SUPERSTAR- the summer i turned pretty

X. CHAPTER TEN

.ten.

꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ

season one, episode six; summer tides

"I don't know, James," Rose annoyedly huffed out, plopping on her bed.

James and Dorothea were sitting in Rose's window seat, close together and both equally confused.

"Well, you can't just not know why he ended things with you? Or why he's pushing you away? There has to be a reason. Right, Dor?"

Dorothea shrugs from beside him, "Obviously there's a reason, we just don't know what it is."

Rose shakes her head, letting out a defeated sigh.

"He said it was because of James. That we seemed close and that we were cuddling because we fell asleep in my bed earlier."

"That's literally insane, you know that, right?" Dorothea says. She gets up and sits next to Rose on the bed, "I'm his girlfriend and I still would never think of either of you like that. To be fair, I know both of you and your relationship, but still. Conrad has no reason or support to believe something like that, and it isn't your fault. Or James'."

Rose just nods. She has noticed how off he's been this summer, especially with the mood swings and constant pushing everyone away. It was almost as if they were back to the summer that Susannah had cancer.

Rose doesn't recall much from that summer, but she does remember being devastated to discover the news and even more devastated to be pushed away by Conrad and Jeremiah. Though, Jeremiah didn't really push her away, he just had a shorter fuse. She was the same way the summer before, and especially since she didn't even come to Cousins.

Then, it hits her.

"I'll be right back." Rose gets up and leaves her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She hears the front door open and close. Rose stands at the top of the steps, waiting for whomever came into the house to go further, but they never do. She hears a sigh and she walks closer, seeing Susannah sitting on the steps with her eyes closed.

Roses brows furrow in confusion, and she takes a step to help Susannah up, but Conrad beats her there.

"Mom?" She hears her— friend say as he walks closer to his mom. Rose watches from the top step, neither Fisher had noticed her presence yet. Conrad takes a moment, and Rose can see his face contort with sadness and grief.

"Big day today, huh?" Susannah chuckles, and Conrad cracks a small, but sad, smile. "Come on, let's get you upstairs. No falling today."

Rose watches Susannah stand up and stumble, almost falling back, but Conrad's arm is guarding her from gravity. He finally notices Rose at the top of the steps, and when he meets her eyes he looks away quickly.

As she moves to the side of the two, Rose takes a moment to examine the woman she's known all her life. She seemed thinner, paler, and just overall more tired than usual. She had poor balance, and needed to take more time to get up the steps and take a few breaths.

The young girls heart broke, but she knew she couldn't say anything in front of Susannah.

So, as the two Fishers passed, Rose plastered a smile.