02| FIRST DINNER

[ Chapter Two ]

❝I already did that when you threw me in the pool not even an hour ago.❞

[Summer House]

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Belly and Samantha were dripping water all over the floor as they made their way into the house. Samantha parted ways from Belly, leaving her in the kitchen as she headed upstairs to her room to find a towel.

Her room hadn't changed a bit since the previous summer, except for the fresh linens on the bed and her bags from the car resting on the floor by her bed.

All of their rooms in the summer house had been made specifically for them, down to the paint color on the walls. Samantha's room was painted a light pink with white flowers. There were paintings and posters all over the walls except for the area that held the mirror which had polaroids taped up around it. The polaroids were mostly of summer memories, but there were a few of her life back home. Samantha reached up and pulled two off the wall that were of her and Conrad last summer when they were dating, One of her kissing his cheek with him grinning at the camera and the other with him giving her a piggyback ride on the beach. It was hard to believe now that they had been that happy.

Samantha shoved the two photos into a drawer underneath a couple sweatshirts before she did something stupid like start crying.

Her eyes travelled to the bed which was covered by a white bedspread with pink flowers, that matched her walls. There were four pillows on the bed, two decorative and in the middle were two stuffed animals. One was a brown bear that she'd had since she was little and another was a cat that Conrad had won for her at a carnival several years ago. She'd named it Mittens. She'd been so happy that he'd been paying her so much attention.

Samantha sighed as she pulled one of her bags onto her bed and started to put her clothes onto her bed to organize and put away but Jeremiah knocked on her open door before sticking his head in. "Sam?"

"Yeah?" Samantha looked up from her bag.

Jeremiah pushed the door further open before sitting down on her bed, "Do you want to go swim in the ocean?"

Samantha raised an eyebrow at him and gestured to her bed.

"You can unpack later." Jeremiah said, looking at her room, "Wow it's like you never left."

"Yeah except a lot cleaner." Samantha laughed.

"That's true." Jeremiah laughed, "So, what about swimming?"

"I already did that when you threw me in the pool not even an hour ago." Samantha said.

"Okay we're sorry about that." Jeremiah held up his hands in defense.

"Sure you are." Samantha rolled her eyes, "But it's still a no. Maybe ask Belly?"

"Fine, fine." Jeremiah said, "Have fun unpacking."

"I won't." Samantha called after his retreating form.

Samantha stuck her earbuds in her ears and got to unpacking, letting the music wash over her.

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First night dinners at the Fisher's summer house were often an extravagant affair, complete with a dining table big enough to seat every one of them, even the husbands if they had been there. Samantha and Belly were seated on one side of the table with Laurel while Luke, Jeremiah, Steven and Anna were seated on the other. Conrad was at the end of the table with Samantha the closest to him and Susannah was at the other end.

Samantha hadn't wanted to sit near Conrad but that was basically her designated spot for awhile so there she stayed.

Steven, Jeremiah and Luke were laughing over something on Steven's phone and everyone else was looking at them with visible annoyance.

"Steven, I swear to God, if you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket." Laurel said to her eldest son.

Samantha raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything, her phone was face down on the table next to hers but she wasn't using it and everyone else's phones were either sitting face down beside them or nowhere in sight.

"It's just we want to see your beautiful faces. Can dinner be a screen free zone?" Susannah asked, looking at all of them in turn, "You know, like the olden days."

"Steven!" Jeremiah grabbed Steven's phone when Steven showed no sign of putting it down, and threw it across the room where it landed safely on a chair.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Steven asked with annoyance.

"Boom! Nailed it." Jeremiah grinned.

"Nice!" Samantha grinned holding up her hand for a high-five which he gave her.

"Okay okay we get it, you've been working out." Steven rolled his eyes.

"Someone's jealous." Luke said with a sly smile.

"Oh, you're just jealous that Jere has a better body than you." Belly teased her brother.

