─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"I'll see you guys on Belly's birthday, okay?" Caroline said to her two daughters as she pulled out of the embrace. "Rory, baby. Please be good with Susannah... and please try to get involved with the rest of the kids, okay?" She requested.

Rory sighed, there it was.

"Mom, how come we stopped coming here every summer when I was 12?" She questioned.

Caroline visibly tensed at the query, there was the full truth and the half-truth. Seeing her husband's disapproval and her daughter's sad eyes, Caroline knew she wasn't ready to handle the full truth.

"Uh, Things started getting really heavy at work— we didn't have time to bring you all the way here. And you started Boarding School, remember?" She asked.

That wasn't a straightforward answer to her question, but Rory accepted it anyway. "Okay." She nodded with acknowledgement.

"Have a great time." Nate added, placing a kiss on his youngest's temple. "Make sure you stretch, okay? Challenge Connie to a couple of rounds, yeah?" He joked.

Rory grinned, nodding at his request. "Will do." She agreed. Marley waved at the two as they stepped out of the Fisher's house. "Safe journey guys! Love you." She called out.

"Love you too, Marles!" They both exclaimed, waving goodbye as they walked away to their car. Once they were inside, Marley shut the front door.

"Would you like to join us for brownies and a movie?" Marley asked her younger sister, leaning against the door. It's a first-night tradition."

It wasn't a tradition for her.

She shook her head. "No thanks. I think I'm meeting Cam at the beach later." She explained. She didn't mention exactly what they would be getting up to as she knew Marley wouldn't be too happy about a nighttime bonfire, but she didn't have to know all the details.

Marley tried to hide her disappointment at Rory's decline. She forced a tight lip smile, "Okay, have fun. Also, don't stay out too late, okay?"

Smiling, Rory nodded. "Okay, Mom 2.0." She joked. Marley gasped, "No, no. Don't start that, please. I'm only six years older." She groaned.

"Six years is a lot, Marles." Rory shrugged.

"I'm still young! You're just jealous because I can legally drink and you can't." Marley huffed. Rory scoffed, "Oh, yeah. That's it, you've really got me there." She nodded.

"You're such a loser, you know that?" Marley asked, wrapping her arm around Rory's next. "Let's go take a nap before dinner."

"I thought you'd never ask." Rory beamed, following her up the stairs. Marley frowned for a moment, "Wait... please don't snore." She begged.

"First of all, I don't snore." Rory sassed. Secondly, if I did snore, I don't think you telling me not to would stop me."

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

At dinner, Rory sat between Conrad and Jeremiah, leaning over to the older boy as she discussed the recent strategies she and her football team had been using. Laurel didn't have any issues with the two chatting amongst themselves, but Jeremiah and Steven loudly laughing at whatever Steven had on his phone was bothering her.

"Steven, I swear to God, if you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket." The woman threatened. Susannah nodded in agreement, "It's just, we want to see your beautiful faces. Can dinner be a screen-free zone?"

"Yeah, like the olden days." Marley chimed in. "You know, when your mother was your age, she didn't have a phone-" The girl began.

"Be quiet, Marley." Laurel quickly cut her off, making her laugh. Jeremiah noticed that Steven was no longer listening to her, "Steven." He hissed before swiftly snatching the device.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Steven exclaimed, watching as Jeremiah stood to his feet and tossed the phone into the screen basket. "Boom! Nailed it." Jeremiah exclaimed with pride.

"Okay, okay, okay, we get it, you've been working out." Steven scoffed, indirectly referring to the boy's muscular arms that could be seen in his white wife-beater.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you." Belly remarked. Steven wore a feigned look of offence on his face. "Uh, no, actually, it's all about the lean look now. Otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits."

"Sure, sure."

"Tailored suits." Conrad echoed, laughing to himself. Steven glanced over at the boy, "When are you leaving for training camp, man?" He questioned.

Rory winced at the question, it seemed like Conrad's decision wasn't known to everyone. Steven immediately noticed her expression, wondering what she knew that he didn't.

Jeremiah cleared his throat. "Uh, he quit football." He announced. Steven's jaw slacked at this new revelation. "Wh... Wait, really? You quit?" He stuttered.

"Mm-hmm." Conrad nodded as if it were no big deal.

"Are you kidding me, man?" Steven questioned. "I'd-I'd kill to play college ball."

"He can always change his mind." Susannah spoke up. Conrad shook his head, "I'm not gonna change my mind. I was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyways." He explained.

