What A Stupid Name - Steven ConklinxOc

-03-

     Dinner with the moms went smoothly, well somewhat. I decided I wanted to cook dinner, but everyone got bored. So I decided to make them help. Jere was in charge of cutting the potatoes and vegetables, Steven was in charge of setting the table and cleaning, Belly seasoned the food and cooked the mashed potatoes, and I was teaching Conrad how to cook, as I cooked the meal.

When we were done, the kitchen and dining room smelled wonderful, almost like a taste of Heaven. When the moms walked in, their eyes widened.

"Guys, aww this is amazing! Oh the food looks so good." Susannah praised, her eyes squinting as she smiled. "And who set this table? It's so fancy." 

"That was Steven, we all pitched in to make everything." I beamed.

I brought all the bowls and plates of food to the dining table, and lit a candle. 

Half way through the meal, when we were done stuffing ourselves, I raised my glass. 

"Cheers, to summer!" 

"To summer!" The sound of everyone clanking their glasses together followed. The evening was peaceful, a light glow shined from the curtains as the sun met the horizon. Any tension from earlier was gone, for now.

"Steven, I swear if you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket." Laurel's voice was stern, but never mean.

"It's just, we wanna see your beautiful faces." Mom smiled. She always had a way to lighten the mood.

"Can dinner be a screen-free zone?"

"Steven." Jere quickly grabbed his phone and threw it on the nearby chair.

"Dude, are you kidding me?"

"Booom, nailed it!" He laughed, flexing his arm.

"Okay, okay, okay, we get it, you've been working out." Steven looked at him.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you." Belly teased him, as she made a face.

Connie and I watched this whole interaction with raised eyebrows. I decided to chug my water, because my lips were feeling chapped.

"Uh, no, actually, it's all about the lean look now. Otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits." He motioned to his 'lean' body with his hands.

That earned laughs from around the table - including me. At the same time, I was still chugging my water. I started coughing, from the water going down the wrong pipe. I couldn't breathe. Conrad turned to help me by patting my back. I ran to the sink and spat it all out, coughing to catch my breath.

"You and your stupid tailored suits." I pointed at him, a stupid grin on my face.

"Are you okay?" He asked guiltily. I rolled my eyes playfully, "Of course."

Laurel and Mom were having the time of their lives apparently as they couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh, Belly, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you!" She beamed, handing her a letter.

"So this is why you had to stop by the country club." Laurel shook her head. Ah, that must be the the debut letter.

"What, uh, wh-what is that?" Steven asked nosily, peeking his head over to look.

"I wrangled Belly an invitation to be a debutante." She gushed.

"Is that the thing where girls wear white dresses and curtsy?" Belly asked, a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

"It's when a girl comes of age and is presented into society." I butted in.

Mom nodded, "it's a great way to make new friends. Networking! They teach you all kinds of things, like leadership, and plus, it benefits charity." She reasoned.