GUILTY | CONRAD FISHER

we inherited it.

"i think you should ask jere okay?"

"i love sara"

"im sorry"

"I don't understand, Con, what exactly you were feeling while texting her?"

"I thought I could be her prince Charming, as you said," he sighed. "I love Belly. She was here for me as long as I can remember myself, y'know? Like you and Theo. She's basically a sister, and I want my sister to be happy."

Sara nodded. "So, you realized that thought of you truly wishing being her escort could make her happier?" he didn't move, his gaze told everything itself. "You're fucking idiot, Conrad. I won't make any fairytales references with you ever again."

He chuckled. "And? We're cool?"

Edwards shrugged, pretending that she was pondering his words. Finally, the girl spoke. "You're on probation, love. Be a good boy till the deb ball, and, maybe, we'll be cool."

Fisher rushed to her, hugging his girlfriend tightly. "Does it mean you can sleep in my room, not Steve's?"

"It's so hot at yours, Stevie's got a much better air condition."

"You know why it's so hot--"

"Don't you dare finish that catastrophic joke. Probation."

Conrad grinned, putting his arm around Sara's shoulders. "Right. Probation."

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

As expected, returning to Chesterbrook was pretty depressed. Streets that used to be sources of joy for Sara, places where she used to hang out with her school friends, took their dog for a walks - all of this now sank in despair, in girlish eyes, at least.

The last thing she wanted was going home. But she needed to. She begged her parents, begged Theo, even lawyers who were the reason of her going to Chesterbrook earlier than the summer ended, begged them to let her stay in Cousins.

Stay with her best friends, Steven and Jeremiah, with their girlfriends, Shayla and Belly, stay with Cameron who she grew pretty close recently, stay with Conrad. With Conrad who was nothing but sweet to her since their talk at the docks.

The Fisher boy was so gentle to her, he created a tradition, every single morning he appeared by her front door with a couple of muffins in his hand. Every time Conrad smiled the widest, his touches were making Sara forget about everything but him. They spent together all the time they had, sometimes she even visited him at the Cleveland's boat, couple became really inseparable. 

So, waking up that August early morning, knowing that she wasn't going to get her muffin, was destined to be a disaster. For the first time in months, citizens of Cousins had an opportunity to watch a real heavy rain. How could Sara want to wake up and return to her hometown which she ended up hating with her entire nature? Everything she needed, she wanted, was Conrad and his warm grasp. But it wasn't possible. They had to go.

She felt like a piece of shit, Theo did too. He left Cousins once, in the beginning of the summer, but it hardly meant that the ride could be easier to him. It couldn't. It was hard even for Francis and Judith, and they were visiting Chesterbrook once a week, steadily. In spite of that, parents tried to cheer their children up. They didn't react, endlessly chatting with their boyfriends, scarcely ever communicate to each other.