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family vacation || cody and bella ft. summers family

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: summers lake house // summer 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: cody x bella, charlie, alice, claire, channing, courtney, robert, and jamie

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: bella langston is invited on the summers family trip.

The school year had come to a close, and it was time for the annual Summers family trip. This year had some higher stakes though, with Charlie and Alice's wedding being so close. Usually they would go a few weeks after school had finished, but Cody had genuinely just gotten out of his last exams of sophomore year. Channing had graduated college, and it was time to go to the cabin. The cabin was definitely not roughing it at all... but it wasn't as nice as their house. Cody honestly loved being up there, it brought him a lot of peace. Somehow, his parents convinced him that bringing Bella was not in fact optional, but it was strange that he hadn't really wanted to invite her. He quickly fixed what he had said and promised she would be there. Before he knew it he was holding Bella's hand as they approached the cabin. Everyone was bustling about, "Bella! Cody!" said Mrs. Summers as she gave them both a hug, "regular room sweetie, and don't worry. Bella can stay with you". Cody's life flashed in front of his eyes. Super awesome for his parents to be cool about overnight guests all of a sudden when he wished they would not be. Cody carried their bags up to his room, put them down and shut the door. "Well, shit" he said as he stared at the bed. "Of all the times for them to get chill about girls. I am so sorry, I assumed they would have Courtney bunk with Channing so you could have your own room"

Though Bella was pretty used to faking this relationship at this point, it still made her feel super guilty, especially when she talked to Cody's parents. They were always so nice to her, they didn't deserve to be lied to. Not that anyone else in her or his family did deserve to be lied to. It was just harder when his parents were around. Bella put on a polite smile and said her hellos before Mrs. Summers mentioned that she could stay in Cody's room. Being on this trip was going to be hard enough since she would constantly be around his family, but she thought she would have some time alone. Being a fake girlfriend was more tiring than she thought. She looked around the room before staring at the bed for a short moment. The one bed they'd have to share. Yet again, Bella reminded herself that she would never again pretend to be someone's girlfriend after this. "It's not your fault. The bed seems big enough, I'm sure we'll be fine." The tone of her voice was not convincing, but she did not want to come off as some spoiled brat. She was a guest, and she needed to be grateful that they even invited her. Even though she would have been perfectly fine with not being invited. "Sometimes I move around when I sleep but I do not flail so you don't have to worry."

Over two months had just flown by, and while they were busy with school they didn't make too much time for each other. It was a good system. This trip was going to be the most time they had spent together ever. Not to mention they would have to be putting on a good show for his family anytime they were outside of their room. The only place to escape was this small room, and they would still have to be in here together. "Same" he said shortly about her moving around in her sleep, but not kicking. "I even asked them for you to get your own room, but they took it as me being mature and really wanting the other thing" said Cody. He wanted this trip to be over, but they were going to be here for a while. "Charlie and Alice get here tomorrow" he said as he started to unpack and put his things away in a drawer, "so that will be fun. Everyone will be too busy talking about the wedding to talk about us. Tonights more the night we need to worry about" Cody said as he looked up at her, "other half of the drawers are yours".

Bella wasn't sure how she was going to last throughout this vacation, but she needed to stay positive. As long as her and Cody were able to keep the peace in this room, everything should be okay. "I'm sure my parents would have done the same thing. They ... really seem to like us together. Maybe we should have went into acting." she let out a weak laugh, yet another one of her failed attempts to make a joke. Poor thing just wasn't very funny. Bella nodded in response and went over to her bag to unpack and put her clothes into the drawer. She really wasn't expecting this to get as serious as it had gotten, but they also didn't anticipate this vacation or the wedding coming up. How could they not consider the wedding beforehand? "Should I be nervous, you know when it comes to your sisters?" she asked quietly. Bella hadn't seen most of his siblings since high school and she mainly steered clear of them. Well, mostly just Channing, but who could blame her? "I just haven't seen them in a while, and whenever our families would be around each other, I didn't talk to them much."

Cody laughed "I mean, I don't think either of our parents would appreciate another major change" he said, just thinking about what they would say. "Nah, don't be nervous. All three of them are going to be way too focused on getting their tan to bother with bothering you" he wasn't necessarily sure that was true, but it was true for right now. He could also come in and help at any given point. "If anyone is going to be nosy it'll be Charlie and Alice. So for now, let's head down to the pool or the lake. We could take the boat out or go kayaking or just hang in the water. Or a hike? Kinda whatever. My family doesn't do just sitting around very well. You'll see. If we aren't planning on doing something, someone will invite us along. Which is more difficult" he suggested. Cody also just loved doing stuff when he was at the lake house. It was the best time in his opinion. Everyone out of their rooms, no extra friends. Actual sibling time if he wanted it. All good things.

Bella couldn't imagine what her parents would say if she switched her major to yet another type of art. She was still shocked she pushed through and decided to pursue art, it had to be one of the first times she didn't do what her parents wanted. Not like it mattered, everything she seemed to do wasn't good enough. Not until Cody came in the picture. They had never been this happy with her, and it was part of why she kept this going. Of course they made a deal and she was going to keep that, but she couldn't let go of this fake relationship yet. Things at home were just too good. "Oh okay." she let out a sigh of relief, Bella thought his sisters would be tough to deal with. But Charlie was nice. Even if he was nosy, it wouldn't be intimidating, right? Would Alice be intimidating? Bella tried to not think about it and take this one day at a time. "Taking the boat out sounds fun." she said with a small smile. "Or we could do whatever's your favorite. I really don't mind."

"Boat it is" said Cody, he didn't sound too excited about it but he had a smile on his face. The boat was most definitely his favorite part of being here. "We ... just face the other way and we can both get changed" said the boy, of the things that were going to be awkward on this trip, he had not considered changing clothes. His sisters would definitely be suspicious if either one of them went to the bathroom to change, and would either make fun of them ... or ask their parents what was going on. He couldn't figure out which was worse. He grabbed his trunks from the drawer and went over to the corner, "tell me whenever you're comfortable" he said, doing his best to be respectful. He might enjoy annoying her, but this was not something anyone should annoy anyone about. It was going to be a huge hassle in general, but it was overall just a mild inconvenience.

This trip just kept getting more and more awkward. She didn't even consider the fact that they'd be changing in the same room. There were clearly so many things they didn't realize once they agreed to this fake relationship. But it would only last a few seconds, and she had changed in front of him before when he spilled the drink on her dress the night of their dinner. He kept his eyes shut the whole time so she knew she could trust him on that at least. "Oh. Right. Yes." Bella quickly got her bathing suit and a cover up out and took herself to opposite side of the room to face the wall. "Okay, I'm good." she told him as she got dressed into her bathing suit as quickly as possible. She wasn't trying to take her sweet time on this, it was already awkward enough and she was trying not to think of it. Once she was changed she continued to face the wall, "I'm done. Let me know when you are too. Take your time. I mean ... unless you want to be quick, of course. Go as slow or as fast as you want." she was rambling again and even she felt stupid this time.

She was talking ... like a lot. It was unnerving but he wasn't going to let anything ruin this trip for him. He was here to have a good time and she was also here. It was fine. Cody got himself changed quickly "done" he said shortly once he was all set. He grabbed two towels from the closet and tossed her one a little roughly and headed out of their room. As they headed to the dock, they passed his sisters by the pool. "Codyyyyyy" called out Courtney, "don't be shy, bring Bella by". Of course they were going to do this right now. "Yeah Cody, don't be shy" echoed Channing who had never had an original thought in her life. Claire remained quiet, she liked to save her comments once she knew they would hit. "Claire, Channing, Courtney. You know Bella Langston" he said with a cocky smile. His sisters could smell fear. It might be radiating off of Bella, but Cody wasn't too afraid of his sisters on a good day.

