#TSITP

[louisandthedagger]

this love came back to me!!!!!!

[bumblesimagines]

Heaven in Hiding

Request: Yes or No

Summary: Ever since (Y/N) became Conrad's best friend, he and Belly have butted heads. Their rivalry eventually comes to a head and makes things so much more complicated.

Pronouns: He/Him/His, M!Reader

CW/TW: Typical TSITP warnings, belly girl get a grip, love triangle/square shenanigans, minor Jeremiah bashing cause he's so irritating

~~~

Belly never considered herself someone capable of hating another person. She could get irritated sometimes, especially with her blabbermouth of a brother or her occasionally emotionally distant mother, but the bubbling feeling of fury often lessened and smoothed over hours or days until she inevitably forgot why she was mad at them in the first place. It was easy to smooth things over with Belly, to make her laugh until it was all smiles and breathy words.

That was until she met (Y/N) (L/N) one fateful summer when the Fishers eagerly brought the next door neighbor Conrad had befriended to Cousin's. Suddenly, four kids became five, and any chance of becoming 'one of the boys' flew out the window when they had a shiny new face to show around Cousins and no more room for her.

She was eleven at the time, at the peak of her crush on the unattainable Conrad Fisher, and (Y/N) held all the attention from both Fisher boys (and even Steven) for the whole summer. How could she compete with another boy, let alone one who practically 'oozed coolness', as Steven had put it in a moment of awe? How could she compete with a cheeky, mouthy, skateboard-riding thirteen-year-old who had the boys effortlessly running after him, trying to imitate him?

To say Belly had been jealous was an understatement. He got Conrad all year 'round, and he just had to soak up his attention during summer, too? How was that fair? Belly only had the summer (and sometimes the holidays) to lay eyes on the amazing boy she was certain she'd marry one day, and his attention remained entirely focused on his new best friend.

Her jealousy slipped out of hand at times, she had to admit. Excessive eye rolls, snappy comments that earned her hard looks from her mother, huffing and puffing all around the house, pouting, or scowling when he so much as spoke. Childish, yes, but justified in her young mind, then. It only seemed fair to show her annoyance when she couldn't match up to him. 

Laurel lectured her so intensely on the ride home that the only option for the following summer was playing nice, and she did! She slapped on a polite smile the next summer, greeted (Y/N) with feigned happiness when she saw him, and asked about the soccer practice she'd overheard Conrad mentioning. He smiled back, ruffled up her hair condescendingly, and once her mother was out of earshot, he called her four-eyed Billy Conkel and snickered until her face was hot and tears were brimming in her eyes from embrassment.

It was then that the bitter rivalry truly began.

Passive-aggressive comments, insults hidden behind sarcasm or playful teasing, competing at the boardwalk with one of them always being the whiny sore loser, always conveniently forgetting to get the other an ice cream cup or milkshake when they got everyone else something, glares and scowls saved for when no one else was looking.

It only made everyone around them chuckle or roll their eyes playfully, even Conrad, who always cracked a little amused smile when they'd bicker over one thing or another.

For Belly, it was the most grating experience of her life, one that got worse as they matured. (Y/N) remained the cheeky, mouthy, skateboard-riding guy who began smoking weed, drinking beer, and going to parties with or without permission, and what Belly found most mortifying of all? Conrad eventually followed in his footsteps. The first time she'd caught Conrad smoking, just a summer after she'd smugly listened to Conrad lecture (Y/N) about it, she felt like dragging (Y/N) into the pool and drowning him.

But, as much as Belly wanted to consider (Y/N) a spawn of Satan sent to make her life a literal living hell, he'd proven her wrong.

On her fourteenth birthday, they did the typical traditions: pancakes, happy birthday singing, and showering her with heartfelt presents that she cherished. Of course, each year Conrad and (Y/N) 'worked together' to get Belly her present, which everyone knew was bullshit but nobody else seemed to care as much as her that (Y/N) piggy-backed off Conrad's efforts.

Until that year, when he tossed a small, shiny maroon bag at her and she reached in, half-expecting some barely-working headphones or plastic sunglasses from Dollar Tree, but instead she pulled out a beautiful, expensive-looking hair clip.

It was shaped like a flower and in a pretty red-orange ombre that left her stunned into silence while she delicately ran her fingers over the colors. When she glanced up at him, she caught him watching her intently before he looked away to avoid her eyes. It'd made her lips quirk, just the slightest bit.

