BACK TO YOU

three. bonfire

▬▬ IT WAS A WELL KNOWN FACT that Lennox St. James loved a good party, especially one on a hot summer night. It was also well known that she hated getting ready for one just as much.

There was too much to do: her outfit, her hair, her makeup — if she chose to wear any. And there was also the fact that Conrad would be there. Probably with Nicole. The only reason she knew that was because Jeremiah had told her just a few days before, it was nothing more than him stating what he had overheard. But Lennox was hurt by the news.

But she was determined to enjoy her summer, as she did every year… or at the very least pretend she did.

The girl hummed a little, standing by her bed, her duffle open, in nothing but her mismatched bra and underwear as Steven’s voice filtered in from the bathroom. He loved singing in the shower and he didn’t have a bad voice either. Her smile only grew when she heard Jeremiah join in with the boy.

Looking back at the mess of clothes on her bed she groaned before digging through them to find something half decent to wear — it was the first party of the summer and she knew it would most likely set the tone for the rest of the summer. She haphazardly grabbed a black crop top and a pair of blue jean cut-offs — that she had made herself when her favorite jeans ripped.

She pulled her clothes on then grabbed her converse from under her bed and tied them to her feet. When she stood up again she turned towards the mirror and looked herself over, her head tilted slightly as she pulled her hair — which Jeremiah had straightened earlier that night — over her shoulder. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy but she thought she looked good. With a soft smile at her reflection she grabbed her phone and shoved it into her back pocket before she made her way down the hall and down the stairs.

“Bye,” she waved as she stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, her hand raised in a small wave as Laurel and Susannah looked her way. “Have a good movie night.”

“You sure we can’t persuade you to stay.” Laurel asked, a small smile on her face — it had been two years since Lennox asked if she could opt out for the first night movie night. It wasn’t that she didn’t like spending time with them or that she didn’t like the movies, she did. She just also really liked parties and she felt like she needed to let loose instead of staying cooped up in the house like she usually had been.

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head a little. “Besides, I promised Jere I’d go and he’s sensitive.” She joked, getting a chuckle from Susannah. “But maybe we could do one later this week. Um, I haven’t seen Casablanca in a while and it would be nice to watch it with you guys again.”

“Of course, Angel.” Susannah gave her a smile and the teenager couldn’t help it when her smile grew even wider. The nickname had always warmed her heart.

“Well, I should go,” she pointed towards the door and the two moms waved as she turned and made her way outside.

“Damn,” she chuckled as she looked up and saw the wide grin on Jeremiah’s face. “-so you meant actual trouble?” He asked as he made his way towards her, his hands wrapping around hers before holding her arms out, admiring what she wore.

“Obviously,” she nodded, her smile wide and he cheered, making her laugh but it faded when her eyes drifted towards Conrad. He sat on the edge of the pool, his feet in the water and a joint between his lips. And his eyes were on them.

“Are you guys hooking up or something?” Steven asked, his eyebrows pinched as he looked at the two and they both turned towards him. Each had a look of disbelief on their face. And Conrad shifted uncomfortably but he couldn’t look away from the brunette that still stood next to his brother.

He needed to know the answer. Even if the answer ripped him to pieces.

“Yeah,” Belly piped in, her arms crossed on the edge of the pool as she looked up at them. “You guys seem super touchy-feely, more than usual.”

“First of all, gross. No offense, Jere. “

Conrad visibly relaxed, but not much. And his eyes stayed trained on the girl.

“None taken.”

“Second of all, we’re always like this. And I’ve had a shitty couple of months and Jere makes me feel less… shittty.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” Steven stepped closer to them. “What happened?”

“Doesn’t matter. What does matter is this party. I need a drink.” Lennox clapped her hands together, smiling at the two boys and Jeremiah wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Then let’s go.” He gave her a wide smile, his blue eyes on her brown ones.

“Okay.” Steven nodded before turning towards Conrad, who still sat unmoving. “Come on, man. You ready?” He asked, getting a simple nod from the boy before putting out his joint and pushing himself up.

“Can I come too?” Belly asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

“Uh, no.” Steven told her, groaning a little when Lennox reached up and smacked the back of his head. “Ow.”

“Don’t be a dick.”

“The moms are getting everything ready for your movie night.” Jeremiah told her as Lennox and Steven started roughhousing, both laughing as they shoved eachother then Lennox punched the boy in the shoulder. “All right, to the car.” Jeremiah waved them forward.

“Later, Bells.” Lennox waved as she and the boys walked towards the arch way that led to the front yard. Conrad followed behind the other three, his eyes on the girl as she ran and jumped on Steven’s back, making the boy stumble forward and little.