Bella flinched the moment Cody tossed a towel to her, she may have been 5'10, but she was a fragile being, and she was not equipped for football player throws. She pouted her lips and kept quiet as they headed outside. Hearing his sister's call out to Cody already made her nervous. She sighed quietly to herself before turning around and forcing a smile on her face. This was bound to happen eventually, her talking to his sisters, but she felt like she wasn't mentally prepared for this. "Hi." she tried to keep her tone and calm as possible, hoping they wouldn't notice how tense she was. "It's nice to see you again. You all look amazing." The Summers kids seemed like the type to enjoy compliments a little too much, so she was hoping this would somehow work and they'd take it easy on her. They were intimidating, Bella couldn't deny that.

"We know" said Channing with her snooty little voice. Claire took off her sunglasses and rolled her eyes at Channings comment, "the perfect Langston and Summers pairing. How ever did you two do it? Didn't you hate each other in high school? At least not exactly palling around. Even when you were dating siblings, if I recall" said Claire, enjoying the grilling for sure. Cody cocked his head to the side, "people change, Claire if I recall you've had plenty of boyfriends who started hating your guts and after you dated they hated your guts again, and maybe a little during" he jabbed back. Courtney smiled, "he bites, interesting". Cody was not intrigued at all by this, "okay guys, we're going on the boat. You're not invited. Mind your business" he said shaking his head, "enjoy your tan!" he called out as he took Bella's hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek while they were still in view. As soon as they were out of view, he dropped her hand so fast and got onto the boat.

Geez. Bella thought the compliment would work, but she should have known better when it came to Channing Summers. Channing was always hard to deal with, but she always thought Claire was a different kind of intimidating. She didn't know how to explain it, but it was very scary. Bella was completely thrown by everything the oldest sister was saying, and it showed on her face. Her eyes widened a bit and though she wanted to answer and not look like a complete idiot, she could barely finished a sentence, "I ... um-" Thankfully Cody began speaking and it was clear he knew how to deal with this. Bella wasn't the closest with her siblings, and they also could come off a little strong, but they were easier to deal with. But they were also her siblings, so she knew how they worked. "Goodbye. It was ... nice seeing you again." she repeated without realizing. Bella held on to Cody's hand and squeezed it gently as they walked away, but as soon as he let go, she grabbed her own hand and messed around with her fingers, "I didn't enjoy that." she mumbled. "I don't mean to sound rude, but I think I prefer your brother as well."

"Yeah we all prefer Charlie" said Cody as he started up the boat, "they're kinda the worst but they're just making sure you can hang. Honestly, they all pick on each other way more than they pick on me. That was nothing on how they tear each other down" he explained. He knew his sisters were a little horrible, but he loved them. In that special Summers way. Sometimes he was thankful that Stevie and her family weren't invited at all, the girls treated her horribly. Not that Cody treated her much better, the family nickname of mistake had really stuck from when they found out. Cody started driving the boat, and once they were out on open water he really let them speed. He liked the choppy waters, it gave him a rush of control.

"I don't think I can hang, if I'm being honest." Bella said with a frown. And I'm not sure if I want to hang either. she thought to herself. There was no need to be mean and say it out loud, there had to be something lovely about his sisters. They were beautiful and smart and probably really talented. They had a lot going on for them. In some ways, Bella wished she was like them, minus all the rudeness. Bella enjoyed keeping to herself, but there was some kind of charm about being noticed the way people like Claire or Courtney got noticed. There were always people in town that wanted to be like them or wanted to be with them, and that was something Bella had never experienced before. She thought she did with Landon, but he showed time and time again how much he didn't actually want her. It hurt. As Cody picked up the speed, Bella quickly grabbed onto something to keep balance. She felt like she was going to fly out into the water, "I think you should slow down. Have you even drove one of these before?"

Cody shrugged, "they wouldn't be mean if you weren't pretty. So there's that" said the boy. If she wasn't mildly threatening the girls would have paid no mind to her. Honestly, if they didn't like her at all they would have given her the silent treatment. Their rudeness was almost a sign of approval. He laughed when she asked if he had ever driven one of these before, "all the time" he said looking over at her, "it's fun, get into it". He loved the rush of a fast boat. Everyone was safe, he was just trying to have a good time and blow off some steam. They kept going for a while before he slowed down and put the anchor down. "Middle of nowhere. Far enough away from my family. We are safe from everything but too much sun" said Cody as he put out his towel and laid down in the sun with his sunglasses on. He didn't feel queasy at all.

Bella had this sudden urge to ask if he thought she was pretty, not because she cared what Cody thought, of course not. But because she wasn’t exactly the most confident person ever. She didn't worry about her appearance all the time, it was only something that bothered her every now and then. Her sisters were practically perfect, Bella could never meet that standard no matter how hard she tried. To no surprise, she didn’t ask Cody. She was too busy freaking out with how he was driving this boat. Why was he laughing? This wasn’t funny! To be fair, he wasn’t actually being reckless. She just wasn't as... adventurous as he was. “I really don’t think this is safe, and I want to make it out of this vacation alive!” she said with her eyes shut closed. Once the boat stopped, she glared at him. “I feel like I’m gonna be sick.” she whined before walking up to him and flicking him lightly on his arm. “That was mean, by the way." Bella took the sunglasses off Cody's face and stuck her tongue out at him. "Maybe you don't deserve these. Would you be upset if I tossed these in the water? Are they expensive?" she asked, now trying to be the annoying one.

He continued to drive chaotically even when she closed her eyes. It honestly made everything about this even better. “Hey now” he said, laughing a little more when she flicked him. Growing up with three sisters and a rough older brother meant a little flick wasn’t going to get too many damage points. He stuck his tongue back out at her before laying down. He was basking in the sun when she took off his sunglasses and was being very annoying, “whoa whoa whoa” he said as he played along. She was obnoxious but at least he could be vocal about it right now, “okay jokes over, hand them back” he said as he got increasingly nervous that something was gonna happen to them on accident. With Bella it seemed like that always happened.

If this was anyone else, Bella would have immediately given the sunglasses back. If anything, she wouldn't have even taken them off to begin with. But there was something about Cody Summers. He was pushing her buttons more often lately, and she was starting to care less about not upsetting him. There was a part of her that sort of wanted to annoy him back. That was very out of character for Bella, but it was also a little freeing? To not constantly have to please someone. "Joke? I'm not sure I am joking." she said with a small grin on her face. "I think I'm feeling a little lightheaded too from your incredibly reckless driving. I hope I don't accidentally drop these." She started to slowly back up to the edge of the boat. "Sometimes I can be clumsy too."

Cody got up as she approached the side of the boat, "I see how it is" said the boy as he reached into her personal space. It was like the art room the other day, but it was weird. There was a challenging charge around it. He put his hand around her and placed it on her stomach as he reached for the sunglasses that she had just out of reach. He was smirking but having her this close was weird. They were so far away from anyone who would expect to see them like this. It was almost compromising that they were being playful in private. "Be careful, I can recklessly drive back" he said to push it a little.

Bella was a little taken back when Cody got so close to her, but she didn't back down. She reached her arm out, hoping he couldn't grab onto the sunglasses. They were yet again in a weirdly intimate situation, and it instantly made her think about the last time they were in the art room. Her poor little brain was on fire way after he left the room, and she could not stop thinking about it. Now he was touching her again and she could easily give him the glasses to stop all of this, but that would mean he would get his way, and Bella didn't want that. She could already picture the smug grin on his face if she gave in. "Then I guess I will have to throw these into the water. If you play nice, I will too. It's your choice."

Cody thought about it for a second, "playing nice doesn't sound like fun" he said as he just picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Any last words before ye walk thar plank?" Cody said in his best pirate voice. The water was cold and he knew it, but this might be the first time that he and Bella were having anything close to fun. It was fun for him at least. It was dangerous, yes, but still something potentially worth laughing at. "You could always pass the sunglasses safe and sound to me and be saved from your watery fate" he teased as he moved them closer to the edge.

