Bonrad One Shots - The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Story of Us

The story of us. The story of Belly Conklin and Conrad Fisher. It was a story that had a different ending and a different beginning. Jeremiah Fisher, Conrad's younger brother, thought of that story as a beautiful girl who's heart was going to get broken by his playboy, heartbreaker of a brother. Taylor Jewel saw it as a tomboy girl and a broody, dark boy who was heading into a relationship. Steven Conklin, Belly's older brother, saw it as two young people who's relationship had started after his sister had the opportunity to have a perfectly and healthy relationship with Jeremiah.

But neither one of those scenarios were true. Not really.

Belly Conklin was a young girl. She was more interested in volleyball and not with spending her life around shopping malls, and wanting to fall at every boy's feet that she saw. But instead, her eyes were fixated on one boy; the one that she grew up with.

Conrad Fisher was the eldest of 2 brothers. He was smart, almost nerdy, and he loved football. But above that, he loved his mother very dear, and when he had found out that his father cheated on his mother when she was sick 3 years prior, and the fact that she had cancer yet again, he fell apart. That summer he had quit everything while he didn't care about anything else. He had made out with every second girl that he had seen that summer, and had various flings before the summer had even started.

But it was the day when Belly arrived to Cousins with her mother and brother that he had seen her differently. She used to be the girl that he grew up with. He had seen her as a kid, but suddenly, she wasn't just a kid anymore. Belly was a young teen girl who was growing up. Yes, she was still the same old Belly that Conrad had grown up with. She was the girl with strong opinions, the girl who loved late night swims, and who had adored volleyball. But she was also in a way different. That summer she turned 16, got her first boyfriend, and even snuck out to a party. But still, Conrad just saw a young girl. As they had spend time together, Conrad had realized something different about the young girl. She were to be a debutante that year, something that eh didn't think was for her. She was, as her mother referred to her as, a feral alley cat and Conrad loved to think she was somehow still the same girl.

That night when Conrad danced with Belly instead of Jeremiah at the debutante ball, he saw her as the young girl she had become. She was beautiful, and grown up, but even more important, she was still Belly. She was the girl who Conrad taught how to dance. She was the girl who would swim late at night for hours before coming in. She was the girl who everyone thought of as childish, but instead, she was the girl who acted like a child within. But, she was also the same girl that knew Conrad better than anyone.

When she asked fi they could watch the sun rise on the beach the morning after they all heard about Susannah's cancer, Conrad knew it was so that they could talk. Belly didn't want anyone to know what was said, nor what she would tell Conrad.

"I can't believe she said yes," were the words that Conrad told her.

Both he and his brother was amazed that they had gotten their mother to agree to the treatment, but in a way, Conrad also knew that it just meant his mother wanted to try. It meant she had a little bit of hope. Belly smiled at him. She had already changed since the previous night, but Conrad was still in his tux. He had unbuttoned his shirt, yes, but eh still wore the same tux.

"You did it. You changed her mind," Belly said as Conrad shook his head. 

"Oh, it wasn't me. It was Jere. He did it," Conrad said looking at Belly.

"Belly, I'm sorry for being so shitty all summer," Conrad said as Belly exhaled. 

"I mean, you were going through all this alone. ( stammers ) I wish you had told me so you didn't have to," Belly said.