this is the stuff i wrote: hope you enjoy your stay :)
Seventeen going under (j.f)
Synopsis: YN has been the Fisher's neighbor since she was in diapers. Jeremiah Fisher has been her best friend for as long as she could remember. He was always her person. This summer was different, though. Things were different. Mistakes were made and lies were told. The carefree Cousins summer that they all longed for all year long, seemed to be crashing down around them and YN could no longer hold it all up.
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13 part 14 part 15 part 16 part 17 part 18 part 19 part 20 part 21
details (j.f)
Synopsis: Yn thought she and Jeremiah were unstoppable after finally falling in love last summer. After all, they had made it through war together but only a short 10 months later, they're broken up and no longer speaking. What they thought was forever came crashing down and Yn isn't so sure it can be rebuilt.
bad in the bones (c.f)
synopsis: Yn joins her cousin Belly for her annual trip to Cape Cod, post heart shattering break up, hoping that the salt air will make her forget. It wasnāt the ocean that made her heart melt back together, it was the boy that was swimming in it. The same boy that her cousin loved.
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9
stick season (c.f)
Synopsis: the Conrad you loved was fun, adventurous, and loyal. he had a fierceness that you could not escape. you were certain he was the one. forever. you didnāt expect that Susannahās death would change him in all the worst ways. inspired by stick season by noah kahan
part 1 part 2
Requests
couldn't be more in love (c.f)
strangers again (c.f)
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Hey all! Gonna start posting chapters of all my works on Substack! There will be an edited/changed version of Seventeen Going Under and probably some other bodies of work as well. If anyone is interested, go ahead and follow me there! @hailsd
Iāll try and be more active on here as I really need to be held accountable for my writing š I have fallen super behind and need to get back into it.
Let me know what you guys wanna see! I know more Bad in the Bones!!! Hahaha
Hey all! Gonna start posting chapters of all my works on Substack! There will be an edited/changed version of Seventeen Going Under and probably some other bodies of work as well. If anyone is interested, go ahead and follow me there! @hailsd
Iāll try and be more active on here as I really need to be held accountable for my writing š I have fallen super behind and need to get back into it.
Let me know what you guys wanna see! I know more Bad in the Bones!!! Hahaha
a/n: hey guys, sorry it's been a minute. just trying to figure out life right now haha but it's here! sorry for the wait!!
Thanksgiving, last year
I was sitting on the couch with my feet on the coffee table and a book in my hand when Conrad walked in. He leaned against the door jam with his hands in his pocket and Iām pretty sure he was watching me for a while before finally speaking up, but when he did, he had a smile on his face. āWhat are you doing hiding in here?āĀ
I held up my book for him to see the cover. I donāt think he read it, just nodded and started walking toward me. āIām not hiding,ā I said. āJust getting out of the way.ā When Susannah was in the kitchen, everyone was just a waste of space. If you werenāt chopping or peeling, you had to go and I was doing neither.Ā
āWhereās Jere? He wasnāt in the kitchen.ā I close my book with a bookmark and set it aside.Ā
āHeās probably upstairs,ā I told him. Conrad lifted up my legs by my ankles and sat down next to me, putting my legs on his lap. His hands rested on my thighs. āI think heās a little overwhelmed with everything thatās going on.āĀ
āWhat is that supposed to mean?ā He scoffed and I shook my head. Of course, he didnāt know what I meant because he was never around anymore. He didnāt see all the stuff that Jeremiah did every day. He wouldnāt understand.Ā
āHeās just tired, is all. Taking care of your mom.ā Conrad looked at me, his eyebrows knitted in confusion and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. āShe needs a lot of help these days.āĀ
āWhat do you mean? Sheās in there right now cooking Thanksgiving dinner,ā he said, a little laugh under his voice.Ā
āSheās making mashed potatoes and veggies. You didnāt see Jeremiah cooking the turkey all morning and feeding her health smoothies so sheād have enough energy to even do what sheās doing,ā I told him. āSheās not doing well, Con.āĀ
āYou donāt think I know that?ā He whispers.Ā
