Debutantes kept being introduced, the room kept filling by people in beautiful dresses and suits. Everybody was having a great time, smiles, joyful shouts and words of love. Everybody but the one certain table which was deathly silent.
Laurel excused herself only moments ago and ran away, John followed. Sara caught her father's eyes, then, she saw how terrified her mother looked, she began realising that her parents knew the reason of Laurel's runaway. Did they know she knew, either? Did it mean that Theo was the only member of their family who knew nothing about Susannah's condition? Probably, it did. Francis and Cleveland were whispering something to each other while Judith tried to calm her daughter down using her tight smile for comforting. But all that Sara did was shaking her head, disagreeing.
"I'll be back in a minute, Con," before the boy could ask her anything she pecked his lips and, holding the edge of the dress, escaped towards the bathroom.
She heard that someone was following her. For some reasons, she was sure who it was, knew exactly that it wasn't Conrad, clearly, weren't Conklins. When she stopped by hearing the conversation happening inside of the room on their way, the person bumped into her from the back.
"Why are you following me, Jere?" she asked him quietly. She didn't want Steven's parents to hear her.
He shrugged. "My reasons of being here are same as yours," he whispered. "You found all of this weird, too."
"All of what?"
"I know that something's up. I'm pretty sure, it's connected with my mom, S. I need to know," she nodded.
Edwards concluded that they were stuck in that situation together, it was too late for her to escape. She decided to stay by Jere as long as he was going to let her do that. Sara knew that if he finds out she was aware of Susannah's situation, he would be offended, at least.
"...isn't gonna be here much longer," they heard John saying. Jere shot the glance of confusion to his friend who couldn't find enough strength to meet his blue eyes. She has been lying to him for weeks, she felt guilty, because Jeremiah Fisher became her best friend through these last months.
"Don't say that," Laurel's voice twitched which made the girlish heart skip a beat. Spring flashbacks were coming back again, she wasn't that confident about the possibility of moving on anymore.
Listening to Laurel Park, one of the strongest people she'd ever met, breaking down, denying the upcoming passing of her best friend, person she has been loving more than anyone since forever, made Sara mentally return to the days of trying to prepare herself for the worst. She was playing with the ring Erik gave her on her birthday, anxiously, and missed the moment of Jere interrupting Laurel and John's talk.
"Laurel?" it was too late to stop him, so, Sara followed the boy immediately.
"Jeremiah," John stated before noticing the girl. Sara and Laurel met each other's eyes, the woman tried to look happy but her endless sadness couldn't escape Edwards' knowing look. "Sara. What is it?"
"Uhm, the escort dance is about to start," Fisher answered. "Belly really doesn't want you to miss it."
"Thank you," Laurel tried her hardest to look at Jeremiah, not at Sara who was literally killing her by her stare. "We'll be right there."
The Fisher boy nodded, taking his friend by arm. "Okay," they left after his respond. "Something's up."
"Dunno, Jere, maybe..."
"S, I'm telling you, something really wrong with my mom. You have to believe me!"
Sara sighed heavily. She had to. Of course, she had. There were too many things she had to do for the good of people she loved. "I believe you, Jere."
"Then, meet me outside the club right after the escorts dance, alright?" for the first time in a while the girl managed to look at him. She noticed the strange glow in his eyes she'd never seen before. He knew what he was doing and what he was asking her to do. Jeremiah had a plan, and, for some reasons, he needed Sara to be with him
Edwards looked around them, noticing the darkness of the room and the group of escorts on the top of the stage. "But...The ball, Jere. Con and Belly need us."
"This is much more important than that stupid dance, S, this is about my mother," with that been said, he left her.
She was staying there for some time when she felt two hands hugging her by shoulders. "You okay, Sara?"
John Conklin has always had that weird affection on her, she couldn't call him her father figure, no, she had Francis, she had had Erik. John was more like the cool uncle that let you sip from his glass during the family dinners or cover you up when you're going to break the curfew. First cigarette and beer can you'd drank with him, he has always be the one you went to when you wanted to feel distracted from all bad feelings by having an abstract conversation about literally everything. John Conklin was a real friend for Sara Edwards, and every time she had to lie to her friends, she was in pain, physically.
