All too well ² // the fisher brothers

003

Eleanor 🎀

"I'm so excited that you're finally here this summer. Can we do, like, everything that we never got to do together?" Isla says, carefully applying eyeliner. "Like parties, pool, mall? We have to get you a fake I.D.," she adds enthusiastically.

I sit at home in the same cousins t-shirt I've been wearing all week, feeling a sense of numbness lingering since Susannah's passing. Isla and Aaron came over to help me decide what to wear for the party. Aaron scrolls through his phone, reminiscing about past times when things were different.

"Ella, I know you miss Susannah, but I miss you. It seems like ever since Susannah passed away, part of you went away with her," he expresses, his voice tinged with concern. I glance over at his phone, looking at the picture from last summer when we were carefree and happy.

"I know, okay, let's start with what I'm going to wear tonight," I reply, trying to push past the heaviness in my chest. I stand up and open my closet, hoping to find something that will make me feel alive again.

Taylor and Belly enter the room, causing Aaron to be kicked out. Taylor immediately takes charge, rifling through my clothes in search of the perfect outfit.

"Okay, since my boyfriend's gonna be there, I need you all to look super hot," Taylor declares, and we nod in agreement. She pulls out a light blue short dress, but it triggers painful flashbacks of the bonfire. I scan my closet until my eyes land on Conrad's cousin's t-shirt.

The call came in the second week of September, three weeks since I'd last seen Conrad. "Hey," I say as I answer the call.

"Hey," he replies.

"I, uh, didn't expect to hear from you," I admit.

"Yeah, is it okay that I'm, that I'm calling? I shouldn't have called. This was dumb," he stammers.

"It's okay, Conrad. We're friends, you can call me whenever you need me," I reassure him. "So, how's college life?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"Um, it's cool. My roommate snores even louder than you do. Which..."

"Oh, come on. I don't snore," I protest.

"Yes, you do. You a thousand percent do. I've heard you through the walls for years," he insists.

"Yeah, and how do you know it's me? It might be Belly," I tease.

"Ellie, we used to sleep together when we were younger, and you used to snore then. Only when you're really tired, though. How's school for you?" he asks, shifting the conversation.

"Boring. I mean, who invented trig, and why do they torture innocent high school students with it? It's the one thing I hate in math," I grumble.

"It can't be that bad," Conrad counters.

"No, oh, it's really, really bad. I mean, I can't keep up with all the letters," I lament.

"Well, you know, the first thing you gotta do is determine if it's a right angle triangle or not," Conrad offers some advice.

"Eleanor, have you seen my, uh, big kettlebell? The 20-pound one?" Steven interrupts.

"I'm on the phone, but yeah, it's in the garage," I reply.

"Well then, tell Isla and Aaron to go to sleep," Steven says, addressing the background noise.

"Hey Steven," Conrad chimes in from the other end.

"Hey, Conrad," Steven replies.

"Sorry about that," I say to Conrad. "Okay, what were you saying about triangles again?"

"Okay, if you want to wear the t-shirt, you know, we should at least crop it," Taylor suggests.

"It was Conrad's," I explain to her, feeling a pang of nostalgia as I mention his name. I glance over at Taylor and catch her eyeing Belly.

"So, you and Conrad were a thing?" Belly asks, her curiosity evident.

"I don't know," I reply honestly, uncertain about the nature of our relationship.

"Well, did you kiss him?" Belly presses.

"Yeah," I admit, remembering the tender moment shared with Conrad last summer.

"You bitch!" Belly exclaims, clearly upset by the revelation.

"Well, it's not my fault he likes me more than you," I retort, trying to brush off the tension with a hint of playful banter. Belly storms out of the room, leaving me and Isla to continue our search for clothes. Isla holds up a white corset and some ripped jeans, accompanied by a pink bow.

"This will look perfect," she declares confidently.

"You know me so well," I reply gratefully, touched by her thoughtfulness. Aaron re-enters the room, relieved to be welcomed back into the fold.

"Finally," he says with a hint of relief in his voice, settling back into his seat.

Word count: 780 words