betty ↳ conrad fisher

seventy.

Betty Graham stood beside Jack, her arms wrapped around herself as she held onto the openings of the flannel she was wearing. They stood in the kitchen area of the sold Fisher house, the defeat evident and devastatingly clear on everyone's faces as Jeremiah finally broke the silence.

"Okay. So, I know things aren't going so great right now but it's always the darkest before the dawn, right?" He tried to instill some hope but it was hard when the house was already sold, Betty closing her eyes as she leaned against the countertop. Jack was standing to her left, his elbow touching her as he actually did wrack his brain for some kind of solution to Conrad and Jeremiah's big problem.

"Yeah, not this time." Conrad said, Betty's eyes reopening as she looked to Conrad who looked more sad and defeated than anyone else.

"Have you guys tried contesting the sale?" Jack was the one to speak, a deep sigh coming from his mouth as he turned his head to look at the thorn in his side.

"Considering the house was just sold today...no we haven't tried that. And it won't work. Technically we have no real case. But thanks for the reminder just how shitty this whole thing is, man." Conrad said, his condescending and arrogant tone making Betty's eyes widen as she looked at him. Jack let out a short chuckle and shrugged deciding he no longer wanted to help. Betty wanted to reach across the counter and smack Conrad upside the head, the girl wondering why he couldn't just stop bitching.

"Um...I'm—I'm sorry. I tried to get her to call off the deal." Skye said as they entered, Conrad attention quickly shifting to his cousin.

"It's not on you, Skye." Betty actually appreciated the fact that Conrad didn't blame Skye, her heart softening a little at the fact he was actually right and not mean to them.

"I know, but she's my mom, so I would get if you guys were angry with me too. I just can't deal with her right now." Skye said, Jeremiah reaching for them and pulling his cousin in for a side hug.

"Hey no one's mad at you, Skye."

"We can't control our parents. Don't feel bad." Betty said, trying to uplift them because she knew they felt shitty.

"So what? We just go home now?" Steven said, the boy leaning against the countertop in the other side of Betty, his frown so deeply embedded in his face she wondered if it hurt.

"Yeah. It's over." Conrad said, Belly quickly stopping him.

"No! Our-our last memory here can't be this. Everyone miserable and defeated. I mean, this place deserves a better goodbye than that." Betty liked the way Belly was thinking, and she was right. This home held a special place in most of their hearts, and it wasn't fair to leave it like this.

"Like what?" Conrad said, his eyes on the countertop as he realized she actually made a bit of sense. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jacks arm sliding around Betty's waist, the boy quickly looking the other way as his fist clenched on the countertop.

"My mom came to the beach house with Susannah for the first time after her dad died. And it was supposed to be just the two of them but Susannah hated how empty the house felt so she decided to throw a huge party. Everyone was dancing and drinking and they went swimming at midnight. And Susannah said it was like Gatsby or something. So I say we throw a party too!"

"I'm in." Jeremiah said, starting a chain reaction of people nodding and agreeing. Jack didn't say anything, he wasn't in any way a part of this other than the fact that the girl he had on his arm was deeply intertwined, his eyes going to her as she also agreed and nodded her head. He adored her smile when it lit up her face and then he watched as her eyes shifted directly to Conrad, the sneaky feeling of jealousy piercing him. He could see it, now that he knew what they were he could tell, and he wasn't sure how he hadn't seen it before.