"Mom, why are you being so difficult?!"
"Nessa, I'm not being difficult."
"No, mom. You are!" Nessa groaned, storming after her mother into the kitchen.
"I don't get why we have to spend the entire summer in Hawaii," she whined. "We could just stay here!"
Her mother, Rose, didn't even flinch at her daughter's dramatics. She set the box she was carrying onto the counter with a firm thud, then raised an eyebrow.
"Nessa, I do understand that you don't want to go to Hawaii for the summer," she said evenly.
Nessa nodded vigorously, seizing the chance.
"But—"
"No, mom. No but," Nessa cut her off. "I'm serious. I don't want to go to Hawaii. What's even so special about it anyway?! We could just stay here in California and spend the summer like we always do."
She paused, her expression brightening as a sudden idea struck. "Or wait… maybe for a real change of scenery, we could go to Paris instead of plain, boring Hawaii." Her grin widened. "Isn't that awesome, mom?"
Rose sighed, shaking her head as she massaged the lines at her temple. Before she could respond, Nessa pressed on eagerly.
"Think about it, mom. We could go shopping, have pool parties, see the Eiffel Tower. And I could even meet some hot, sexy French guys," she added with a hopeful smile, silently praying her mother would look convinced.
Paris was her dream—the perfect place for summer. She could already picture herself walking the cobblestone streets, snapping photos, making new French friends, and basking beneath the glittering tower lights.
It would be perfect. If only her mother weren't so stubborn.
But deep down, Nessa already knew: that dream wasn't going to happen.
Rose shot Nessa a pointed look.
"Nessa, first of all, Paris is way too expensive to just spend a summer. And second, what exactly do you think Paris has that Hawaii doesn't?"
"Um, hello? The Eiffel Tower, fashion, fun vibes… oh, and let's not forget, the hot French guys who are magically gifted in the language of love." Nessa threw her hands in the air for emphasis.
Rose placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head, staring at her daughter in disbelief.
"Nessa, you already have a boyfriend. I'm sure he wouldn't be thrilled to hear you drooling over French guys."
At the mention of boyfriend, Nessa's lips pressed into a pout. A spark of irritation flared in her chest.
"Mom? Boyfriend? Seriously? Do you really call Freddy my boyfriend after he's ignored me for four weeks straight? This week makes it five!" Her voice cracked with frustration. "Sometimes I wonder if he even cares about me at all. Anyway, I'm gonna dump his ass soon."
Rose exhaled wearily, clearly unconvinced. "Nessa, you've been saying that in nearly every argument you two have. Yet somehow, you never do it. I know you, you love Freddy. And deep down, you're not ready to let him go."
Nessa flipped her hair with a huff, her bravado clashing with the uncertainty in her eyes. "Maybe, maybe not," she muttered. "But right now? Freddy feels like the worst boyfriend I've ever had."
"Sweetie, don't say that. I'm sure you two will patch things up and get back together," Rose said with a warm smile. Then, almost as if dropping a bomb, she added, "Anyway, for your information, Freddy and his family are joining us on this trip."
Nessa froze. For a second, she couldn't breathe. She stared at her mom, shocked and completely thrown off.
"What?! Mom, you cannot be serious! I thought this was a family trip."
Rose unpacked the box on the counter. She folded clothes neatly, slid bottles of sunscreen into a corner, and placed some toiletries on top. "It is a family trip, Nessa. Freddy and his family are part of our family, so I invited them. They're coming along. I thought I told you already."
"You never did!"
Rose pressed the box closed with a firm hand, her expression tightening. "Well, I'm telling you now. And one more thing—." Her brows furrowed slightly. "—I don't want you harassing Freddy, understand?"
"Mom, I can't believe you think I'd do something like that."
"Nessa, believe it or not, you're more than capable of it," Rose replied pointedly.
"Ugh! This is officially the worst summer ever!" Nessa groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Fisrt, my so-called boyfriend is tagging along, and now we're stuck going to Hawaii of all places. I hate it, mom. I hate everything about it!"
Rose's voice stayed calm, though her eyes narrowed slightly. "Nessa, it's not about what you want. It's about what's best for the family. And what's best for the family is spending the summer in Hawaii." She softened her tone, trying to ease the storm brewing in her daughter. "Don't worry, you'll see. This trip will be good for all of us."
"Good?" Nessa echoed incredulously. "You mean boring. I don't even like the beach, remember? Or do we just block that out of our memories?"
Rose fixed Nessa with the kind of look that said: 'Final decision, end of discussion.'
