Certainty | TSITP

F I F T E E N .

'Im on my way :).'

Ana smiled widely and set her phone down, finally returning to the conversation after texting him a short message back.

"I'm sorry, I tried to get her to call off the deal." Skye said sadly, walking into the house.

"Don't be, at all. It's not your fault." Ana said.

"I know... but shes my mom, so I would get it if you guys were angry at me, too." They replied.

"Hey, no one's mad at you Skye." Jere sighed, giving them a side hug.

"So what... we're supposed to go home now?" Steven piped in.

"Yeah, it's over." Conrad snapped.

"Conrad..." "No." belly and ana spoke at the same time, sharing awkward glances with each other.

"Listen, our last memory here cant be... this." Belly said, "everyone miserable and defeated? I mean this place deserves a better goodbye than that."

"Like what?" The older fisher boy asked.

"Like! Like a party!" Ana said eagerly, "like a I don't give a fuck, do what you want, leave a mess for Julia party!"

Conrad and jere both looked at the girl, smiles growing slowly.

"I'm in."

"Me too."

"Me three!"

"I think it's exactly what my mom would've wanted." Conrad laughed.

"She'd love it." Jere smiled widely.

"Great! Okay, everybody, shower, Power Nap, and then I am putting you to work!" Belly laughed, as everyone dispersed.

"Hey... Ana?" Taylor started, pulling the girl aside.

"What's up?"

"I saw you smile at your phone... like really smile. Can I ask what that was about?" Taylor semi teased, lightly shoving the girls shoulder.

"Oh... uh." She cleared her throat awkwardly and smiled shyly, "I invited my friend, JJ."

"Is JJ actually only a 'friend'?" Taylor rolled her eyes, wanting to hear more.

The girl thought for a second, not knowing the answer. I mean, she was 'with' him, but she wasn't at the same time. They weren't really anything...

"I don't know..." she laughed.

"Okay, okay... anyway, I'm excited to meet him." Taylor giggled, walking away from the girl and upstairs.

Ana stayed in the kitchen for a moment longer, making herself a quick cup of coffee as Jere awkwardly walked in.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hey..." Jere responded, Ana looked at him weirdly making him sigh lightly, "so... belly-"

The girls eyes widened when she realized what he was going to talk to her about. She knew they were together in a way... but she didnt understand why. After what they had at the beginning of this trip, why was he doing what Conrad did to her last summer? Why was he picking belly?

"Yeah, I've taken notice." She let out a breathy laugh, not even looking to him.

"... are you okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be? We aren't dating, we're best friends."

The boy felt like he had just gotten punched in the stomach, all of the air leaving his lungs as a lump formed in his throat. He thought that maybe he had been reading their friendship wrong, once again... and it pained him to know that he might not actually have a chance with her.

"Yeah, duh..." he started, looking away from her as well, "you and Conrad?" He asked, obviously upset.

Ana looked at him as if he was crazy, she scoffed loudly and stopped what she was doing to look at him.

"Me and Conrad what?"

"You two are back together?"

"No."

"Then what are you guys doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jesus, Analise! You don't even realize?" He laughed bitterly, and watched as her eyes squinted in confusion.

Obviously she knew what he meant, but she was pissed that he would even be slightly upset at her for being close to Conrad again... when he had belly.

"You guys have been growing 'close' again. Did you forget that he left you last summer? Lied to you? Micro cheated on you, and then micro cheated on belly with you?"

"Jere." The teens heard and turned to see a visibly angry Conrad in the doorway.

"Hey, we were just talking..." Ana muttered quietly.

"Yep." Jere hummed, in agreement.

"Yeah, I heard you. Everyone can, really. Why are you talking about this like it's any of your business?" He snapped at his brother, walking further into the kitchen.

"It is my business-"

"No, it's not. It's mine, belly's, and Ana's." The boy took a deep breath before starting again, "and if you see that we're moving past it, or trying to why are you bringing it back up?"

"You left her! Alone! You put her in your back pocket and decided to focus on Belly!"

"Yeah, and what are you doing now?" Jere looked between his brother and Ana, wondering what he could've meant by that.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"You're literally doing the same thing to her now! You were all lovey dovey when you guys first got here, holding hands, constantly together, all over her at the boardwalk, but out of nowhere you are all over belly! Can't keep your hands off of her! Ana... can I talk to my brother alone?" Conrad ranted, in a semi whisper-yell type of thing.

"Yeah." The young girl sniffled and wiped her eyes a little before looking between the boys and walking upstairs without another word to either of them. She hated this.

She hated the fact that again she was the one that had caused a fight between the boys. When everything seemed to be getting better.

"What Conrad? What could you possibly want to say?"

"Ana told me that she thought you guys had something. That she was a little upset to see you and belly randomly start something... then you come in here and berate her for being... there for me?" Conrad shook his head, disappointed in his brother.

"She said that?"

"Yeah... she also talked about how belly thought that Ana was competition but it's the other way around... jere, I know I don't deserve Ana, and maybe you're just trying to make her see that so she doesn't get hurt again... I don't know. But I do know that if I don't deserve her, you don't either."