She still hated him, just as much as he seemed to hate her very existence, but the gift softened the tension that'd been brewing for years until there was only minor bickering and the mean-spirited teasing became light-hearted to the point she allowed herself to laugh at times or give him light shoves. She could tell it pleased everyone, and she'd hoped (silently, of course) that the peace would continue.

It was ruined the second her relationship with the Fisher brothers grew beyond complicated.

Even though she'd been expecting it, his hostility the moment she stepped onto campus with Jeremiah in search of his missing best friend still startled her. Despite his own notable reservations with her, Jeremiah managed to convince (Y/N) to allow her to join them on the ride to Cousins in their desperate search for Conrad, though he'd scoffed and rolled his eyes whenever she so much as audibly sighed.

Belly couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed, not when nearly everyone she loved was pissed at her: her mother and brother blamed her for drawing the boys apart when Susannah needed them the most, Jeremiah couldn't look at her for more than a minute, Conrad disappeared from her life the second things got hard between them. Her stunt at the funeral left a bad taste in (Y/N)'s mouth, she knew it the second she caught his disgruntled stare while picking herself up from the floor.

Belly could tolerate his anger, but she drew the line when it was directed at her closest friends.

There was shouting from the room down the hall, muffled by the walls, as she stepped out of the bathroom with her dirty clothes clutched in her arms. She shuffled into her bedroom, tossing them aside into the laundry basket and straining her ears to listen more carefully. She couldn't pinpoint which voice belonged to whom, but the volume and anger in both had her hurrying out of her bedroom to check that it wasn't Conrad and Jeremiah getting ready to fight.

Gingerly wrapping her hand around the cool doorknob and twisting it slowly, she found herself surprised to see (Y/N) and Jeremiah in each other's faces when she cracked the door open. It'd been (Y/N) who'd called Jeremiah when Conrad first went missing to ask for his help, and Jeremiah hardly fought his decision to go with him to Cousins. Her eyes flickered between the two, the soft squeak of the door opening wider getting lost in their argument. 

Jeremiah's brows were tightly pinched together, his hands curled into fists that made the veins along his hands more prominent. "You always take his side! When are you ever going to take mine? You're supposed to be my friend, too!" His chest heaved, and despite the volume of his voice bouncing off the walls, he looked more hurt than pissed.

"Oh, my god!" (Y/N) groaned loudly, his eyes rolling so hard that Belly was sure he'd caught a glimpse of his brain. His head lolled back briefly, shoulders rising and falling with a heavy sigh. "Conrad is my best friend, Jeremiah. I'm always going to defend him!" 

"Even when he's wrong?" Jeremiah scoffed. "This is my home, too! I should have a say in what happens, shouldn't I?" 

"How the fuck do you expect to be treated like an adult when all you do is act like a child?! You're so fucking annoying that I can't stand you half the time." Belly's heart skipped a beat when (Y/N) drew closer to Jeremiah. She wasn't fully sure what her plan was if they began fighting, but she knew she'd do whatever it took to help Jeremiah. "Yeah, Con can be an asshole, but while he's always trying to protect you and always making sure you're happy, you do nothing for him in return but bitch and complain like a fucking baby."

(Y/N) jabbed his finger in Jeremiah's shoulder, hard enough for Jeremiah to wince and stumble back from the force, before stepping past him with a quiet huff. His heated gaze landed on her, briefly eyeing her as he walked past her before he turned his back to storm down to the bedroom he'd been given years prior. Belly flinched when the bedroom door rattled shut, her lips parting to release the breath she'd been holding in her throat from anticipation. 

Frowning, Belly looked back at Jeremiah, her heart constricting at the look on his face. "Jere-" 

"Not now, Belly," Jeremiah muttered when he stepped around her, his fist shoving into the pocket of his pants to roughly tug out the keys to his car.

His footsteps thumped loudly along the staircase until she heard the front door slam shut and the engine of a car rumble soon after. She swallowed, contemplating running out barefoot to stop and comfort him or hurrying out back to get Conrad back from his walk on the beach so he could deal with the situation, but instead, she speedwalked to (Y/N)'s door, the bottom of her bare feet slapping harshly against the floorboards.

Shoving the door open and letting it close behind her, Belly scowled at him. "You have no right talking to him that way, and you know it!" 

"Oh, for god's sake, Belly." (Y/N) tossed his hands up in exasperation and reluctantly turned around to face her, his slumped shoulders telling her most of the fight had been taken out of him during the argument. "I don't need to hear a lecture from you, of all people."

"Wha-" Belly sputtered, her eyes widening as her cheeks grew hot with shame. "What's that supposed to mean?" She knew what he meant, knew it so well it made her gut twist violently.

