𝒮𝓃ℴ𝓌 ℴ𝓃 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝒷ℯ𝒶𝒸𝒽－ ᶜᵒⁿʳᵃᵈ ᶠⁱˢʰᵉʳ.

𝑔𝓇ℴ𝓌 𝓊𝓅¹⁴

In a cozy corner of the cafe, Florence and Liam settled into their seats after placing their orders.

Liam couldn't help but notice Florence's distracted demeanor. Concerned, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Florence quickly denied, "Hmm? No, nothing's wrong." However, her guilt became apparent as she continued to check her phone.

"You keep checking your phone so," Liam trailed off, prompting Florence to look away guiltily. She explained, "I'm sorry, my mind is somewhere else. I was so excited for our date, but something came up at home, and I'm just... checking to see if Belly texts."

"Belly is the girl who got hit yesterday?" Liam asked sheepishly, and Florence nodded. "Still so sorry about that."

"It's okay, it's not me you should be saying sorry to, anyway," Florence replied. Trying to shift the conversation to something more pleasant, Liam inquired, "Well, what are your plans this summer?"

Florence shared, "Well, I think I just want to spend a lot of time with Susannah, mostly. And of course, it's been years since I've been back here, so I want to see what's changed. Then there's the Deb Ball—"

"You're participating?" Liam interrupted in shock.

"Yeah, why?" Florence responded, amused by his reaction.

"Nothing, I just thought you'd find Deb Balls to be old-fashioned."

"They are," Florence agreed, "but Susannah really wants us to do this. My mom was a deb too, and... I just want to do this for them."

"That's a sweet thought," Liam smiled, and Florence returned the smile. Just then, the barista called out Liam's name, so he excused himself to get their orders.

Taking advantage of the moment, Florence checked her phone and saw urgent texts from Belly.

"Where are you?"
"You won't believe what the guys just did."
"Why didn't you stop them?!" "Flo, where are you? I'm on the way home."
"Please be home."

Florence read the texts as Liam returned with their orders. She thanked him for the drink before smiling at him guiltily. Understanding her unspoken dilemma, he sighed, "You gotta go?"

"Belly needs me at home," Florence replied sadly. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Liam dismissed as they walked out of the cafe. "You're being a good friend. Can I at least drop you off?"

Florence nodded thankfully as she got into Liam's car. At other times, she would avoid getting in a car at all costs, but she really needed to be home by the time Belly got there, so the car was the only option.

Upon reaching the beach house, Liam parked the car, and Florence turned to him with a half-smile.

"I had a really good time," she told him, "and again, I'm sorry we had to cut it short."

"You can make it up to me by going out with me tomorrow night," he suggested. "There's a party, and it would be nice if you came along. This one won't end in fights and cops, I promise," he joked as Florence laughed.

"Sure, I'd love that," she nodded as Liam got out and opened the door for her. It was an awkward moment as neither of them knew what to say or do next. Florence offered him a soft smile before walking towards the beach house's entrance, and Liam waited for her to go inside before he got back into the car and drove off.

⋅• ━━━ ••⋅⊰☁︎︎☀︎︎☁︎⊱⋅•• ━━━ •⋅
 

As Florence stepped into the house, the unmistakable sound of yelling hit her ears. Following the noise, she entered the kitchen to find Belly in a heated exchange with Conrad. The frustration was palpable in the air.

"If you were so bored, why didn't you crash Flo's date then?" Belly spat out angrily, her eyes fixed on Conrad. "You didn't have the guts to do that, did you?"

Their attention shifted as Florence walked in, her expression caught between confusion and concern.

"What happened?" Florence inquired, looking from Belly to Conrad.

Belly, seething with anger, retorted, "Why don't you ask him?" With that, she pushed past Florence and stomped upstairs, leaving behind a perplexed Florence and a frustrated Conrad.

Florence turned her attention to Conrad, her annoyance evident. "What did you do?" she demanded.

Conrad, in typical fashion, rolled his eyes as he shot back, "Why would you assume I did anything?"

Florence sighed, frustration evident in her voice. "Conrad, I told you guys not to go to the drive-thru! It was her first date here, and you guys just had to ruin it, didn't you? Why can't you just listen to me once-"

He countered, "Oh, like you listened to me?"

"This isn't the same—"

"Why not?" he interrupted. "You asked us not to go to the drive-thru. I asked you not to go out with Liam," he exhaled, frustration apparent. "Flo, Liam is a jerk and—"

"And you've been a jerk all summer so far too," Florence interjected. "Haven't you?" When Conrad remained silent, she pressed on, frustration evident. "Laurel asked you what's wrong, I asked you what's wrong. But you won't talk to anyone! You'll just push everyone away and do stupid shit like this to hurt people around you. Why?!"

Facing Conrad's continued silence, Florence exhaled in anger once again. "It's time you fucking grow up, Conrad," she declared before storming out of the kitchen.

As Florence made her way upstairs to check on Belly, Conrad found himself alone in the kitchen, the echo of her words still resonating in his head. "It's time to fucking grow up, Conrad!"

There was a bitter truth in what she said. He acknowledged he'd been a jerk all summer, especially towards Florence. But the thing was, he couldn't shake the discomfort he felt about her being with Liam. Then again, it wasn't just about Liam; it was any guy. For some reason, the idea of Florence being with someone else didn't sit well with him. Maybe it was easier to direct his frustration at Liam because the guy had a reputation for being reckless, and all Conrad wanted was to keep Florence safe.

A realization hit Conrad like a ton of bricks. It was high time he straightened up and started acting right. His behavior wasn't just a personal issue; it was affecting everyone around him. He didn't want his moody and rude demeanor to cast a shadow over everyone else's summer. It was time to put an end to his self-destructive patterns and make an effort to be better for the sake of the people he cared about.