ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅ|ᴊ.ꜰ

🀣𝟢𝟣𝟨🀣

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱɪxᴛᴇᴇɴ
↳ꜱɴᴜꜰꜰʟᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛ ᴇʟᴇᴘʜᴀɴᴛ.

It had been a long ride and a long day for all of us. We'd found Conrad, and god, was he a wreck. In a way, we all still were. Susannah leaving wasn't something that'd we'd easily forget, especially not Conrad and Jeremiah. The day was closing in, Belly and Jeremiah were inside doing god knows what. I still hadn't really talked to either one of them.
I made my way down to the beach, feeling the sand between my toes for the first time in a long time. A breeze brushed past me as I headed over to the blond-haired boy. I sat down next to him in front of the water. "Shouldn't you be in Chicago working on music or something?" He asked. He'd been the first to speak. I shrugged. "This felt more important."
"We haven't talked in ages... I don't know why you still care." I was dumbfounded. Did he really just say that to me? I scoffed. "We grew up together, Conrad. And sure, we weren't close like me and Belly, or Jeremiah and I, but I still care about you." And it was almost as if he didn't believe me.
"When my dad died, who did I ask to go to the funeral home with me?" I questioned. "Me," he said. "And when my mom's drinking got worse, who did I call late on a school night?" I continued. "Me."
I hummed. "Jeremiah and I were best friends, and I relied on him for a lot of things but you, Conrad, you were like the brother I never had."

When he finally looked at me, he seemed dazed. I knew why, but I didn't mention it to him. "I wish we would've gotten closer, maybe had the bond you and Jere had," he said. I shook my head. "Hell no, our bond would've been different, trust me... And we've still got time, we're still in each others lives."
Conrad looked to the stuffed animal in my hands. "Still bring him on the trip..." His words were more towards himself, but they still made me smile. "I didn't bring him for me, Con, I brought him for you. I think it's time snuffles has a new owner." I'd softly placed the stuffed elephant in his hands. "Why're you giving him to me?" He asked. "I think you need the comfort he gives more than me."
"How's Theo? I seen your guy's instagrams, kind of hard to ignore how sickening your relationship is." We'd laugh our first laugh together for the first time in a while. "He's in the military now... Wasn't my idea, of course. But whatever makes him happy, right?"
"What about you and Jere?"

I shrugged. "I'm actually over him. And it took a while but I had to realize and appreciate everything that I already have. Jeremiah wanted to be chased, that was clear. He liked the thrill of it, and it was no secret that I liked him, at that point... Theo makes me happy, he treats me right and he's my person. Jeremiah and I are old news."
Conrad smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day you finally got over that stupid crush." I playfully hit him. "Ha ha, very funny... What about you and Belle's? I heard what happened during the wake."
He shrugged. "I don't know, if I'm being honest. I liked her, but the timing just feels really off," he said. And I get it. He'd been grieving Susannah long before she passed, and Belly wanting him to act normal and like he wasn't about to lose his mom took a tole on him. "We seem to have horrible luck with love."
He huffed. "Say's the one so in love with Mateo Rodríguez out of all people." I knew he was joking, he'd flashed me a smile to make sure I knew, the same way Jeremiah used to. They were so much alike.
I rested my head on Conrad's shoulder. We'd listen to the waves crash and took in the setting sun.

Well, that was before our moment of peace was interrupted. Mr. Fisher had appeared out of thin air, asking to talk to Conrad. I'd let him, of course, but it really did mess up the atmosphere. I'd gotten Conrad to a state where his mind wasn't racing anymore, just for someone to barge in and crash it.
"You gonna be alright?" Con asked. He was hesitant on leaving. "I need to talk to Belly so I'll be fine," I said, "It's nice to see you, Mr.Fisher." Mr.Fisher offered me a half hearted smile. "Good to see you, too, Zara." We'd never gotten to nickname basis, he's another one that was iffy about me growing up. I didn't mind though, I never really liked him. He'd kept giving me reasons not to, but his divorce with Susannah while she was sick had really put the nail in the coffin.
I headed back inside, all the way up through creaky steps until I'd reached Belly's room. Her door was already open, but I still knocked on the frame to announce myself. She looked up from her phone. "Hey," she smiled. It was just the ghost of one but I could tell she really meant it. "I wanted to talk, kind of make amends and what not, even though I've clearly never been good at those things."

