Twisted 𓍼 fisher

Fifteen: "Friends"

Her brows raised as she stopped the sound, "you set your alarm," she paused, staring at Conrad, who sleepily scrambled to stand up with her, "on my phone?"

Conrad opened his mouth to speak, but Cali cut him off, "What time is it?," Conrad looked blankly at her, motioning to her hand. She checked the time on her phone. "Six, Conrad what the hell, I'm going back to bed."

Conrad watched as she climbed back into bed, wanting to say so much but deciding it wasn't the time. Instead he gave her an explanation why he needed to be awake so early, "Remember Cleveland?"

Calista looked at the ceiling in thought, before suddenly remembering something about rabbits and trees, "boat man?" she asked but didn't wait for his reply to submerge herself in the blankets again.

Conrad nodded, "Yeah I need to meet up with him soon. You drove, right? If you didn't, I'll be able to drop you off real quick before I go."

"Mmhm," Calista let out from under the covers and caused Conrad to let out a breathy chuckle. He knew exactly what she was like when she was tired.

"Calista," Conrad interjected before leaving, making his way across the room to hold out the second bottle of water. "Here," he said, watching her emerge from the blankets. The bottle part of his peace offering for the morning, he figured that she could still have a headache and starting the morning with a loud alarm probably didn't help at all.

"Oh, thanks," Cali said grabbing the plastic bottle, her expression now a mix of confusion and amusement. "Next time, charge your phone." She sat up long enough to see his tired nod, then laid back down, leaving Conrad to process the morning's unexpected events as he made his way out the door.

-x-

When Calista officially woke up, she grabbed her phone—which was actually on the nightstand this time—and looked at the screen that seemed brighter than usual. The notifications showed multiple texts.

Jere!

hey ypu good?   

yesterday @ 11:20pm

imn aboyt to leave nicol ru coming?  

yesterday @ 1:34am

Heard you crashed at Nicoles?

today @ 9:03 am

Bellsss

Cali can we please talk?

today @ 8:30 am

Conrad Fisher

Charged my phone.

today @ 7:28 am

Calista found herself laughing at Jere's drunk texts, then feeling off about the rest. She wasn't ready to talk to Belly at all even though she did feel a bit bad for telling her off on her birthday. For the last text, she had no idea where they stood now.

-x-

Laurel always loved the way Belly's friends brought her out of her shell. She knew that Taylor and Calista claimed a big piece of her daughter's heart. Still, when she noticed an unexpected tension that appeared overnight between them, she decided it was time to share some words.

Seated in the car, Laurel observed her daughter facing the direction Taylor walked, catching the bus back home. "We have to hold tight to our friendships because we never know what the future will hold," Laurel said, gently taking Belly's hand. She knew firsthand, feeling the weight of time slipping away.

They talked until Belly was convinced she needed to say something to Taylor before she boarded the bus. Minutes later, content with where they stood after the talk, her mind veered towards Calista before she even made it back to the car.

Pulling at the passenger door handle, she couldn't shake the fact that Calista hadn't answered her texts from the night before, bothering her immensely. She wished for more time to convey how truly sorry she was, how jealousy, anger, and hurt fueled her decisions—a set of actions she wouldn't repeat now.

Belly felt ten times worse about the situation now that Cali knew. She felt bad about the knowledge that was essentially dragged and dropped without telling Calista, who deserved to know. She could admit to herself that she never planned on revealing how she played a part in damaging Cali's relationship.

Belly knew everything about the night Conrad and Cali stopped talking to each other. She knew the planned scenario and the night's actual unfolding. Calista was supposed to meet Conrad at their well-decorated spot, fashionably late as always. They were supposed to enjoy snacks, share laughs, watch a movie, and eventually stroll back up the hill hand in hand after Conrad gathered the courage to ask her to be official.

But Belly decided the outcome wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for the girl who went out of her way for Conrad's attention, who dropped everything for him, who believed she liked him more than anyone ever could, to lose him in one night. It wasn't fair for her still not to feel seen by him years later.

And if it wasn't fair for her, she figured she would make it unfair for everybody.

From Calista's perspective, Conrad had cheated. Even if they weren't officially exclusive, it was official to everyone else, intensifying Cali's hurt. She vowed never to cry over a boy, but occasional tears betrayed her. It felt like a cruel joke, walking in on what seemed like an intimate moment between Conrad and a faceless girl. Someone's actions had too much control over her, making her angry.

Belly was the first to advise Cali not to talk to Conrad, not to seek an explanation, but to sever ties. Conrad, desperate to communicate, tried reaching Calista through Belly, writing letters and making countless attempts to understand what went wrong. Belly kept it all to herself, listening silently while Calista ranted about Conrad and their sudden, painful separation.

Belly got into the car without looking at her mother. All she could think about now was the fact that she always called Cali one of her best friends, but now uncertainty clouded the term. The word "friend" felt heavy and undefined, leaving Belly nauseous as Laurel pulled away from the bus station.

-x-

i'm curious, do any songs remind you of cali and conrad??

- I feel like jere is def the type to type in all lowercase lmao.

- also teenage anger damn

commenting and voting helps me update and I love reading them, so pls don't be a ghost reader!!