, Steven and Belly conversing.

          "What, did Taylor leave?" Tasha watched as Steven looked up from his phone, Belly standing next to the beach chair he was laying on.

          "Why? Do you want to go make out with her some more." And Natasha froze, realization washing over her. Belly found Taylor and Steven making out at Nicole's party. She let out a chuckle and walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge to find the Mickey Mouse pancakes she hadn't eaten the day before. She set them on the table, grabbing maple syrup and pouring a little bit on top. She took a candle that was sitting on the kitchen counter and stuck it on top of the pancakes.

          Every year, Natasha Conklin had wished for the same thing for her birthday without a fault. Time and time again, it never came true. Year after year, she waited patiently for the moment it would be granted. And maybe this year, Tasha had the power to make it come true. 

          That is, as long as Conrad Fisher was still her wish.