"You've done more damage to him than I'll ever do." (Y/N) let out a dry chuckle, his fingers brushing over his forehead to wipe the little sweat along his hairline. Belly wanted to hurl into the nearest toilet out of guilt, but anger licked up her back more swiftly, distracting her from the regret slithering in her gut. "Stop acting like you're some goddamn moral highness after everything you've done to them. After everything you'll do to them." 

"You don't know me." Belly's voice trembled, just as the rest of her body did.

"I've known you for six years, Conklin. I've watched you make a fool of yourself enough times to make me immune to second-hand embarrassment." (Y/N) stared at her blankly, as if he were dealing with an intolerant child and not a girl just a little younger than him.

It was the same look Laurel sometimes got when she was too exhausted with her or Steven to react properly. His lips curled upward, a hint of cruelty behind them. The type that always left Belly feeling ignored and small, as if her feelings barely mattered. 

"I've watched you chase after Con like a little puppy begging for attention-"

Belly's voice was firm. "Shut up."

"-even when he obviously liked other girls. I watched you chase after him last summer over and over and then the second he finally decided to think about himself before anyone else, you go and make out with his goddamn brother. He forgave you; of course, he did. His mother gets sicker, and he needs his brother more than ever, but Jeremiah's too busy wallowing over some stupid crush he got because you don't have braces anymore to care about him."

"Shut up." She couldn't help how softly the words came out, how almost defeated they sounded.

(Y/N) ignored her, his eyes narrowing in the slightest. He always knew what words to say, what to do to make it feel as if there was a knife jabbing into her ribs. "A couple of weeks after I first came here, you told me I was ruining everything by being around." He gave another little, dry chuckle and scratched the nape of his neck. "I think you were just talking about yourself, right? 'Cause it looks like the only one who ruins things here is you." 

"Just shut up!" 

Belly barely processed her movements until the palms of her hands were slamming into his chest, toppling him over onto his bed. A hot rush came over her body, feelings she'd been bottling up and only releasing when she wept into her pillow at night, erupting in a flurry of swats and slaps she directed at his shoulders and chest. 

"Hey- Jesus, Belly, get off me- what are you doing?!" 

(Y/N) wrangled her wrists into his hands, and it was only then she realized she'd climbed onto his lap to smack him. He stared up at her wide-eyed and perplexed, but she couldn't be bothered to feel embarrassed when she felt so exhausted.

Susannah was dead.

The woman she considered to be a second mother was dead. Gone and buried, never to grace them with her teasing smile or raise their spirits with her joyful laughter. She was dead, and her boys were barely speaking to each other because of Belly's stupid feelings. The one thing Susannah cared for above all else was her boy's utmost happiness, and she'd stomped all over it without a care in the world.

Belly's lips began to quiver, tears rapidly welling up in her eyes. She'd been passing through life like a ghost, letting homework go forgotten, letting down the team when they needed her the most, letting everything swallow her up like a tidal wave without turning to Laurel or Steven for advice and help.

It made her feel so helpless, so useless. She tried, she really tried, but marching on through every day felt like an insult to Susannah. How could she just move on? How could anyone possibly expect her to come to terms with the fact she'd never see Susannah again? Everyone treated her like a delicate china cup on the verge of shattering, but none of them did anything to help, as if she'd figure out how to keep herself together.

A sob bubbled up in her chest, and (Y/N) immediately stiffened under her, his breath audibly hitching. Under a clearer mind, she would've felt inclined to scramble off him and rush off to her bedroom, but her body felt weighed down. Tethered by invisible anchors.

"I can't believe she's dead," Belly whispered shakily, her eyes squeezing shut as teardrops tumbled down her flushed cheeks, gliding along her chin until they dripped down. Her shoulders shook with violent sobs and wheezes, the air slowly leaving her lungs until she was gasping for air that refused to linger enough for her to breathe properly. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tear her hair out. She wanted to curl into a ball. 

She wanted her mother. She wanted Susannah.

"She wasn't there." Belly hiccuped, and then gasped for air. She remembered Steven's graduation speech, how she turned her head to the side expectantly, as if Susannah would be sitting beside them silently cheering him on. But she wasn't. "She- She didn't get to watch Steve graduate. She- She won't be there when- when I graduate-"

"Hey, hey, Belly. Breathe."

She felt him release her wrists from his tight hold and instead wrap his arms around her, one curling around her waist and bringing her down firmly against his body. Her fingers grasped at his shirt as she buried her face into his chest, her body continuing to shake and tremble with the passing sobs and heaves. A headache nipped at her temple, pain pricking her from how hard she cried. She was certain the noises echoed through the empty house.

