the summer you noticed me ↠ conrad fisher {1}

s e v e n

I look up and see Conrad staring down at me. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. I wipe my eyes quickly, hoping he can't see on my face indicating that I was just crying. "Oh," I mumble. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" His voice is small, not like the new Conrad but the old Conrad.

I sigh, pulling his hoodie on over my head. I hug myself under the hoodie, drowning in it. The smell of Conrad fills my scenes and I have to take a deep breathe to focus myself.

     I look out at the Ocean, and shake my head no. "No," I voice. I inhale a deep breathe, and a sad chuckle leaves my lips.

"Your parents?" He asks, taking the seat beside me that Jeremiah was just at.

I look over at him, and bunch my eyebrows up in confusion. "How did yo—"

"I overheard your voicemail to your mom earlier," he admits.

"Oh."

I keep staring at the ocean. His presences makes me feel at peace. I try to forget the aching feeling in my chest at the thought of him with another girl. "Where is Nicole?" I changed the subject, but not in a direction that I really wanted to find myself going. I don't know why I just said that, I can't keep my thoughts inside today.

"She left," he says quietly. "Actually I told her I was coming over here, and then she left." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

His comment should make me happy and in a way it does but maybe Belly or Jere sent him over here because they felt bad for me. Speaking of Belly, where did she go? She said she was getting water and never found us.

"Who is she?" I ask.

"A girl I took to the debutante ball last year," they seemed way too cozy to only know each other because of a dance.

"You? At a ball?" I laugh, trying to find the positive in this story. "No way."

"Yeah, it was a last minute thing," he shrugs.

"You two seem close," I say.

I try to hide the jealousy in my voice but I don't think I hid it well, because he takes a swig of his beer humming softly.

"We're not that close," he says. "Do you care?" He says, pulling a joint out.

"Do I care about you smoking..?" I leave the question hanging there because I wasn't sure if he meant the joint of if I care about him with Nicole.

"Yeah, what else would I mean?" He didn't mean the joint. He knows that him being with Nicole upset me. I know he knows. There is a certain energy about him right now.

"Not sure," I don't give into his game. I just want to be in my bed, curled in a tight ball right now. So much has happened and it's only the first day. "Hey Conrad."

"Hey, Claire." He matches my tone, and just hearing him say my name gives me the chills.

He rolls his eyes. "Giving you my hoodie wasn't enough to keep you warm?" He teases.

"Apparently not," I chuckle.

"We're you going to ask me something?" The lighter sparks and the smell of weed takes over once again.

I scoot closer to him, I'm not sure if it's because I got brave because of the weed again or if it's because if I'm not touching him in this moment I'll start crying again. "No, I was just going to say I miss you."

"What do you mean, I'm right here." His voice is softer then the voice Jeremiah was using towards me a couple minutes earlier. More sincere then I've heard him all day.

I run a hand down my face, frustrated with the emotions I can't voice. "I don't know," I groan. "I-it's just," I pause deciding to take the risk. I lay my head on his shoulder and wait for him to pull away or question me but he doesn't. He's patient, he's waiting for me to continue. "Your weed makes me emotional. I just feel really overwhelmed. I just feel this ache in my chest right now," I say holding a hand there. "It's a lot."

He does the last thing I expect him too, he wraps an arm around me. He is trapping into him, rubbing my arm slightly. "You went into it with bad thoughts, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you take a hit knowing how you were feeling about your family."

"It isn't your fault," I whisper. I find myself almost laughing, because it is partly his fault I was crying earlier. The fact that he was with another girl, but he apparently left her to come sit with me so now I'm confused.

"Claire, there was something I was going to tell you earlier—"

"Fuck you bro!" The sound of Jeremiah's voice caused both of us to snap our heads back towards the bonfire. Jeremiah was in someone's face arguing, I realize now that it's gas station guy.

I mentally curse everything in the universe that keeps stopping Conrad from telling me what he was going too. Conrad runs over to the fight, I follow behind, keeping my distance when I notice Belly getting close. "Come on Jere," and just then she gets elbowed.

"Belly!" I gasp, going to help her up.

I help her up, just the. I see the flashing blue lights. Some guy is also helping Belly on the other side, I'm not sure who he is but she seems comfortable around him. Unlike she did with the gas station guy. I lost Conrad in the crowd, so I run with Belly and this guy before we get busted.

Thankfully we find the Jeep fast, Conrad is shoving Jeremiah in the back as Belly is saying bye to this guy.

I hop in the passenger seat, just as Jeremiah looks over "come on belly, get in the car."

"Cam can give me a ride home. Right, Cam," I blink at her unsure if this is a joke or not. Since when is she saying no to Jeremiah.

"Yes, that's no problem." Cam speaks up, he looks at Jeremiah who is glaring at him and stutters on the last few words.

"No you're not gunna get in a car with a guy you just met," Jeremiah snaps.

"I'm Cam, Cameron." He holds out his hand to shake Jeremiah's hand.

Jere stares at his hand, "your name is Cam Cameron?" He muses.

"No? It's ju-just Cam," I feel so bad for this guy. He seems so sweet and Jere is just hassling him. "But we actually know each other. Seventh grade, Latin convention. So like, we're not total strangers!"

"Okay. No offense, but no Belly get in the car." Jeremiah says sternly.

"Just get in the car," Conrad groans.

"Uh, you should probably go." Cam says. He then invites her to meet him at his whale watching boat at dawn. Then she kisses him. I gap at her, mouth wide open. I look at Conrad and he shrugs his shoulders.

Belly climbs in and as we're driving away I squeal. "BELLY! YOU JUST KISSED THAT GUY!" Conrad laughs at my reaction, and I spin around to face her. "You just kissed him!"

"Fuck! Steven! Watch Jeremiah I'll be right back!" Conrad groans parking the car.

I'm facing the front but I can see Jeremiah looking at Belly through the review mirror. I pull out my phone to text her when I notice he starts playing with her hair, drunkly picking at the ends.

"Your hairs like a little kids the way it's always so messy," he mumbles. She meets my eyes in the mirror, with an unreadable expression. I stay on my phone, acting like I didn't hear anything.

She doesn't get a chance to speak before someone knocks on the car right where Jeremiah is. "Have you kids been drinking?"

It's the cops, "fuck."