Bella should have known Cody would do something like this, but she was too busy being proud of herself for not giving in so easily. But now she was off the ground and he was saying that he was going to throw her in the water. "Put me down!" she yelled out, trying to somehow squirm her way out. Cody was probably just trying to have fun, but this was an intense level of fun that Bella was not used to. Being thrown off a boat just seemed a little too wild for her. Maybe that made her seem boring, but she was just looking out for her safety, or at least that's how she saw it. "If you throw me in, the sunglasses are going with me. You wouldn't do that." Would he? Should she have added in that last comment? She wasn't sure if Cody was bluffing or not, but Bella was not going to give in.

Cody laughed as she was squirming, it was all fun and games to him. She lobbied for her cause by saying the sunglasses would also be going in, "this might be a bad time for this, but you should know those are Charlie's sunglasses and I don't care about them too much" he said with a smile as he jumped off the boat with her in his arm. He pushed her away from him in the water so that they'd both be safe enough. He came up in the water and laughed a little as he caught his breath. The water wasn't too cold, but it definitely was not pleasant. This afternoon was actually not that bad, so he splashed her. Nothing wrong with a little playfulness. It seemed to be working with them.

The sunglasses where Charlie's. Just Bella's luck. Now she felt incredibly guilty about potentially getting them wet. She held on tight to the sunglasses and prepared herself for the toss. At least Cody jumped in too, they'd both be wet, and maybe that meant he didn't technically come out on top of this. Once she was in the water, she came up to the surface for air and laughed. A nice genuine laugh, that wasn't very often for Bella. Whenever she was laughing, it was quiet, almost hesitant. As if she was scared that it would cause some kind of disturbance. She swam towards Cody a bit to splash him back, "That was not funny!" she said, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. This was actually sort of nice, better than she thought. The time she spent with Cody always turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

He let out another laugh after she splashed him, "oh yeah if it wasn't funny then why did you laugh?" Cody taunted. They were both smiling, like everything was normal. Like there was nothing fake about what they were doing at all. If his parents asked how their afternoon on the boat went they wouldn't be lying at all. In fact they could tell the whole truth. That he drove the boat recklessly as always, that they jumped in the water and had a good time. Everything you'd expect out of a new couple. But they weren't. Cody swam up to the boat and pulled the ladder down to get up. Once he was up there he put a hand to help her back onto the deck. Cody tossed her a towel, less aggressively than last time. "We can go get warmed up in the hot tub" he suggested, his own teeth chattering from the cold air as he got the boat ready to drive again.

Bella had no answer for Cody's question, she just smiled at him. She didn't really have this kind of fun often. She lived a calm life and that's how she enjoyed it, for the most part. But for a moment there was no sense of worry in her. Whenever she was around people, there was always a little bit to be worried about. She was always doing something wrong. But she wasn't thinking about any of that, she was just having a good time. It was a little strange once it fully registered though. Bella waited for Cody to be on the boat before climbing up the ladder and holding onto his hand to get back on the deck. "Okay, and thank you." she spoke softly as she grabbed the towel, noticing the toss wasn't as aggressive. Bella saw that Cody's teeth were chattering so she quickly ran over to get his towel and loosely wrapped it over his shoulders. "Please dry up quick. I wouldn't want you to get a cold." It was just her nurturing instinct kicking in at this point. She liked taking care of people. "Oh and here you go. I made sure to hold on to them. For Charlie." she specified as she wiped the sunglasses dry and handed them back to Cody.

Feeling her loosely wrap the towel over his shoulders showed a level of care he had not seen in a long time. It felt funny, like she knew exactly the kind of attention he needed without making a show of it. He smiled at her, "For Charlie" he said as he looked her up and down before starting the drive back to the house. This time he took things much slower. Once they docked, he got everything back in it's usual place, "hopefully Channing is not hogging the hot tub" Cody said with a laugh. They headed towards the pool and his sisters had dissipated from tanning. But he could see his parents out of the corner of his eye, sitting up on the patio. They got in, and Cody sat right next to her. "I would give you your space, but my parents are definitely leering" he whispered quietly into her ear, "laugh a little like I just said something cute" Cody instructed. This weekend was all about making things believable.

Bella was pleasantly surprised with how well everything was going so far. She thought it would be tiring having no time to herself and constantly keeping up this fake girlfriend act, but being alone with Cody was actually quite nice. It seemed like that was happening a lot more often than she thought. Her enjoyment around Cody came around like waves, she would be very comfortable with him, then he'd do something that she'd be annoyed by. But somehow the good always came rolling back. As they got into the hot tub, she noticed Cody's parents nearby. She made sure not to directly look over to where they were and simply nodded her head once he whispered in her ear. Bella did what was told and giggled, moved back a bit to look at him as she did so. It was weirdly getting easier to play this role, she never thought she'd have to lie so much in her life. It made her feel guilty, but she pushed those thoughts to the side. Bella smiled as sweetly as she possibly could, cupped one side of his face, and kissed him once gently on the cheek and then down on his jawline. She didn't exactly want to push it any further, but she was hoping if his parents saw them like this, they'd give them some privacy. More privacy, less lying. It made sense in her head, at least.

Cody went into autopilot when she was kissing his neck. He moved his hand behind her back, leaning in more. He put his hand on her cheek and went in for a kiss. They hadn't kissed since the night this all started, and this was more of the same. If anything it was more gentle and tender than the surprise kiss. After, he moved to kiss her neck. Cody whispered into Bella's ear, "can you see them? Have they moved?" the boy asked, not necessarily wishing it was over. But it was weird to be intimate with her. Not their usual forte, but appearances were being kept up and it meant that they could just enjoy the hot tub once his parents were no longer looking. Cody was worried he might have taken it too far with the kiss, but she had started it more. It also made him a little worried that she might actually like him, which would be the worst possible outcome.

Bella clearly understood the assignment of being a fake girlfriend, she knew the kissing would be involved. The only issue was that the poor girl was very touch starved. It wasn't exactly something she paid a lot of attention to, but in a moment like this, her brain would remind her just how long it had been since she got physical with someone. But all she had to do was tell herself that this was in fact Cody Summers, and all the excitement would disappear. She was just a girl playing a role. An actress if you will. Nothing more than that. Bella tried to be as subtle as possible to see where his parents were and thankfully they had already started walking back into the lake house. "Out of sight." she whispered with a pleased smile on her face. "Smart move, huh? Mission accomplished." She kept her hand low enough where no one could really see, but held it out to give Cody a high five. "Apologies for not warning you in advanced. The thought came to me quickly."

Being sexually attracted to Bella was a natural instinct, but his thoughts definitely clouded any kind of attraction he had. He couldn't be attracted to her, honestly she was repulsive and she thought he was repulsive. That's why this worked. Cody gave her a low high five before moving, "I'm impressed, Bella" he said, her name just falling off his lips. There was something about saying her name that really dawned on them that they were doing this. That they had been dating almost three months. That was a long time to keep up a rouse. "It also means we won't have to do that again soon, probably just sit close to each other tonight when we're watching a movie or playing a game" he suggested. It was nice that she was putting in just as much effort into all of this that he was, if not more. She wasn't screwing around. Well, that was his assumption.

Bella pretended like she was bowing to an audience, "Thank you, thank you. I will be here all week, and I do accept tips. Preferably in the form of marbles. Have I mentioned my collection to you before? I have these really nice glass jars I keep them in. Very beautiful." she said with a smile. Bella was very proud of her collection. Hearing Cody say that they won't have to do something like that for a while gave her a sense of relief. She wasn't a fan of how weirdly confusing it made her feel. Maybe she should also be hooking up with people secretly, but there were issues that held her back from doing so. She was too scared about someone finding out and the news spreading that she was a cheater, but it also somehow didn't feel right. The relationship wasn't real, but it still felt icky. There was also the glaring issue that Bella just wasn't attracting people like that. "That sounds good. Does your family have a wii here? I remember you saying that you used to play wii sports with your siblings a lot before."