"Well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you gonna do all summer?" Laurel questioned. The two boys immediately perked up at the question, "Oh, dude, you can work at the club. Yeah, with me and Jere." Steven laughed

"I'm not gonna work at the club." He said.

Belly's face fell at this new revelation. "Wait, you guys are working this summer?" She asked them. Jeremiah nodded. "Yeah, I'm lifeguarding, and Steven's working at the snack shop."

"And it seems like I have another job on the line." Steven started, looking over to Rory with a cocky expression on his face. She was paying no mind to him, giggling and whispering with Conrad on the other side of the table. Marley caught Steven's eye, profusely shaking her head.

"Oh yeah?" Belly scoffed. "Which is what?" She challenged. Steven cleared his throat and finally, Rory looked up at him. "Uh... to be the best version of myself this summer." He quickly said.

"Well... that sounds stupid." Belly said. Marley glanced over to her sister, "What about you, Rory? Are you working this summer?" She asked.

Rory gave her a look. Marley already knew the answer to that question— she had been the one to get her the job. But Rory could tell that Marley was just attempting to get her involved with the group conversation. So, she slowly nodded. "Yeah, I already have a job." She said.

Laurel's eyes went wide. "You do?" She questioned. "Where do you work?"

"That Ice-cream Parlour at the club." She informed her. "I started last year. They just let me work whenever I'm back here."

"The club seems to be taking a lot of employees." Susannah joked, making the girl nod in agreement. "Oh, girls, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you." She announced, walking over to the drawer behind her. She picked up two envelopes and handed one to each of the girls.

Rory inspected the card, ignoring Conrad's scoff at the sight of it. If doing this would help her become closer to everyone else, then Rory thought it was a wonderful idea. As a bonus, she would be able to catch up on missed time with Susannah.

"So, this is why you had to stop by the country club." Laurel commented.

"What, uh, wh-wh-what is that?" Steven questioned, peering over the table at the envelopes.

"I wrangled these two an invitation to be a debutante." Susannah explained.

"Is that the thing where the girls wear white dresses and curtsy?" Belly questioned as Rory repeatedly skimmed over the invitation in silence.

"It's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society. I-I know it sounds silly, but I swear it's fun." Susannah continued, trying to convince the two. "Girls come from all over New England to Cousins just to be a part of it. You'll make so many new friends."

"I cannot believe you are still holding on to this archaic dream." Laurel laughed, standing up and moving over to the kitchen.

"No, it used to be about finding a husband, but now it's about networking." Susannah explained. "They teach you leadership skills, like how to market yourself, and it benefits charity. It's, um, like a bat mitzvah."

Laurel laughed at her comparison, returning with a bottle of wine. "It is not like a bat mitzvah. There is nothing religious about a debutante ball. Marley, would you like a glass?"

The woman smiled, lifting her glass and leaning over Belly, "I would love one." She nodded, watching as the rose drink poured into the glass.

"The whole deb scene is bullshit." Conrad spoke up, making Rory frown. "It's for sheep."

"Yeah." Jeremiah nodded in agreement. Susannah shook her head at her son's opinion. "No, it's not. It's when a girl has a coming out, it's a formal recognition she's reached maturity." She informed them.

The loud sound of Steven snorting made Rory's head snap over to look at him. "Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Mature?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Belly?"

"Mm-hmm."

"A-a couple months ago you had a cat funeral. You made us all wear black." The boy reminded his sister. Belly scowled at his words. "Shut up, Steven. I saw you crying in your room." She shot back.

"Wait, Mochi died?" Jeremiah frowned. "Dang. I'm sorry, Bells."

"Belly. Don't you want to get all dressed up?" Susannah questioned, attempting to convince her.

Laurel sighed, "It's just not Belly's kind of thing. She's our feral little alley cat."

"Alley cat." Jeremiah snickered. Belly frowned as the two boys laughed at her expense. "I'll think about it." She declared.

"She'll think about it," Susannah smiled with satisfaction. She then glanced over to the newly blonde girl. "What about you, Sleeping Beauty? You haven't said a word since I handed that to you, " she said.

All eyes on the table shifted to Rory, anticipating her decision. A part of Susannah knew that Rory would most likely decline— she was into football games, not debutante balls. Rory's gaze shifted to Marley, who gave her a reassuring nod.

