SUMMER LOVIN' conrad fisher

CHAPTER ONE the beach house

"the beach house"

"MATILDA L'AMORE! You're telling me you are living with these hot ass guys for three months and not once have you made a move on at least one of them?" Matilda's best friend, Layla shrieked after scrolling through pictures of her summer family on Matilda's phone.

"Stop! That is so weird, Layla, I literally grew up with them." Matilda exclaimed, seizing her phone back from Layla's grasp and tossing it on the other side of the bed. Currently Matilda was doing some last minute packing before she left for the summer and her best friend was keeping her company. Matilda was almost done too, she just needed a few things like her phone charger, her book she was currently reading, and her headphones, then she would be completely ready to go to Cousins.

"Ugh, whatever." Layla complained, flopping down on the bed rather dramatically. "Do you have to go? Summer is going to be so boring without you."

"I go every year, you will survive without me." She argued, throwing more last minute items into her pink backpack.

"Yeah, but this year is different, and what about Cooper?"

"What about Cooper?" Matilda questioned. Cooper was Matilda's off and on boyfriend that has been going on since Christmas. Frankly, Matilda couldn't care less about him, especially since the couple was currently on a break, but Layla always had hope that they would end up together eventually.

"Isn't three months without seeing your boyfriend a long time?" Layla mentioned while Matilda shook her head.

"He is not my boyfriend right now." She rolled her eyes at the topic. "Besides, I don't care. I'm just going to have a good time this summer and not think about him."

"Whatever you say, Tilly."

"Matilda, are you ready to leave?" Matilda's father, Erik asked after opening the girl's bedroom door. This year, just like the last, he was dropping her off at the airport so she could catch a flight to Cousins instead of her making the long drive by herself.

"Yeah, let me just put my bags in the car." Matilda replied, picking up all her bags, bringing them to the car, and saying goodbye to her best friend who she wouldn't see for the next three months.

~~~

After the relatively short two hour flight from New York to Cousins Matilda was completely ready to get to the summer house. She missed everyone, especially Susannah who always felt like a mother figure to the girl, even more so after her own mother passed away.

As soon as the plane landed, Matilda called Conrad three times to make sure he was still on board to pick her up and not once did he answer. Since Conrad was the only one who could drive this time last year (besides the moms) he was the one to pick her up from the airport. So, Matilda assumed he would do the same this year after Susannah told her he would. After waiting for ten minutes with no calls or texts from Conrad, Matilda gave in and called his younger brother Jeremiah who answered the phone almost immediately, agreeing to pick up the girl from the airport.

~~~

"Jeremiah!" Matilda shrieked once she saw him get out of the driver's seat and began walking towards her.

"Oh, Tilly, you've grown so much." he said sarcastically, wrapping her into a hug knowing that the girl hadn't grown in three years.

"Very funny." she laughed dryly before opening the backseat to start placing her bags into the car with Jeremiah's help. After that, the two got into the car and headed off to the summer house.

"Question." Matilda said after they had been on the road for a good fifteen minutes filled with only small talk, which she absolutely hated by the way.

"Answer."

"Why didn't Conrad come pick me up? That was the plan and he didn't even pick up my calls." She tried not to sound like a baby about it, but she couldn't help it. Conrad would never not pick up her calls, even during the school year if she needed him, he was always there.

He sighed. "Conrad is kinda acting different this year."

"What do you mean different?"

"I don't know, I'm sure things will be fine when you get there, though." Jeremiah stated, which was no help to Matilda, but she decided just to drop it. It was probably a sensitive subject that she would figure out later.

~~~

Once Matilda and Jeremiah pulled into the driveway Laurel, Steven, Belly, and Susannah were sitting on the front porch talking, waiting for them to arrive home. As soon as she opened the car door she saw Belly running up to her with Steven trailing behind.

"Tilly"

"Oh, my God, Belly!" Matilda squealed as Belly pulled her into a hug. They stayed there until Steven coughed under his breath to get the girls' attention.

"Mine turn yet?" he asked as Matilda broke apart from the girl and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hi, Stevey." she joked, causing the boy to roll his eyes.

"Are you ever gonna drop that?"

"Nope!"

"Honey! Come over here." Matilda heard Susannah's voice from the porch and quickly rushed over and embraced her mother figure tightly. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"Much better now that I'm here." She replied, giving Laurel a small side hug. "Where's Conrad?"

"I think he's at the beach, I'm not quite sure." Susannah answered which only made the girl feel slightly disappointed that he wasn't here to even greet her.

"Common Tilly," Jeremiah said, holding all of her bags in his hands. "Let's set up your room."