Yeah. She was pretty... pretty fucking weird. Who the fuck collects marbles? "Oh that's cool" said Cody, doing his best to fake an interest. God, he kinda wished they would just make out instead. Much better than the talking. He perked up at the mention of the wii, "yeah we should have one. I think it lives here permanently. We left it one vacation" he replied. They would most definitely be playing wii games later. "but if Charlie or Alice asks, we do not have a wii. We have never had a wii. And we don't know what a wii is" he clarified. If there was one thing he knew about his brother and his fiance, it was that they got way too into games like that and it would end in an argument. Either between the two of them or against whatever sorry soul decided it would be a good idea to play against two of the most competitive people of all time. "Should we get out? Each take a shower and then head downstairs to see if the wii is free?" he suggested. They had been in for a minute and he didn't want to get dehydrated. Part of him also wanted a beer.

Bella bit down on her bottom lip, she had said too much, yet again. This is why she preferred not speaking at all. She always said the wrong thing, and it always made her feel stupid. Bella had this weird urge to speak a lot whenever she was around Cody, but it clearly wasn't worth it when it only ended up making her feel like crap. She listened as he warned her about Charlie and Alice. Bella didn't exactly understand, but she didn't want to go against it either. Perhaps they both never appreciated the wii? Maybe they enjoyed the kinect more and were bitter about the wii's success in comparison. "Oh. Okay." she answered, no questions asked. That's usually how it was with Bella, she simply trusted the other person. "But yes, we should." she smiled and got out of the hot tub, making sure to pass him his towel before grabbing her own.

It was the little things she did when no one was looking that were almost infuriating. It made it feel almost real. Cody dried off and the two headed upstairs and into the house. "You should shower first" he said, trying to do the same for her as she had been doing for him. The little things. He was constantly surrounded by people who always chose themselves, and so he had always chosen himself too. If no one else was going to. But today he could do something for her. Cody waited until she was out of the shower, heading out of the room and to the bathroom so he could get all cleaned up. Once he was dressed, he headed back to the room and put out his hand, "Ready to go downstairs? Mom texted saying there will be food in a bit" he said as their hands touched again. Making their way down the staircase his parents were reading in the main area. He sat them on the couch and spread out on the couch, laying down while leaving enough room for her to lay next to him. His mother got up to put together some take out food that Claire had gone to pick up. They would cook real food tomorrow when Charlie and Alice were here. Charlie would help. Well, Charlie would do it all and it would be the icing on the perfect Charlie cake. Cody got onto his phone and was texting with Skylar, not thinking about how Bella would be able to see his phone if she looked. Why would she care.

Bella nodded in response and took some clothes before heading off to the bathroom. If Cody hadn't spoken up, she would have told him to shower first. She didn't want him to stand around half dry in the air conditioned house, but there was also no reason to go back and forth on the subject. Once they both took their showers and got ready, she took Cody's hand as he came back to the room, and met up with the rest of his family. Bella followed his lead and laid down next to him on the couch, watching Mrs. Summers set out all the food. It made her think about the times her family would go on their vacations. When she was younger, she at least had her siblings to keep her some company, but now, she just felt so distant from everyone. Being with the family seemed off, it made her feel more alone than ever. Being with the Summers family was still something she was getting used to, but she was doing well so far. It was actually pretty nice, she wasn't expecting to have such a nice day with Cody on the boat. It was one surprise after another with him. Bella was about to ask Cody some silly question about wii sports, but as she was titling her head to look at him, she caught sight of his phone screen. Normally, she wouldn't look to see what someone was doing on their phone, but the name she saw grabbed her attention. Just looking at the texts for a split second had her stomach in knots. She couldn't understand him. They had such a nice time earlier, and now they were out in the open with his family, but this is what was going on through his mind? Texting this Skylar girl was that important? It's not like she was hurt or jealous, god no. Bella didn't care what Cody did, because Bella didn't care about Cody. He was repulsive, and clearly only ever thought about one thing. He had shown time and time again that he was a complete jerk, and Bella was just giving him the benefit of the doubt. But not anymore, she was done trying. She decided to keep quiet and play the role she agreed to play. Because that's all this was. She'd be a nice girlfriend in front of his family, but she was done being nice outside of that.

Cody was thinking about how nice it was to lay down with someone, to feel their breath. Him texting with Skylar was a reflex. Something you do when you're surprisingly lonely. There was something incredibly lonely about being truly comfortable like this with someone. His hand that wasn't on his phone traveled down her waist, resting on her waist. Cody leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead as he locked his phone. His mother called out "Claireee, Channing, Courtney. Dinner!". The couple got up and joined everyone for dinner, and it went ... well enough. His sisters really took up all the time talking about themselves, and Cody held Bella's hand above the table. He ran his thumb across her hand as dinner finished up. Once dinner was done he smiled at her, "wii?" he asked, hoping that could be fun. Something to pass the time.

Bella almost immediately wiped her forehead once Cody kissed her, but caught herself before doing so and pretended to fix up her hair instead. She didn't even want him touching her right now, but she of course was not going to make a scene. Thankfully Claire, Courtney, and Channing were talking up a storm throughout dinner, so Bella didn't have to speak much. She just did what she normally does and listened to everyone else. There was no reason to draw attention to her and Cody. "Sure." she forced a smile on her face and nodded. The wii distracted her enough, but she remained pretty quiet the whole way through. She didn't know what was worse at this point, being with Cody's family and acting like his girlfriend, or going up to their room and being alone with him. She just hoped that by the time they went upstairs, he would be tired and would go straight to bed.

She was being kinda off. Not really the agreement, but whatever. If she was gonna sulk, it was fine. Cody's mom gave him a little pep talk, telling him about how hard it was to meet the family and go on vacation in this very lake house back in the day. She also went a little into how it was around the time that Richard got Lauren pregnant, but Cody shut down that talk. It was just a little much right now. He knew that his mom was just stressed because they were invited to Charlie's wedding, and she was worried about appearances. She added in how happy she was that Cody was with such a nice girl, and how she didn't need to worry about him. He felt a small wave of guilt for lying to his mom, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Cody went upstairs in a little bit of a mood, but he was trying to make the best of it. Be positive, make this work so the wedding could go well. "Hey, if you want we can watch a movie" he said as he pulled his shirt off and switched into PJ pants. Not really thinking about making her turn around, it wasn't like he was naked.June 5, 2021

Bella went into the room a little grumpy. Well, maybe more than just grumpy. She was tired. Tired of always getting treated like garbage and tired of just taking it. All she ever did was try and see the best in people, and where did that ever get her? She even tried getting to know stupid Cody Summers after all the years of him being a jerk to her when they were younger. It was pointless. "I don't care." she spoked softly before noticing him taking off his shirt. Bella quickly caught herself staring and immediately looked away. It's not like he was that attractive anyways, she was just shocked. Couldn't he have warned her? She got her clothes from the drawer and held them close to her chest, "Turn around, please. I need to change." her tone was little bit more harsh than usual.

She was pissy. Maybe he should have said something. Yup. By the way she said for him to turn around he definitely should have said something. Seeing him in his boxers was no different than his swimsuit, he didn't think it was a big deal. "If you're worried about the bed, I promise you won't even know I'm there" he said while facing the wall and exhaling. He put his hands on the back of his neck and stretched. He rolled his eyes, of course she was probably thinking he was going to make a move. But he was not interested in her like that. If she hadn't been in such a bad mood he would have maybe thought about spooning with her for a little bit, help them both sleep. But that ship had sailed, clearly. "Whats got you so pissed off?" he relented. Obviously if she was going to act like this, his parents were going to know something was up.