āYou donāt seem to act like it.ā Hurt flashes across his face. āYouāre just never around anymore.ā I tried to keep my tone light so maybe his feelings donāt get hurt but I can tell that they are. He opened his mouth to speak but then Jeremiahās voice booms from behind us.Ā
āDinner is ready,ā he said. We both turn to look at him. His blonde hair is still a curly mess but he tried today. He spent too long in the bathroom with his hair gel trying to make the curls fall in the right spot. His eyes dart between Conrad and I before they land on my legs on his lap. I shift uncomfortably, swinging my feet to the ground.Ā
āLetās eat,ā I said, standing up and tossing my book next to Conrad. I met Jeremiah in the door, taking his outstretched hand. I canāt help but notice Jeremiah watching Conrad on our way to the dining room.Ā
Later that night, Jeremiah told me he was going to football camp over the summer. āItās our last summer in Cousins. With Susannah,ā I said when he told me. His eyebrows crinkled and he shook his head at me.Ā
āMy mom is going to die before we can go back to Cousins. You know that.āĀ
āDonāt say that,ā I snapped but he wasnāt phased. He blinked slowly and sighed. āYou donāt know that.ā
āI do know that. And my dad wants me to go this year, finally. So Iām going to go.ā He sounded so certain. Adam always asked Conrad to go to football camp. Conrad was always his star but now that Conrad quit, I guess Adam has no other option. I almost said this to him, just to hurt his feelings, but I didnāt. āI thought youād be happy.āĀ
āWhy would I be happy?ā I asked. āYouāll be gone for three months.āĀ
āYou supported Conrad when he went,ā he spat. Always just when I think heās over it, he throws it back in my face. Conrad. Always, always Conrad.Ā
āI didnāt care if I saw Conrad for three months or not.ā Liar. āHeās not my boyfriend.āĀ
Jeremiah stood up and ran his hand through his curls. No longer perfectly placed but a disheveled mess. āI have to go check on my mom,ā he said after a minute. He turned toward the door.Ā
āConrad is in there with her,ā I told him. After dinner, Conrad took her up to bed and has been locked in the room with her since.Ā
āOf course youād know that.āĀ
āOh, shut up!ā I yelled. He turned, startled that I raised my voice. āJust stop with that.ā His shoulders dropped and he crossed the room swiftly, wrapping me in his arms. I let him hug me and I hugged him back and we didnāt talk.Ā
Conrad went home the next day. He knocked on my front door, bags in hand and dropped them on the stoop when I opened the door. āJust wanted to say bye,ā he said quietly.Ā
āI didnāt know you were leaving so soon.āĀ
āI just-ā he stopped and looked at the ground and he didnāt have to finish. I knew what he was going to say before he said it. I pulled open the door a little further, just enough for him to squeeze inside the house. He did without question.Ā
My dad forced my mom to go Black Friday shopping with her so theyāve been gone for hours. I had the entire house to myself but I still led him upstairs. He collapsed onto my bed and covered his face in the crook of his elbow. āItās better for both of them if you stay,ā I said quietly. I always felt like I was walking on eggshells talking about Susannah when she was sick. I was always afraid of saying the wrong thing.Ā
āI canāt see her like that,ā he said. āI kept that secret to myself for too long. I canāt handle it anymore.ā His voice was muffled from his arm. I sat down next to him. So close his leg was touching mine. āPlus, Jeremiah acts like he couldnāt care less whether Iām here or not.āĀ
āThatās not true, youāre his brother.ā Conrad peeks his eye out at me and I give him a look that makes him roll his eyes and cover them back up.Ā
āWhat are you going to do this summer when heās gone?ā He asked, changing the subject. I shrugged which makes the bed move up and down. āMaybe I can come home for a while.āĀ
āWhat are you going to do for the rest of break with no one else on campus?ā I asked. It was his turn to shrug now which made me blow a laugh from my nose.Ā
āLots of kids stay home for break. Iāll be back for Christmas.ā I picked at my nails and thought about Conrad in a knitted sweater, his hair pulled down by a beanie. He stood up then and said, āI should get going.ā I nodded and stood up with him, following him downstairs back to the front door. āCall Jere,ā he said as we stood on the front porch. My hand gripped the door tighter.Ā
āI will.ā He nodded and touched my wrist as a parting gesture. We no longer hug. Not since summer. I donāt close the door until his car is down the street. I pull out my phone and see three missed texts from Jeremiah.Ā
Hey, con left
Hello???
