All too well ² // the fisher brothers

005

Eleanor 🎀

"I had this weird thought today," I say to Conrad, who is on the other end of the phone.

"Yeah? I love weird thoughts," he says.

"I was thinking if my dad had cheated on my mom, she probably wouldn't have even cared. Is that harsh?"

"No. But do you really think Laurel wouldn't have a reaction?" he replies.

"I mean, kinda. Like, nothing about my dad ever excited her, you know?" I say to him. "They were, like, never romantic around each other."

"And you want to see your parents being romantic?"

"Obviously. I mean, I just can't imagine marrying someone who didn't give me fireworks. You know, like electric jolts every time I saw them," I say, smiling, knowing exactly who I was talking about.

"Were you surprised when you found out your parents were getting divorced?"

"Yes and no. I mean, I always knew that they were going to get a divorce one day, but I just didn't know when," I say.

"Ellie, I miss you," Conrad says.

"I miss you more," I reply. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How's Jeremiah? Is he doing okay?" I ask.

"Um, yeah, yeah, he seems good. Why?"

"Because he is not answering any of my calls or texts."

"Yeah, no, I mean, he's probably just busy with senior year stuff."

"Yeah, or he is off fucking some girl."

"Eleanor."

"Never mind," I say. "Forget I said anything. I learned something kinda cool."

"Tell me."

"Did you know that Venus is an evening star for 263 days out of the year? And then it disappears from the sky for 50 days before returning as a morning star for another 263 days."

"I didn't know that. That is very cool," Conrad says.

"Right now it's an evening star. It's really bright next to the moon. I'm actually looking at it right now. It's probably against the rules to say this, but I wish we were looking at it together."

"Me too. And Ellie?"

"Yes."

"I couldn't be with someone who didn't make me feel electric either."

I walk over to where Steven and Belly are, curious about what's going on. I see Steven spraying some of his alcohol onto Belly's corset. "I can't believe you did that," Taylor says, her voice sharp.

"I'm leaving, okay?" Belly says, frustration evident in her tone.

"And Ella, she needs to go home and plus I'll come with," Aaron says as I sit down next to him. I close my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth and comfort.

"Belly, you—you promised to be my sober ride tonight," Steven says, his voice rising.

"Okay, well, I'm ready to go now," Belly responds, sounding tired. I zone out for a bit, unable to hear what they are saying, but get jolted awake by Steven screaming. I decide to keep my eyes closed, trying to block out the chaos.

"You screwed up, and now everything is weird between Conrad and Jeremiah. I mean, they won't even text me back anymore because of you," Steven says angrily. What did Belly do to Jeremiah? And Conrad?

"That is not my fault," Belly defends herself.

"Come on, Ella, let's go to the car," Aaron says softly. I get up, holding onto him so I don't fall. I stop and listen to what they are saying, my heart pounding.

"Isn't it?! Hmm? You made Jeremiah break up with Eleanor because you were fucking him the whole time," Steven accuses, and I begin to cry. "You had Cam, but you had to steal Ellie's boyfriend. But that wasn't enough, so you had to have Conrad, too. God, you are so fucking selfish."

"I had to have Conrad and Jeremiah? Are you kidding me? I was in love, Steven. Like out of my mind in love. What was I supposed to do?!" Belly says, her voice cracking just as Aaron comes and sees me crying. He wraps me in a hug and wipes my tears away. We get in the car and begin to drive home.

The night air is cool against my tear-streaked face. I lean against the window, the city lights blurring as we pass them. Aaron keeps one hand on the wheel and the other on mine, squeezing gently. "You'll be okay, Ella," he says softly, his voice steady. "We'll get through this together."

hello lovelies so i didn't want to tell you the reason actually why jeremiah broke up with eleanor and she would have confessed him that she knew this whole time but oh well.

Word count: 768 words