"Take a breath, Bells. Just- Just take a breath and hold it in your chest." He told her more calmly than she expected, his palm pressing against her back of her head to soothingly run his fingers through her hair. "C'mon, Bells. Do it." 

Belly heaved, an ugly, guttural sound, another sob wrecking through her body before she managed to suck in some air and hold it as he'd instructed. Her pulse thrummed in her ears, quick and insistent until it slowly calmed, allowing her sobs to soften into sniffles and whimpers. She released the air, finding her body calmer and more responsive.

"Okay," (Y/N) took in a deep breath himself. "Uh, name five things you see."

Blinking away the tears that gathered in her eyes, she tilted her head to press her cheek into (Y/N)'s chest instead and glanced around the room in search of things to name. Against the navy blue of his walls, her eyes locked on the decorations. "Uhm," She sniffled. "I see- I see a poster for Alien and- and a picture of you and Con." 

That was two.

"I... I see a white dresser with- with a jar of seashells on top." A gift from Conrad, she remembered faintly, meant for the fifth-year anniversary of him joining them at Cousins. Another two down. "And- and your shoes by the door." Last one.

Her body deflated, the fog in her brain lifting enough for her mind to focus. Her eyes kept darting around the room, taking in everything she could from the angle she was in. The white closet doors that were cracked open just a little out of sight; the red and white letterman jacket tossed over the footboard with a big 'S' over the breast area; two golden framed pictures of previous years at Cousins; a large painting of a tropical beach Susannah likely put up before he claimed the room as his. 

"Feeling better?" (Y/N) asked tentatively, his arms sliding off her and falling limply at his sides, the muscles still stiff. She could hear his heartbeat and felt it against her ear. It was gentle, soothing. The rhythm calmed her, like a lullaby.

"A little," Belly answered hoarsely, her fingers releasing his wrinkled shirt and pressing weakly against the comforter. 

Her hair cascaded down her shoulder with her movements, the bed whining softly as she pushed herself up and settled over his lap once more. Heat pinched her cheeks, embarrassed with herself and her show of self-pity, but it was done. Her sworn enemy had seen her at her lowest, and quite possibly her worst. Not even Jeremiah or Conrad had seen her breakdown so violently before, and she hoped to keep it that way.

She waited for (Y/N) to shove her off him, to grumble about her soaking his shirt with her drool and tears, and usher her out of his room so they could both ignore what'd happened for the rest of their lives. He stared up at her instead, or rather, stared at her for a few seconds before his eyes darted away, his mouth pressing into an awkward, unsure line.

He almost looked meek and small, not the smug and judgmental asshole she had come to know him as. There were things about him she hadn't noticed before, like the faded scars peeking out from beneath his messed-up shirt, which he'd gotten from years of roughhousing and soccer, the warmth that radiated from him like a fireplace, and the faint tan line around his neck from the short seashell necklace he constantly wore. He was gentle when he wanted to be, she noted. She'd always seen him tugging and pushing, keeping Conrad within arm's reach at all times, like an anchor and its ship. He never offered that affection to the others. Steven had Jeremiah to hug and shove and laugh with, she supposed.

"I'm.. I'm sorry." She exhaled and rolled off his lap, her body bouncing slightly when she made contact with the mattress. Her knee bent and tucked beneath her other leg, her hands toying with each other as she set them over her lap. "I-I shouldn't have... God, I.." It was mortifying. She wanted to erase the moment from her head.

"It's whatever," (Y/N) said under his breath as he sat up and dragged himself further onto the bed until his feet were left dangling. "We're all, uh... dealing with it differently. I miss her, too. It's weird visiting home and not seeing her waiting on the porch. Sometimes... sometimes I forget and wonder if she's out grocery shopping or- or I'll go to call her when I hear gossip she'd love." He gave a little laugh, followed by a long, heavy sigh. 

Belly sniffled. "I do that, too. Sometimes I start texting her 'cause I need her advice or someone to talk to and then... I remember I'll never get an answer back. It's the worst feeling in the world. I-I thought nothing would top Conrad and I breaking up, but..." Belly shook her head and raked her fingers through her hair, pushing strands out of her face that only slipped right back to where they were previously. "I just want to forget everything for a moment."

(Y/N) reached out to her and carefully wiped away the tear marks on her cheeks with his thumb. "Drinking helps, but it'll be a problem in the morning. I don't think the boys or their aunt would appreciate you stumbling around with a hangover, though." His shoulders shook with a laugh, mouth forming a grin he typically reserved for Conrad.

