𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾

ོ༘₊⁺☀︎₊⁺⋆.˚

The mirror in Emberlyn's room was a full-blown disaster. Clothes were draped over every surface, and her bed was piled with options she couldn't decide between.

She held two tops up — one white, one blue — squinting at her reflection.

"This is impossible," she muttered, phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. "Okay, Celina, seriously. Last time. Blue or white?"

Celina's voice crackled through the speaker, decisive. "White. You always kill it in white. Trust me, it's perfect for the bonfire — beachy, glowy, effortless."

Emberlyn sighed, tossing the blue one onto her bed. "Okay, okay, white it is. Now if only I could find my lip liner..."

Celina laughed. "I swear, your room must look like an Aritzia threw up."

Emberlyn laughed too, glancing around at the chaos — shoes on the floor, jewelry tangled on her dresser, makeup rolling off the edge of her desk. "Aritzia and half a Glossier store."

She crouched down, checking under the bed, digging through piles.

No luck. She stood up, exasperated, and then it hit her — she'd left it in the boys' bathroom earlier when she was stealing Steven's hair gel.

"Ugh, I gotta go, I know where it is. Text me if you think of anything else."

"You're gonna look amazing. Don't overthink it!" Celina said before hanging up.

Emberlyn grabbed her phone and padded down the hallway toward the boys' bathroom.

Inside, the sounds of chaos greeted her.

Steven was in the shower, water blasting, his terrible singing echoing off the tiles.

"Oh, girl, it's you that I lie with..."

Jeremiah was at the sink, lazily brushing his teeth as he swayed with Steven's singing , smirking into the mirror as he caught Steven's performance.

Steven popped his head dramatically out from behind the shower curtain, soaking wet hair dripping everywhere. "As the atom bomb locks in..."

Jeremiah, mouth full of toothpaste, chimed in through a spit, "Oh, girl, you..."

Emberlyn stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching them with an unimpressed stare.

"You guys sound like dying cats," she announced dryly.

Steven grinned, unfazed. "Thank you, thank you. We'll be here all summer."

Jeremiah pointed his toothbrush at her. "You lost, Em?"

"My lip liner. I left it in here." She squeezed past Jeremiah, who made a dramatic show of moving out of her way with a mouthful of foam.

Steven stuck his head farther out of the shower. "Getting all dolled up for tonight?"

"Course," Emberlyn said airily, grabbing her lip liner from the back of the sink. "Unlike you, Steven, some of us have standards."

"Ouch," Steven said, laughing.

Jeremiah leaned casually against the counter, wiping his mouth with a towel. "Hey, can you see if Conrad's ready to head out? We're supposed to leave soon."

Emberlyn tucked the lip liner into her bag. "Yeah, sure."

She shot them a mock salute and headed back into the hallway.

Downstairs, Laurel and Jennifer were sitting in the living room, wine glasses in hand, chatting easily as the golden light of the evening spilled through the windows.

They looked up when Emberlyn came down, barefoot and makeup half-done.

Laurel smiled. "Joining Belly for a night swim?"

Emberlyn shook her head, adjusting the strap of her top. "Uh, not tonight, Laurel. Jeremiah asked me to see if Conrad's ready to go."

Jennifer raised her glass slightly, a little teasing glint in her eye. "You look too dressed up for a swim anyway."

Emberlyn grinned, giving a small shrug. "Guilty."

Laurel sipped her wine. "Well, tell Conrad not to make you wait all night."

She moved past them, the quiet hum of conversation fading behind her as she crossed through the kitchen toward the back windows.

The slider was cracked open, letting in the thick summer air and the soft sounds from the pool outside.

She caught a glimpse — Belly in the water, floating lazily, her hair fanning out around her.

And just a few feet away, Conrad sitting at the edge of the pool, feet dangling in the water.

His hands were braced on either side of him, his shoulders tense.