He felt bad because he knew he was the reason she’d had a shitty couple of months and even if it hurt that Jeremiah was the reason she felt less shitty, he was glad that she was able to smile like she had before. He had always loved her smile. Even if he wasn’t the reason for it anymore.

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ FIVE...OR MAYBE SIX, drinks in and Lennox was feeling pretty good. She wore a smile as she and Jeremiah joked around, mostly about how Steven had been glued to Shayla, a girl he had met, all night. But the second she caught just a glimpse of Conrad and Nicole, her smile was wiped away.

"Hey, Jere," she hummed and he looked over at her, just barely able to make out the frown pulling her lips down a little. “-is there something wrong with me?"

"What?" His eyebrows pinched, shocked by the question.

"Is there-"

"I heard you, I'm just confused." He told her before she could repeat it. "And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're perfect." He put his hand on her cheek and she gave him a wide, drunk smile. "Why'd you ask?"

"No reason, really." She shrugged, taking a sip of her beer. "Just curious." She mumbled, but her eyes drifted from the boy to his brother who sat in the sand, his lips locked with Nicole's.

Her stomach twisted, an ache forming in her chest as the darkness seeped from its corners. But she was determined to push it away. She took a deep breath and downed the rest of what was in her bottle, getting a wide-eyed look from her best friend.

"Len-"

"I need another," she pushed herself up and stumbled across the sand to the cooler full of beer bottles and she grabbed one, a smile pulling at her lips. She could already feel the buzz taking over her entire body and the numbness that followed, the numbness she longed for. But her smile faded when a hand landed on top of hers.

She looked over her shoulder to see a boy next to her. He had a hat on his head, pushing his blonde locks back and a pair of headphones rested on his shoulders as a smirk played on his lips, "I think you grabbed my beer."

"No, this is my beer," she tugged on the bottle as they stood up, her having to title her head back a little to meet his eyes. They were a beautiful blue color, even in the glow of the fire.

"And why should I let you have it?" He titled his head to the side, clearly amused and she batted her eyelashes as an innocent smile pulled at her lips.

"Because I asked nicely," she copied his head tilt and his smile grew as he handed it over.

"I'm Nate," he held his hand out.

"Lennox." She shook his hand, her eyes darting around for a moment and she caught the gaze of Conrad. She wasn't sure if she was imagining things – which wasn't far fetched, she was on the verge of being wasted – but he looked pissed as he watched them.

And he was, his hand clenched into fists against the blanket he sat on. His eyes were narrowed, his brows pinched and his breaths sharp… all of this not going unnoticed by the girl that sat next to him.

Lennox shook the thought and looked up at the boy before her. "Wanna share?" She raised the bottle a little.

"Yeah,” he nodded, then they sat a couple feet from the fire, passing the beer back and forth as they talked.

"What?" She laughed, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, I mean, he had it coming. He groped my sister." He shrugged, holding his hand out towards her and pointing at his knuckle. "I still have the scar." There was white line that ran across two of his knuckles and she took his hand in hers, tracing her thumb over the scar. Which he had received from decking a guy with an eyebrow ring.

"You have big hands," she mumbled as she used her hand to straighten his fingers then she pressed her palm against his – her hand was noticeably smaller.

"You have small baby hands." He fired back and she laughed, shaking her head a little then she looked around and her smile faded as her eyebrows pinched. "What?"

"Is that Belly?"

"Who?" He asked, clearly confused as the girl pushed herself up and stumbled her way over towards the girl, who stood alone. He followed for no other reason than to make sure she didn't fall into the fire.

"Bell?"

"Hey, Len," she smiled, relieved to see a familiar face.

"Nice dress."

"It's Taylor's."

"That makes more sense," she nodded, a small chuckle behind her words. "So, you ditched movie night, huh? Ballsy."

"Yeah, I did." She nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears and Nate walked up behind Lennox, his hands on her waist. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. "And you're busy."

"Kinda." She nodded. "Bell, this is Nate. Nate, this is Belly. My little sister." 

"Nice to meet you," he grinned, extending his hand and she shook it.

"You too." She nodded before looking over at Lennox. 'He's cute.' She mouthed and Lennox grinned.

'I know.' She mouthed back, giggling a little, unaware of the eyes that lingered on her and her new friend.

"You realize I can see both of you, right?"

"No, you can't. It's dark." Lennox turned and reached up to cover his eyes with her hands. "See?" She stumbled a little as she stretched up onto her toes and his hands landed on her waist to keep her steady.

"Actually, I can't 'cause it's dark." He told her and she laughed, dropping her hands to his biceps. It wasn't all that funny, but she was drunk… really drunk.

"Well, I'll let you two continue whatever this is." Belly chuckled as she walked away.