"Yeah." Belly agreed softly despite not being able to focus fully on his words because of his lingering hand, leaving her chest feeling... weird. His fingers extended, tucking her hair behind her ear, before he retracted his hand to rest it over his thigh. "I wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on their aunt Julia." She chuckled breathily, her eyes darting away from him. Had (Y/N) always been this handsome?

"I hear she's a bitch."

Belly gave his arm a soft smack and shot him a look despite the quiet huff of amusement. "Maybe she's changed, who knows? I mean, if Steven died.. I don't know what I'd do with myself, and he gets on my nerves every single day. They say grief makes people do and think crazy things."

"Like selling your dead sister's summer home that her family still uses?" His brows knitted together, lips jutting out in a scoff. "The grief I've seen is... drinking and driving, screaming at bystanders, and sleeping with anyone and everyone willing.. technically but not technically making a scene at a funeral-"

"Ugh."

Belly slumped back on the bed, the air being briefly knocked out of her lungs as her body sank into the comforter and mattress. She stared up at the high ceiling, her nose crinkling and mouth twisting at the memory of her in that little black dress, huffing and puffing at Conrad before falling in front of everyone. Nobody laughed, thankfully, the atmosphere had been too somber to laugh at some eighteen-year-old making a fool of herself, but the silence was somehow more humiliating. 

(Y/N) chuckled, and the space beside her sank with his body coming to lie there. "The second-hand embarrassment was intense. I had to spike my own drink to get through the day. It was horrifying-" 

"I get it!" Belly groaned, her hands flying up to cover her face in dismay. "I swear I didn't mean to make a scene. I.. I shouldn't have yelled at Conrad or- or said anything. I hate myself for it." 

(Y/N) hummed softly. "Well, the boys don't hate you for it. I don't think they'll ever hate you, no matter how weird things get. And listen, I know they've known you for years and you're the only pretty girl they've been around since kids, but... Jesus. It's like they don't even-"

"You think I'm pretty?" Belly's hands lifted from her face when she lolled her head to the side to peer at him. Part of her always thought he viewed her the same way he viewed the boys, just another face he saw often. 

"Belly, you were always pretty." (Y/N) huffed and rolled his eyes as if his words were the most obvious thing in the world. "Glasses or no glasses, braces or no braces, dresses or shorts. You look the exact same as you did three or four years ago. Jeremiah's jus' used to rich girls who doll themselves up all the time. That's why he was so surprised. It's his norm." 

"I thought- you didn't think I was ugly? Why do you call me Billy Conklin, then?" Belly propped herself up onto her elbow, twisting around to lie on her side and stare down at him. "I thought the whole reason you called me that was because you thought I looked like a boy." 

"I call you Billy 'cause it pisses you off, not because of how you look, dumbass. I mean, maybe if you hadn't been such an ass to me when we first met I would've liked you, but then you got all huffy with me." (Y/N) shrugged casually, his eyes pointedly staring past her and at the ceiling instead. "I couldn't let it slide." 

"Oh." 

Her cheeks burned with warmth again, and she suddenly felt shy. Her mind had always been full of Conrad: What did Conrad like? What would Conrad say? What would Conrad think? Would Conrad notice her if she did this or if she wore that? Conrad, Conrad, Conrad, Conrad, and then, for a couple of days, Jeremiah.

Always the Fisher boys, her Fisher boys, but she'd never given (Y/N) much thought. He was always an extension, someone who was just there, someone who was always in the way. But... looking at him now with a fresh set of eyes, and a new opinion of him..

Conrad couldn't look at her for longer than a few seconds. Jeremiah always looked awkward in her presence. (Y/N) was... himself. A familiar face who hadn't changed, who hadn't looked at her differently when she arrived at Cousins looking taller, prettier, older. Jeremiah was a wildcard, loud and attention-grabbing. Conrad was calm and steady, but unpredictable.

(Y/N) stayed the same. Consistent while her world spun out of control.

"Do you think you could ever..." Belly trailed off, her voice quieting down into a whisper. His eyes returned to her face, flickering between her eyes as his brows furrowed. "Do you think if.. if things had been different.. You and I would have..." 

"Too late now," (Y/N) muttered. 

"Is it?" 

[dramaism]

Suddenly I had this feeling, this absolute certainty, that I was never going to be able to let him go.

