❛︎ For what it's worth Con, ❜ he then looked up at her with a blank expression. ❛︎ I don't think of you as that anymore. These past few days, I've noticed that- ❜
❛ Don't do that, ❜ he took a puff out of the cigarette, before killing it completely...
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❛ GOO GOO DOLLS VINYL ❜
❁ ❁ ❁
It had been a week since Conrad and Iris spoke. Sure, there were times when they had been trapped in the same room because of dinners or because Susannah wanted everyone to hang out, but they never interacted, Conrad wanted to apologize, wanted to talk to her, but she didn't, she chose to distance herself. It was just like high school all over again.
"Susannah wants you and Con to be in one of her paintings together," Jeremiah said to Iris who was on the phone with her mother. "Just um, tell her I'll be down in a second." Jeremiah nodded, and left her alone.
Not a minute later, Iris ended the call with her mother and went down to meet Susannah outside with her paints. "You wanted to paint a portrait?" she walked up to the older woman, "Yes, let's just wait for Connie, then we can start." Iris hesitated to ask a certain question, but she figured Susannah wouldn't judge her. "Why me and Conrad?"
Susannah sighed, "You two were a packaged deal growing up, I want to capture the moment with you two together." Iris nodded, sitting on the sunchair. "While I'm still here," Susannah muttered to herself. "Did you say something?" Iris asked, hearing the older woman mouth something. "No, nothing hon."
Conrad showed up, his hair messy and his eyes slightly red. "How long is this going to take?" he asked, sitting down on the opposite chair of Iris. His strong scent hit her like a bus, it hadn't been overpowering, but rather sweet; strawberries. "Not long, probably an hour. Could you guys sit on the same chair?" Iris looked at Conrad, the brunette getting up and sitting beside her.
"Hi," he mumbled, adjusting his flannel. "Hi," she said back. "Oh I forgot something," Susannah said innocently, heading back inside, "You two stay out here." The two teens nodded, awkwardly sitting beside each other.
"I'm sorry Iris," Conrad blurted, feeling the tension between them thicken. "I already told-" she began, but he shook his head, "Let me finish."
She started fidgeting with her fingers, looking at him to see him also fidgety, "I'm sorry about that night." Though he wasn't referring to last week. He had been referring to what happened two years ago. "Do you remember that night?"
❁ ❁ ❁
Two years ago
"Do you wanna go to the mall with me? I need to buy my mom her birthday gift but I'm afraid I'll buy her something expensive. You know how to keep me in check," she asked Conrad, partially joking with the second half of her question.
"Uh," he looked down at his watch, "I actually can't. Isaac asked me to go over to help him with drills until dark."
She hummed, "Okay, well then have fun with Isaac." She turned around and headed over to the mall by herself. She would have gone with Perri or Jeremiah, but Perri had to babysit and Jeremiah had other things to do.
She had spent the afternoon by herself, buying and spending probably over three hundred dollars. If Conrad were with her, he would have told her to return half of the things she bought.
Walking passed the record shop, she noticed one vinyl in particular, a Goo Goo Dolls limited edition vinyl. She instantly went inside to buy it. Conrad had introduced her to Goo Goo Dolls, partially because of one of their hits had her name in the title, and the fact that his father had helped him learn how to play that song for her.
The vinyl had been for Conrad, his birthday was also coming up, and she wanted to get him something memorable, unlike the past years when she would get him small things like books or homemade bracelets.
After paying, Iris had craved for warm apple pies from Apple's, so the teenager drove herself to the local bakery. She texted Conrad to see if he wanted some apple pie, but he hadn't responded, because he was already there.
Not with Isaac though, but with Aubrey. Aubrey, the girl he liked ever since the beginning of junior year when they 'sat together in Physics'. Conrad's words, not hers.
Aubrey was the girl that Iris was always afraid of, not that she was mean or anything, she had always been sweet, but she was the girl that was exactly Conrad's type. Smart, nice, caring, funny, athletic, the whole ordeal.
"Look Con, it's Iris," Aubrey gleamed, waving at the girl. Conrad's face went blank, "Iris," his face still blank, "hi." She wasn't upset, nor disappointed, rather confused. She was confused because one-two hours ago, Conrad said he was going to be with Isaac for the day.
She looked back out behind her, it wasn't dark one bit. "Hey" she said back, forcing a smile. "Don't mind me, I'll just go on and buy my apple pie," she looked at Conrad, who's face saddened. "Why don't you take one of ours, Conrad bought too many," Aubrey insisted.
"I, uh, was actually planning to give that to you later," Conrad said, rubbing his hand behind his neck. "Right," Iris nodded, "After you were done doing drills with Isaac?" Aubrey looked between the two, "Isaac? Conrad was with me the whole afternoon?" Iris shook her head, "Oh really, I must've been talking to someone else."
It was an indirect response and Conrad knew that she was upset. Her eyes had said it all. One thing that Aubrey lacked, her underestimation of the friendship between Conrad and Iris.
She couldn't tell how much of an effect Conrad had on Iris, but she also didn't know how much of an effect Iris had on Conrad, but even Conrad himself didn't know that either.
❁ ❁ ❁
"I remember," Iris said, dazed after remembering that day. "My best friend lied to me. How could I forget."
❁ ❁ ❁
SPIDEMEISTER SPEAKS
suprise another chapter 😁 i was not planning to post this tonight, but i really like this chapter
currently eating up all of tsitp content ms jenny han is giving us 🫶🏽🙏🏽🫶🏽
