Admission
a statement acknowledging the truth of something

"Aurora's calling!" Willow barged into my room as I buttoned up the plaid shirt I was wearing.

"Answer." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "I have two more buttons."

"Yeah, yeah." She plopped onto my bed and answered. "Hey, girlie."

"Hey." Aurora's voice was quiet.

"Turn the volume up!" I told Willow as I climbed up next to her.

"Hi!" I smiled at Aurora and pressed myself against Willow to fit into the little square in the corner of the call. "How's England?"

"Deadly hot." She sighed and moved a little. "I thought Florida was bad."

"Sophia was stripping the other day," Willow smirked. "Then what did you do that made you hotter rather than cooler?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." I lied and looked down at my nails. "I need to redo my nails before the cookout tonight."

"I'm sad I'm missing the cookout." Aurora frowned. "And stop lying, Soph. What's Wills talking about?"

"Nothing." I tilted my head back and stared at the ceiling.

"She slept with Gabe," Willow stated, and Aurora started laughing.

"That's hilarious, Wills." Aurora slowly stopped laughing when she looked at us. "Wait..."

"I did have sex with Gabe," I told her seriously.

Her eyes widen, and jaw dropped just a little before she shook her head and gained control over herself. "Wh-What about Robbie? Do you not like him anymore?"

"I still have a crush on Robbie." I shrugged. "Gabe and I decided to have sex the other night because of hormonal lust."

"How?" She asked. "How did you two end up like that?"

"The good old 'let's make out during the scary parts' suggestion for horror movies," Willow answered for me.

"All the potential ex-boyfriends are gonna be disappointed." Aurora giggled, she must be on a sugar high. That's the only time she giggles. "You never did that during the movie dates."

"It's the Howard charm." Willow nudged me with her elbow.

"Nah, it was his mouth." I shrugged it off and began picking at my chipped nail polish. "Gabriel Howard is a damn good kisser, by the way."

"Figured that since you, yenno screwed him." Willow busted out laughing at Aurora's words.

I took the phone from her and continued talking with Aurora. "Enough about my sex life."

"But I have one more question." She groaned and leaned her head back against the wall.

"What?" I gave in quickly.

"What does this mean for you, Gabe, and your friendship?" She dragged her top teeth over her bottom lip and stared at me with worry-filled eyes.

"We're still friends," I said to her but was watching Willow get up and head for the door. "Where are you going?"

"Someone knocked." She raised her brows before disappearing into the hallway.

"What's going on?" Aurora snapped me back to our conversation.

"Someone knocked and Wills' is answering." I blew air out and shoved my legs under the comforter.

"Okay, how's your book slump going?" Aurora asked me.

"I haven't finished a book in three months." I leaned back against the headboard and stared at the ceiling again. "Nothing's interesting anymore."

"Have you tried reading stuff outside your comfort zone? That usually helps me." She suggested.

"I haven't done that." I nodded absentmindedly. "Got any recs?"

"Lunar Chronicles, Entwined, that one Sarah J Mass trilogy." She listed off some of her favorite books. "Maybe that one series Wills likes? The kid one."

"The peculiar children?" She nodded, excitedly at my words.

"That one! Also, my cousin has two copies of the graphic novel, so she's letting me give one to Willow." She smiled happily and leaned out of frame to grab something. "I also got her some postcards, and you a copy of Midsummer's Dream  and Pride and Prejudice."

"I love you," I told her as Willow waltzed back in and returned to her spot next to me. "Who was at the door?"

"Loverboy and his family." Willow took the phone from me, and Aurora repeated what she was bringing us.

"Why is Ro-?" I started asking only to be interrupted by someone in my doorway.

"Talking to Aurora?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah, come in and say hi." I waved him over and scooted over, ignoring the sadness that was settling in my chest because it wasn't Robbie in my doorway.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." Gabe greeted Aurora, who rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"I leave for a week, and you turn into Cam." She joked.

"If Gabe turned into Cam, then Soph wouldn't've fucked him," Willow said casually.

"I'm out." Gabe rolled off the bed and started to leave my room.

"I'm not sitting through another discussion of my sex life." I shook my head and got up. "Bye, Aurora. I love you."

"I love you too!" She yelled as I left the room.

"And now that we're gone, they're gonna talk about video games and other non-sex related things." I laughed at Gabe's words as we walked down the hall and to the living room. "Hey, Cam's out front on the phone, and the parents are out back if you wanna talk to them now."

"Sure." I let my hair down and rolled the hair tie onto my wrist. "How are we gonna tell them?"

"Um..." Gabe pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he thought. "Hey, guys. Food smells great, and Soph and I decided to become fuck buddies for the summer. Do you want us to get the dishes ready?"

"Gabe, no." I pushed him away from me as I laughed. "They're gonna ask questions."