[taylornation]

The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty begins July 16 on @primevideo 🫶

Are you seeing Daylight or Red (Taylor’s Version)? ✨♥️

[conradfiisher]

Conrad + Reflexes/Athletic Skills

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

✌️✌️✌️

[ashsdumbbrain]

After watching like 5 eps of s2 im 100% convinced im team jere bcs one can only be there for someone much before it gets exhausting, you cant just keep pushing people away when they are actively trying to be there for you, like i get Conrad sometimes but sometimes i have absolutely no cluw what goes on behind those 4 walls of his brain, why he always takea decisions that are so fucked up (like telling Belly being with her was a mistake)

Thats about Conrad but about Belly, omg like girl have some damn respect for yourself and take the better, more emotionally available brother right in front of you who cares about you so much, damn.

But ig you dont get over your first love that easy and she is just so infuriating, now i really fucking hope somehow the writers take the hint and either keep her single by the end of it or make her end up with Jere

Did i mention how i absolutely love steven in season 2, his protective and caring side towards his mom and sister n to the fishers as well (also him and taylors chemistry is insane)

[thatonekimgirl]

I knew that voice. It wasn't a burglar. It was Conrad. - We'll Always Have Summer (Jenny Han, 2011)

[justinrusso]

Belly, I don’t think I could ever get over you. I mean, I'm not... I'm here. Whenever I talk to you, I'm just happy. And I gotta say, standing in front of you right now, it’s torture not being able to kiss you.

CONRAD FISHER and BELLY CONKLIN in THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

Conrad deserves better than Belly. After he sees Jere and her kiss, he get his ass to Stanford and meet this cute and smart maybe tutor girl (Haley James style) and falls in love with her and then they show up at Jere's wedding years later and Belly is jelly

I've spent the last five days working on this one.

p.s. it's 2k words...

my taglists are here + you can send requests here at any time

—

When Conrad finished his exam, he went back to Jeremiah and Belly. He was going to tell and confess his love to her before she had to get home, but when he got to his car, the scene Conrad walked on made him sick to his stomach: Belly and Jeremiah were full on making out against his car. He stopped short of the car and cleared his throat, causing the two to spring apart from their heated kiss and see Conrad looking right at them. 

Conrad’s face was white. He would rather have had someone shoot him in the head with a nail gun, repeatedly, than have to watch the two of them kissing.

He didn't know who he was more angry at. Belly, who, not even a day ago, had told him she would have fought harder for him if she knew he loved her that much. Or Jeremiah, who, although he knew how much Belly meant to his brother and how fucking in love he was with her, seized the opportunity to kiss Belly the moment he was alone with her.

‘’Conrad—’’ Belly started, guilt settling in her guts. 

He cut her off, his voice cold and cutting. ‘’I don’t want to hear it.’’ 

His gaze shifted from Belly to Jeremiah. There was so much hate in his eyes. How could Jere do that to him? They agreed to stop hiding things from each other and talk, but Jeremiah must have forgotten already. 

‘’You broke up with her, Con, remember? We did nothing wrong,’’ Jeremiah said, pulling facts in his favor to make himself feel better — less guilty — for kissing his brother’s ex.  

When Conrad kissed Belly on the beach last summer, he didn’t know she and Jeremiah were a thing — if he could call it that — or that he liked her. If he had, he wouldn’t have kissed Belly or confessed his feelings to her. Had the situation had been in reverse, Conrad wasn’t sure Jeremiah would have backed off. 

‘’I’m done.’’ Conrad's voice was resolute, his heart heavy as he turned away, unable to bear the sight of them any longer.

Jeremiah moved to follow, calling out Conrad's name. He didn’t stop, needing to be as far as possible from the painful scene. His mind was racing with a jumble of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and a profound hurt gnawed at him. He had trusted both Belly and Jeremiah, yet they pulled this shit behind his back. 

‘’Why do you always have to act like that?’’ Jeremiah said as he quickened his pace to catch up. 

Finally, Conrad turned to face Jeremiah, his expression a mix of sorrow and resentment. ‘’You don’t get to tell me how to react, Jere. You kiss the girl I love outside my school, against my car while she’s wearing my sweatshirt. If you don’t see how disgusting and messed up it all sounds—’’

‘’She kissed me,’’ the younger one quickly defended. 

 Hearing this made him want to pack his bags, get his ass to stanford and focus on school. He needed to turn the Belly page, and in order to do that, he needed to be away from both she and Jeremiah. California seemed far enough, right?

*

The first days and weeks were tough for Conrad, struggling to accept the definite end of the relationship. She was still all over him like a wine-stained shirt he couldn’t wear anymore. 

He blocked both Belly and Jeremiah’ numbers. If he wanted to move on, he had to keep his distance from them. For a while, at least. Then, he deleted all the old pictures he kept of Belly on his phone. There was no going back for them anymore. 

