Kayla hesitated, then looked at Rose with a shrug. "I'll go talk to her," she said, jogging after her friend.
"Good luck," Rose sighed, rubbing her temples.
Upstairs, Kayla found Nessa flopped across her bed, hair splayed dramatically over her pillow.
"Nessa?"
"What is it?" she groaned.
Kayla leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, her voice dripping with sass.
"You know, if whining burned calories, you'd have a six-pack by now."
Nessa lifted her head just enough to glare. "Shut up, Kayla."
Kayla smirked and stepped into the room, plopping down beside her.
"Nessa, stop being so hard on your mom. She just wants what's best for all of you. Your summer will only be bad if you keep telling yourself it will be. Hawaii is actually a fun place to be. Beaches, bikinis, cocktails—"
"We're underage."
"Details." Kayla waved her hand dismissively. "Point is, it's not gonna be that bad. You might even have fun if you unclench for five minutes."
"Easy for you to say," Nessa said, rolling he eyes. "You and Steven are probably going to spend the summer making out."
Kayla smirked. "Jealous?"
"Disgusted."
Nessa groaned, burying her face in the pillow. "I don't want fun, Kayla. I wanted a chill summer. Here. Not stuck with my entire family on some island where I can't escape."
"You say that now. Wait till you're sunbathing with hot surfers walking by," Kayla grinned, winking.
Nessa peeked up at her, torn between laughing and scowling.
"You're impossible."
"Yeah, but—" Kayla started, but she was cut off when Milo's voice echoed from downstairs, calling after them.
"Kayla? Nessa? It's time to go!"
"No problem! We're coming, just give us a sec!" Kayla shouted back.
"Hurry!"
Kayla turned to Nessa. "I guess it's time to go, princess. You can kiss California goodbye one last time," she chuckled, standing up and heading for the door.
"Kayla, you suck," Nessa mumbled.
Outside, the sun blazed hotter than usual, the kind of heat that clung to the skin and made the air shimmer. Everything looked bright and golden. Too perfect. Too warm.
With one hand, Nessa shielded her eyes from the glare. She leaned against the car, lazily scanning the driveway as the scene buzzed around her.
Steven and Milo were running back and forth, carrying boxes and coolers under Rose's sharp-eyed supervision. Her father, Thomas, was double-checking things for the trip while Freddy and his family cheerfully helped out. The air buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the faint hum of a radio somewhere.
Tim and Adrien stood beside her, leaning on the car too, deep in a discussion that sounded half-serious, half-ridiculous.
Nessa would've loved to join them, really, but she knew better. Her brothers had a way of turning any of her comments into a full-blown roast session. So she turned instead to Kayla, who was on her other side, completely glued to her phone.
"What are you doing?" Nessa asked, leaning in curiously to peek at the screen.
Kayla jerked the phone away so fast, Nessa almost laughed.
"Hey! Don't look at my phone. Mind your business."
"Okay, fine. I'll mind my business," Nessa muttered, crossing her arms with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
"Good." Kayla went right back to typing.
A second later, a new message popped up on her screen and her eyes widened.
"Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh. This cannot be happening!" she gasped and tugged at Nessa's sleeve. "Nessa, Ryan just texted me!"
Nessa raised a brow, surprised. "Wait, Ryan? As in your ex Ryan?"
"Yes, Nessa! My ex. What am I supposed to say to him?"
"I don't know, what did he even say?"
"Uh, he said—"
Before she could finish, Steven swooped in out of nowhere and snatched the phone right out of her hand.
"Hey! Steven! Give me back my phone!" Kayla shrieked.
Steven grinned devilishly. "Nope!" And just like that, he bolted.
Kayla groaned and sprinted after him. "Steven, I'm serious! Give it back!"
He was laughing now, dodging behind the car and holding the phone high in the air. Kayla jumped, stretching her arms, but Steven—a foot taller—lifted it even higher.
"Steven! I swear, if you don't give me back my phone—"
"Not until I see what's got you gasping like a drama queen."
"NO WAY! Give it back!"
