GUILTY | CONRAD FISHER

you have to talk, lovebirds.

Belly agreed to not tell neither Steven nor Fishers about Erik with only one condition: Theo and Sara had to tell them by themselves. Just as they thought, Belly had already known about everything. She had overheard her parents' conversation a couple of months ago, and Laurel's mention of the older Haden's name just helped her put the whole puzzle together. That was the reason she asked Sara about Erik, she had figured everything out.

So, the day after, surfing with Theo almost ended up with a huge fight. The boy was angry at the fact that Sara told Belly everything without any consulting with him. But, as she explained the boy everything, he understood that Edwards just confirmed thoughts the Conklin girl had, previously.

"And what should we do?" he asked without his natural enthusiasm. That summer supposed to be the distraction, he didn't want to discuss that topic with anybody.

Sara was completely worn out too, the stress Belly and hers talk brought to her, was the worst possible. "Just talk to them? They deserve to know."

"They really do," the boy mumbled. "Alright, call your boyfriend, I'll take over Jere, Belly can deal with Stevie."

"He is not..."

"Bad timing for arguing with me, S."

"You're right, sorry."

They, literally, were discussing the worst occasion they had in their lifes, were getting ready for telling people about it. But they were talking like it was an ordinary topic, thing, that they could speak about every single day.

It was all because the couple grasped the inevitability of the discussion. It seemed like they had never been so nervous before, the openness to their friends could mean that everything was over.

The more people knew, the closer was the truth. The truth that meant they weren't able to return to good old days.

---------------------------------------------

Belly agreed to speak with Steven and brought him to Edwards' house a couple of hours later. Conklin siblings were last who came, Conrad and Jeremiah were sitting in the living room for a while now.

"What's up?" Steven asked looking at his friends keeping silence.

Conrad and Jeremiah were glad to be invited to that house, too. They expected to come for a good swim or movie marathon, but facial expressions of Theo and Sara told them that the reason of them being here could get them upset. So, they were waiting for Steven and Belly with lots of questions in their eyes.

"Thank you for coming, guys," Sara cleared her throat, giving Theo's hand a squeeze of comfort. "Believe me, we wanted to forget about it for some time. But Belly, Laurel, even my parents kept telling us the right thing, you, guys, deserve to know."

The group of boys turned to the Conklin girl who only a day ago was Sara's biggest enemy. How was it possible that she got to know something about Edwards and Haden before themselves?

Belly shook her head making teens reclaim their attention to the pair. And, for some reasons, they followed the girlish order.

Theo stood up slowly. Sara wanted to stop him but he shot her a warning look. "In the end of April I lost my father," wheezed Haden.

He really wanted to sound confident or, at least, calm, but it wasn't possible. He was barely able to bring himself to say anything.

"That is why we're here, in Cousins, for summer. Erik is gone, my parents trying to figure the whole divorce, Theo's adoption and house selling things out. They need to travel back and forth."