Where are you?Ā
I donāt call him, instead I put on my shoes and cross the lawn to his house. Heās sitting in the living room, his phone on the coffee table and the TV on quiet. He turned around at the sound of me entering and he smiled. My Jeremiah. My heart jumps at the way his eyes crinkle. āSusannah sleeping?ā I asked and he nodded. I walk toward the couch to meet him and canāt help but notice the perfect view of my front porch.
āWe have to get back,ā Conrad says. My dress is still soaking wet, dripping onto the cement underneath me. Conradās hair drips water onto my forehead and I wipe it away with the back of my head.Ā
āDo we?ā He gives me a lazy smile and extends his hand to me. āTheyāre going to kill us.āĀ
āAnd whoās fault is that?ā He tilts his head to the side and I push my wet hair out of face. His hand finds my cheek and he presses his lips against mine softly. āIām sure there are spare clothes somewhere around here,ā he says. He leads me inside of the country club and instead of going down the hall, we take the stairs up to the second floor. āI think thereās a closet somewhere in here.ā He pokes around the rooms, opening and shutting door when he doesnāt find what he wants.Ā
āWeāre leaving a trail,ā I laugh, looking behind us at the water drenching the carpet.Ā
āHold your dress up higher,ā he remarks. I do what Iām told but huff at him which makes him chuckle. āHere.ā He opens the door to a dressing room. In the corner there are clothes hanging up on a rack with a row of vanities in the middle. āI think this is where the girls all got ready,ā he tells me. I walk toward the row of dresses hanging up. Theyāre not all white, but most of them are which feels tacky to wear. Like wearing white at a wedding. āWhat are you going to wear?ā I ask as he opens a wardrobe on the other side of the room.Ā
āThe boys dressing room is a few doors down. Iāll go find something.ā He pulls out a purple dress from the wardrobe and holds it out as if heās trying to picture me in it. āPut this on. Iāll be right back.ā He drapes the dress over one of the vanity chairs and then disappears out of the room. I strip out of my wet dress, leaving it in a pile on the floor and slip on the purple one. Itās silky and hugs my curves exactly where they need to be hugged. Itās a perfect fit. I brush out my hair with my fingers and fix my makeup with whatever I can find on the vanity but nothing I do is going to make me look like I didnāt just jump in the pool, but itās better than nothing.Ā
I wander down the hallway until I find the only door thatās cracked open. I peek inside, trying not to make a noise. Conrad is standing in front of a wardrobe similar to the one he pulled my dress out of trying to untie his tie from around his neck. āNeed some help?ā I ask quietly. He smiles when he sees me and nods his head. Heās still wearing his wet suit, the fabric damp under my fingertips as I undo the knot.Ā
āThat dress looks beautiful on you,ā he whispers. I drop the tie to our feet and work the jacket off of his shoulders.Ā
āThank you,ā I whisper back without looking up at him. The jacket drops to the ground and I start undoing the buttons of his shirt. āWe gotta get you out of these wet clothes, huh?ā I can feel his heart beating faster under my hands and he nods slowly. He dips his head so our noses touch and then weāre kissing again. My fingers stop working out the buttons and instead theyāre gripping his shirt and pulling him closer to me. His hands grip my hips and we stumble backward until we hit one of the vanities, the edge of it ramming into my lower back but I donāt feel it.Ā
Conrad lifts me up and sets me down on the vanity, his tongue sliding into my mouth. I open my mouth and let him in, his tongue taking over my own. His hands slid up my thigh and under my dress, his fingertips pressing into my skin. I donāt bother trying to undo the buttons of his shirt anymore, I just rip it open and off his body, desperate to feel his skin on mine.Ā
Conrad pulls away from me, leaving me cold and empty. A moan escapes my lips at his absence and she smiles, tracing his thumb along my swollen bottom lip. āI donāt have anything,ā he says. āIām sorry.āĀ
I shake my head. āWe should get back anyway, huh?ā I ask. I think he can feel the disappointment in my voice because he kisses me once again, this time soft and sweet, and nods. āThen letās get you changed.āĀ
Our table is empty when we return. I stop just clear of the door and when it slams shut behind us, I feel the entire room looking at us. But theyāre not really. Theyāre looking at our people - Belly, Jeremiah, Susannah, and Laurel. Theyāre all huddled in a group. Jeremiah and Bellyās backs are to us. Susannah looks like sheās crying. While my feet stay put, Conradās move him as fast as possible to his mom.Ā