Bella began to change her clothes as Cody started speaking. His comment instantly made her roll her eyes, of course his mind went straight to the bed. She wasn't even thinking about that, at least not right now. Sure, when she realized she had to sleep in the same bed as him, it was a little weird, but nothing was going to happen. That would just be gross. "I wasn't worried. I'm also changed." she said after getting into more comfortable clothes. "Honestly? I think you're a pig." she blurted out. Bella wouldn't usually be so direct, but she was so bothered at this point. There was no reason to be nice to him when he wasn't nice back. "I also don't think you're very subtle, but if someone in your family catches what you do on your phone, that'll be something you have to deal with on your own."

Cody turned around once she said she was done changing, and then she blurted out that he was a pig. He was shocked, he had never heard her say anything like that at all. "Oh I'm a pig for checking my texts when we were in our own space on the couch and away from my family? It's not like I brought her up at dinner" said Cody defensively. "What do you want me to say, sorry for having sexual needs? Sorry that playing house every once in a while isn't doing it for me? You told me it was chill as long as I don't get caught. Last time I checked, I haven't been" he argued, quietly. He didn't want any of his nosey siblings hearing any of this.

Bella knew not to yell at Cody, his whole family was here and she wasn't going to cause any suspicion. But even if they were all alone, Bella probably wouldn't yell anyways. She couldn't remember the last time she raised her voice at someone. It most likely ended up with her in tears, she was always so bad with any kind of confrontation. "It is fine, but if you do it privately. We're around your family. It's careless ... and frankly, it shows that you don't have a lot of self control." she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Bella already had this sudden urge to apologize to him, but she held back. Bella was not going to just let this go like she usually does.

Cody smirked, "clearly I have plenty of self control around you. Basically a monk". God, he couldn't believe he was attracted to her earlier or even enjoyed the time they were spending together. Cody pulled back the sheets on the bed and put the decorative pillows on the ground. Fight or no fight, he wasn't sleeping anywhere else. He was fine with silence, they could stay silent for the rest of the trip and he wouldn't care. As long as their appearances were kept up with his parents and her parents, everything was fine.

Bella bit down on her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes at Cody. What a stupid little smirk, it only got her more upset. "Well, luckily for me, there is no need for self control around you. Because there's absolutely no attraction here." she responded, as if she were trying to one up him. They could never have one decent day. The moment something felt even remotely real between them, it would always come crashing down. Why did he have to be texting her? Why was he even thinking of her now? Who was she? She quickly snapped out of it and grabbed her sketchbook and pencil before sitting down on the bed. Bella did not care, not one single bit. She was just frustrated by his behavior, that was all. Doodling would help her, it always did.

She was scribbling so loudly!?!! How does a person draw loudly? It made no sense. Cody stood up from bed and turned out the lights, putting in his headphones and laying down. He turned his body away from her and just focused on the music instead of her scribbling. Of course she had to make things more complicated. Cody thought they were getting along as friends, and now she's so fucking jealous of Skylar. Some friend. She should be happy that he found someone who has agreed to be his little secret while they go parading around town as boyfriend and girlfriend. He was keeping the agreement, she was the one catching feelings and being all jealous for no good reason. Nothing was going to happen between him and Bella, so her acting like Skylar is such an inconvenience really gave him the wrong vibe.

Bella immediately stopped drawing the moment the lights turned off, it completely took her out of whatever concentration she had. She tapped her pencil on the sketchbook a couple times, trying to decide what to do next. Bella would have just stopped drawing and laid down for the night, but she was still so antsy, she needed to do something. This was proving to be a problem for her, constantly putting others before her. She never wanted to be an inconvenience for anyone, so she simply did whatever she needed to make the other person happy, even if it meant going against what she really wanted. All that did was cause people to walk all over her. It was her fault people treated her like garbage, she had no one else to blame. Cody was clearly one of those people. He knew she was in the middle of drawing, yet he couldn't even ask if he could turn off the lights. He probably thought she wouldn't do anything about it, but this time she would. Bella got off the bed and turned the lights back on, "I'm not finished." she said, referring to her drawing, before going back to the bed and continuing what she started.

He had wanted to be a nuisance, the whole thing was ridiculous. Not to mention just how loud her scribbling was. It was like she was being loud on purpose. "whatever" he said as he put his headphone back in, putting an extra pillow over his head to block out the light. God, she was insufferable. He wasn't sure how many more days of isolation with her he could handle. When did it become not worth it for these lies? And they had so many events coming up so soon. Just a little bit longer and then they could pretend this never happened. It couldn't come soon enough.

Bella tried concentrating on her sketchbook, but the guilt started to sink in quick once she noticed Cody putting a pillow over his head. She just assumed he was being mean on purpose and wasn't actually tired, but maybe he was. Now she just looked like an even bigger jerk. She ultimately decided to stop drawing and placed her book and pencil on the night stand beside her. Bella then turned off the lights and got back under the covers, "Sorry." she mumbled before putting in her earphones and laying down to go to sleep. Since she couldn't draw, she resorted to then next best thing, a good old 10 hour long video on youtube of waves crashing on the shore. That would help relax her, hopefully. [ time skip ] It was the next morning, and Bella was mumbling a bit in her sleep, something she does every so often. She was expecting to stay up for hours or even wake up constantly throughout the night, but that wasn't the case. She was surprisingly very comfortable. Must have been that handy dandy youtube video. Once the light started to come through the curtains, Bella moved her face away and tried to continue to sleep, yet unbeknownst to her, she had buried her face into Cody's chest, already having her arm wrapped around his body.

Once he drifted off, he was definitely more content. He did have a small stress dream about their relationship being outed, but other than that he had a peaceful night. Cody didn't wake up to her mumbling in her sleep, but when she laid her head on his chest a little bit of her hair tickled his nose. Cody sneezed and woke up, "Christ" said Cody, grossed out by Bella touching him as he moved away and sat up. Before he could get his thoughts together, his brother Charlie and his fiance busted into the room, "Charlie, privacy" said Cody as he instinctively got close to Bella and pulled up the sheets to cover them more. "Fucking on a family vacation? Cody Cody Cody, you have to lock the door" said Charlie with a laugh, "rookie mistake my guy. Also Bella it's nice to see you again. You've met Alice, might have been a while" he said as cordially as ever.

Cody's sudden movements instantly woke Bella up. The realization of how close she was to him quickly followed by the abrupt sound of the bedroom door swinging open had her in complete panic. She had never felt so disgusted and spooked in her life. Everything happened a little too quickly, she could barely process it. Now Cody's brother was mentioning sex and Alice Altman was right in front of her, and she was just a ball of stress. "Yes hello, Charlie ... and Alice. It's uh, it's nice to see you both." Alice smiled at the two, but it was mainly to hold in her laugh, "It has been a while, but it's always nice to see a Langston again. We just wanted to say hey, maybe see if you guys wanted some breakfast, but we don't want to interrupt anything." she said as she looked between Cody and Bella with a grin on her face.

Cody knew that Charlie and Alice were pleased with their choice to bother the two of them this morning. "Can you two ... get the fuck out?" he said, aggressively before letting out a laugh. The best thing to do was to play along with their jokes, he didn't want there to be a family argument and this was Charlie's way of being close with him, weirdly enough. It showed that they were actually friends, something that had not been true for a while. "Fair enough, see you at breakfast" said Charlie with a laugh as he ushered Alice out of the room and gave the couple a final little wave with his fiance. Cody moved away from Bella and laid back down on the bed, exhausted from the interaction and let out a sigh. "I am sorry for them" said Cody, embarrassed almost at the whole of it.

