ephemeral [ Conrad Fisher ]

3

THE Fisher family had been taking three cars to cousins for three years now, each boy taking their own car. I had assumed I'd ride in the family's SUV with Susannah until I watched Conrad pull my suite-case from her trunk.

"What are you doing?" I ask rubbing the sleep from my eyes "We're about to leave Conrad, is this your way of telling me you changed your mind?" A yawn slips out as I shake my head.

For some reason Susannah had decided the best time to leave was on a Friday, at four am. Why? I had no clue but I hadn't been able to sleep a wink the night before, too stressed about if I had packed everything and too anxious about what the summer would bring.

Shaking his head Conrad smiled a little "Yeah I wish nox," he teased tucking my suite case into his truck "Get in the Jeep."

"But I thought -"

"Get in the Jeep Lennox."

and with that I lifted myself into the passenger seat of his Jeep, mocking him to myself as I got comfortable "Get in the Jeep Lennox, No you can't date Josh Lennox, you shouldn't eat that Lennox, where's your gloves Lennox?"

"What was that?" Conrad sat in the drivers seat, that damn smirk on his lips "want to repeat that a bit louder?"

My cheeks turned red as I crossed my arms "I didn't say anything."

"That's what I thought." He hummed, using a single hand to turn onto the road, the other fiddling with the heat  "Why don't you take a nap we have a few hours." He says softly, glancing over at me. I didn't even argue just nodding my head I nestled myself into the seat.

WHEN I woke up, I don't know how far we had made it but I knew that the sun had risen and my stomach was growling. The Jeep was silent, the heat now replaced with the ac as the summer weather began to sneak up on us.

"My mom packed you one of those sugar donuts you like and a bottle of water, 's in my bag."

He didn't even have to look at me to know that I was awake,I don't  know how he knew I hadn't moved an inch since I opened my eyes. But I wasn't shocked. Conrad knew he could always tell when I was lying or upset or when something bothered me. He didn't even ask anymore. He just always knew.

"Thank you." I grabbed his bag from my feet "Do you need anything from in here?"

"Just my lighter." I nod, pulling everything out setting his lighter and a bottle of water into the cup holder for him

"You should stop."

"I know."

and that was that. It had been like this for weeks now, tense awkward spills of silence had began to consume our conversations. Things were tense, and sure I got it I understood that he was upset that he and his girlfriend of almost a year had broken up but I couldn't understand why he was so angry with me. I hadn't done anything, I didn't break them apart, I was nice to her. Hell, I was so nice that I had made her one of my best friends. But he blamed me, he told me it was my fault, that I ruined everything and then just expected everything to disappear the next day when he was sober. So I played his game and I pretended but things had changed.

"I'm sorry Conrad, for whatever I did that broke you and Aubrey up."

"You didn't do anything Lennox" he pulled into the long driveway, "I'm sorry for being a dick nox okay? Just drop it. This summers for us to have fun not to argue over Aubrey Whitman."

There he was again, the infamous Conrad Fisher who always tried to run from his problems. So I nodded, knowing my best friend better than he knew himself. "deal." I whispered getting out of the car following Susannah into the large home

"Thank you for the donut Susannah, you always think ahead." I help her unload the groceries listening to the boys bicker as they bring in the suitcases

But she just smiled giving me those knowing eyes of her "Oh honey Connie packed snacks for you this morning, he didn't want to take the sandwiches I made, something about tomatoes?"