He was watching Belly with an unreadable expression — somewhere between distant and drawn in — and Belly, for her part, was pretending not to notice.

The air between them felt charged, like a conversation that had either just happened or needed to.

Emberlyn hesitated by the doorframe, feeling like she had accidentally stepped into a moment she wasn't supposed to see.

Emberlyn crossed the patio, the warm stones under her bare feet.

Her jean shorts clung to her hips, and her white top was snug, the sleeves slipping slightly off her shoulders with each step.

She found Conrad exactly where she knew he'd be — sitting at the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water, a cigarette balanced loosely between his fingers.

She lowered herself beside him, careful not to get her clothes wet.

Conrad turned his head, gave her a slow once-over, like he couldn't help himself.

"you look good," he said, voice low and easy.

Emberlyn tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling the heat creep up her neck. "thanks," she said quietly.

Conrad took a final drag, then burned the cigarette out against the stone without a word, the sharp scent curling into the air between them.

For a second, they just sat there, Belly floating lazily in the water a few feet away.

Then Conrad said, almost like he was thinking out loud, "you don't have to do it, you know. the deb thing."

Emberlyn's fingers tightened around the hem of her shorts.

She turned her head toward him, but his eyes stayed on the pool, unfocused.

"don't let my mom turn you into her little doll," he said. "just 'cause she never had a daughter."

Belly paused in the water, blinking up at him. "i don't mind," she said, voice light, almost careful.

Emberlyn felt a twist of anger, sharp and unexpected.

why did he have to ruin things?.

Before she could say anything back, the sliding door crashed open.

"first bonfire of the summer!" steven shouted, practically falling onto the patio, a can of soda raised above his head.

jeremiah and august tumbled out after him, laughing like idiots.

"we're totally taking my car," jeremiah said, spinning his keys on his finger.

"you are totally not driving," Jeremiah shot back, jabbing Steven in the side.

august shook his head, smiling. "come on, guys. you ready?"

Emberlyn stood up, brushing off the back of her shorts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Belly pull herself up onto the pool steps, wrapping a towel around herself.

"can i come too?" Belly asked, voice hopeful.

There was a beat of hesitation.

"uh, no," steven said, way too blunt.

jeremiah elbowed him hard. "the moms are setting up movie night for you, remember?" he said, flashing Belly a softer grin.

Emberlyn felt a little pang. she smiled at Belly, warm but firm. "gosh, i miss those days," she said, meaning it.

Before they could turn to leave, August bent down to ruffle Belly's wet hair. "you're gonna have way more fun than us, trust me," he said. "movies and junk food? sounds perfect."

Belly smiled up at him, cheeks pink. "thanks, auggie ."

It was sweet, the kind of thing that made Emberlyn's chest pinch a little.

Belly caught Emberlyn's eye, silently begging.

Emberlyn hesitated — just for a second — but shook her head. "sorry, bells."

Conrad stood too, slipping on his socks then sneakers. "see ya," he said, barely glancing at her.

Steven was already halfway down the patio, calling out over his shoulder, "have fun with the momsssss!"

Emberlyn rolled her eyes and punched him hard in the shoulder as she passed. "idiot."

"ow," steven whined, rubbing his arm dramatically, but he was grinning.

They piled into Jeremiah's red jeep, the old seats sticking to their skin.

August called shotgun immediately, so Emberlyn squeezed into the back between Steven and Conrad.

jeremiah cranked the windows down and the warm salt air rushed in. he messed with the aux cord until some old indie song crackled through the speakers.

they sped down the beach road, headlights cutting through the trees.

the sky was streaked a pitch black , the last stretch of sunset clinging to the horizon.

steven kept trying to change the music to something louder, more chaotic, but jeremiah kept slapping his hand away.

"seriously, steve, one more time and you're walking," jeremiah warned.