Alice had a pleased smile on her face, there was always some fun in messing with her fiance's siblings, but when it came to Cody, it was all harmless. She waved at Cody and Bella before leaving the room with Charlie. Bella exhaled deeply, she was strangely exhausted from the one minute conversation. "It's okay." she answered back, finally processing how she woke up. How embarrassing. How disgusting. "I'm sorry too." she mumbled, not wanting to clarify why she was apologizing. She assumed he would know. "I'm gonna get ready." Bella spoke without giving much eye contact before hopping out of bed and picking out clothes for the day.

This situation was not good, to a certain extent he wanted out. Then he realized that Charlie was actually just normal and friendly with him specifically and on purpose. That Charlie wanted them to be friends on some level because Cody was "growing up" ... and that it was nice. The he was getting attention from his sibling, not just a lecture or a judgmental look. Cody snapped back into it when she said sorry, not exactly sure what she was saying sorry for. Most likely for their weird cuddling from this morning. "Got it" he said when she added that she was going to get ready for the day. So he laid on his stomach and opened tik tok, "take your time" said the boy, knowing they could stay in here as long as they wanted and that his parents would view it as healthy. They could honestly hide away all day, but his plan was to get out of the house for sure.

Bella looked through all her clothes, but suddenly nothing seemed good enough. This was pretty normal for her though, to constantly second guess herself in everything she did. Technically there was no one she really needed to impress, but she still felt this pressure to look nice and act right. "Should I dress casual or more fancy? Does your family have big breakfasts? I'm not sure what I should wear. What are you going to wear?" she rambled a bit frantically before noticing that Cody was still in bed. "Are you not getting ready now? Should I wait a bit?" Bella hated feeling all anxious like this, she wished she could have at least ten minutes to herself.

"No we're not breakfast people. There'll be green juice and protein shakes downstairs" said Cody. It was a little ridiculous that there was such a thing as people who weren't breakfast people, but for the most part it was how they worked. Sometimes they would go out to brunch? Most of the time it was some sort of health drink and then off to see the world. Between sports and his sister's health kicks, pancakes and morning treats had fallen by the wayside. It wasn't like they were eating together in the morning anyways. Cody could hear the anxiousness in her voice, "I'm just gonna grab a juice, go on a run, and then come back shower and then get ready for the day. You could definitely get away being hidden away on the back porch for a while also" Cody suggested as he stood up and changed into his shorts and sneakers. It wasn't like it was a full change, Cody didn't have a lot of shame. He'd already been shirtless all night.

Bella quietly sighed in relief. It's not that she didn't want to spend time with Cody's family, it was just always a bit nerve-wracking. His siblings were unpredictable, she didn't know what they would ask, and she didn't want to look stupid in front of anyone. "Okay. Sometimes my family would make a big deal about breakfasts, but that was usually when they'd have guests over." That's all that mattered to her parents, keeping up their squeaky clean reputation. Having family meals was already draining, she felt like such an outsider when everyone was together. Bella perked up a bit when Cody mentioned that she'd have some time alone. She needed the break. "That sounds nice. Please stay hydrated, and don't overwork yourself." After finally picking an outfit and changing, Bella grabbed her sketchbook and flipped through the last couple pages that were drawn in to rip them out. Sometimes her work looked so ugly to her, it was embarrassing. She stuffed the papers into her bag and headed to the back porch. "I'll be drawing." she said with a small smile. "Let me know when you're finished."

-time jump- Cody came back from his run and his conversation with Charlie. He thought about what Charlie had said about someone caring about him. How she hated him but still told him to be careful on his run. Bella didn't have to say things like that. She didn't have to put a towel over his shoulders yesterday. Bella was just a good person. He sat down on the porch with her and stayed silent, he didn't want to interrupt her alone time. Cody just drank a cup of coffee and enjoyed the silence. After a while he got on his phone, but there was no one to text. Skylar told him not to talk to her anymore, which hurt more than he was expecting. Cody looked over at her art, "what are you drawing today?" he asked to make conversation.

Drawing outside was always a nice treat for Bella, especially being so close to the lake like this. Some alone time was very much needed. She wasn’t used to being around people for this long and things with Cody were going more south than usual. They both deserved a bit of a break from each other. Once she noticed Cody sit down next to her, she gave him a little nod and went back to drawing. Though they’ve had moments where they could keep a conversation going, it seemed like Cody was also someone that didn't mind silence either. Thankfully, it didn't feel awkward, or at least to Bella it didn't. "Basquiat." she answered as she turned her sketchbook so he could see better. "My chameleon, not the artist." she specified. "Have I told you about him? I saw a lizard climbing up that tree over there and thought of him. It's just a quick doodle." Bella felt like she needed to make that clear in case he thought her drawing was terrible. She was constantly worried about how people viewed her art.

Cody just sat and enjoyed the view as they were talking, he turned to look when she moved her sketchbook into his view. "Yeah you've told me about him" said Cody as he continued to look out. "What made you choose a chameleon?" Cody asked, knowing that she probably had a long winded answer about it. It wasn't a problem, it was just who she was. Cody got up, "just a second, don't move a muscle or make a noise" he whispered as he left the patio. Once he was further in the house he started running to the room to grab his camera. He stopped once he was close and then very delicately walked outside, doing his best not to make any loud sounds. He turned the camera on and snapped a few shots of some birds. "Okay sorry about that" said the boy as he returned to his seat. "I didn't want to miss it". Cody hated when he didn't have a way to capture something he saw, maybe he would start being better about having his camera with him everywhere he went.

"Well I actually planned to get a blue-tongued skink. I had wanted one ever since I saw this video on youtube called Happy First Birthday Big Dog Peperonie years ago." Bella explained with a small smile as she thought of the video. She promised herself that one day, she'd get a blue-tongued skink. "But when I went to the store, Basquiat was all alone in his habitat. I couldn't leave the little guy there by himself, so I got him instead, and I am very happy with my decision." she finished with a single nod. Then Cody told her not to move or make a sound, so she sat still and waited for him to come back. She wasn't exactly sure why she couldn't move, but she didn't question it. Seeing him come back with his camera, put a smile on her face. "No need for sorries, take as many pictures as you want." Bella always tried to be supportive of other's people art, she knew how much it meant to her when people were supportive of hers. "Can I see?" she asked before realizing she may have crossed a boundary. "I'm sorry, you don't have to show me if you don't want to."

Cody shrugged, "it's nothing special, but sure. I can do better" said the boy as he handed her the camera with the photo selected. "I don't mind showing you, you are trapped here with me after all" said the boy, not sure why he felt so comfortable showing her his art. He never showed anyone his photos. He thought about his talk with Charlie, about how he should be nicer to Bella since she was willing to be here through all of this. It was just so hard when she rambled on about the weirdest things, like she had before the photo. "What do you think?" he asked, actually wanting to know her opinion. Like her validation was going to make or break his day, he wasn't sure why he felt such a way.

Bella's face practically lit up when Cody agreed to showing her the photo he took. Seeing anyone's work was always special for her, but she had been particularly curious of Cody's. He seemed to know what he was doing that time in the art room when she needed reference pictures, so she couldn't imagine how nice his photography was when he took the pictures himself. She held the camera carefully and looked at the picture with a smile on her face, "No, this is special. You should always consider your work special. No one else in the world has a picture like this, it'll always be one of a kind." Whenever Bella was particularly critical of her work, she would remind herself that it was at least unique. "Also, your professor was right." she looked up at him as she spoke, remembering when Cody mentioned his old photography class to her. "You do have an eye for this."

Cody knew he could be critical of himself, but he just felt like the photo wasn't up to par with what he was capable of. Spending time with Bella actually made him a little ashamed that he wasn't better at it. Which was weird, because before her he didn't really think about his art being anything but for him. "Maybe I'll sign up for a summer class or something" said Cody, "it wouldn't take away from my major then". He wondered what his parents would think, but to be honest. They might be delighted that Bella is having such a positive impact on him. That she was changing him for the better. Maybe this would be good. He thought about how she said no one else has this picture, how it was his and his alone. It made him feel good. She made him feel good even though she hated him. Part of him wished he was good like that.

