Shots Fired (Jeremiah Fisher)

Broken

• Conrad's POV •

After dinner Lina went to go help Tatiana unpack her suite so I went back to my mom's suite with her. There was a part of me that just didn't want to leave her by herself. My jerk of a father decided not to come for the third year in a row. What a shocker.

I sat in the living room scrolling mindlessly through my phone while she placed our family photos throughout the space.

"Did you see Angelina?" my mother asked as she placed a photo of Jere and I when we were children on the coffee table in front of me. "I almost didn't recognize her. She's really blossoming into a beautiful young lady."

Beautiful is an understatement, I thought to myself.

"If you say so." I retorted.

"You can try to pretend but I saw the way you looked at her at dinner." She came and sat down next to me.

"Like what?" I put my phone down wanting to watch her face as she explained my behavior.

Just as she was about to reply, Angelina walked into the suite. Her hair was a curly mess and her cheeks were flushed meaning she probably ran up here. When her eyes landed on my mom, they lit up in excitement.

"Hi, Susannah!" She exclaimed as she ran to her.

I found it cute how she saw her not even 2 hours ago but was just as excited as when she saw her for the first time in the dining room.

"You just get more and more gorgeous every time I see you, my little flower." Mom spoke to her with Lina's cheeks in her hands.

Lina smiled back at her, somehow turning even more red than when she came in.

"God, I've missed you so much." Angelina's smile got wider.

"I've missed you too! I'm sure we have lots to catch up on."

I hadn't seen my mom smile like that in months. I couldn't figure it out, but something had been off with my mom for a bit. But for just a second, she looked like her old self again. I locked eyes with Angelina and unlike with my mom, she didn't look like her old self. She'd changed.. in a good way.

Not just physically but I could tell she'd matured a bit. She carried herself differently. It's like she knew how attractive she was now.

My absurd thoughts were interrupted when she walked over to the couch and plopped down next to me, resting her head on my lap. Without even thinking about it, my hand went to her soft curls.

The front door opened and Jeremiah walked through, his eyes immediately going to Angelina. I think it's funny how he tries so hard to hide his crush on her by teasing her. He never explicitly told me he how he felt about her, but I know him better than he thinks. It's been obvious since we were kids that he's been like in love with her but for some reason he chooses to be a dick to her.

A complete opposite reaction to his other obvious crush, Belly.

He looked at the two of us being cozy on the couch and made a disgusted face. Classic behavior from a jealous Jere.

"Hi, Jere Bear." Susannah greeted him. He fixed his expression and kissed Mom on the cheek.

"Tell me about your cousin, Angelina." My mother said to the girl on my lap.

"Mmh," she muttered. "Uhm.."

She paused so Jeremiah interjected. "I thought she was cool."

"Of course you did," Lina spoke. "You like everything with a pulse and enough holes."