"If you need me, I'll be around!" Lennox called out and Belly gave her a thumbs up then Lennox looked up at the boy she held onto. "What should we do now?" She asked and he grinned, leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss. At first, she was taken by surprise, but she easily fell into rhythm with him as her fingers laced together at the base of his neck and he pulled her closer to him.

She was breathless when he pulled back, her eyes slightly wide but a smile played on her lips. "I've wanted to do that all night." He told her, brushing her hair back and she grinned up at him.

Conrad had seen the kiss. He didn't want to see her kiss another guy, but he knew it was his fault. So he forced himself to watch, no matter how much it killed him. And Nicole just watched as he watched them before shaking her head a little.

"Seriously, Nate." The two turned, the brunette slightly confused but the boy let out a huff of annoyance as a girl approached them. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a rather annoyed look on his face with a blue bucket hat on her head.

"Lennox, this is Callie, my sister. Callie, this is Lennox." He introduced the two. "Don't be a pest."

"Be nice," Lennox elbowed his side and he groaned a little. "Hi," she extended her hand out and the girl shook it. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Callie smiled at the girl before looking at Nate. "How much longer do we have to stay?"

"The party just started."

"I wanna go home. Please."

"Take her home." Lennox patted his arm, giving him a smile.

"Okay." He nodded his head, though he couldn't stop the sigh that left his lips as he turned to Lennox. "Can we do this again, maybe?"

"Yeah." She hummed and he smiled wide as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Go." She pushed him a little and he smiled as he took a step back.

"See you later." He winked and the brunette wiggled her fingers as a goodbye then he and his sister made their way down the beach leaving Lennox alone. She let out a small sigh then turned to grab another beer before she planted herself in the sand and laid down, her ankles crossed and her arm behind her head as a pillow as she watched the stars.

But her stargazing came to a screeching halt when she heard a commotion. She sat up and turned, letting out a huff when she saw Conrad in a fight with another guy.

She pushed herself up but Belly beat her to them and when she tried to break them up, an elbow caught her in the eye.

"Hey, asshole!" Lennox grabbed the guy and turned him around, her fist hitting his jaw and he hit the sand. "Don't fucking hit my sister!” She moved forward to kick the guy, but Jeremiah quickly pulled her back.

"Lenny, stop." He warned as she tried to get out of his grip. "Breathe." She inhaled but before she could exhale, a siren went off and everyone scattered.

Once they made it to the jeep, Jeremiah ushered the two drunk teenagers into the backseat, both groaning in protest.

"Watch your head. Legs, legs." Jeremiah mumbled, helping his older brother into the car next to Lennox.

"Yes. I know how to get into a car." Conrad mumbled, leaning to the side before he slid down and laid his head in Lennox's lap, which surprised the girl.

"Belly, let's go. Get in." Jeremiah told her as he got into the driver's seat – the girl stood outside the car with a boy she had met.

"Cam can give me a ride home. Right, Cam?" She looked up at the boy.

In the backseat Lennox let her hand rest against Conrad's shoulder and he shifted a little as he reached for it. His fingers curled around hers and he tugged her hand a little so it was closer to his chest as he wrapped his arm around her forearm.

"Yes, that's no problem." Cam nodded.

"No, you're not gonna get in a car with a guy you just met."

"Who the fuck is Cam?" Lennox muttered.

"I'm Cam. Cameron." He leaned in through the window just a bit, his hand extended towards the boy in the driver's seat only to be ignored.

"Your name is Cam Cameron?" He asked and Lennox giggled to herself, letting her eyes fall closed as she let her head rest against the window.

"No, it's ju-just Cam." He told him. "But we actually, we know each other. Seventh grade, Latin convention. So, like, we're not total strangers."

"Okay. No offense, but no. Belly get in the car."

"Please, Belly," Lennox mumbled, her eyes still closed and Conrad hugged her hand closer to his chest – it almost felt like before except for the fact that they were both drunk off their asses.

Belly eventually got into the car, only after giving Cam Cameron a quick kiss and once she was buckled up Jeremiah started the car and pulled forward, only to hit the brakes. "Fuck! Steven! Watch these two. I'll be right back." He rushed out before he jumped out of the jeep in search of his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Lenny." Conrad mumbled and Belly glanced in the rearview mirror at the two. They had always been close, they had always been a little attached at the hip. So seeing them in such a state wasn't that big of a shock, even if it did hurt a little, so she looked out the window instead.

"I know, Connie." She hummed, barely audible as her hand tightened around his and he did the same. He turned his head to the side and lightly pressed a kiss to the top of her thigh, just below the hem of her shorts.

Then a knock on the window made the three jump slightly as they looked over to see a police officer outside the car.

"Have you kids been drinking?"

