JEREMIAH RUSHED INTO EVA'S ROOM AND JUMPED ON HER BED. She laughed, watching him.

"Well, hello, stranger." she said.

"Can we go for a swim?" the boy asked her.

"Now?" she answered sitting next to him on the bed.

"No, in three hours. Of course now!"

"I don't know, I'm actually tired, you know."

"Please! I was waiting to go to the ocean all day! I just want you to come with me! Pleaseeee." he said looking at her with a pleading look.

"Oh no. No. Don't look at me like that. You know I can't say no when you're doing that."

"Pleaseee." he said again with the same look.

"Oh fuck you. Okay. I'll come."

"Yes! I'll meet you outside, okay?" he exclaimed.

"Okay." she laughed.

"Thanks!" he said, quickly kissing her cheek before leaving.

      She smiled and grabber her bikini. When she was ready, she got out of her room and left the house. Jeremiah was waiting outside the entrance and smiled when he saw her.

"Ready?"

"I'm too lazy to walk." she told him.

"Got it." he rolled his eyes and leaned forward.

      She smiled and jumped on his back. He slid his hands under her thighs to keep her from slipping and set off. She slipped her arms around the young man's neck and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm very happy you're here." she told him.

"Oh yeah?" he smiled.

"Shut up. You know I am." she laughed.

"I'm kidding. I'm happy too."

      She kissed his shoulder and he smiled again. They arrived on the beach and he pushed her back to the ground.

"There you are, my lady."

"Thank you very much, sir."

"Wanna race?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I don't know... Go!" Eva exclaimed as she ran off.

"Hey, you're cheating!" he exclaimed, chasing after her.

      They threw their towels on the sand and ran to the sea. When she stepped into the water, Eva felt Jeremiah's arms wrap around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

"I got you!" he exclaimed.

      She laughed and they started a long water fight. And Eva had to admit, it had been a long time since she had laughed that much.

☆

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

"It's just, we want to see your beautiful faces." Susannah added. "Can dinner be a screen free-zone? You know, like the olden days."

      Steven didn't listen and was still watching his screen much to Jeremiah's discontent.

"Steven." Jeremiah who was sit next to him told him.

     He grabbed the phone. "Eva!" he warned. She ducked quickly and he throw it onto a chair across the table.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Steven exclaimed, scared for his phone.

"Boom!" Jeremiah yelled when the phone landed right at the expected place. "Nailed it!"

"Okay, okay, okay, we get it, you've been working out." Steven said.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Jer has a better body than you." Belly told his brother.

"Ouhhh." Eva laughed.

"Uh, no, actually, it's all about the lean look now. Otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits."

      Everybody chuckled. "Sure, sure."

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

      There was a few seconds of silence and Jeremiah talked for his brother.

"Uh, he quit football."

"Seriously? You quit?" Louis was shocked.

"I'd- I'd kill to play college ball." Steven added.

"He can always change his mind." Susannah said.

"I'm not gonna change my mind." Conrad answered. "I was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyways."

"Well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you gonna do all summer?" Laurel asked.

"Eh, dude, you can work at the club! With me and Louis and Jer!" Steven exclaimed.

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

"Wait, you guys are working?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, Louis and I are lifeguarding and Steven is working at the snackshop." Jer told her with a smile.

"That's cool."

"What about you, Ev?" Laurel asked. "You still doing rhythmic gymnastics?"

"Yeah! Still do." the brunette smiled.

"She won a competition last month." Caroline said with a proud look for her daughter.

"It wasn't a big competition." clarified Eva anyway.

"She's being modest. It was a regional contest."

"Really? Congrats, honey!" Susannah said.

"Thanks."

"Oh girls, I almost forgot, I have a surprise for you!" Suz exclaimed.

"So this is why we stopped at the country club." Caroline laughed.

"What is that?"

"I wrangled Belly and Eva invitations to be debutantes."

"Is that the thing where the girls wear white dresses and curtsy?" Belly asked.

"It's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society." Susannah said. "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. You'll make so many new friends."

"Yeah, and uh, that's not really my kind of thing." Eva gave an apologetic look.

"I can't believe you're still holding on to this archaic dream." Laurel said.

"Yeah." Caroline laughed.

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

"Uh, I'm not sure about that." Eva said.

"There is nothing religious about the debutante ball." Laurel said.

"The whole deb scene is bullshit. It's for sheep." Conrad interrupted.

"Yeah." his brother agreed.

"No, it's not!" Susannah shouted back. "It's when a girl has a coming-out, it's a formal recognition she's reached maturity."

"Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Mature?" Steven repeated.

"Yes."

"Belly?" he asked.

"Eva?" Louis added.

     Louis chuckled and Eva kicked him under the table.

"Aouch! Stop doing that!"

"Anyway!" Susannah saved the day. "Come on, girls. Don't you want to get all dress up?"

"I don't know, Suz." Eva apologized. "I'm not sure it really reflects a good image of women. I mean, we behave like in the nineteenth century."

"I know it sounds stupid but it is actually a lot of fun." Susannah insisted.

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

     The boys sneered and Belly looked annoyed.

"I'll think about it." she said.

     She then turned her head over Eva and the brunette shrugged.

"I guess I can think about it too."

"They'll think about it." Susannah smiled, raising her glass.

— still don't know if i love or hate it ahah