Chapter 35
I’ll wear a costume as long as I have a hand free for my moonshine.
Sophia
“S omeone stop the tilt-a-whirl. I want to get off.”
When the spinning doesn’t stop, I force my eyes open. I’m not on a tilt-a-whirl. I’m in the basement of my parents’ house. I roll over and fall off of the sofa onto the floor.
“Ouch!”
Oops. Not the floor. I scramble away from Chloe as quick as a person who’s experiencing the worst hangover of her life can.
“What are you doing here?” I ask her. I scan the room and notice all of my friends are scattered throughout the space. “What are all of you doing here?”
Chloe moans. “Dying.”
“Wishing hangovers were fictional,” Maya adds.
“Supporting you,” Nova says.
“Studying the bonds of friendship.”
Two guesses as to who said the last part.
The basement door opens and light shines into the area. I moan. “Turn it off.”
“Oh good. You’re awake,” Mom says as she descends the stairs.
“How are you awake and perky this morning? Even I’m not perky this morning,” Nova complains.
Mom giggles. “Practice. Lots and lots of practice. And water.”
“You’re my favorite mom in the world,” Maya says. “But I don’t like you very much right now.”
Mom smiles. “What if I say I made your favorite hangover meal?”
“Are you telling us the truth?” Chloe asks, and I frown. She has a hard time believing my mom after what her own mother put her through.
“I made my specialty hangover smoothies with coconut water, green tea, bananas, and honey. Plus, I have blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs.”
“Is there coffee?” I ask because breakfast doesn’t exist without coffee.
“I wouldn’t dare serve breakfast without coffee. You’d sneak out the back door, barefoot and in your nightgown, and beg the neighbor for a cup.”
“One time. One time I asked the neighbor for a cup of coffee,” I mutter. And we live on an island. Barefoot is not a big deal.
“Let’s go, girls.” Mom shoos us up the stairs. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”
“The only thing I plan to do today is search for an apartment.” No way am I continuing to live with Flynn. I’m not into self-harm.
Mom shakes her head. “You can view apartments tomorrow. The Moonshine & Merriment Festival starts today. You don’t want to miss the opening ceremony.”
I plop down on a chair at the kitchen table. “I’m too hungover for merriment today.”
She sets a smoothie down in front of me. “Drink this. You’ll feel better and be ready to enjoy some merriment in no time.”
“I don’t think a smoothie is going to heal my broken heart.”
“You can’t be depressed when drinking Mermaid Moonshine and dancing a pirate’s jig,” Nova claims.
“Challenge accepted.”
Despite my bitching, food does help my hangover and within an hour, I’m feeling better.
“Time to change into your costumes,” Mom declares once we’ve cleaned up after breakfast. She holds up a costume.
Correction. I was feeling better.
“I’ll go to the festival if you insist but I’m not dressing up.”
Mom huffs. “You are dressing up or I’m telling the entire island about how you insisted we call you ‘Veronica’ after Veronica Mars for the entire seventh grade.”
Maya giggles. “I think everyone on the island already knows since she decided she was a real life detective and tried to solve all the mysteries at high school.”
“It wasn’t a mystery how the chemistry lab blew up,” Paisley mutters. “It was an honest mistake.”
Chloe laughs. “What about when she stole all those library books and then pretended it wasn’t her just so she could ‘open a case’?”
“Fine.” I stand and snatch the costume from Mom. “I’ll get changed, but I’m going to be a grumpy pirate all day.”
I stomp toward the door to the basement.
“I took the liberty of picking up all of your costumes this morning. You’ll find them downstairs,” Mom hollers after me.
“Thanks, Lily!” Nova says as she shuts the door behind us.
I dump my costume on the sofa. A blouse, boned corset, skirt, and hat tumble out. I pick up the skirt.
“This will barely cover my ass,” I complain.
“Stop whining and put on your outfit,” Nova orders. “I don’t want to miss the opening ceremony.”
I put on the outfit, but I don’t stop whining. I reserve the right to be a grumpy mermaid for at least a year. Maybe two.
Once I’ve changed, I scowl at myself in the mirror. “I think Mom got the wrong costume.”
“Why? You look sexy,” Maya says.
“I’m not sexy. I’m slutty.”
The blouse barely covers my breasts. Making matters worse, the boned corset pushes them up. The skirt isn’t as short as I feared but it has a slit on the side nearly to my hip.
The door opens. “Girls! We need to go.”
“Coming, Lily!” Nova pushes me toward the stairs. “Let’s go. You don’t want to disappoint your mom.”
“She went to all the trouble of picking out an outfit for you,” Maya adds.
Fine. Whatever. I trudge up the stairs.
“Hurry and stand in front of the front door. We need our annual picture.” Mom herds us outside and Dad snaps our picture.