He ignored her and glanced at the screen, then read aloud, in a teasing voice, "Hey Kay. I heard that you won't be around for the summer. Please, could you come over at my place asap? I need to talk to you. It's urgent, please. From Ryan. P.s, I still miss you Kay."
Kayla's cheeks flushed. "Oh my gosh, give that back!"
Steven's playful smirk faltered. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "Ryan?! What's he doing talking to you? And what's he doing attaching a heart emoji to your name in the message? Why is he even calling you, Kay? I thought you two broke up."
"Steven, stop being such a jerk and hand me back my phone."
"Oh, wait, I see. Catching up with old flames, aren't you, sweetheart?"
Kayla crossed her arms, glaring up at him. "You jealous or something, Steven?"
He scoffed. "Jealous? Please. Why would I be jealous?"
"I don't know," she shot back. "Maybe because you're acting like you own my phone, or my love life."
Steven's mouth twitched. "Someone needs to, apparently."
Their argument escalated in quick jabs and eye rolls, the kind of bickering that made everyone nearby either laugh or sigh.
Nessa, however, just rolled her eyes. Those two were always at it. Not her problem. Not today.
A smile tugged at her lips, but it quickly faltered when she spotted Freddy laughing with her dad, the sound making her chest tighten. Her mind then flashed back to the kitchen, where Rose had dropped the bombshell that Freddy and his family would be joining them on this trip. She'd tried to reason with her mother, tried to explain why having Freddy and his family join the trip was a terrible idea. But her mother, stubborn as ever, had shut her down.
She hated this trip, and now that Freddy was tagging along, she hated it even more.
"Nessa? Hellooo?"
Kayla's voice broke through her thoughts. She was waving a hand in front of Nessa's face.
Nessa blinked, startled. "Huh?"
"You've got to be kidding me," Kayla sighed. "You weren't listening to me at all, were you?"
"I'm so sorry," Nessa said. "Did you at least get your phone back?"
Kayla huffed, shooting a glare over her shoulder at Steven. "Yeah, but next time, he's losing an arm."
Nessa smiled faintly. "Sounds fair." Her gaze shifted back to Freddy.
Kayla tucked her phone in her back pocket and leaned against the car, crossing her arms.
Nessa was oddly quiet. Kayla noticed and her gaze narrowed knowingly.
"Nessa, what's bothering you? I know that face. Spill it."
Nessa exhaled, long and heavy. "Freddy and his family are joining us on this trip, Kayla."
Kayla's face lit up immediately. "Wait, what? That's wonderful."
Nessa turned sharply to her, eyebrows flying up. "No, Kayla, it isn't wonderful!"
Kayla blinked. "Why not? Nessa, he's your best friend and your boyfriend. Why wouldn't you want him to come?"
"Because," Nessa said, dragging a hand down her face. "Freddy and I had an argument. A big one. And he's been ignoring me ever since. Now, mom just had to go and invite him."
Kayla gave her a look somewhere between amusement and disbelief.
"So basically, you're mad that your hot, sweet boyfriend is joining us on this trip."
"Kayla, you don't get it." Nessa shut her eyes tight, groaning dramatically. "It's going to be so awkward and weird. I hate that we're even going to Hawaii, and now Freddy's coming too? Ugh. This is officially the worst, Kayla."
"Could you stop being so dramatic, Nessa? Freddy's my best friend too, you know. Just because you and him aren't on good terms doesn't mean I shouldn't be happy he's coming. That's your business, Nessa. Don't drag me into your relationship mess," Kayla said, rolling her eyes.
Nessa's mouth fell open. "Wow. Thanks for the support, bestie. Really heartfelt."
"I'm just being honest."
"Yeah, right. Kayla, you're not even helpful! In fact, why did I even—." Her words froze mid-air when she spotted someone jogging toward them.
Her eyes narrowed as she groaned under her breath. "Ugh. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."
Kayla heard that and just rolled her eyes.
When Freddy reached them, slightly out of breath, Kayla beamed and opened her arms.
"Freddy!"