"Uh no, actually it's all about the lean look now. Otherwise you can't wear tailored suits." Steven defended himself to his sister.

"Oh please." Samantha rolled her eyes.

"Tailored suits." Conrad laughed and Samantha's eyes shot over to him of their own accord.

"So, when are you leaving for training camp, man?" Steven asked Conrad.

Conrad was quiet as he looked at the rest of the table.

"Uh he quit football." Jeremiah answered.

"What?" Samantha's eyes widened.

"Wait really?" Luke asked.

"You quit?" Steven asked.

"Mm-hm." Conrad nodded.

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

"He can always change his mind." Susannah said, looking at him as if she'd already had this conversation with him and was tired of it.

"I'm not going to change my mind." Conrad insisted, "I was just going to sit on the bench all season anyways."

Samantha didn't believe that for a second. She'd seen him play and he was good. There had to be something else going on. Maybe it was about his dad who Conrad had taken after in terms of football. Samantha would ask him if she could handle talking to him without getting angry.

"Well if you're not playing football anymore what are you going to do all summer?" Anna asked him.

Conrad shrugged as if he didn't care.

"Oh oh you can work at the club." Steven grinned, "Yeah with me, Luke and Jere."

"I'm not going to work at the club." Conrad shook his head.

Samantha turned to look at her brother, "You didn't say you were working at the club this summer."

"I told you I was working." Luke shot back.

"Yeah I didn't think it was at the country club though." Samantha turned her nose up at that. It wasn't that she hated the club, she just didn't like a lot of the people who went there who she thought were snobby and off putting.

"You guys are working this summer?" Belly looked confused

"Yeah I'm lifeguarding and Steven and Luke are working at the snack shop." The three guys gave each other fist bumps.

Belly and Samantha poked at their food then until Susannah jumped up from the table, "Oh Samantha, Belly, I almost forgot. I have something for you." She handed the two girls envelopes.

"So this is why you had to stop by the country club?" Laurel asked.

"I wrangled Belly and Samantha invitations to be debutantes." Susannah said, smiling.

"Is that the thing where girls wear white dresses and curtsey?" Belly asked, confused.

Samantha's stomach dropped as she opened the invitation and read it. She couldn't help but glance over at Conrad who was picking at the remains of his food, and avoiding eye contact with her. She knew he remembered breaking up with her and attending the ball with another girl the day after.

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

"I can not believe you are still holding on to that archaic dream." Laurel sounded annoyed and looked over at Anna to see if she was thinking the same.

Anna nodded, "I'm not sure if it's Samantha's thing."

Samantha nodded along with her mother. It wasn't that she was strictly opposed to the idea, it was more so that the whole thing reminded her of her failed relationship with Conrad and she didn't need that.

"It used to be about finding a husband but now it's about networking. They teach you leadership skills like how to market yourself, and it benefits charity. It's um like a bat mitzvah." Susannah said, taking a sip of her wine.

"It is not like a bat mitzvah." Laurel laughed.

"The whole deb scene is bullshit. It's for sheep." Conrad shot back, glancing at Samantha.

Now Samantha was almost willing to do it just to annoy Conrad.

"No it's not. It's a sign a girl's reached maturity." Susannah argued back at her son.

Luke and Steven burst out laughing.

"Sorry sorry, mature, Belly?" Steven asked, "A couple months ago you had a cat funeral. You made us all wear black."

"Shut up Steven, I heard you crying in your room." Belly shot back at her brother.

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

"Belly, Samantha. Don't you want to get all dressed up?" Susannah asked.

"I'll think about it." Belly said, looking around the table and nudged Samantha slightly with her foot.

"Yeah, I'll also think about it." Samantha nodded.

Conrad looked at her slightly but didn't say anything and just like that, the conversation was over.

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Word Count: 1637

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. 

(The gif at the top was made by me. Please do not steal it.)

What did you think? 

I love you all and will see you soon for chapter 3!

POSTED ON:

7. 20. 22