CRUEL SUMMER

6: The Bad Idea

OLIVIA FISHER had been getting panic attacks since a few years ago, mostly due to when her mom got diagnosed with cancer. However, even when Susannah had beaten cancer, Via's panic attacks stayed. She didn't know why, but it just got so hard to breathe, to concentrate, to speak. Olivia thought there was something wrong with her.

But after going to many therapists, Olivia was told (not only to drink lots of water) but to count to ten when she felt herself worry. It helped sometimes, yet maths couldn't fix all of her problems. Especially when the problem was growing and couldn't be controlled.

She spent the rest of the day with Jeremiah, who insisted on being her personalised doctor (as he called it). He managed to get off his lifeguard job early, in order to take care of his sister- which mainly involved them playing video games. Via only wanted Jere and Steven to know about what had happened, but somehow the situation had spread around due to the other Debutantes who witnessed it happen.

Conrad, Jere, Steven, and Via all sat on the couch playing video games for a few hours, before Belly appeared in the doorway behind them, "See you guys later."

Jere turned around, placing his games controller on the couch and rushing up to her, "Damn."

Steven scoffed sarcastically, "Yeah, fine, just abandon the game completely."

"Jere!" Via panicked, pressing the buttons on her controller quickly, "We were winning."

Jere continued, "You look hot, Belles."

Olivia lowered her eye-line from the TV screen, her heart dropping to the bottom of her stomach. She turned around to look at Belly- Jere wasn't wrong, she did look hot. She wore a knitted, blue, flower-print tank top with denim shorts, her brown hair cascading down her back. Via thought she looked beautiful, yet she always thinks that.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop flirting with my sister." Steven insisted, turning around to look at her.

Belly argued, "Shut up, Steven."

"No, you shut up." Steven retorted, before nodding, "You look good, though."

"Are you driving with us to the book party?" Jere asked, "Or are you meeting us there?"

"I'm not going to the book party." Belly replied, "I'm going to the drive-in."

Conrad questioned, turning around, "With who?"

Steven nudged him repeatedly, "Dude, dude, focus. Come on." He turned to Via, who had stopped playing, "Are you alright, Ollie?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Via nodded, snapping back into reality. She turned back to Belly, glancing at her as she looked in the mirror, "Have fun, Belly."

"Thanks." Belly smiled, as she looked at herself in the mirror, before leaving the room.

***

The Book Party celebrated Laurel's new books, so the kids were forced to attend. Via would've had much more fun if Belly was there, but she wasn't- Belly was on a date. Via couldn't stop thinking about it.

Olivia took a secret sip of alcohol, before walking over to the couch the boys were sitting on. She asked, "Can we go somewhere else? This shit is boring."

"Yeah." Steven asked, "Where?"

"We could go into town." Jere suggested, "We could buy some weed from that guy with the Rainbow Dash tattoo."

Conrad replied, "He got arrested last summer."

"We could go to the drive-in." Steven suggested.

"No, we can't." Via replied quickly, "I don't wanna see Belly kissing some random dude. That's gross."