He hugged her briefly, grinning. "Kayla! What's up?"
"I'm good, Freddy."
"Hmm, I saw you chasing after Steven." He glanced toward Steven. "What's up with you two again?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Kayla said, waving her hand dismissively. "Steven can be stupid sometimes. He's an asshole. You know Steven, he got the brainpower of a chipmunk."
Freddy bursted out laughing and said, "Kayla, you're damn funny." He reached out and playfully ruffled her hair.
"But it's true! Come on, you tell me, do you think Steven's smart?" Kayla asked, lifting a brow.
Freddy laughed even louder. And Nessa? She just rolled her eyes, feeling that slight twinge of irritation rise inside her.
Freddy walked past Nessa without a glance, giving Tim and Adrien one of those cool boy handshakes. They laughed and clapped shoulders like old buddies.
When they were done, his eyes landed on Nessa. They didn't speak. They just… stared.
The silence stretched long, heavy with all the things they hadn't said in weeks. The air between them thickened—awkward, tight, and impossible to ignore.
"Ugh!" Adrien groaned loudly, breaking the moment. "You guys should just say sorry and make up already. This is annoying! For fuck's sake, you guys aren't kids. You guys are adults. Grown adults."
Nessa's head snapped toward him. "Excuse me? No way, Adrien! He's the one who should apologize."
Freddy crossed his arms and said, "Not happening."
"Oh really?" Nessa shot back. "You're seriously going to stand there like you're innocent?"
Freddy tilted his head slightly, smirking. "Because I am innocent."
"You're unbelievable," she scoffed.
"No, what's unbelievable is you, Nessa!" Adrien said. "You're always nagging, always dramatic, always frustrating! Freddy is just keeping up with your shitty attitude, Nessa. If I were him, I would have broken up with you long time ago. Believe it or not, you're too toxic to be with. What you care about mostly is yourself and yourself alone."
"Exactly," Freddy nodded in agreement.
Nessa shot Freddy a glare, then turned to Adrien.
"What? Adrien! So, I'm toxic, huh? I can't believe you, Adrien. Are you seriously on his side?"
"Yup, I'm on team Freddy. You should know that by now. Geez, I can never be on your side , Nessa. To be honest, you are always the one at fault in every argument you two have."
Nessa gasped. "Adrien, you gotta be kidding me! You're supposed to be my brother, not his lawyer!"
"He's just stating facts," Freddy said with a smug smile.
"Oh, don't even start," Nessa snapped, raising her hand up. "You're both impossible!"
Kayla sighed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, everyone, chill. It's too hot for this drama."
"Yeah, y'all should chill," Tim added.
But Nessa was already fuming.
"Nope. I'm done," she said as she spun around and marched to the car.
"Nessa—" Kayla tried, but it was useless.
Nessa yanked open the passenger door, slipped inside, an slammed it shut.
Sh folded her arms and glared out the windshield, muttering, "Hawaii better have good air-conditioning, or I swear I'll combust before we even take off."
Outside, the rest of them exchanged glances.
Kayla exhaled. "Well. That went great."
Soon, everyone got into the car. Thomas was behind the wheel, sunglasses on, grinning like this was the best idea ever. The boys tumbled into the back, Steven immediately starting another playful fight with Kayla that had them both swatting at each other like children.
Rose chatting happily with Freddy's parents, Thomas chiming in from time to time. Milo, Freddy, and Tim joined in the laughter, while Adrien sat stone-faced in the corner, earbuds jammed in.
Nessa snapped her seatbelt and turned toward the window as the car pulled onto the road. She rolled the window all the way down, resting her arms on the frame and letting her head rest outside, curls whipping wildly in the hot summer wind.
Inside the car, chatter and laughter buzzed around her, but Nessa stayed silent. Her mind kept circling around Hawaii. She didn't want to spend her entire summer there. Not at all. She didn't want beaches or cousins or family bonding. She didn't want to be dragged somewhere that only reminded her of things she wanted to forget.
But whether she liked it or not, the summer had already begun.
And deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that Hawaii was about to change everything