He was done.

*

You met Conrad a little before Christmas break. Just like those cliché rom-coms, you walked right into him and spilled your chai latte all over his sweater. You wanted to break the cliché and not fall for the victim of your clumsiness, but after one look into those beautiful blue eyes, you knew it would be impossible. 

 After that day, you kept crossing paths around campus and, one afternoon, you asked him out. He was so surprised, but he said ‘yes’. 

Although you had sealed the end of the night with a few kisses, you decided to take things slow. You had a very busy schedule with the tutoring lessons on top of your regular program, and Conrad was unsure if it was too soon to get in another relationship, if he was ready for it. The scar Belly had left on his heart was healing, but was he ready to open his heart to someone again? 

‘’Have you ever been in love?’’ you asked one night in his dorm while studying. 

Your question had caught Conrad off guard. It was visible on his face. 

‘’Have you?’’ he returned, not taking his eyes off his textbook. 

He was trying to dodge the question. 

‘’I asked you first,’’ you said, seeing through his plan.

‘’Then yes.’’

‘’How many times?’’

‘’Once.’’

His answers were flat, annoyed he was by all your questions. He wished you would stop and get back to studying in silence, but you kept going. 

‘’On a scale of one to ten, how in love were you?’’

‘’You can’t put being in love on a scale,’’ he said, lifting his head with furrowed eyebrows. ‘’Either you are or you aren’t.’’

‘’But if you had to say.’’

Conrad started flipping through his notes. He hadn’t thought of Belly in months. He missed her — in a different way he used to. She was his friend before they got tangled into this mess.

He didn’t look at you when he finally said it. ‘’Ten.’’

*

The more time he spent in your presence, the more Conrad was — unknowingly — letting go of his past. 

The pictures he deleted months ago became pictures of you, filling his phone until there was no space left. The smell of your perfume lingered on some of his clothes and in his car. He had your coffee order memorized, along with your favorite study-break snack, which he made sure to have in stock in his dorm. 

You became part of his routine — part of his life —, brightening his days even on his darkest, saddest nights. 

He didn’t want to bother you, but nothing was calming the ache in his chest. He tried getting some air and smoking weed, he even thought of calling Laurel, but it was almost 2am in Pennsylvania. Conrad didn’t want to scare her. 

So he pulled up your contact and called, the weight of his grief still heavy in his heart, wishing Susannah was still there. He couldn't believe a full year had gone by since she took her last breath. 

You were about to slip into bed when you saw his name flashing on your phone. You almost didn’t pick up, but you got a gut feeling that he needed you. 

When you opened your door, a saddened look was etched onto Conrad's face, his beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sight pulled at your heart and you wrapped your arms around him, holding him for the whole night.

Supported each other through finals and all-nighters.

‘’Getting tired?’’ you said, catching him actively fighting against his own eyelids. 

Conrad shook his head, taking a long gulp of his coffee. ‘’No time for sleep. I have this huge exam first thing tomorrow and I still have a lot of chapters to cover.’’

‘’You can take a short nap if you want. I’ll wake you in thirty minutes,’’ you kindly offered, flipping through your notes for a specific annotation. 

‘’Nah, I’m good.’’ He flashed you a soft smile, then returned to his studying. 

A few minutes later, and you couldn't help but notice that Conrad's eyes had begun to droop. They would halfway close and then he would either blink a bunch of times, or widen his eyes until they were bug eyed. It was cute.

‘’Con? Conrad?’’ you called out gently. 

‘’I'm not sleeping. I'm resting my eyes,’’ he mumbled defensively, fighting fatigue.

There was no way he was getting through the night, so you put your notes down and slipped on Conrad’s flannel shirt that was on the back of your chair to shield you from the night air. ‘’We’re gonna need more coffee.’’ 

As you came back with two fresh cups of coffee, you found Conrad fast asleep on your pillow, still clutching his pen.

And held his hand through the rainiest times — literally.

‘’Isn't California supposed to be the sunniest state?’’ Conrad asked, watching the downpour through the windshield, drenched from head to toe. ‘’The seats are all wet...’’ 

‘’You gotta learn to live with the consequences of your own actions, Connie baby.’’ 

It was his idea to get waffles when the sky was looking very gray and angry. He insisted that it would clear out, but a loud clap of thunder echoed on your way back to the car and rain started pouring. You took the road back to campus, but it got too dangerous, forcing Conrad to stop the car on the shoulder of the road and wait for the rain to calm. 

