seventeen going under - jeremiah fisher

ch. 7

"No, I don't think she ever really liked him."

"She flirted with him all summer that one year, remember? When you guys were freshman."

Belly groaned and stuck her head out of the fitting room, rolling her eyes dramatically for effect. "Don't remind me. And then she made out with Steven behind Jere's back? What a summer." I laughed, but it wasn't really funny. Belly was really mad at Taylor for a while. Jeremiah was really mad at Taylor for a while. He got over it fast, like he did most things that he only semi-cared about. It was when he really cared that he held a grudge. "Anyway, I don't think she likes him. She still calls him Jeremy, but I think it's just a running bit."

"Okay," I hummed. Belly stepped out of the fitting room, both the dresses slung over her arms.

"Why? Are you finally gonna admit your feelings for him this summer?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. I pushed her arm gently and toward the register area, ready to check out and go.

"Are you finally gonna admit to Conrad your feelings for him?" I rebutteled.

"I'm going to the deb ball with Cameron, actually." She said, straightening her back a little as if she was making a huge point. "He's even coming to my birthday dinner."

"Look at you Bells," I sang. She shot me a smile over her shoulder as she set her dresses down on the counter. "That didn't answer my question, though," I whispered in her ear. I saw her cheeks flush but she didn't reply.

At lunch, we made small talk over the small patio table outside of our favorite diner. It was small and touristy but we liked it all the same. Belly was picking at her food a little bit when I asked her, "have you noticed anything odd about Susannah this summer?"

Belly shrugged her shoulders and said, "she just seems tired a lot lately but it's summer so who doesn't wanna sleep. She planned this amazing book party for my mom the other night. Did you go?"

I shook my head. "I didn't know Laurel had a book party."

"Your mom didn't tell you? Weird. I didn't go, I had a date with Cameron."

"What did you guys do?" I asked her, more curious about her date with Cameron than this party I wasn't invited to. My stomach dropped and I wondered if Jeremiah knew about the party. Did he go? Is that why he blew me off the other night for a night swim?

"We went to the drive in and saw an Audrey Hepburn movie. He kissed me when he dropped me off," she gushed. I liked seeing Belly this happy. It was better than seeing her pine over a Fisher boy who didn't know what he wanted. Maybe I should take my own advice. I picked at my french fries. "I wonder why your mom didn't tell you about the party," Belly said, more of a question than anything else. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't think she went." I remember the night Jeremiah blew me off. I was sitting at home reading a book when I texted him to see if he wanted to come swim. He replied saying he already had plans, but he didn't elaborate. My mom was home all night. We watched bad TV and ate too much junk food. I saw Jeremiah the next morning.

+

Whenever I was mad at Jeremiah, he'd always bring me ice cream. Mint chocolate chip, to be specific. Getting ice cream was our thing. We'd walk through blizzards just to get a scoop of ice cream from the chocolate shop that was a few blocks away. I always got mint chocolate chip and he always got cookie dough.

I wasn't mad at him very often. There wasn't much he could do to make me really angry. Yeah, I found his burping at the dinner table a little annoying and when he'd push me down the slide as kids prematurely I would pout on the bench until he came and cheered me out but I was never really mad. Not until Vivian MacDonald. That was the only time I ever really got mad.