OUT OF THE WOODS, jeremiah fisher

two.

ONCE WILLOW WENT back inside, dripping water, she noticed Susannah in the kitchen.

"Hi, Susannah!" she greeted her, making her way towards the kitchen.

Susannah looked up once Willow spoke and gasped at the sight of her drenched clothes and hair.

"Oh my god, they threw you in the pool too?" she asked looking concerned.

"Indeed, Conrad did not hold back," she laughed.

Susannah smiled at her.

"I know I told you before, but you look gorgeous this year my love," Susannah sweetly told her.

Willow blushed at her words. It was such a big compliment coming from Susannah whom she always looked up to.

"Oh, by the way, tonight the boys invited me to the bonfire and I'm thinking of going if that's okay. I just feel bad missing movie night," Willow admitted to her.

"You don't have to feel bad, of course it's okay! You should go and have fun. Don't worry, I'll talk to Cecelia," Susannah reassured her, winking.

Willow beamed at her, "Thanks Susannah. Love you," she said while going up the stairs. She heard Susannah shout that she loved her too, which made Willow smile.

Opening the door to her room felt like traveling back in time. It truly looked as if it had been frozen in time since the last time she was in it. Willow looked around at her posters that varied from her favorite bands and shows such as "Arctic Monkeys" and "Looking for Alaska".

She walked over to her dresser, observing all the framed pictures of the group throughout the years. Only one caught her eye though. 

It was a picture of just her and Jeremiah from the beginning of last summer. They sat on a sunbed outside. She was sitting on his lap while he hugged her from behind. They were both facing the camera making faces with their eyes closed. They radiated joy. 

She caught herself smiling stupidly at their faces. She missed that feeling that she got whenever she was close to him or engulfed in one of his hugs. She wasn't sure if she would ever get to experience that again.

A soft knock on the door dragged her attention away from the photo. She turned to find Belly leaning on the door frame looking around the room since she also hadn't been in it for a while.

"What's up?" asked Willow.

"So, what do you think of going on a swim before dinner with Jere and I," Belly asked carefully.

"I don't know, Belly. I have to unpack and-"

"Stop making excuses, Will." Belly cut Willow off, rolling her eyes. "I noticed you two didn't even share a hug today. Why won't you tell me what's going on?" Belly asked with genuine concern.

Willow hated doing this to Belly. She had been dodging the questions about Jeremiah for the whole year, she would always find an excuse to not talk to her about what went down last summer. She thought it would feel like it never happened if nobody knew about it. She was wrong.

"It's complicated and I would prefer to not talk about it. But if it would make you feel better, I'll meet you guys outside," Willow said, regretting her decision already. 

She knew that any interaction with Jeremiah from now on would be very awkward, but this time at least, Belly would be there to defuse the tension.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

The three of them were making their way toward the beach. Belly was walking in the middle of the two, talking about how she found it weird that her dad was going to visit on the fourth of July even though her parents have been divorced for only a year and a half.