"Yeah, I am, John, thank you," she squeezed their hands on her shoulders. "Let's go, we're gonna to miss Jere and Stevie's performance."
"It's okay to feel not okay, darling," Sara knew Laurel didn't want to do that, knew that the stupid nickname wasn't said by woman on purpose but it still was said. The girl drew back from the duo and stared at them in shock. The woman needed some time to analyse what she'd done. When she did, she tried to apologise. Everybody knew what that word meant for Sara Edwards. "I didn't mean..."
Sara shook her head, trying to hold back the tears. "You did, and that's okay."
"Nothing is okay," John told them. "We all have to face the truth, girls. Let's go, now," they nodded. He was right, after all.
Sara had to.
"Where have you been?" Conrad asked her as Sara sat right next to him, letting the boyish palm cover her knee.
"I'm upset with you not being up there," she pointed at escorts starting their dance.
"I love you, princess, but I'd never embarrass myself that way in my life," his words made her chuckle.
She softly put her head on his shoulder, feeling his chin lowering on the top of it. It was too comfortable with him, too right. It was obvious for Sara that her life without Conrad Fisher being around her would never be the same. She was thinking about what would he think of her when she abandoned him in the middle of the ballroom. She was wondering if he was going to be angry with her. Could Conrad Fisher start hating on her because of her runaway with Jeremiah?
---------------------------------------------
It felt colder than Sara expected it to be outside. Even though it was the end of August, it wasn't comfortable warm already. So, she was standing near the pool, shivering, thinking about returning to Conrad, to her boyfriend. And at the very moment when she decided to leave it be, to leave Jeremiah alone with the crazy idea the boy had, he materialized right next to her.
"Where the hell have you been?" she asked, teeth chattering not only with cold but with worry and even fear. What was that boy up to?
But, instead of answering her question, he silently took his suit jacket off and threw it over the girlish shoulders. Then, he guided them towards the deck chair. Sara missed the moment when the IPhone in the pink case appeared in the boyish hand. She knew whose phone it was.
"You stole your mother's phone, Jere?" she asked, sounded a little annoyed. It seemed too much even for her. But, then, she remembered that her and Conrad were ones who knew everything about Susannah, not Jeremiah, he was oblivious, he knew nothing about his own mother.
He still didn't say a word. He seemed to know what he was doing, his actions were full of confident. Fisher tapped on the Mail icon and began scrolling. It wasn't necessary, by the way. The message he was looking for was on the top of the incoming.
CB Cancer Treatment Ctr
To: Susannah Fisher
Re: Upcoming Cancer Trials
Hi Susannah-
I wanted to rach out and let you know that we are still accepting applications for patient enrollment in our upcoming cancer treatment trial.
Enrolling in a clinical trial can be an important option for patients with cancer. For some patience, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice.
Sara couldn't read anymore. It felt too shitty to read all these messages again, seeing all these words she saw months ago, being in the same situation, particularly. But that time the boy who needed comfort wasn't Theo, Jeremiah was the boy.
So, Edwards hugged him tightly while he was crying loudly, still reading all messages he could find on that freaking mailbox. He cried, cried and cried, even when he blocked the phone, even when the only thing that was lightening the duo was the lightening in the pool. He hugged Sara in return, screaming quietly, he didn't want anyone to find them in the position like that.
Jeremiah was glad he had his close friend right next to him. He was glad that at the moment like that he had the girl who could support him, give her a hug and listen to him. He wasn't alone at the moment when he finally found out that his mother had cancer. Again.
"I can't believe it's happening all over again," he whispered between his cries. "I hate remembering all these days during the first round, S. We all were so...broken. Even Connie, he..." he stopped abruptly. The Fisher boy wiped away his tears and got up from his place. "Connie. I need to tell him."
Sara jumped from the chair, following the boy. "Maybe it is not the best idea, Jere."
"What?" he asked sharply. "What do you mean, S?! Our mother is sick! He has to know!"