I canāt hear anything over the music but I can tell theyāre all angry. Or sad. Conradās face is all scrunched up and heās holding his hands out to his brother as if he needs to steady him but Jeremiahās shoulders are tense. Bellyās shoulders slouch and Jeremiah yells, āyou knew! You knew and you didnāt tell me!āĀ
āJeremiah,ā Conrad says more like a warning than anything. Jeremiahās hands are on Conrad before Conrad finishes speaking and theyāre tumbling around, a mess of flailing limps. Susannah is crying and begging her boys to stop and I snap back. I was hoping I was imagining it all but the cries are real and the fists hitting faces are real.Ā
āWhat is going on?ā I ask Belly when I reach her side. I raise my voice above Laurel crying for the boys to stop. Jeremiah is on the ground with Conrad on top of him, trying to pin him down. Belly doesnāt speak. Her lower lip quivers and she looks like sheās going to cry but canāt do anything to stop it. Iām about to put my arm around her but then Jeremiah gets a punch in and now Conrad is on the ground and instead of my arms going to Belly, theyāre reaching for Conrad.
Susannah grabs Jeremiah by his shoulders and he softens at her touch but when I grab Conrad, he jerks away from me. Our eyes meet and I can see him soften, just a little bit, but then his face goes stoic. āMy mom is sick,ā he says. āHer cancer is back and I knew this whole time.ā I open my mouth to speak but he doesnāt let me. āJeremiah just found out. While we were out there, in the pool making out, he found out.ā He shoves a finger toward in the direction of the pool.Ā
āI didnāt know,ā I mumble, shaking my head. I reach for him instictively and he takes a step back, shaking his head at me.Ā
āOf course you didnāt know. No one knew and he shouldnāt have had to find out like this. I should have never left with you. This was a mistake from the beginning, you even said it yourself.ā I think my heart bursts inside of my chest. Cracks, actually. My heart explodes. Disintergrates. Completely combusts.Ā
āYou donāt mean that,ā I whisper. Iām suddenly very, very aware of all the eyes on us. Bellyās eyes on us.Ā
āI do.ā He gives me a curt nod and then turns around and walks away.Ā
I feel like the walls are moving further and further away from me and Iām left, all alone, in the middle of the dance floor. I feel like I did when we were in the boat, paddling through the water except Iām paddling alone and going in circles.Ā
āYou and Conrad?ā Itās Belly that speaks to me first. At least, sheās the only voice I can hear. āYou and fucking Conrad?ā She repeats harder this time, spitting at me as she speak. I donāt want to look at her, but I do. I look at the tears in her eyes, the red flush on her cheeks, and her shaking hands.Ā Ā
āBelly,ā I breathe. āBelly let me explain.ā I start to beg her. Iām practically going to my knees but she throws her hands up and storms away.Ā
I sat outside of Bellyās door all night. At first, I was knocking and begging for her to open it and let me talk. I begged her to listen to me. I could hear her shuffling for hours but eventually, it all went quiet and I was sure she fell asleep, but I kept whispering to her. Hoping that she would open the door. Eventually, she did. She opened the door so fast I fell backward, barely catching myself with my hands. āYouāre still out here?āĀ
āI didnāt think youād open the door,ā I told her honestly. She shrugged and opened the door further, silently inviting me in. I scrambled to my feet and went into her room and she shut the door behind me. āThank you.āĀ
āWhy didnāt you tell me?ā She asked before I could finish my sentence. She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off to me almost completely.Ā
āHow could I?ā
āYouāre my cousin. My best friend,ā she pleaded, dropping her arms at her side.Ā
I stepped toward her but she stepped away so I stopped. āYou could have told me.ā
āYou would have been upset. I didnāt want to upset you. I know how you feel about him.ā I tried to quiet my voice to a whisper but Belly didnāt want to be quiet. Her voice was harsh and stern.Ā
āIām upset anyway. Were you ever going to tell me? Or just be with him behind my back until we went home? And then what? Youāre my family but so is he.ā I knew what she was insinuating. That I would leave him after summer was over and never tell her. āYou should have told me.ā
