dark paradise•conrad fisher

three

THE CAR RIDE TO COUSINS WAS MORE PLEASANT THAN ANGELA EXPECTED. Her and Jere chatted, laughing and singing along to music.

It felt weird to be coming to the summer home this way. Without Susannah. And seeing Jeremiah outside of Cousins.

It reminded her of the time Conrad and her had driven down to Cousins in winter. Angela wanted to see what it looked like in the season, especially with it covered in Christmas decorations and lights.

She had told Conrad that she really wanted to see snow on the beach.

"I want to see one too," he had said with a smile.

Angela was wearing Conrad's sweater over her long sleeve shirt. At the time, Susannah was still alive but she was slowly dying.

Conrad and her were comfort for each other. She liked to believe that she was part of the reason Conrad managed to be happy a bit during that time.

Angela remembered looking at him in the car, grateful that she was with him.

"Hey, I haven't told anyone yet, but I think I'm going to switch my major to biology," Conrad told her.

"Woah really?"

"... I think I want to work more with actual people."

Angela frowned a bit, realizing exactly why Conrad was doing this. It was sweet, but it broke her heart.

"Because of your mom?"

He smiled with a nod. "She's getting better, you know?"

It wasn't true. Susannah never did get better. She only got worse. The only time during her cancer that Angela treasured were her moments with Conrad. Those days in the beach house at winter were some of her favorites.

Now it was all gone.

Conrad and Susannah.

Jeremiah must of noticed her zoning out again. "Angie, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. It's just weird to be here again. Especially when I have to see him..."

Angela was worried Jeremiah would get mad that she was talking about his brother negatively, but he just nodded in understanding.

"I get it. You have very right to be mad. Conrad's never treated you right."

That was a lie.

Maybe not now, but he always did.

Conrad loved her and she loved him. He gave his all into their relationship, and he treated her like she was his whole world.

For some reason all of that just had to change on the night of prom.

"He did, Jere. I just don't know what changed."

Jeremiah smiled. "It's been a couple of months. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Angela wasn't so sure about that. Their last few interactions weren't very friendly. Angela wished she could change that.

Angela really hoped he would be happy to see her though.

The car pulled into the driveway, Angela staring at the beach house. It felt good to be back here. But at the same time it didn't.

All of the memories flooded in. The ones of Susannah especially. When Susannah would great then here at the beginning of every summer.

When she used to run around in the yard with Steven, Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. Where she had her first kiss many years ago, with Conrad.

Where she met one of her best friends, Taylor.

Cousins was special. It was magical. Angela wasn't sure if that magic was gone without Susannah.

Both her and Jere were out of the car now. It was a bright red car.

Angela swallowed, even shaking a little bit. Conrad had to be here; there was no other place he could be. So she was going to see him. She was going to face him. In person.

Angela was following behind Jeremiah slowly. Part of her hoped that Conrad wasn't here. Just so she didn't have to see him knowing that she couldn't have him.

But he was definitely here. Almost as soon as Jere walked into the house, there was arguing heard. Angela could hear Conrad's voice from the other room.

Just as she turned the corner into the room the brothers were in, she heard Conrad say something terrible.

"Jere, the house has been put up for sale."

Angela's lips trembled, her whole body tensing up. The house that had all of her best memories, all of her memories of Susannah. There was no way it could be for sale.

"What? It's put up for sale?" she stuttered.

That's when it happened. The eye contact with Conrad.

Neither of them said anything for seconds. The eye contact was intense, both of them still trying to process who they were looking at.

"What is she doing here?" Conrad said quietly but angrily.