She gestured for me to come in. I'd sat on the bed next to her. "I saw you and Conrad talking," she said. I nodded. "I passed snuffles over to his rightful owner, seems like he needs him now more than ever." She'd nodded in understanding. "Look-," We'd chorused, cutting each other off. And we'd laughed, one that was actually genuine. "You go first," I said.
She sucked in a sharp breath. "I'm sorry for not calling after everything happened. I didn't think you'd wanna hear from me because of the whole Jeremiah thing. I was scared that we weren't best friends anymore, and I know that's dumb because we're not kids anymore and stuff like that happens but you were my first real friend, Nani."
"You were my first real friend, too," I smiled. "We don't have to be best friends again if that's what you want, but I need you to know that I'll always care about you like one and that... That I'll always be there for you."
I took both of Belly's hands in mine. "Isabel, you stuck by me when I had nothing. You shared your family with me when you didn't have to. We shared clothes and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together for years straight, even when you didn't want me around," I started, "We vowed to be in each others lives, even if we weren't best friends anymore. And I'm so, so sorry for ever breaking that vow to you."
She smiled, one that reached her eyes. "I love you, Nani." We'd link our pinkies, "Friends by chance, sister's by choice."

"No, no, you're not selling the beach house!" Our heads snapped towards the stairs. It was Conrad. "You don't have a say in this, son." We'd cautiously walked over and down them. "I'm not your son, don't call me that."
"Is everything alright?" I asked. "He wants to sell the beach house," he said. I was stuck in disbelief. Sure, we hadn't had any plans on ever coming back here but we still had the opportunity to do so. With the beach house gone, all of our memories and summers we spent together go with it. "You're not serious, right? You can't do that," Belly chimed in. "I can and I will."
"What's going on?" Jeremiah came up from the basement. "Dad want's to sell the beach house, he wants to get rid of everything that means something to us." Mr.Fisher scoffed. "Give me a break, Conrad, we've held onto it for long enough. You need to let it go."
"The same way you let mom go?" We'd all grown quiet. Conrad's words put weight on everyones heart in a matter of seconds. "I'm selling the beach house and that is final. Pack your stuff up, and while you're at it, go back to New York and finish summer school. You've got priorities now, whether you like it or not. You boys are adults."
I knew Mr.Fisher was rough, but I didn't think he was this bad. He'd shown his true colors in front of all four of us. I looked to Conrad, and he looked pissed. I knew to give him space. Jeremiah on the other hand looked like he was holding back. His eyes were glossed over, and he had this distant look. Sort of like how Conrad looked the day they fought.
"Welp, you know what this means? One last event at the beach house," Jeremiah smiled. "What are you talking about?" I questioned. "We throw an epic party since we've gotta part with yee old beach house."

"You can't be serious-"
"I think it's a great idea," Belly cut me off. I looked at her in disbelief. They could not be serious right now. "Are you telling me the two of you are okay with us losing the beach house?" I questioned. "Why keep holding onto it? It's not like any of us were ever coming back," Jeremiah said. "What is wrong with you? Cousins is our home, Jeremiah. We grew up here, this was the one place on earth where everything was okay."
"And look at it now, Zara. Nothing is okay. Everything's changed, nothing here is the same. Why should I hold on to something that carries the worst memory of my entire life?" On one hand, I understood where he was coming from. But this place meant the world to me and it was like he didn't even care. "We're gonna throw a party, for old times sake. Then we're gonna pack our things, and we're gonna leave Cousins and pretend like this place never existed."
I couldn't just pretend like my home was a place that never existed. For years, Cousins was my escape from my Chicago reality. This was the place I came when everything was going wrong, because it made everything felt right.

I'd come to cousins from the months of June to August, and now I'd never be able to come here again.