mr. perfectly fine | jeremiah fisher

prologue

Syrena is described differently in this chapter than how she is in the rest of the book. Similar to Belly, Syrena turns "pretty" before the next summer and looks almost completely different.

_________________

Last summer

Today is the day I tell Jeremiah Fisher that I'm in love with him.

I have been in love with Jeremiah Fisher for as long
as I can remember. My family spends every summer
in Cousins, right next door to the Fishers. My mom,
Laurel and Susannah became best friends and the
rest is history. I'm close to the rest of the Fishers and
Conklins, but it's different with Jeremiah. We've been inseparable since the day we met. Muffin runs in the morning, night swimming at his house, staying up until 3 am to play ridiculous video games that I always lose at. Sometimes I stay awake at night, wondering what it would be like for Jere to love me back. Sometimes I dream that we're happy and more than friends, but dreams are all that they are.

I've never been "pretty." Sure, everyone is beautiful in their own way, but compared to girls like Belly and Gigi, I'm nothing. I was chubbier than average, and none of my fat went to the right places. I wore thick-rimmed glasses and had braces. I didn't wear makeup, yet my skin had blemishes and acne. I was every teen girl's nightmare.

Jeremiah made me feel different. He didn't look at
me with disgust. There was something about the way
he looked at me that made me feel like the most
beautiful girl in the world. I guess I was so blinded by my own love for him that I thought he felt the same. I was wrong.

I was at the Fisher house like always. Susannah,
Laurel and my mom were watching Grease, a
tradition on the last night of summer. I didn't know
what I was going to say, or how I was going to say it,
but I was going to tell him that I loved him. I couldn't wait any longer. I walked up to Jeremiah's room and got ready to knock on his door when I heard a girl's voice.

What?

"So what's the deal with you and Rena?" Gigi asks

"What are you talking about?" Jeremiah says
confusedly

"Well you guys are like inseparable, Do you have a thing for her?"

"That's disgusting, she's like my sister."

I open the door a crack to look inside just I see him
lean in and kiss her.

Oh

I walk away as quietly as I can. The only thing worse
that could happen would be them finding out I heard. I try not to cry but it doesn't work. Before I know it, I'm full-on sobbing. I press my face into my pillow to make my cries quiet.

I know that I can't be mad at Jeremiah. It's not his
fault that he doesn't love me back. He's not an
asshole like all the other guys in Cousins which is
why it hurts more. I heard everything I needed to
hear. Jeremiah would never be with me and I was
going to move on.