"Hey, we should go to the pharmacy at some point. Buy some nail polish." I wiggle my fingers at Bonnie.
"Oh my god, Liam, you have to let me give you a manicure," she says.
"Bonnie has freakishly steady nails," Erin says, before taking a bite of batter-covered fish.
"It's a plan," I say. I reach over to grab a handful of chips, and as I do, I catch Curtis staring at me. I wish he wouldn't do that.
*
Two hours later, the five of us return to the beach house, tired and shivering. The wind got worse as we walked home, and we ended up running across the empty roads and down sidewalks to get to the house as quickly as possible.
In the living room, there's a huge flat-screen TV hoisted onto the wall, and Erin suggests watching a movie. Kennedy's not enthusiastic — she's not a big fan of movies — so we end up spending fifteen minutes browsing through streaming services, trying to decide a movie to watch. In the end, we choose the old Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.
Halfway through the film, when I'm no longer full from the fish and chips I ate at the park, I grab a packet of lollies from the grocery store and hand it around. Everyone takes some — everyone apart from Curtis, though. He doesn't thank me for offering, just shakes his head, nose in the air.
Asshole. Being polite to him is way too hard. I was already losing my shit at the park, so how am I going to last for the rest of the trip?
Before the movie finishes, Curtis says he's tired and disappears into the attic. For some reason, that annoys me, even though I prefer for him to be out of sight.
Once the movie finishes, Bonnie and Erin yawn and leave too. Kennedy and I decide to have another hot chocolate before bed and go to the kitchen.
"Thank you, Liam," Kennedy says.
I empty two hot chocolate sachets into our mugs and then pick up the kettle. "Hold your horses, I haven't finished them yet." I pour the hot water, stir with a teaspoon, watching the powder turn into frothy chocolate goodness.
"Thanks," Kennedy says when I pass her the mug. "But I meant, thank you for putting in an effort. With… him."
I lean against the kitchen island too, eyes fluttering close. "You don't know how hard it is," I mutter. "He makes me want to pull my hair out."
"He doesn't," Kennedy says, taking a sip.
I open my eyes and look at her. "Yeah, he does. It's been almost 48 hours of this. Not once has he been nice to me in return."
"I'm sorry. Curtis is just…"
"You're making excuses for him," I say. "Why don't make him promise to be nice to me too?"
"You're right. I should."
"Yeah," I say, and take a long drink of the hot chocolate. The sweetness relieves my anger a bit.
Kennedy sets her cup down and starts rummaging through the cupboards.
"What are you looking for?" I ask.
"Green tea," she says. "I know we have it — we bought it at the supermarket — ah-ha!" She finds a green box and opens it up, revealing thirty crammed green tea bags.
"You haven't finished your hot chocolate yet," I say.
Kennedy ignores me, picking out a teabag and putting it into a new mug.
"If you won't have it, I will," I say, reaching out to take hers.
Kennedy spins around and slaps my wrist. "The tea's not for me, it's for Curtis."
"Huh?"
She fills up the mug with hot water and bounces the tea bag up and down; the water turning light green. "He likes drinking it before going to bed."