A sigh escaped from her lips before the girl nodded. "Yeah, I'll do it." She nodded. Susannah squealed, jumping to her feet and rushing over to embrace the girl. Everyone at the table grinned as the woman began to litter kisses the top of Rory's head, squeezing her tight with happiness.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"I'm surprised you even came," Rory called out to him, the wind blowing back her long brown hair as she approached him. She had changed into some denim shorts and a light green sweatshirt, knowing that the vibe would be casual.

Cameron's jaw slightly slacked as he watched her step over to her. Rory had always been beautiful, but there was undoubtedly something different about her in this lighting. Something alluring.

Once she was stood right in front of him, Cam nodded. "Yeah. I'm surprised I came too. But, I couldn't leave you alone and defenceless." He shrugged.

"I would argue with that but I'm pretty sure that we both know this bonfire will be filled with Summer people, so you may be the only person I know." She sighed.

"Well, you look pretty. So, I'm sure plenty of people will be wanting to get to know you." Cam told her. Rory smiled at his words, "Thanks, Cam. I can always count on you to be my hype man." She joked.

"Always." He agreed, allowing her to wrap her arms around his waist and drag him over to the beach before he could change his mind.

"I'm a Deb this year, did you know that?" She questioned. Cam dramatically gasped, "You? Aurora Laurie Connelly? A Deb?" He asked.

Rory laughed, pinching him in the arm and ignoring his pained yelp. "Don't act so surprised. I'm doing it for Susannah." She said.

"Just for her?" Cam questioned as they made their way deeper into the beach. The two were greeted by a few of the partygoers as Rory pulled out a bottle of water from the cooler. They moved away from them after engaging in small talk, sitting away from the crowd.

"To answer your question... maybe there is a part of me that wants to dress up and look pretty." She said, shrugging.

Cam smiled, glad she could admit how she truly felt. He nudged her shoulder, "I knew it."

"Whatever." She laughed.

With one arm around the girl he had just met, Steven scanned the beach. When he saw Rory all cosied up with a guy away from everyone else, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Shalya Wang noticed his annoyance, glancing up at him. "You okay?" She asked. Steven nodded, ripping his eyes away from the two. "Yeah, come on." He said, leading her in the other direction.

Cam and Rory continued to have fun, catching up with each other as they played games in the sand. They were snapped out of their bubble due to the sound of laughing. They turned to see Belly lying face flat on the sand.

"She just ate it, dude." One of the boys close by chuckled. Rory winced with secondhand embarrassment as Belly scrambled to her feet. She glanced over to Cam, "Give me a minute." She said, pushing herself up and making her way over to them.

"I'm about to take her home." Steven told his best friend. Jeremiah's face fell, "What?" He asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, we're leaving. Are you kidding me?" He shot back.

"Okay, Steven, chill out." Jeremiah started.

"Hey, just cut her some slack." Rory said, trudging over to them. Steven seemed surprised, this was the most she had said to him all day. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "W-what?" He stuttered out.

"It's your first night here, is she not allowed to have fun?" Rory challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. Belly gazed at her with awe before mirroring her actions and turning to Steven. "Yeah. Am I not allowed to have fun, Steven?" She echoed.

"She won't drink, right?" Rory asked, glancing at Belly. The girl quickly shook her head. "Right— I don't drink." She confirmed.

"See. Just relax." Rory shrugged, "I'm sure..." She glanced behind Steven to look at the girl he was with. She waved, "Shayla." The girl introduced herself.

"I'm sure Shayla would rather you stay a little longer than have to go take Belly home." Rory concluded. Steven hesitated for a moment until he saw Jeremiah nodding with agreement. "Fine. Just stay right here and don't talk to anyone." He instructed.

"Okay. Alright, chill." Jeremiah laughed as the boy walked away. Belly scowled at his brother, lifting her middle fingers. "Fuck you!" She yelled.

"Wow. Listen, for one. I am really happy you're here." Jeremiah reassured her. Before Belly could speak, a group of girls yelled out from behind them.

"Rory! Jeremiah!" Georgia Boucheron  exclaimed, waving them over. Jeremiah glanced behind him, "Okay, we will be right back." He said, taking Rory by the hand and pulling her away.

"Rory!" The girls yelled once she was close enough. She recognised a few, as they were residents of Cousins, but some of them were summer visitors. Rory waved, "Hey guys, what's up?" She asked.

They filled each other in with things that had happened over the last couple of months, some of them mentioned how they were going to be Debs this year, but Rory didn't chime in as she was still overthinking it.

Once they had finished their conversation, Jeremiah pulled the girl some feet away from everyone else. "Didn't realise you were so loved around here." He joked.