"That sounds like a great idea, I'm sure you'll do amazing at it." Bella always wanted to be supportive when it came to other people's interests. She knew how it felt when people weren't supportive of hers, and it crushed her. She didn't feel like she excelled in many other things, and it was something that was so personal to her. No one needed to praise her, she just wanted to be seen. Recently, her parents had been starting to take interest in her art, and even though it was solely because of Cody, she would take what she could get. "Do you know Sam from back home? He's into filmmaking, but I think you both would get along. He's great with a camera." she said with a smile. Maybe a friend that was into the same thing as Cody would be good for him. "I also understand if you don't want to talk about your work with other people though. But if you'd ever like to show me more, I'd be happy to look at it." she said as she handed the camera back to him. "Thank you for showing me this."

Cody thought about it for a minute, "uh yeah I've seen him at parties before. Cool guy" said the boy. He took the camera back when she handed it to him, "Anytime, you are my girlfriend after all" he said with an awkward laugh. They had been dating for a while, sometimes it didn't feel like that at all. Most of the time he didn't even like being around her, but that was also before. It was a weird mix of emotions, he wasn't really sure how to handle it at all. Cody thought about Sam a little more, he was an attractive guy. Into all the stuff Bella was into. "Are you and Sam ... ya know? Or have you?" he asked. Cody wasn't really in the mood to be spending time with the people Bella was sleeping with, he also felt that way about her spending time with anyone he'd slept with.

It was still weird to say that they were dating, even after all these months. It just didn't feel like that, especially when they were alone, because they weren't actually dating. It was such a bizarre situation, and she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it. Bella raised her brows once Cody asked about her and Sam, "Wouldn't you like to know." she smiled and gave him little finger guns before immediately shaking her head. Yet again, another bad joke, if you could even call it that. "I'm sorry. Um, no and no. I have not been with anyone since my last relationship." Sometimes it was hard to say Landon's name, she hated how much he still effected her. "But it wasn't that great so maybe I should." she thought out loud, covering her mouth right after. Bella could immediately feel her face warm up. A simple no was all she needed to say!! "I'm so sorry. That was uncalled for. You didn't need to hear that. Sorry."

What a weirdo, honestly ... he should be counting his blessings that she wasn't mad at him for prying into her personal life. He was shocked that she hadn't been with anyone since Landon. It was one of the first things he did after A.P. He had definitely taken the advice that in order to get over someone you have to get under someone else. Cody had actually taken that advice more often than he'd be willing to admit ... at least to Bella. Who now was basically the pinnacle of purity in comparison to him. "You can talk to me about that kind of stuff, everyone in town knows I'm an expert" he joked, it was awkward but here they were. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I weren't helping you go get laid" he added, laughing again, he couldn't shake how awkward this was. They weren't even friends, but sometimes it felt like they were each other's only friends.

Bella knew she needed to get over it, but the topic made her a little more insecure than usual. Once Landon broke up with her, she started to question whether it was because of the sex or not. She must have done something wrong for him to end their relationship. "But are you more of an expert than Daniel Altman? That is the question." Bella asked jokingly in some hope of easing this awkward tension. "Um, it's fine though. I'm just not very good with people, especially people I'm interested in." she said as she looked down at her sketchbook. The idea of Cody helping her get laid was extremely weird, but more importantly, it would be a waste of his time. Nothing would come from that.

"Daniel Altman?" said Cody with a laugh, "talk about missed opportunities. Alice and Charlie were already together by the time I thought Daniel was hot." Daniel Altman. The man, the myth, the legend. "I wouldn't say that I'm as knowledgeable as Daniel, but I am here if you need ... help? That's not a great word" he said, fumbling his delivery. "Just forget it, that's dumb" he said, defending himself back into his corner. It was dumb to suggest that. They weren't even friends, he didn't know why he offered. It wasn't like it was going to make things any better if Bella got good at closing. Their game could end too soon before they were in the place they wanted to be if she got caught up on some guy or girl.

Who didn't think Daniel Altman was hot? The guy was practically flawless. She laughed quietly after Cody spoke, but as he continued on, Bella could feel her heart beat just a little faster. She wasn't the best at picking up social cues, but that help definitely meant sex ... right? Now the thought of them two having sex was in her head and this was not okay. Not okay at all. It's Cody's fault for suggesting it, if that's what he meant. "Are you offering me sex?" she asked bluntly.

She asked him if he meant sex? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Ew no" he said before he realized that the statement would definitely make her feel bad. But the damage was already done, "I meant like advice" he said with a disgusted look still on his face. God. She was desperate for him. It was so gross. They had boundaries after all. There were rules to this agreement!!

Bella narrowed her eyes at Cody, did he really have to add the ew? He was such a jerk. It's not like she cared what he thought of her, but it still kind of hurt to hear. She really didn't know what he meant. There wasn't hope in her question, there was just confusion, but of course Cody Summers assumed everyone wanted to sleep with him. "You need to be more clear, because it sounds like you're hitting on me and it's weird." she answered back. "I also don't want advice from you. I don't think rude people give very good advice."

Cody rolled his eyes when she said he was rude. It was true, but whatever. She was just annoying and there was no redeeming reason for them to hangout after all of this. Let alone have sex to complicate all of this. "Fair enough" he said with a shrug before going back to his phone. He didn't have anything more to say. There was no reason to. -Time Jump- Cody sat next to Bella while their whole family was watching a movie, and he put his arm around her. Basically he was just following Charlie's lead because him and Alice were snuggling on the other couch under a blanket. His blood was boiling while trying to show public affection to Bella. God. How much longer would this fucking vacation last?

Bella tried her best to focus on the movie, but she had to keep reminding herself to not tense up so much. She didn't want to be near Cody right now, she just wanted to be alone. It didn't help how comfortable Charlie and Alice looked on the other couch. Seeing them so happy somehow made Bella feel even worse about herself. It reminded her just how lonely she truly was. Bella leaned her head on Cody to make it seem like nothing was wrong and continued watching the movie. She just hoped that none of his siblings would start up a conversation with them.

They were sitting minding their own business, Cody put his head on top of hers. It was ... almost nice. But still grinded his gears. Then of course Channing had to start asking questions, "sooooo you two, things are getting pretty serious. Bella, how does it feel being all of town's sloppy seconds?" asked Channing with a smug grin on her face. She had had a few drinks, but it was still inexcusable behavior. "Channing, could you go back to your crypt" asked Cody with an eye roll. "I would but, it's so much more fun to ask you why of all people you would choose to be with Bella. Considering you'll get with anyone but you won't date them" Channing pressed. She was definitely still bitter because Cody had slept with one of her friends last summer. Someone she had brought up to the cabin from college. Someone who chose to hang out with her, so it hurt her quite a bit when her friend switched up on her for Cody really quick.

Bella looked at Channing with wide eyes, how does she even respond to all of this? She knew Channing wasn't very nice to people, but Bella thought the other girl would at least give her own siblings a break. It only seemed right to defend Cody, she had to make sure nothing seemed suspicious. But as Channing kept going, the comments stung more and more. Why of all people would you choose to be with Bella? Was Bella really that terrible or embarrassing to be seen with? Was this why Landon left her? Because literally anyone else would be a better option? Her stomach started to knot up thinking about it. She could have stood up for herself, but people like Channing would only say something worse afterwards. There was always an excuse like this with Bella though. "I ... I really don't have a problem with what Cody's done in his past. That's his business." she finally answered as she nervously played with the ends of her hair. "I don't think it's fair for me or anyone to judge him for that." she added, clearly not knowing about Channing's friend.June 21, 2021

Fucking hell. Why was Channing opening her big mouth right now? Yeah, last summer had been a little dicey with her. But not qualifying a vendetta like this. "Channing, just shut up. You don't know what you're talking about" said Cody, his teeth clenching. The girl rolled her eyes at her brother, "oh please. We all know this is just a quick stop before you go back to your old ways. If I had a friend here this weekend you'd be all over here even with your little weirdo here" she said as she crossed her arms. Cody looked over at his sister, "apologize to her" he said firmly. Channing looked at him defiantly. "Apologize now, she's a guest and you're being an asshole" said Cody as he stood up, towering over her.