āYouāre right.ā I threw up my hands. āYouāre right, I should have told you but I fell in love with him, okay? And I panicked. If I had told you and you told me not to be with him, I wouldnāt be with him and that thought alone scared me more than anything.ā Bellyās face softened for a moment and I felt the breath I was holding in release itself. āIām sorry.āĀ
āYou would have stopped if I asked you to?ā She asked and I nodded. She sighed and walked over to me, plopping herself down on the bed next to me. I hesitated, but sat down too.Ā
āBelly, youāre my family. I canāt help that we fell in love but I should have told you.ā She nodded and then put her arm around me and it was over. Just like that. No yelling, no screaming. She was just my Belly again.Ā
āI would never have told you to stop seeing him,ā she whispered.Ā
āWell, Iām pretty sure weāre over anyway,ā I told her. I just kept picturing his face in my mind. The way he glared at me before leaving me all alone. āI doubt he wants anything to do with me. Besides, thatās the least of his worries right now. Me and him.āĀ
I could see the way her face fell. I put my head on her shoulder and she put her head on mine and we sat there in silence for a long time before eventually, we fell asleep in her bed.Ā
The sunrise woke me up the next morning. Belly was still fast asleep next to me so I slid out of her room quietly and walked down to the beach. The path to the beach is quiet and itās not yet scorching hot out. When I reach the sand, I take my shoes off and thatās when I see him. Heās sitting in the sand leaning back on his hands and watching the waves crash. I almost turn around. I think I should turn around. But I donāt.Ā
āFancy meeting you out here,ā I tease quietly, hoping not to startle him. He barely flinches. I stand behind him and wait for him to acknowledge me before inviting myself to join him. He waits so long to say anything I almost leave.Ā
āYou stalking me or something?ā I think I feel a weight leave my shoulders when he talks. His voice no longer screams in my head in anger. āYou can sit down.āĀ
āI wasnāt sure.ā I hesitate still but sit down next to him. āI donāt know what to say,ā I admit. I want to put my hand on his shoulder. I want to look him in the eyes and see the same thing that I saw just yesterday at the pool but all I can do is sit as still as a statue and watch the water.Ā
āI should apologize.ā
Conrad stays quiet. I feel him breathing next to me. I know heās thinking about what to say because his eyebrows are knitted together and heās chewing the inside of his mouth. āIām sorry I distracted you this weekend. Iām sorry that this was your last summer here with your family and I ruined it.ā I rush out all my words before I can regret them. āI hope that you donāt regret us but we can forget this ever happened.ā I stand up, shake the sand off my clothes and start to turn away.Ā
āWhat the hell is that supposed to mean?ā His words shoot through me like knives. āForget this ever happened? I love you. I canāt forget that.ā I donāt turn around because I canāt look at him. I think I might break if I do. He loves me. āYou didnāt ruin this summer. You made it bearable. Itās not your fault I didnāt tell Jeremiah. Please look at me,ā he begs.Ā
āI canāt look at you because if I look at you then Iām never going to leave and I have to leave,ā I tell him. Laying in Bellyās bed, I made the choice to go home. Itās already set in stone in my mind and I know that if I look at him, Iām going to change my mind. āWe shouldnāt be together, Con.āĀ
āStay as my friend,ā he rushes out.Ā āI need you.āĀ
āI canāt just be your friend.ā His hand wraps around my wrist and he spins me
around so I have to look at him. I swear there are tears in his eyes that heās blinking away. āI canāt be your friend,ā I repeat. His eyes dance from my eyes to my lips and I know he doesnāt want to be just friends.Ā
āWhy canāt we be together?āĀ
āThe same reasons that we should never have gotten together in the first place. Belly and your mom and all this shit youāre dealing with that youāre not focused on because of me.ā Conrad rolls his eyes and cups my face with his hands and I canāt help but lean into him, at least just a little bit.Ā
āI need you,ā he tells me again. āPlease donāt go.āĀ
details (a seventeen going under story)(j.f)(ch.2)
details (a seventeen going under story)(j.f) (ch.2)
a/n: hey all! thanks for your patience with waiting for chapter two! hopefully you all enjoy it and let me know what you think or if you wanna be tagged in the next part!! I'll be working on updating my masterlist so hopefully that will be fully up to date shortly. love you all!!!