"Jealous?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

Jeremiah pretended to think for a moment. "A little. But I get it. You're pretty—pretty cool." He shrugged.

She giggled, taking the last sip out of her water bottle. "You're laying it on thick tonight, Fisher." Rory hummed.

"Thick? I'm just speaking the truth," he replied, crossing his arms. His gaze lingered on her for a beat too long, his grin turning slightly more mischievous. "And maybe flirting a little."

Rory's eyes widened as she twisted the cap back onto the bottle. "Are you flirting with me?" She questioned.

Jeremiah didn't miss a beat. "Depends. Is it working?" He shot back.

Her laugh caught in her throat, her cheeks heating up despite herself. "You're ridiculous." She said, shaking her head.

"Ridiculously charming, you mean?"

His words made Rory laugh even harder. She was taking his words as satire, but there was a small part of her that believed he was being serious. "You might want to work on your delivery. You're not as smooth as you think." Rory informed him.

Jeremiah placed a hand over his heart, his expression mock-wounded. "Ouch. Tough crowd. How about I promise I'll work on my delivery, as long as you agree to accept it?"

She shook her head, "In your dreams, Jeremiah." Rory said. Before Jeremiah could come up with a quick response, the sound of grunting and yelling caught their attention. They turned to see Conrad loudly arguing and pushing a boy.

Belly attempted to break up the brawl, only to be accidentally knocked to the ground by the other guy. A gasp escaped Rory's lips and she immediately made her way over to them. Jeremiah went straight to his brother while Belly was comforted by Cam.

"Guys, cops!" Someone yelled.

"Let's out of here!"

Everyone around her immediately fled the scene, running in different directions. Rory quickly grabbed another water bottle before the cooler was hauled away, and rushed over to the nearest group she could find.

She blended in with them pretty easily, agreeing with how crazy it was that the police arrived. Rory followed them around the to side of the road before she decided it was best for her to leave. She waved them goodbye and searched for her friends.

Rory jogged over to the familiar red Jeep to see Cam and Belly standing outside the passenger's seat. "Hey, Cam. Don't worry about the ride home, I'll just go with these guys— I'm pretty sure Marley's still at their house anyway." She said to him.

Cam nodded, "Okay, that's cool. Get home safe, I'll see you later?" He asked. Rory smiled, "Yeah, you too." She said.

Jeremiah looked bewildered at their interaction, "Wait, you know him?" He asked. Rory turned to look at him through the open window. "Yeah, we've been friends for years. We spend Spring break with Marley and his mom." She explained.

Belly bit her lip back at her revelation. Just when she thought she had finally met someone for herself, Rory had already gotten to them first.

She leaned down, her head now through the window frame. "Can I get that ride?" Rory asked. Jeremiah nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, of course." He said.

Rory squealed, leaning back and squeezing her way in between Belly and Cam so she could open the door. She climbed into the car, buckling her seatbelt before slumping into her seat.

She scanned around the vehicle she was in, trying not to listen in to Belly and Cam's conversation. She eventually grew bored of this and turned to face them.

Her eyes went wide as she watched Belly lean in and place a short kiss on Cam's lips. She looked over at Jeremiah, who wore the same confused look on his face. Once they pulled away, the two exchanged goodbyes before Belly climbed into the backseat beside Conrad.

Cam reached into the open window and patted Rory's head as a goodbye. She smacked his arm away, making him laugh. "You've got to stop treating me like a dog." She groaned.

"Rory is a dog name." He reminded her, backing away slowly. She immediately flipped the bird at him, making his smile grow wider as he walked off.

Jeremiah started the engine and they didn't get too far before he remembered they were missing someone. He slammed on the breaks, making everyone jolt backwards. "Fuck, Steven!" He exclaimed.

The boy climbed out of the car, "Watch Conrad, I'll be right back." He said before rushing off. Rory pulled out her phone, texting Zane updates of her life.

There was no noise coming from Conrad and Belly for a while, before the boy finally spoke. "Your hair's like a little kid's, the way it's always so messy." He commented.

Rory's hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to suppress her laughter. But a little snort managed to escape her lips, which she tried to pass off as a sneeze.

"Belly—"

There was a knock on the window by Conrad, catching their attention. "Have you kids been drinking?" A police officer questioned.

Rory cringed, slumping back in her seat with defeat. Marley was not going to be happy.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
steven to rory: every breath you take, every move you make... i'll be watching you 👀👀
i want them to get back together NOW. but first we need mutual pining and a little fling with someone else ;)