Heeelllooooo Marshians!!!
I'm so, so, so sorry I haven't been posting, I've been quite busy lately.
And I'm also sorry the wishes are coming late… but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to y'all!!!
Love y'all
~Marshy
"Mom?!"
"Nessa, you are not going," Rose said, her tone final. "End of discussion."
"Why?" Becky asked, one brow lifting. "Why won't you let her go to the bonfire party?"
Rose let out a slow, aggravated breath. "Because Nessa embarrassed me today. Publicly."
Becky's brows knit together as her gaze flicked between them. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Nessa cut in quickly, forcing a smile. "It's really nothing, Aunt Becky."
"Oh, it's definitely something," Kyle said with a wicked grin. "She harassed a mechanic."
"I did not harass anyone!" Nessa snapped.
Kyle shrugged, unfazed. "She tried flirting with him. Got grounded. Steven told me everything. Sadly for her—" he grinned wider "—her charms didn't work."
"That's a lie!" she shot back, glaring.
Kyle laughed, but Melissa jabbed his side. "Kyle, stop. You're making it worse."
"What? I'm just stating facts," he said between chuckles.
Becky placed a hand on her hip and looked at Nessa. "Is it true, Nes?"
Nessa rolled her eyes, shooting Kyle a murderous glare. "Aunt Becky, it wasn't my fault. The guy was rude. An arrogant jerk."
"Were you flirting with him?" Becky pressed.
"Ew, no," Nessa said instantly. "I would never flirt with a mechanic. He's not my type. And besides—" she flipped her hair "—I have a boyfriend."
Kyle's eyes widened. "You have a boyfriend? Little Nes finally got one? And Steven didn't tell me?"
"I'm not little," she huffed. "And yes, I do."
Rose crossed her arms and said to Nessa, "Then why did you go to him? And why did you slap him?"
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Rose exhaled sharply. "You know what? Enough. We're done here. You're not going. Period."
"B-but—"
Rose raised her hand. "I said enough!" she spoke sharply.
Before Nessa could protest again, Tim walked in.
"What's up, y'all?" he shouted.
A little boy sitting on his neck screamed happily, mimicking him.
"What's up, y'all?"
"Hey Cody, shut up," Adrien replied flatly as he walked in. Milo, Freddy, Jace, and Luther followed loudly behind him.
Milo went straight to the fridge, pulled out a slice of cake, and took a big bite.
"So… what's the drama?"
"Nessa wants to go to a bonfire party," Rose said tightly, shooting her daughter a warning look. "And as long as I'm breathing, she's not stepping a foot there."
"Why, Aunt Rose?" Jace asked, raising an eyebrow.
Adrien scoffed. "She embarrassed Mom today. Thought she could flirt with any guy she sees and he'll fall head over heels for her. Guess reality slapped her harder than she slapped the guy."
"I wasn't flirting!" Nessa snapped.
"Oh really?" Adrien said mockingly. "Milo, she says she wasn't flirting."
"Adrien, come on, her ego is bruised," Milo replied with loud laughter, which Adrien quickly joined.
Nessa's cheeks burned red. Her brothers sure knew how to embarrass her.
Bri glared at the both of them.
"Hey! You guys should stop. It isn't funny anymore! You're making Nessa feel bad."
"Bad?!" Adrien exclaimed. "That's exactly how I want her to feel right now."
"Adrien," Rose shot him a look that clearly said be quiet.
Becky bent down, picked up a white nylon bag, and dropped it on the counter. She took out the tins inside and shoved them into the cupboard above.
"Rose, come on. Don't be so harsh on Nessa. Just let her go to the party," she said, tilting her head back slightly to look at Rose.
A small spark of hope lit up inside Nessa at Becky's words.
Rose shook her head adamantly.
"Nope. Not at all. She isn't going!"
That hope wilted like a dead flower.
"Oops, so sorry, Nes," Kyle said, the laughter apparent in his tone, not even sounding the slightest bit sincere. "I invited the guys to the bonfire party. Adrien, Steven, Freddy, Jace, and me, of course, will be there."
Nessa turned sharply to Freddy, glaring at him, only for him to glare right back.
"He's coming?" she blurted.