Edwards lowered her gaze, silently agreeing with him. "Yeah, you're right."
"Let's go."
Jeremiah took the girlish hand in his and went inside. Right next to the door of the ballroom they heard the music. Dance had started. And both of them were outside this whole time. For some time, they were staying there, collecting their thoughts and fixing their clothes. Despite that fact they both completely forget about the jacket Sara was still wearing.
Eventually, they entered the ballroom. The first and the last thing they noticed was the one certain couple of teens, dancing in the middle. Conrad and Belly. Both Jere and Sara were fighting growing jealousy feelings, they were ones who's fault it was. They ran away, not their partners.
However, looks the couple on the dance floor had were speaking for themselves. Belly definately wasn't completely over Conrad. And, what was much worse and much more unexpected, Conrad wasn't watching Belly as she was 'just a little sister' for him. His eyes were telling everyone otherwise.
Sara observed the room and developed that Nicole was already looking at her. She had that pure pity and understanding in her eyes. They both nodded to each other when Jeremiah dragged the Edwards girl to their table.
"Jeremiah, honey, where were you?" Susannah asked while Sara tried to take her place without any interactions with anybody.
"You know we can leave that shit show right now," Theo said at her. Edwards shot her gaze at Cameron. It didn't mean something bad, she truly loved Cam, but he wasn't the boy she wanted to speak at that particular moment.
"I will cover you up, S," the boy smiled kindly at her.
"Thanks, Cam, but that's not necessary," she tried to smile at them, either. "I need to be here. For Jere," the couple nodded their heads, even though they understood nothing.
---------------------------------------------
As the dance ended, Susannah left the group, she wanted to make her youngest son feel better by getting him some ginger ale in the bar. That was the moment when Jeremiah was going to talk to Conrad. Sara stood up to reach out to the boy, to talk some sense into him. It wasn't right to destroy the joy of others'. Brothers could talked at home, not on the middle of the Country Club.
But something, once again, distracted her from her plans. That 'something' was conversation between Laurel and Cleveland. "I know about Susannah's cancer," the man said right when the girl was passing by them. It was obvious that she heard his phrase, Laurel was already looking a her in fear.
"I know, too," she whispered in return. Edwards looked down at Cleveland and nodded at him slowly.
"Conrad told us."
"Conrad..." the Park woman kept looking from one to the other of them, trying to digest everything she heard. "Conrad knows?"
"Jeremiah just found out, either," Sara's view made the couple to follow her gaze.
As soon as they spotted the trio on the dance floor, they knew what was going to happen. Only a few moments later Jeremiah made the first punch. Sara rushed towards the boys, stopping right next to Belly who hid her face in fear.
"Jere! Get off him!" Sara cried.
Susannah got closer to them. She seemed very angry with two of her sons, possibly, she thought that the fight was because of the dance Conrad and Belly shared only minutes ago. Little did she knew that there were much more going on. "Stop it! Both of you, stop it."
Conrad pushed his brother away from him, trying to get up from the floor. Sara was there for him, offering her hand for help. The elder Fisher observed the view of his beautiful girlfriend with her messy hait and puffy eyes, she was still the most beautiful creature for him.
He wanted to take her hand, to hug her as tight as he could, kiss her and never let her go, never. He left her earlier, he wanted to simply catch up with some old friends, and, in the end, Sara was gone. She didn't return before the dance started. So, he had to dance with Belly, they both left without partners.
But for the first time that summer he couldn't let her get away with something that hurt him. She disappeared from the ball with his brother and now she was offering her hand to help him, wearing Jeremiah's jacket. He found it so wrong, so offensive, that he got up all by himself, completely ignoring the girl he was in love with.
"What is going on?"
Jeremiah tried to manage with his tears. "Mom..."
Conrad looked at his brother. "We know, mom. We both know."
"Know what?" Belly asked, observing the group and slowly realising that she was the only one standing there who didn't know a thing. Even Sara knew. She knew whatever was going on here.
A/N:
yeeeah, about that...
maybe, just maybe,
theres no 'happily ever after'
for them...
just saying :)