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ LENNOX HAD HER EYES closed as she leaned against Jeremiah, her forehead against his chest as they all stood in the foyer, Laurel in front of them with a harsh mom glare. The boy gently rubbed Lennox's back and she groaned a little, shuffling closer to him, her hands fisted around his shirt. Her head was pounding and she just wanted it to stop.

Needless to say, her buzz had worn off and all she felt was an overpowering headache and the grips of heartache slithering around her.

Conrad couldn't keep his eyes off of them even as a pain tugged at his chest and his stomach churned. Even after hearing that they weren't hooking up, seeing them so close made him feel weird, it made his chest hurt. It made him regret ever breaking up with the girl, but that was in the past and he couldn't change that now.

Even if he so desperately wished to and if her making out with a stranger on the beach was any indication, he knew that it probably wouldn’t even matter.

“How could you guys be so irresponsible?”

“Mom, it wasn't a big deal. All right. Seriously, the cops were just looking to break up the bonfire.” Steven stepped forward, moving closer to his mom.

“Not a big deal?”

“Yes.”

“I would say getting picked up by the cops for underage drinking is a pretty big deal, Steven.” Laurel scolded and Lennox groaned a little, her head was pounding. Steven took a breath then scoffed, looking up at his mom again.

“Were-were you guys, you guys smoking tonight?”

“What?” She questioned, shifting on her feet, she had been caught. “Keep your voice down. Susannah’s asleep on the couch.”

“I wasn’t yelling. You-you were.” He stuttered a little.

“Just so you know, Laurel, I-I didn’t drink tonight. I was the dd, I swear.” Jeremiah spoke up, still rubbing Lennox’s back. She looked at him then at the girl that was leaning against him before she looked over at Conrad, who sat on the little bench.

“You’re the oldest. What the hell’s gotten into you?” She asked before looking up at her daughter. “And when did you leave the house without telling anybody? And what in the world are you wearing?”

“It’s Taylor’s.” She mumbled, wrapping the hoodie she wore around herself. “And why am I the only one who’s not allowed to go out?”

“It’s not that you’re not allowed. It’s that you should’ve told us you were going.” Laurel told her. “How did you even get there?”

“I walked.”

“Jesus. You know better than to walk that far down that beach alone late at night.”

“Can you stop treating me like a kid?” Belly huffed.

“If you wanna be treated like an adult, you need to act like one.”

“Then maybe you guys should, too.” Conrad told her and she looked at him for a moment, a little taken aback.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked but he just looked away, his eyes once again landing on the girl that clung to his brother. “I hope you guys realize this night could’ve ended a lot differently if your family wasn’t your family.”

“We’re sorry, Laur.” Jeremiah told her and Lennox nodded her head against his chest, mumbling incoherently in agreement.

“Just. . . go to bed, guys.” She told them and they all started to move, Lennox groaning in protest when Jeremiah turned her and gently pushed her forward. “And I’m calling your dad, Lennox.”

“Like he’ll care.” She muttered, leaning against her best friend. “Jere, I can’t walk. I forgot how.” She pouted and he gave her a small smile before he bent down and scooped her up – one arm under her knees and the other around her back. “Thank you.” She mumbled, resting her forehead against his temple as she let her eyes fall closed.

A few hours later, Lennox groaned as she sat up in bed, her head was pounding and her body screamed for her to lay down but she always watched the sunrise. No matter what she had done the night before.

She changed out of her clothes, which she hadn’t managed to do after Jeremiah had carried her up to her room. She pulled on a hoodie she was sure had been Conrad’s at some point then she pulled on a pair of cotton shorts before she made her way through the house and out towards the beach.

Her steps faltered a little bit when she saw Conrad sitting in the sand but she took a breath and made her way over to him and sat next to him.

“Hey.” She greeted and he looked over at her, a little surprised she had joined him.

“Hey. Still never miss a sunrise?” He asked and she shook her head, her eyes on the horizon as the sun started to rise. “Is Belly okay?”

“Yeah. She actually had a great time, even if she did get elbowed in the face.”

“You didn’t have to jump in.”

“He hit Belly, accident or not, there’s no way I wasn’t gonna kick his ass.” She told him and he smiled a little, his eyes on the side of her face until he turned and pulled the joint from his ear. He put it between his lips and tried to light it only to have Lennox take it from him.

“Len.”

“It’s a disgusting habit.”

“Give it back.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “You should quit, you seem pretty good at that lately.”

"What will you give me if I do?" He asked, his head tilted slightly. Her cheeks flushed and she closed her eyes as she took a breath, but she didn't answer. “Why should I?”

“Because it messes with people’s heads. Fucks ‘em up. I don't want that for you."

“Okay.” He nodded.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay."