Our Beloved Summer | A TSITP Story

Chapter 21

I'd spent the last hour avoiding Conrad. Somehow every time I would look up, he was standing right in my eyeline. His eyes were wide and determined. Each time I would dart off. I felt stupid acting like this, but I wasn't prepared to talk to him at all. When he'd look at me I felt like crying and shouting out. I had such a short time to come to terms with my feelings for him and he just threw them out like it was nothing. I hated that I still wanted him. I didn't deserve to have my feelings tossed around, but I was still holding on to him by a thread.

I ended up finding sanctuary on the stairs. I wasn't sitting there for long until Jere came up to sit next to me. He looked optimistic.

"Hook up with anybody yet?" He said, smiling.

"No, Jere." I shook my head and smiled back. I knew he'd seen me avoiding any and all conversations with anyone. I wasn't attracting that much attention from boys, but the couple that did try weren't even worth a conversation. They all had the same lustful look that grossed me out. I'd been nursing the same drink for a while now and only a few sips were left. I swirled the cup around as I let out a heavy sigh.

"I texted Belly." Jere said after some silence. I looked at him and shrugged, saying, "And?".

"I asked if I could be her date to the deb." So that's why he looked so happy coming to talk to me. I opened my mouth to ask him something but my phone began to ring. Somehow I heard it over the music and crowd of talking people. It was Belly's contact.

"Speak of the devil." I said, as I answered the phone and looked at Jere. "Hey, Belly."

"Dani, can you come pick us up?" Belly said, slowly. I had to cover my other ear to hear what she said.

"Pick you up? Where are you?" I asked.

"Hoppers Cove." She said it almost like a question. 

"I thought you were at the docks." I looked at Jere confused, and tapped his arm to get him to come with me as I walked outside to hear Belly better over the phone.

"We were, but then we all wanted to go swimming." As Jere and I stepped onto the front porch of the house we saw Nicole standing in front of Conrad. She looked upset as she saw the two of us step out. She didn't stay in front of Conrad for long and stomped back to her car. I could see Gigi in the front seat as well. I was beyond confused about why Nicole and Gigi would be here and Belly and Taylor were at Hoppers Cove.

I stammered my words as I tried to wrap my head around the situation at hand, "Okay, I'm with Jere right now, so we're on the way."

"No, don't bring him." Belly yelled into the phone.

"We came to this party together, I'm not just leaving without him."

"No, Dani." I rolled my eyes at her being so stubborn.

"Do you want to get picked up or not?"

"Just... get her quick, please." She hung up the phone as soon as the words left her mouth. Jere and I walked over to his car. I got in, but not before looking at Conrad one more time. He was looking at me and had a plastic bag in his hand. He looked confused as well. I didn't waste too much time trying to read his face and told Jere where Belly and Taylor were. He said it wasn't too far away from where we were.

I looked at Jere as he drove and said, "I wanted to ask you if you thought she'd say yes. To the deb."

"Belly? Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about it." His lip curled up slightly as he spoke. He tapped the steering wheel as he started to speak again, "You know, if um, you need me to say something to Conrad, I will."

I simply hummed, not sure how to react to the flip in conversation. "That won't be necessary. That ship has sailed." I moved my hand in a straight line like it was going across the horizon.