FEELS LIKE • CONRAD FISHER

020, bad news

CAROLINA WAS WOKEN up by her phone buzzing next to her. she picked up her phone and saw jeremiah calling her. she looked at the time and it was almost twelve. they were probably heading over there. she picked up the call with her eyes still slightly closed. "hello?" she said holding it up to her ear.

"uh, hey so we didn't find him at brown. we're on our way to cousins." belly's voice said.

"where is he?" she asked "do you guys know?"

"uh—we'll talk when we get there." jeremiah said "anyways, we kind of had a flat tire earlier. it took a while for us to fix it. but, i promise we will be there in about an hour. also, did you just get up?" he laughed.

"i drove for a very long time yesterday after moving boxes and finishing exams, give me a break. i'll probably be home when you guys get here. i have to go get groceries for myself. do you guys need anything?" she asked. there was a short pause, "uh, just like chips or something, i don't think we're gonna be here very long." jeremiah answered.

"okay, i'll see you guys soon." she said before they both hung up. carolina got up from her bed and got ready to go out. she grabbed her keys, wallet, and phone before heading to her car. she drove to the small grocery store the town had.

she didn't really realize she had no idea what to buy. she was so used to her mom doing it or eating at the dining hall in school. it took her a while, but she ended up getting simple things like bread, eggs, frozen foods, and a bunch of other snacks for herself.

when she returned, she called jeremiah after putting the groceries away. "hey, i'm back, are you guys here?" she asked. jeremiah cleared his throat "uh, yeah. i'll meet you in the driveway." he said.

as carolina headed next door, she paused in the driveway after seeing the infamous red jeep and conrad's car. jeremiah was sitting on the porch and knew carolina noticed conrad's car. "hi, care." he said getting up and hugging her.

"hi, jere." she said hugging him back before joining him on the porch steps. "so, i think you know, we found him." jeremiah said pointing to the car and she nodded. she didn't even see the car since the driveway was covered by bushes. jeremiah let a sigh out before he talked again, "he didn't just runaway cause he wanted to. the house, i-it's being sold."

"what?" carolina asked in disbelief.

"i don't think you've met aunt julia, susannah's sister. she's the one selling it." jeremiah said. "conrad's trying to save it. that's why he came here."

"can you—not tell him i'm here. please? i just need some time." carolina asked, "uh but here's your snacks. i bought a couple of drinks too." she said handing the boy a plastic bag filled with snacks.

"thank you, care." he said taking the bag.

"if you guys need anything just call me, okay? i'm literally a door away from you guys." carolina said as the fisher boy nodded. "thank you again, care. you can always come in, if your ready." he said and she nodded.

"good luck." she said as she started to walk away.

before leaving she turned around looking at the house. last december, she came here with conrad on a weekend. conrad picked her up from school and they drove to cousins. the town looked so different with all the christmas lights strung everywhere. this time they planned to stay at the fishers house.

conrad had picked carolina from school, and was now driving through cousins. the town looked way different compared to the summer time. it was decorated with christmas lights and different decor. the way everyone dressed was so much different too. although it was different, it was still beautiful.

carolina laughed as conrad tried to light up the fireplace, which they barely used during the summertime. "i thought you said you were a professional at this." the girl said sitting on the couch. she had made warm cups of cocoa which she found in the cabinet.

"there! got it." conrad said pulling his hand away from the fireplace.

"took you only, 10 minutes." she teased him, sipping her warm drink. the two were both in their winter clothes with beanies and long sleeves on. "shut up." conrad said cuddling up to her on the couch. carolina smiled leaning her head on his shoulder. they sat in silence for a while, listening to the crackles of the fire.

"hey, you think you could live here? like in the future?" carolina asked, breaking the silence. conrad nodded, "yeah, i mean i love cousins. everything is so much more laid back here. i wish i could just stay here, go to the beach, and do nothing forever." he responded.

"me too. i hate school." carolina said, "staying here and doing nothing sounds really nice. i really love being here with you."

carolina sighed as she turned away from the fishers house. memories of conrad and susannah were everywhere here, she couldn't escape them. once she got into her house, her phone was buzzing again. it was steven conklin.

"you're in cousins, right?" the boy asked as soon as she picked up. the girl chuckled, "wow, what happened to saying 'hi', steven? you know for princeton, you're gonna need better etiquette than that." carolina joked.

"hi care—are you in cousins or not?" the boy asked.

"i am, why?"

"is belly's there by chance?" steven asked. it sounded like belly wasn't supposed to be here. carolina tried choosing her next words carefully, "i'm not saying she here, but is she supposed to be in cousins?" she asked.

"well, she's supposed to be at taylor's."

"she's not here then." carolina responded quickly.

"carolina, i can't even see your face right now, but i can definitely tell you're lying. belly's in cousins isn't she?" steven asked again. carolina sighed, "fine, she's here with jere and conrad, but there's a reason."

"what?"

"the house, it's being sold."

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authors note

hi lol hope you're enjoying