Soulmates

Chapter 57

thanks for the Family Line song prompt

you'll never guess who suggested it

that's right, it's riptide2406 everyone say thanks for the angst!

Name a better time to get into the pool than midnight.

    In Piper's opinion, you can't. It was starting to cool into fall weather, and the pool felt like a hot tub. In the outdoor kitchen, sodas were in the fridge, and a bag of puffy Cheetos was in the cabinets.

    Piper grabbed two Coke cans, giving one to Leo. She looked across the pool to where Sadie and Shel were talking while making weird faces at Sadie's phone.

    Piper had known that Shel was hot. Everyone knew that. You can't think about Shelby Silva Hicks and not think she's gorgeous.

    But seeing Shel in a bathing suit really shoved that in Piper's face. Not that she was complaining, of course.

    She also knew what looked good on her. In this case, it was coral. So, Shel wore a coral tunnel cutout one-piece.

    And now Piper was staring.

    "Imagine being whipped," Leo commented.

    "Imagine pining on a guy that still likes you," Piper shot back.

    Without missing a beat, Leo said, "Imagine having your gay awakening be your girlfriend."

    "Imagine being single."

    "Imagine never cutting your fucking ends. Like, we need to have a conversation about that, they're fucking yellow."

    "Imagine not knowing that the sun lightens hair."

    "Imagine thinking that excuse would work in the fall."

    "Imagine always wearing the same fucking outfit."

    "Imagine being a victim of slander from your friend."

    Piper rolled her eyes. "I'm stopping this now."

    "You're no fun."

    "Shush."

    "No."

    "Okay, okay. Seriously though," Piper said. "I'm happy for you."

    "Bitch, why?" Leo asked. "I'm tragically single and I still haven't built a nuke made for Elon Musk."

    "Why would you be making a nuke for Elon Musk?"

    "To nuke him, why else?"

    "Valid." Piper placed her coke down. "I'm happy for you because you actually faced your emotions instead of joking your way through them."

    Leo's gaze softened. "Yeah, I'm proud of that too. I mean, I didn't really do it by myself."

    "Shel mothered you?"

    "I don't think mother is the word. It's more like that one aunt you trust more as a parent and friend than your actual parents. Like, she's actually helpful and solves problems rather than cause them!" Leo said. "But yeah."

-

Nico was, unsurprisingly, the last to fall asleep.

    After the pool, everyone took showers at the fucking speed of light and slowly drifted to sleep around 4am.

    Nico and Sadie were the last ones standing, running on two Red Bulls, and Nico was contemplating murdering his stomach with a third.

    "Do you ever wonder where you'll be when your older?" Sadie asked.