𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫.

016.

"okay, slow and steady." jeremiah stated. "you're doing great. just keep going straight, okay?"

"okay."

"you excited to see taylor?" the boy asked.

'yeah, uh, of course. so excited." belly murmured.

"you sure?" cindy chimed in.

"look, she's my best friend in the world, but, um, i mean, you know how taylor is. and i guess i always feel like the supporting character around her, which, normally, i don't mind." belly said with a shrug.

"but it's your birthday, and you're the main character, belly, not her." jeremiah touched her shoulder smiling.

"yeah, jeremy is right belly." cindy teased the boy.

"yeah. thanks guys" the young girl laughed.

the car swung to the side and jeremiah grabed the wheel laughing.

"whoops." belly laughed.

"bells!" jeremiah chuckled shaking his head. "i think we're gonna need a part three of this driving lesson, okay?"

"and a part three, four and probably a five." cindy nodded.

the trio were now waiting on taylor.

"twenty bucks she calls you "jeremy" again." cindy elbowed jeremiah lightly.

"i don't... i think she learned from last time." he turned to the girl.

"you think? that's how she flirts with you." cindy explained.

"here she comes." he changed the subject.

the girl got out of the bus and gasps when she sees the trio, belly ran towards her.

"oh, my god. oh, my god." taylor exclaimed. "happy birthday."

"thank you."

"belly, you little tart." taylor inspected the girl up and down.

"what?" belly looked at herself.

"you finally took my advice. this outfit is snatched." the girl complimented.

"same old taylor." cindy playfully rolled her eyes.

taylor then looked at her direction and hugged the girl. "well if it isn't the most beautiful person on this planet." she then turned to jeremiah. "isn't cindy looking like a snack?"

"always." he says smiling.

"thanks dude." cindy smiled at the boy.

"oh, uh, here, let me get your bag." jeremiah grabbed the girl's bag and walked in the direction of the car.

"thank you. you're such a gentleman, jeremy."
taylor says winking.

"of course." the boy just shrugged, looking over at cindy.

'you're aware that his name is jeremiah, right?" cindy corrected.

"i like 'jeremy' better."

"uh, should we, uh, head home?" jeremiah questioned.

"oh, actually, can we make a stop first?"

the four teenagers stopped at an ice cream store, taylor and belly were sharing a banana split and jeremiah got cindy a strawberry ice cream cone.

"mm-hmm. " the girls had their mouth full of the banana split.

"wow." jeremiah laughed.

"i would literally eat this every day if i could." taylor exclaimed.

"me, too." belly agreed taking another spoonful.

"okay." taylor gets a bag from her things and hand it to belly. "open your present. i think it'll look so hot on you." belly took out a small pink bikini from the bag.

"do you like it?" the girl asked her friend excitedly.

"okay, belly would never wear that." jeremiah chuckled.

"actually, i really like it. thank you, taylor." belly smiled.

'you're welcome." she nodded. "okay, so, what's the plan for tonight? where's the party?"

"well, susannah always plans a big lobster dinner.." belly started but taylor interrupted her.

"boring." taylor complained. "no. it's your sixteenth birthday. we have to go out."

"no, no, no. these dinners are really, really fun. and susannah had the idea to make it midsommar themed, so she got flower crowns especially made for us and everything." belly explained.

"don't you think you should be spending your birthday with people your own age?" taylor laughed.

"i am. you're here." belly shrugged.

"hello?" cindy waves her hand at them. "are we invisible?" she motions between herself and jeremiah as he licks her ice cream. "dude."

"and cam's coming, too." belly added. "did you invite matt?"

"no, i didn't realise you wanted him there." cindy responded.

"oh you have to!" taylor almost screamed as cindy furrowed her eyebrows at her. "i can finally meet the guy that got your eyes off of you know who."

"taylor." belly whispered to her friend.

"right, right." cindy nodded skeptically.

"i have an idea. we can go to nicole's big blowout at her place tonight." jeremiah suggested.

"maybe go after dinner?" belly asked.

"who's nicole?" taylor looked at everyone.

"she's our big sister for the deb ball. she's super nice and just really cool and fun and..." belly began explaining.

"ugh, i'm, like, melting right now." taylor interrupted her friend, fanning herself.
"can we go back to the house? i want to change into my bikini and jump in the pool."

"sure." belly shrugged.