"worth it," steven said, already reaching again.

emberlyn laughed, leaning her head back against the seat, the breeze tugging at her hair.

conrad was quiet beside her, one arm slung lazily out the window.

every once in a while, she caught him glancing at her — not saying anything, just looking.

august turned halfway around in his seat to say something about the bonfire — how half the town would probably be there — and jeremiah hooted, hitting the horn twice for no reason at all.

"first bonfire , baby!" jeremiah yelled, and the whole car whooped back, windows rattling with the sound.

for the first time all summer, emberlyn felt a real grin break across her face — wide and wild, like nothing bad could touch them tonight.

the heat from the fire hit emberlyn as soon as she stepped onto the sand. it wasn't just the flames — it was the whole night, electric with the sound of laughter, music pulsing low from a speaker half-buried in the dunes.

kids from town, some from other beach houses, were scattered everywhere — some dancing, some grouped around coolers, others just sitting on towels, already sipping from red cups.

jeremiah was in the middle of it all, arms thrown around two guys emberlyn vaguely recognized from last summer, already hyping everyone up.

august hung back a little, exchanging shy hellos with a couple of girls they passed.

steven had found a group tossing the football and was immediately challenging them like they were about to play in the super bowl.

emberlyn stuck close to conrad at first without even meaning to.

he walked with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie, head tilted down a little like he wasn't really here for the party. she bumped his shoulder lightly.

"don't look so miserable," she teased. "it's literally the first bonfire of the summer. tradition, remember?"

conrad glanced sideways at her, a slow, easy grin pulling at his mouth. "who says i'm miserable?"

"your face," she said, laughing.

he shook his head, pretending to be wounded, but didn't move away. if anything, he stayed closer.

jeremiah came barreling back toward them then, two sodas in hand. he offered one to emberlyn, grinning wide.

"hydration queen," he said, winking.

"thank you, kind sir," she said with a mock curtsy, making him laugh.

as the night went on, the beach filled up even more.

someone dragged over driftwood for extra seating, and emberlyn ended up sitting cross-legged on a log, her knees brushing against august's where he perched next to her.

she took a sip from her soda, the coolness of it fighting the thick heat of the fire, and scanned the beach.

that's when she spotted her — gigi, standing with a group near one of the smaller fires, waving her arms animatedly like she was telling some wild story. emberlyn grinned and nudged august.

"i'll be right back," she said.

august gave her a mock salute, and emberlyn weaved through the crowd toward gigi.

"gigi!" she called out, laughing as the girl spun around, eyes lighting up.

"emberlyn! oh my god, you look so good," gigi gushed, pulling her into a hug. "is it not insanely hot out here?"

"literally melting," emberlyn agreed, laughing.

they started talking, catching up on town gossip, upcoming parties, and, inevitably, the deb season.

"i still can't believe we're doing it," gigi said, rolling her eyes playfully. "i feel like such a... poser or something."

"same," emberlyn admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "but hey, Susannah is obsessed, and honestly, i'm just so excited ."

gigi laughed. "facts."

but just as emberlyn was laughing along, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. her smile faltered. she turned slightly — and there he was.

Conrad was sitting on the edge of the dunes, half-hidden by the firelight.

nicole, one of the older girls from town — pretty, tanned, the kind of effortless — was sitting next to him. close. too close.

then she kissed him. or maybe he kissed her. it didn't matter.

it felt like the air punched right out of emberlyn's chest.

she turned back quickly, trying to keep her face neutral, trying not to look as crushed as she suddenly, stupidly felt.

august appeared at her side, like he'd been watching her, like he already knew.

"who's that?" she asked, forcing the words out, nodding casually toward conrad and nicole.

august gave a small, knowing sigh. "that's nicole. they, uh... kinda have history."

" and you never thought to told me ?" She said staring at her brother

" I thought you knew "

emberlyn just nodded, pressing the cold soda cup harder against her knee, letting the sting of it ground her. she smiled tightly at gigi, pretending she hadn't just felt something splinter a little inside her chest.