Bella wasn't sure if Channing was being particularly mean towards Cody because of the alcohol or if she was always like this with her siblings. She couldn't help but feel bad for him. Her and her siblings didn't have much of a relationship nowadays, but they were never this mean to her, at least not in front of people outside the family. Maybe Bella was just used to how Veronica and Fiona acted, but even they hated Channing. This girl was a special kind of evil. The longer she was in Channing's presence, the worse she felt about herself. She was scared the rest of his family thought the same thing about her. The relationship between her and Cody wasn't real, but it would still hurt. She just wanted to be good enough for everyone. Bella got up from the couch and began to pull on his arm gently, "We could just go to the room or outside, it's fine." Even when something wasn't her fault, she still blamed herself. She didn't want Cody and Channing to have issues because of her.

"Yeah, let's go" said Cody as he took Bella's hand and led her upstairs. "I'm sorry for my fucking sister. She's such a bitch for no good reason" said Cody, frustrated as he sat down. He put his head into his hands before he started pacing. "I feel like she's going to call us out for being fake. Like I felt like that was where it was going. She's not buying it. I'm too ... you're too..." he cut himself off before he really fucked up. "We're too" he continued, "you get it". Cody was so angry at Channing for being so annoying, he hadn't done anything wrong in a while. There was no need to make this vacation worse somehow. He wanted to go home early. "We could leave tomorrow morning, my parents won't mind after hearing about what Channing said about you. It's probably for the best" he added.

Bella was going to immediately apologize once they got to the room, but Cody seemed really frustrated, so she wanted to hear him out. It was never fun getting talked over, she would know, so she stayed quiet and listened to him speak. They had been doing a good job keeping this a secret, minus the time she told Zoe, so she hoped no one in either family would raise suspicions. How embarrassing would that be if they of all people found out. Bella then furrowed her brows once she heard Cody's little comment, she barely processed the rest of what he said afterwards, "No... I don't get it." she mumbled. "I'm too what?"

Cody was too lost in the moment to think about how he was really fucking up. "I don't know. You're just ... you. You know? And I'm me. It doesn't make a ton of sense to anyone but our parents and it's just because they're trying to change us one way or the other" he said with a shrug. "We just need to get out of here and go back to our lives until the next time we have to be at one of these things. And it will definitely not be overnight or more than one day" he continued on from earlier. Being here overnight. No escape. It was killing him. He just wanted to kick her out of his room like some girl at 3 am. So he could be by himself. Like he liked.

Bella was just as miserable here as he was. This trip somehow made her dislike Cody even more. It was weird and stressful for sure. The constant back and forth of possible seeing the good in him and that all being completely ruined. But she was trying her best to not completely lose it, and she was still stuck on that comment. She shouldn't push it because he was clearly upset, but she couldn't help it. Cody brought out sides of her she wasn't really aware of. "No I don't know." she repeated. "I'm just me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Cmon, don't make me say what we're all thinking" said Cody, his tone harsh. It didn't help that no one came to assistance when Channing started acting up. Charlie and Alice had just dipped. Courtney was watching and enjoying with Claire. Like it was some kind of performance. "You don't go to parties, you selectively didn't speak for a large portion of your childhood, you collect marbles" he said, listing off things that made her not the norm. "It's a good weird but it's weird all the same. You and I just don't make sense because I'm a boring piece of shit and you're just weird". It all came pouring out of him. He didn't know why he was being so harsh, but he didn't like the idea of someone being this in the know about him. He wanted his space away from her. He didn't like her knowing all of his family issues, or how he was treated at home. He didn't even get to be the butt of the joke, he was just ignored by everyone until someone had a reason to argue with him or try to humiliate him. To let someone see that his own siblings think so low of each other was embarrassing. He just wanted it all to end.

Bella had heard it all before, and though she never really got used to it, hearing this from Cody hit a little harder than usual. It was nice to be able to actually tell people about herself for once, to open up just a bit, but this showed why she closed herself off. She shouldn't have pushed him to this point, but clearly this was always in the back of his head. Just collecting all this information about her and simply writing her off as being weird. It hurt, a lot. She almost wanted to tell Cody that he shouldn't call himself a piece of shit, but why should she be nice to him? Why did she keep wasting her time, thinking that he'd turn out to be some sweet person? He was a mean person, he's always been, ever since they were little. "No. You don't get to try and make it seem nicer and say that I'm a 'good weird'. You're being rude, and I haven't done anything." she told him, doing her best to defend herself. "This is hard for me too, but I'm not complaining. Even when you're mean to me, I try my best to stay positive."

"Fine" said Cody plainly. There was no reason to argue anymore. "We'll leave tomorrow. Then the wedding and founders day and then the breakup. We won't have to see each other any more" he said as he went to undo the bed for the evening. God, he was ready to get out of here. She was weird! And so goddamn annoying. Why couldn't she just agree with him? This situation sucked. His sister sucked. The whole weekend was a bust. He just wanted to be back in his bed alone, like he liked. "I'm just gonna go to bed, keep the light on, draw, whatever" said Cody, giving up.

Fine? That's it? Bella was at least hoping for some kind of an apology, but that may have been too much to ask from Cody. He must have only said that to get her to be quiet. Nothing good ever came out of her speaking anyways. She either annoyed someone, made them uncomfortable, or flat out angered them. Everything inside her was telling her to shut up and stop being such an inconvenience, so that's what she did. Bella had no energy to draw or even change her clothes, whatever she was wearing was fine enough for the night. Once she turned off the light in the room, she got herself under the sheets, her back facing Cody's side of the bed, and laid there until she was tired enough to fall asleep. All she wanted was to be alone, at least that way she wasn't bothering anyone.

-time jump- The two had packed up and said goodbye to his parents before heading out. They were supposed to stay another day, but with everything it was for the best. Not only from his parents perspective but for the sake of the two of them not needing to spend any more time together. Once they were halfway back to her house, Flightless Bird American Mouth came on his playlist. He had given it a listen because Bella had talked about it. "I was thinking. We don't need to see each other again until the wedding. I'll pick you up, we'll go, we'll part ways, and then not again until Founder's day. We can just get out of everything else" said the boy, he had really given up at this point. He just hated being around her.

Bella felt this pang of guilt the moment she said her goodbyes. They were only leaving one day earlier than the rest, but she just felt like she ruined Cody's vacation. She could tell that he typically enjoyed his time at the lake house, and she had completely ruined it for him this year. She kept telling herself that she hadn't done anything wrong, that she was just defending herself, but it didn't work. The car ride was mostly silent up until she heard Flightless Bird, American Mouth play. It was one of her favorite songs, she even remembered telling Cody about it, but surely this was just a coincidence. He was never actually listening to her. "Okay." she answered as she looked out the window. Bella had nothing else to say to him. Even though she was upset with herself, she was just as upset with Cody. The less time with him, the better. Bella wanted to ask about her art exhibit, but she held back from doing so. He probably forget about it entirely, and she didn't want him there anyways. All she cared about was her parents seeing her work.

Cody dropped her off at her house and got out of the car to get her bags for her before driving off. He was ready to be alone, but before he knew it he was hitting up Skylar. //END

#codyxbella #threads || bella and cody #bella and cody || 003 #codyxcharlie #charliexcody #codyxchanning #codyxclaire #codyxcourtney #summers family #cody: thread #claire: thread #channing: thread #courtney: thread #charlie: thread #threads || cody and charlie #threads || charlie and cody #cody and charlie || 004 #charlie and cody || 004

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