- Hawaii lust - Jenna Ortega

009

"So, Dahlia, since my niece is obviously so taken with you, what makes you special?" Jenna's aunt asks, putting her on the spot. "What are you studying at school?" What are your parents like?"

"Actually, I was raised by my mom," she explains, playing with her fork. "My dad had an accident when I was very young. But, uh, I'm majoring in history at College"

"Sorry about your parents," Camila replies, and Dahlia can hear Jenna sigh under her breath at the callousness in her voice. "So, history, huh? It looks smart."

"She's top of her class in high school, and the whole last semester of A at our college," boasts Jenna, clenching her bicep. Although Dahlia knew that was what she was getting into, it's still weird to see Jenna all smiles and sweet and nice and bragging about her.

They talk about school for a bit longer, but the night drags on and on. I feel like they're all taking forever eating their desert while she and Jenna are just getting ready for this night to finally be over.

"I think we should go to the bar, yeah?" Her mother now looks at her empty glass, before looking at her sister.

"An excellent plan," her aunt replies, grabbing her almost-husbands arm. The same almost husband who didn't say a word this whole dinner, he just drank on his glass of scotch all night.

"You kids go back to your room - we'll be there later," her mother told them, taking her wallet from the table and already moving to the bar.

"Wait, we need money for, uh...souvenirs," Jenna says to her mother, who blindly puts her hand in her wallet, hands Jenna a fifty dollar bill, then leaves.

"As if they weren't drunk enough," sighs Jenna, getting up and placing the fifty on the table as an extra tip for their poor waiter. "Are you ready, Dahlia?"

"So ready," Dahlia laughed in response, clearing the table as much as she could before they left. Except now Jenna has taken off her shoes, and she's walking down the steps to the beach, off the terrace where the restaurant is. " Where are you going ?"

"We can walk from here," Jenna tells her, and she looks around at all the fancy people looking at them; the two young children taking off their shoes at the most beautiful restaurant she had ever been to. But she just looks back at Jenna, and also takes off her shoes, following her to the beach.

"I believed you when you said they were awful, but...it was seriously a lot worse than I imagined," Dahlia swallowed, jogging to catch up to her. " How are you ? Really ?"

"Don't be soft on me just because you feel bad for me, Dahlia," Jenna moaned, pushing her fingers through her hair and staring at her toes in the sand. "I've dealt with this all my life, I'm fine. Yes, it sucks, but I'll get through this. You better not start calling me all nice and stuff because of that."

"Psssht, what? I... still hate you, obviously I just didn't realize how bad your family is, that's all," Dahlia told her, looking out at the ocean and wishing she didn't. didn't say anything at all. "I don't feel bad for you."

"Of course," she laughed, giving her a small eye. " You are an idiot."

" Really ? Well, I was top of my class in Midtown, and I got all the A's last semester," she teases her, and she moans, unable not to smile herself.

"God, don't bring me anything from this dinner, okay? I was using some of my survival skills that I learned to use a long time ago in this family. It was self-preservation, really" she tries to convince her , tucking her hair behind her ear. "Personally, I don't think you are all of that."

" Oh yes ? What about how you just can't keep your hands off me?" Dahlia replies confidently, unable to stop herself from toying with her.

"You keep wishing it were real, Dahlia," Jenna sighs, shaking her head as she kneels, slowly running her hand over the water. "Because it's as close to us being together as you'll ever get."