you know it's not the same as it was
❛ ㅤㅤㅤㅤ⎯⎯ㅤㅤIN WHICH sadie & jeremiah
reunite in the summer after years of not seeing each other, the only difference this time is their feelings for one another which are stronger now that they're older. coming to...
❛ don't go there 'cause you'll never return i know you think of me when you think of her ❜
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
the eight of them sat in the dining room, eating. jeremiah and seven were giggling at something on steven's phone. the behaviour was starting to irritate laurel, "steven, i swear to god, if you look at that phone one more time, i'm putting it in the screen basket." the woman threatened. laurel was like that, her approach was always direct and bold and it often sent shivers of fear down your spine. steven looked up from his phone to his mother, who was sitting across from him.
susannah cleared her throat, "it's just, we want to see your beautiful faces. can dinner be a screen-free zone? you know, like the olden days." she always had a different approach. it was interesting watching all three mothers over the past summers. all of the kids would do the same thing, yet everyone's consequences would be different.
laurel was always strict, she liked when things were done a certain way. but, like all mothers, she had a soft spot. often than not she would cut the kids some slack. the most important lesson katherine wanted to teach her daughters was kindness. to katherine didn't matter what you did in life as long as you were a good person on the inside. susannah was somewhat of a mix of both. katherine always joked that susannah had it the hardest because she had two boys, but she would always argue that her boys were golden.
steven continued looking at his phone, not paying much attention to the previous warnings. "steven," jeremiah called out, taking steven's phone out of his hand and throwing it. sadie watched the phone fly above the table and land on a chair a few feet away. "dude, are you kidding me?" steven protested.
"boom!" jeremiah cheered, "nailed it." everyone at the table laughed and silently clapped, "nice throw," piper complimented, letting out a wolf whistle, then taking another bite of her food.
"okay, okay, okay, we get it, you've been working out," steven sarcastically noted. it was true, jeremiah had started working out, it was obvious, he had also grown so much since the last time the girls had seen him. his blue gaze though didn't change, it was still as intense as ever.
"oh, you're just jealous because jere has a better body than you," belly's amused smile didn't go unnoticed when she jumped into the conversation to tease her brother. steven squinted his eyes at belly, "uh, no, actually, it's all about the lean look now. otherwise, you can't wear tailored suits."
everyone at the table laughed at his defence. "sure, sure," jeremiah sarcastically agreed, shaking his head in disbelief. "tailored suits," conrad repeated the words under his breath, playing with the food on his plate.
steven directed his attention to the older fisher boy, "when are you leaving for training camp, man?" an awkward silence followed. it seemed as if steven asked a forbidden question, the tension took everyone by surprise. conrad didn't answer so jeremiah chimed in for his brother, "uh, he quit football."
steven looked around, from conrad to susannah, he was clearly in shock, but so was everyone else who didn't know. "wh . . ." steven stammered, "wait, really? you quit?" he asked as if the fact wasn't already out on the table. conrad nodded his head, giving along a simple 'mm-hmm.'
"are you kidding me, man? i'd-i'd kill to play college ball," steven continued. piper and sadie shared a look. the conklin boy was clearly touching on a sensitive subject without realizing it. steven was sometimes oblivious like that. "he can always change his mind," susannah added. conrad gave her a look, and then immediately shot back, "i'm not gonna change my mind. i was just gonna sit on the bench all season anyways." something was bothering him, sadie deducted. why does a football star just quit so suddenly? maybe he was going through something, well, he was. it was clear that conrad had something on his mind and that was affecting his behaviour. sadie wondered what was so bad that was making conrad act the way he was acting.
"well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you gonna do all summer?" laurel questioned putting down her knife and fork. conrad simply shrugged.
"oh, dude, you can work at the club. yeah, with me and jere," steven so eagerly suggested. jeremiah agreed with the same level of enthusiasm. the older fisher boy glared, "i'm not gonna work at the club."
"you guys are working this summer?" piper joined in on the conversation. she didn't expect the two boys to be so productive this summer. "yeah, i'm lifeguarding, and steven's working at the snack shop," jeremiah explained, fist-bumping the other boy.
"oh, belly, i almost forgot. i have a surprise for you," susannah gave belly an envelope. laurel chuckled, throwing her head back in disbelief, "so, this is why you had to stop by the country club." susannah smiled widely and just nodded her head.
"what, uh, wh-wh-what is that?" steven's curiosity was getting the best of him. he was really nosy, especially when it came to his sister. "i wrangled belly an invitation to be a debutante," susannah told. belly's eyebrows furrowed as she opened the envelope, "is that the thing where the girls wear white dresses and curtsy?"
"it's when a girl comes of age and is presented to society. i-i know it sounds silly, but i swear it's fun. girls come from all over new england to cousins just to be a part of it. you'll make so many new friends," the blonde patiently explained. laurel took a big gulp of her drink, "i cannot believe you are still holding on to this archaic dream." she stood up and left the room.
"no," susannah argued, "it used to be about finding a husband, but now it's about networking. they teach you leadership skills, like how to market yourself, and it benefits charity. it's, um, like a bat mitzvah." laurel let out a sour laugh. she returned back into the room, holding a brad new bottle of champagne, "it is not like a bat mitzvah. there is nothing religious about a debutante ball."
"the whole deb scene is bullshit," conrad grimaced, "it's for sheep." when someone else at the table agreed, sadie spoke up, "our mom was a deb." and there it was, the tension from earlier that finally left was back, and this time much heavier than before. sadie and conrad held eye contact, he was trying to apologize without actually saying anything. he didn't mean it like that, she had to know that. besides, being a debutante over thirty years ago and today were two completely different things.
susannah cleared her throat, "that's right! katy was the most beautiful girl that year." she beamed at the memory. it felt like it was only yesterday when susannah and katherine went all over cousins looking for the perfect white dress. it felt surreal to think how long ago that was.
sadie's mind went elsewhere while they continued talking about it. when she was little she dreamed of being a deb like her mom, but now she was too old. now, that her mom wasn't here it seemed pretty pointless.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ⎯⎯ㅤㅤNESSA'SNOTES! lowkey hate this chapter. might go back and rewrite it over time. kinda slow chapter with not a lot of interactions BUT the next one will be better i promise.