Kyle's eyes darted between Nessa and Freddy, catching the tension.
"Yeah… he's coming. Is there a problem with that?" he asked slowly.
"Ugh, duh! Why does he have to come to the party?! Everything about him radiates boredom. We don't need anyone killing the vibe!" Nessa snapped.
Freddy's brows furrowed.
"Well, too bad. I'll be joining anyway. And I think you're forgetting something very important," he smirked. "You're not coming to the bonfire party, remember?"
Nessa clenched her teeth, glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, Freddy would've been dead by now.
The tension grew thick as everyone fell silent, watching them. Kyle's gaze kept shifting between the two.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Adrien leaned in and whispered into Kyle's ear,
"That's Nessa's boyfriend. They're having a minor argument at the moment."
"Ohh," Kyle said simply.
The heated glares continued until Freddy finally walked out of the kitchen.
"Oh-kay… that was weird," Bri said softly, blinking.
"Yo, Kyle, I don't think I'm in the mood for the party anymore. Maybe next time," Jace said.
"Oh, alright then." Kyle turned to Milo, who shook his head, then to Tim.
"You coming, Tim?" he asked.
"Nah," Tim replied, shaking his head. "I don't want to."
"Kyle! I want to come too!" Cody said cheerfully, his wide grin revealing his missing teeth.
Luther rolled his eyes and said, "Cody, if Nessa can't go, what makes you think you can? You're still a kid."
Nessa shot her thirteen-year-old cousin a look.
"Hey! I'm going to the party!"
"No, you're not!" Rose cut in sharply.
"Come on, Aunt Rose, please let Nessa come to the bonfire party," Bri pleaded, her eyes big and wide.
Rose shook her head.
"Bri, quit it. Your puppy-dog eyes won't work," she said firmly.
"Come on, Aunt Rose," Melissa joined in.
"Mom, please?" Nessa added softly.
"Rose, just allow her. It's summer. Let her enjoy herself," Becky said.
"Becky, she's grounded," Rose snapped. "She literally embarrassed me. We had to pay double because she poured her soda into the engine!"
Becky chuckled. "Rose, she's just a child. We've all done worse. Let her be. And besides, Nessa does look genuinely sorry for what she did."
Nessa nodded vigorously.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. Mom, you cannot allow Nessa to go to the bonfire party. If she can harass a mechanic in front of you, then imagine what she could do behind your back, Mom!" Adrien quickly said, frowning.
Becky looked at Adrien with her usual soft eyes and smiled at him.
"Adrien, stop it. Let your sister go to the bonfire party with you guys."
"No way!" he retorted. "I cannot be here and hear that Nessa is finally joining us!"
With that, he stormed out of the kitchen.
Nessa's grin spread wide. "Come on, Mom. Are you still holding grudges?" She walked over and hugged her playfully. "Mom, please?"
"Come on, Aunt Rose," Bri and Melissa chimed in at the same time.
After all their pleading, Rose shook her head, sighing. "Fine. But Nessa, if you misbehave, you won't step a foot outside. Do you hear me?"
Nessa pulled away from the hug, squealing, and kissed her mom on the cheek.
"Thanks, Mom! You're the best!"
"Yeah, I'm the best now. But if Mom does something you don't like, you'll say she's the worst," Rose muttered, rolling her eyes. Nessa, lost in excitement, didn't hear a word.
Bri and Melissa squealed along with her, and even Cody let out a joyful squeal.
Tim, Jace, Kyle, and Milo exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. Luther, however, walked out of the kitchen.
"Yayyy!" Melissa rushed over to Nessa and hooked her arm into the crook of Nessa's elbow.
"Come on, Nessa. Let me show you your room."
Melissa didn't wait for a response. She practically dragged Nessa out of the kitchen.
In the living room, they passed Kayla and Steven talking. Kayla immediately spotted them.
"Where are you guys going?" she asked.
Nessa grinned. "She's showing me my room. Kayla, get ready, we're going to a bonfire party tonight!"
"What?!" Adrien's voice echoed in the living room as he jumped up from the couch and stormed toward the kitchen. "This cannot be happening! Mom?!"
Nessa giggled, and Melissa tugged her upstairs.