You wiped your face with the sleeve of your hoodie and a smile curled on Conrad’s lips, still the most beautiful to his eyes despite your wet hair and the slight smear of mascara under your eyes. 

 ‘’Rain happens everywhere. Even in the dryest desert,’’ you reminded him, pulling out your phone to check the weather app.‘’Unfortunately, this one isn't gonna stop anytime soon.’’

You toed off your sneakers, making Conrad draw his eyebrows.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’We’re gonna be here for a while.’’ You peeled off your hoodie — also wet from the rain —, leaving you in your skirt and dainty bralette. ‘’Might as well occupy ourselves,’’ you explained before leaning over the middle console and kissing him, fastening yourself to him with a stitch. 

The kiss took him by surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. He could spend hours kissing you and never get bored. 

You crawled over the console and on Conrad’s lap without breaking contact, your hands easily finding grip on his hair as you felt his hands all over your body, caressing and pulling. The windows were fogging quickly around you, creating a veil of privacy as more layers were peeled off.

Conrad once believed he had found love, that Belly was it for him, but the feelings he felt back then were nothing compared to how he felt right now. 

‘’You’re the best thing that happened to me,’’ he confessed, his forehead pressed against yours. 

*

The invitation came in a few weeks before the wedding. Conrad couldn’t believe his brother was going through with this. Everything was happening so fast and seemed rushed. Him and Belly weren’t even twenty. Who gets married so young anymore? 

He arrived in Cousins a few days prior to the wedding, surprising everyone — and stealing the attention from the soon-to-be-weds — when they saw a girl with him. 

The only person who knew exactly who you were was Steven. A few months ago, you had posted a picture with Conrad at the beach and tagged him, leading to Steven finding out about his friend’s new girlfriend. He was surprised when he saw it, but very happy for Conrad. He deserved better than someone who plays between two hearts. 

Laurel put down the table-center she was holding and went over to pull Conrad in a hug. She turned to you, making quick introductions, and Conrad held his breath. He’s always been close to Laurel and her approval meant more to him than his father’s or Jeremiah’s. 

While the two of you engaged into a conversation, he saw her. Belly. Dressed in a white sundress and talking to Taylor, she looked just the same. The only difference was, Conrad felt nothing. No pain, no old feelings rising back. 

For the first time, what’s past was past.

‘’Belly, come greet Connie and his girlfriend,’’ Laurel called out to her daughter. 

Although you had never met her, you could tell exactly who she was in the room — and not only because her dress was white. The jealousy filling her eyes when they fell on you gave her away.

—

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[inlovewithquotes]

Looking up at him, I had this sudden thought.

Oh my God. I still love you.

I'd thought my feelings for Conrad were safely tucked away, like my old Rollerblades and the little gold watch my dad brought me when I first learned how to tell time.

But just because you bury something, that doesn't mean it stops existing. Those feelings, they'd been there all along. All that time. I had to just face it. He was a part of my DNA. I had brown hair and I had freckles and I would always have Conrad in my heart.

-Belly Conklin

[painandmovies]

I will never understand the pull Conrad Fisher has on those girlies, and I'm saying this as NOT a Jere girl. Whenever you hear from a Conrad fan, pretty much the height of their argument is, "bUt he knows her favorite candy" or "hE tHOuGhT sHE KNEWwww." and I'm like, you cAnNoT think this is a good argument for why he's a better man...You cannot be giving a man this much credit for having the basic skill sets of a kindergarten teacher's assistant and having poor communication skills.

And I get it, he's deeply traumatized and struggling in grief. Believe me... Conrad fans think you must not understand or grasp the weight of what he's dealing with to have an opinion of not liking him. But hear me out, I get it and it doesn't make him complicated or special for this, when every character/person has grief and trauma.

And their relationship is no better in the books; the thing is the argument for him being more fleshed out or even better in the original text is funny, because he's Worrrssse.

The Belly-Conrad relationship is like an immature connection of childhood crush that never expands past giving wet willys to each other in elementary school and pulling on the girl's hair. Fans of the ship are always on about Belly being misunderstood or viewers being misogynistic towards her, but the ship itself requires Conrad to always be the one accomodated to and this poor girl is at the expense of his tumultuous behavior and smug, dumb attitude. "He knows her." He knows the 6th grade version of her and, and he's not even charming! goddddd.

[optimism-blooms]

♡ A love for all seasons. BellyJere moments in the Teaser for The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty | Episodes start July 16 ♡

[dramaism]

I always believed we would find our way back to each other every time.

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022-2025)

[conradfiisher]

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 - Official Teaser