“I expect a bathtub of Mermaid Moonshine to get me through this day,” I say as we begin walking toward downtown where the opening ceremony of the Moonshine & Merriment Festival takes place.
Chloe links her arm with mine. “I’m in.”
Paisley frowns at us. “Aren’t you worried about your livers?”
“Not today.” Chloe begins to skip.
I pull on her arm. “What’s the hurry?”
“I want a good seat.”
When we arrive at Main Street, a crowd is already gathering, but we manage to find five empty spots on the bleachers.
“I love the opening ceremony.” Maya is practically bouncing in her seat. “It’s so romantic.”
“It’s an act,” I remind her. I stand. “I’ll get the first round of drinks.”
Nova tugs me down. “Too late. It’s starting.”
“I can miss the first few minutes. I’ve seen it before.”
The opening ceremony of the Moonshine & Merriment Festival hasn’t changed since I was a kid. It’s always the same thing. A pirate appears and declares his love for a woman. But the woman is married to another pirate. A sword fight ensues. Yada yada yada.
It’s more fun to watch after drinking Mermaid Moonshine.
“Hear ye, hear ye!” The mayor, Lana, speaks over the microphone. “It is time to begin our—”
Flynn arrives and snatches the microphone from her. “I have come to declare my love for my wench.”
“He didn’t tell me he’s playing the pirate this year,” I mutter. I’ll add this to the list of things Flynn didn’t tell me. Right beneath him choosing my brother over me.
Maya places a finger over her lips to quiet me. “Shush.”
“Sophia Milton!” he shouts and I startle.
“Why is he calling my name?”
“I hereby declare my love for you in front of the world.”
My jaw drops open. What is going on? “Is he serious?”
Weston saunters onto the stage. “Not so fast, Pirate Flynn. You can’t have my sister.”
I’m confused. “What’s happening?”
Flynn brandishes a sword. “I will fight you for her.”
Weston smirks. “You will not win.”
“I will fight to the death for her.”
Lana bangs a drum. “Bring forth the wench!”
Chloe pushes me forward. “Go!”
“I’m not a wench.”
Paisley rolls her eyes. “A wench is a young woman. You’re a wench.”
Fine. I’m a wench but, “I’m not going out there.”
Chloe stands and pulls me to my feet. “We have the wench here.”
The crowd roars and begins to chant. “Wench! Wench! Wench!”
I glare at my friends. “Did you know about this?”
Maya smiles. “Isn’t it romantic?”
“How romantic will it be when I steal your mail?”
She gasps but Paisley stands and blocks my view of Maya. “You’re breaking the rules of the festival.”
The opening ceremony is supposed to be fictional. Not a reflection of my life. But there’s no way I’m escaping this. The crowd surrounds us, waiting for me to act. And my friends aren’t letting me run away.
“Fine. Whatever.” I stomp down the bleachers and across the stage to reach Flynn and Weston. “The wench is reporting for duty.”
“Go Sophia!” Mom shouts and I bury my face in my hands. “Why is this happening to me?”
Flynn pulls my hands away from my face. “You wanted me to fight for you. I’m fighting for you.”
“I want you to fight for me because you can’t live without me. Not as some stunt at the opening ceremony of the Moonshine & Merriment Festival.”
He cups my cheek. “I can’t live without you, my little temptress. I love you. I’m sorry it took you walking away for me to realize how much I love you.”
Excitement skitters through my veins, but I can’t believe it. Not yet. “You love me?”
“Why do you think I didn’t fix the bathroom at your apartment?”
“What? You purposely didn’t fix my bathroom? You wanted me to live with you?”
He kisses my forehead. “I love you, Sophia Milton. I’ve been fighting my feelings for you for a long time. Ever since you kissed me at your high school graduation.”
“I knew that kiss was good.”
“You’re my everything, Sophia.”
The conviction in his voice has the butterflies in my stomach lifting their wings. They’re ready to fly. But there’s one more issue to handle first. “What about Weston and my dad? You’re not worried you’ll disappoint them anymore? Break some kind of bullshit male bonding?”
He nods to my dad sitting in the front row with Mom. Dad gives us a thumbs up.
“We have your dad’s blessing.”
Everything clicks. How Mom insisted I wear this outfit. How my girlfriends pushed me to come this morning.
“You did all this for me?”
“I’d do anything for you. Even embarrass myself in front of the entire island.”
I grin. “I was joking when I called you my pirate man.”
“What?” He strikes a pose. “You don’t approve of my outfit?”
“Enough!” Weston shouts. “You must fight me for the right to court my sister.”
“Court?” I giggle. “Is that what the cool kids are calling it?”
Flynn presses a quick kiss to my mouth. “We’re doing all the courting.” I giggle as he escorts me to the side of the stage. “Stay safe, my little temptress.”
“Try not to kill my brother.”
“I make no promises. He winks. “Love you, Soph.”
“Love you, too, my pirate man.”