"First, then they're gonna ask if we already had sex, then ask if we used protection and got consent." Gabe listed his predictions. "They're gonna make sure we know that condoms and birth control aren't the only forms of protection and that we know they are totally reliable. Then it's gonna be why we decided to become fuck buddies, why each other, why only for the summer, have we done this before, and again why we're doing this."

"I think that covers it." I agreed slowly as I mulled over his words. "They're probably all are gonna ask questions at the same time."

"This is so nerve-wracking." Gabe groaned and laced his fingers behind his neck. "Why is this so nerve-wracking?"

"Because you're about to tell the parents you fucked each other and plan to fuck each other for the summer," Cam said from the kitchen where he was drinking a soda.

"Thanks, bro." Gabe smiled sarcastically at his older brother, but I flipped him off. "That's so helpful."

"It is?" Cam smirked and walked to the backdoor before we could register what he was about to do. "Hey, guys Sophia and Gabriel are-"

"Cam, no!" We ran over to him and tried to pull him back inside.

"-coming out here to tell you that they're fucking," Cam told the parents before pushing us into the backyard and closing the door behind us.

"Please tell me you're using protection and consent." Ms. Howard asked from her spot on the porch swing.

"Of course, Mom." Gabe shoved his hands into his front pockets while I wrapped my arms around my torso.

"So why are you two sleeping together?" Dad set his beer down on the ground and turned his body to face us.

"Because teenagers like sex, Owen." Papa closed the grill and sat down on a lawn chair.

Dad rolled his eyes at his fiancé's words. "Derek."

Papa just shrugged and gestured for us to answer Dad's question.

"Hormonal lust," I answered and stared at the concrete under my bare feet.

"And horror movies," Gabe added.

"Isn't that how you and the bitch made Ari?" Ms. Howard asked Dad; he just mumbled something and his beer.

"Making out during horror movies." Papa laughed. "The original Netflix and chill."

"This is more awkward than I thought it would be," Gabe whispered in my ear.

"I know." I agreed with him.

"So, are you friends with benefits now?" Papa got back up to check on the steaks.

"Just for the summer." We said in unison.

"Sock on the door." Ms. Howard pointed at us. "I don't want to walk in on that shit."

The Dads echoed her statement.

*****

"So when can I brag about having a published author for a daughter?" Dad asked me as we washed the dishes.

"Dad." I groaned and stuck a plate on the bottom rack of the dishwasher. "We've talked about this."

"I know." He rinsed off another plate and handed it to me. "But you've been reading so much and talking storylines with Willow..."

I didn't say anything because I don't want to let him and everyone down. Ever since I got into reading after the egg donor left, everyone talked about how I was gonna write a book and win awards.

I don't know how to tell them I don't want to write a book and that I hate writing.

"Yeah, Willow's been thinking about writing stories for video games and stuff." I shrugged. "She wants to be able to do everything for video games from coding to story to graphics."

"Hey." Ariel smiled weakly as she carried in the rest of the dishes. This is the first time I've seen her since dinner ended.

I ignored her as Dad, and I finished the dishes then went to my room. I plopped down on my bed and unplugged my phone from its charger.

I smiled when I saw Rob had sent me a text.
Rob💘: Hey

Me: Hi

Rob💘: How was the cookout?

Me: Good, kicked everyone's ass at Bingo
Me: Won $5

Rob💘: Nice, gonna buy a yacht with those winnings?

Me: More like every book on my life TBR and maybe a new camera.

Rob💘: Should've known with you.

I tapped the sides of my phone as I thought of a response. What to say, what to say.

Me: How was your night?

Smooth.

Rob💘: Boring until I got to talk to a pretty girl.

Me: And who's that?

The seven-minute wait nearly killed me.

Rob💘: I can't give you the dirt on me, Sophia.

"Fucker," I muttered under my breath as I typed out a response.

Me: What? I would never blackmail you

Rob💘: You would tell Willow, and she'll tease me endlessly.

Me: Cross my heart and hope to die. I won't tell

Rob💘: Nope

Me: Please!

Rob💘: Nope, Nope

Me: You suck

Rob💘: It's my secret ;)

I smiled at his text as I got another one from Gabe.

Gabe🤓: Wills says you're looking for book recs

Me: I'm not reading horror
Me: It's against the law

Gabe🤓: That's dramatic Soph

Me: It's the law

I flipped back to my conversation with Rob every five seconds to see if he messaged me, but he didn't.

I sighed and just stuck to my conversation with Gabe.

Gabe🤓: Soph, it's not gonna kill you

Me: Yes it will
Me: Horror should be banned

Gabe🤓: Pennywise would be upset

Me: I bet $20 it will
Me: Kill me that is

Gabe🤓: Okay, if it doesn't then we're having a horror only movie marathon

Me: Fine
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Sorry, this took forever!

I hope you enjoyed it!

-Brianna