"It'll be fun. Family time. And I don't want to hear another word about it."
"What? Fun for who?" Nessa muttered, throwing her hands in the air. "Because it sure as hell isn't me. Why can't we just—"
"You're going, Nessa. End of story."
Nessa opened her mouth to argue, but a deep, familiar voice cut across her.
"Mom, we're back!"
Nessa's head whipped toward the doorway. Her four brothers entered, loud as ever. Timothy and Milo chatted and laughed. Adrien—moody as always—walked in without uttering a word. Steven stepped in with his usual swagger, a red-haired girl trailing behind him as she laughed at something he had just said.
"You're such a dumbass" she said, playfully smacking his shoulder.
"That makes the two of us, Kayla" Steven shot back with a grin, tossing her a wink. She laughed and gave his cheek a light slap in return.
"Oh, shut up."
Nessa rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might get stuck. Ugh. Those two? Lovebirds
Rose raised an eyebrow at Steven. "Did you buy the petrol?"
"Yup," he nodded.
"Did you fuel the car?"
"Dad's handling that right now, mom."
"Oh, okay." She glanced at her wristwatch. "We'll be leaving in about ten minutes. We need to get to the airport early."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, mom," Steven said. "Anyway…" He reached into a grocery bag slung over his shoulder. "I got snacks for everyone. Thought I'd save us from mom's horrible sandwiches."
Rose shot him a look, which only made him grin wider. He tossed a pack of chips to Adrien, who caught it effortlessly, and then handed out more to Milo, Tim, and Kayla.
"And for the princess—." Steven grinned, tossing a pack of gummy bears at Nessa.
Except Nessa, as usual, wasn't fast enough. The pack smacked her on the forehead, bounced off, and hit the floor.
Her brothers, except Adrien, burst out laughing. Milo actually doubled over, clutching his stomach. Even Kayla snorted.
Nessa froze, heat flooding her cheeks. She bent down slowly, picking up the candy with all the grace of a queen who'd just been humiliated in her own palace.
"Very funny," she muttered, glaring at Steven.
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Steven said, winking.
"By the way, what were you ladies talking about before we came in?" Tim asked, tearing open his snack and tossing a chip into his mouth.
Rose glanced at Nessa. "You know the usual. Nessa doesn't want to go to Hawaii," she sighed. "She wants to go to Paris instead."
"Seriously? Paris? Nessa, do you even know what you're talking about?" Milo raised a brow, clearly amused.
Nessa turned to him, narrowing her eyes. "Of course I know what I'm talking about."
"Naw, I don't think so, Nessa," Adrien cut in sharply. "Cause if you did, you wouldn't be talking such nonsense."
"Yeah. I'm with him," Steven chimed in with a smirk.
"Excuse me?" Nessa's brows furrowed, her eyes narrowing into slits as irritation started to bubble inside her.
Adrien leaned casually against the fridge, chewing his chips slowly, giving her a flat stare.
"Honestly, Nessa, you need to grow up. Accept the fact we're going to Hawaii. There's nothing you will say or do to change that. And believe me, you're not the only one who hates this trip. I hate it too. But you don't see me throwing drama fits."
"I don't throw drama fits, Adrien!" she shot back.
"Yes, you do! You always want things your way, and when they don't happen, you yell, stomp, and act like a spoiled bitch, which you are anyway."
"Adrien, who invited you into this conversation?" she snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"No one invited me. This is my mouth and I have every right to say what's on my mind."
Nessa's temper flared instantly. "Well then, fuck you and that stupid right."
"No, fuck you."
"You're a bastard!"
"And you're a pain in the ass!"
"Asshole!"
"Bitch!"
"Jerk!"
"Brat!"
The insults flew faster than the chips Steven had tossed. Rose slammed her hand down on the counter, the sound sharp enough to slice through their shouting.
"That's enough!" Her voice was like a whip, silencing everyone at once. "Both of you are grounded. Hand over your phones, now!"
"What?" Nessa gasped, horror washing over her.
"Unbelievable," Adrien muttered under his breath, but pulled his phone from his pocket and slapped it into Rose's hand.
Nessa stomped her foot. "This is so unfair!" But under Rose's unflinching stare, she reluctantly dug her phone from her shorts and dropped it onto the counter with a dramatic groan.
"There." She spun on her heel, stomping toward the stairs. "I hope Hawaii sinks."
"Vanessa!" Rose warned.
But Nessa didn't stop. She stormed away, muttering curses under her breath.