All too well ² // the fisher brothers

010

Eleanor 🎀

"So this is why you haven't answered any of my phone calls and texts?" Jeremiah asks, his tone sharp, clearly frustrated with Conrad.

"Jere. Jere. Did you not hear what I just said? We're going to lose this house. Mom's house," Conrad tells him, his voice trembling slightly as he tries to convey the seriousness of the situation.

"Why would your dad sell this house?" Belly interrupts, her voice filled with concern.

"He's not," Conrad says coldly, almost as if he's distancing himself from the conversation. "Our Aunt Julia is."

"Susannah's half-sister?" I ask, trying to piece together the family dynamics at play here.

"Yes," Conrad confirms. "Apparently the house belonged to both of them. And then when Mom... now Aunt Julia owns the whole thing, so..."

"Okay, we'll just call Dad and figure something out," Jeremiah says, sounding almost desperate to find a solution.

"You think I haven't already done that?" Conrad snaps back. "He says legally the house is hers."

"Okay, then he'll buy it," Jeremiah suggests, as if the answer is that simple.

"He doesn't have the money to buy it. Between Brown and the medical bills and the..." Conrad trails off, unable to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, I know how much the medical bills cost because I was there," Jeremiah says, his voice rising with frustration. "How long did you know about this and not tell me?"

"Jere, this was all happening so fast," Conrad tries to explain. "I was going to tell you after I'd taken care of it."

"And this is you taking care of it? Going AWOL, ditching school, not talking to us?" Jeremiah's anger is palpable now.

"Fuck school!" Conrad shouts, his voice cracking with emotion. "I don't care!"

"Connie, you have to go back or you'll fail your class," Jeremiah says, his tone shifting to one of concern.

"How are you going to become a doctor if you fail out of college?" I ask, my voice soft but firm. Conrad doesn't respond, just stares at the floor as if it holds all the answers he's searching for.

"Seriously?" Jeremiah says, disbelief coloring his words. "We went to Brown to check on your ass. You know what? I didn't think you'd pull this shit again. But you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself."

"Leave him alone," I say, my voice cutting through the tension. "He's going through a lot and he might not have anyone to lean on," I add, looking at Jeremiah, hoping he'll understand that Conrad needs support right now, not more pressure.

The tension in the room doesn't ease after my words. Conrad looks like he's holding everything in, his shoulders tense, his eyes locked on the floor. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is still fuming, pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair as if trying to find something to hold onto.

Finally, Conrad looks up at Jeremiah, something unreadable in his expression. "Jere, I'm trying to figure this out. I'm trying to save Mom's house. But I need you to back off. I need you to be on my side here."