Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC

21: You and Me Are the Last Hot Day in Summer

It's exactly the same as any other day - we are lounging by the lake, Venetia and I on the little wooden dock, soaking up the suns rays, Felix and Oliver on the shore, dipping their toes in the water now and then. It's exactly the same as any other day, except it's not. There's a strange cloud in the air, hanging over us, even though the sky is cloudless. The hole of Farleigh's absence is tangible.

Venetia is fuming, not quite understandably. "I mean, it's outrageous!"

On the shore, Oliver picks at the grass by his feet. "What actually happened?"

Felix sighs, the same exasperation from earlier. "He sent an email to Sotheby's to say he'd 'come by' some Palissy plates. I mean, the idiot. He had to have known Dad went to school with the chairman."

An email. I roll my eyes behind my sunglasses, and lean back on my elbows. It's wild to me how no one thinks it's out of character at all for Farleigh to be so careless.

Venetia chimes in. "I mean, talk about biting the hand. Mum and Dad would give him anything he asked for!"

I could never hate Venetia. Never. But the way she's so easily berating her cousin over something that I know she doesn't really care about, gets me close to it. I know for a fact that she couldn't care less about the Palissy plates, I know she's only mad for the theatrics of it, because pretending to be angry is better than being bored. But it makes me mad.

Felix is more sympathetic. "Yeah, well, obviously he got sick of asking."

"That's ridiculous. He's more spoiled than we are!" Venetia says.

How is it that Farleigh has lived with these people, is related to these people, and they don't seem to know him at all? In the time that I've known him - significantly less than Venetia or Felix - I feel like I learned more about him than either of his cousins seem to have in their whole lives.

Felix tilts his head. "Come on, V. You have to admit. It's a little bit dark, you know, him having to go to mum and dad with the begging bowl."

Venetia is unwavering. "Oh boo-fucking-hoo."

I turn over, to sun my back and to tilt my face away from the conversation, lest Venetia see the anger on my face.

Felix finally gives in. "Alright, yes, fine, it was incredibly fucking stupid -"

"Guys, guys guys." Venetia hisses, her eyes on the shore as James and Elspeth as they breeze towards us. Felix dips his head down towards Oliver, quietly saying something to him. A wave of silence descends on the group of us - I'm a little grateful, the conversation was beginning to grate.

James is as sunny as ever - if I hadn't seen the ruckus this morning myself, I would have never guessed anything at all had happened. "What a glorious day! I've never known a summer as hot as this one."

Elspeth drapes herself into a chair on the shore. "Sweltering!"

James titters on. "I think it's hotter than last year. I didn't think that was possible but here we are again! It's hotter than Barbados, apparently. Barbados!"

"I can believe it, darling." Elspeth says. "I honestly don't think I've ever been hotter in my life."

It's like they've forgotten about him already. God it makes me mad - and its alienating at the same time. It might be an American thing, it might be an Italian thing, but I could never imagine disavowing one of my cousins from the house. Blood relation means nothing to these people.

James tucks his hands in his pockets. "I need to check with Robert to make sure that he's being extra vigilant with the hydrangeas."

"Very wise, my love." Elspeth says. James wanders off, and she sighs, relaxing. "Bliss! Bliss, bliss..."

I shouldn't be angry. It's not my place - I'm a guest of Venetia's, this is not my family, what they do and say to each other is really none of my business.

Tuning into the little portable radio, Elspeth gasps. "Oh, this song. God, I haven't heard this song in forever! I used to hang out with them all, actually, when I was modeling. Britpop, Blur, Oasis. God the parties!" She sighs. "But then of course "Common People" came out and everybody thought it was written about me. Which was completely mortifying and ridiculous! I mean I barely knew Jarvis."

Venetia sits up on her elbows. "What?"

"'She came from Greece. She had a thirst for knowledge.'" Elspeth quotes. "It couldn't have been me. I've never wanted to know anything."

It's like these people live on another fucking planet. And at first, it was a novelty, just another part of this vacation, but now it's almost horrific.

"God, I wish we didn't have to go to London." Elspeth sighs.

"I didn't know you were going to London." Felix turns to look at his mother over his shoulder.

"Pamela's funeral." She says, matter of factly, not a hint of sorrow in her tone.

Oliver turns to Felix. "Pamela died?"

At least Felix has the decency to sound upset. "Yeah."

"She'd do anything for attention." Elspeth says.

God I can't wait for the summer to be over. To go back to reality, where people care about each other and work through their problems instead of tossing each other out like trash. I love Venetia - truly and wholly - but I know that she doesn't feel the same. How could she, when her parents treat people like they're disposable?

Like she knew I was thinking about her, she turns to me. "'S a bit sad, don't you think?"

"Yeah." I say.