My birthday was in September. Only a few weeks after we got back from Cousins. Susannah was still as healthy as she had been all summer, so she threw the biggest party Iād ever seen her throw. It was bigger than either of the boysā sixteenth birthday. Bigger than my sixteenth birthday. She rented an entire ballroom and hired a catering service and a DJ. It was everything that I hated but she was so happy planning it, it almost felt like her dying wish.Ā
Jeremiah sat at the end of my bed as I riffled through my clothes trying to pick out an outfit. He wasnāt much help because he said everything I picked out looked good The third outfit that I held up was a blue dress that hit just above my knees. When he said, āyouād look beautiful in thatā again, I huffed it at him. He laughed as he caught the hanger.Ā
āWhatās with the attitude?ā He asked.Ā
I stood in front of him with my hands on my hips and tilted my head to the side, āyouāre supposed to help me pick an outfit and youāre not helping me by telling me everything looks good.ā Jeremiah smiled at me like he always did with crooked lips and soft eyes.Ā
āBut you do look good in everything,ā he said. āBut maybe Iāll get a better idea if you put it on.ā He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes.Ā
āNot a chance.ā He gawked at me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me in between his legs. I let him and my arms naturally fell over his shoulders.Ā
āNot even a small, minuscule one?āĀ
āYou know what minuscule means?ā I teased him. He faked a laugh and his hands squeezed the back of my thighs. He was perfect and I kissed him making him fall back onto my bed with me on top.Ā
I wore the blue dress to my party with a gold necklace that had the letter J hanging right right below my clavicle. Jeremiah draped it around my neck when he met me outside of the venue. His fingertips grazed my skin as he clasped it around my neck. His hands rested on my bare shoulders and he kissed my cheek and said, āforever, youāre mine.ā I believed him and when we took photos together in the photo booth, he kissed my neck and I threw my head back laughing. He tucked both copies into his back pocket and when we got home later that night, he secured it into the frame of my mirror and we fell asleep tangled up together in the sheets.Ā
Now as I stare at the photo, instead of my heart swelling with fond memories, it fills with dread. I grab it and shove it in the bag I packed for Brown. I throw it over my shoulder and head downstairs where my parents are pretending that they werenāt waiting for me to come down. I hear the shuffle of my dad grabbing his crossword puzzle book from his lap in a hurry as I round the corner. āIām going to go see Conrad at school, okay?ā I tell them.Ā
My mom blinks at me. āOh.āĀ
āOh?āĀ
āI just didnāt know you and Conrad were still talking. Considering.ā She shrugs loosely and gives
me a sad smile. Considering.Ā
āConrad and I are still friends, Mom.ā
āShe didnāt mean anything by it, sweetheart. How long are you planning on staying?ā My dad
asks. I turn my head to look at him and he looks so eager. So hopeful.Ā
āThe weekend. I should be home by Monday.ā He nods and my mom blows me a kiss. They yell at me to be careful as I leave out the front door.Ā
Brownās campus is even more beautiful than the way Conrad describes it on the phone. Itās a little overwhelming, if Iām being honest. I stand in front of my car watching all the students pass by me with purpose and hesitate to ask one of them for directions. Thatās when I see him. Walking toward me in a striped, collared shirt with a grin plastered on his face. āThere she is,ā he calls. He runs toward me, closing the gap between us. His arms wrap around my waist and he spins me around a few times which makes me laugh. When I land back on my feet he says, āI feel like itās been far too long since Iāve seen you.āĀ
āItās only been a few weeks,ā I remind him.Ā
āFeels like forever.ā Conrad looks down at me and smiles. His hands grip my biceps and he pulls me in for another hug. I feel my body relax against his chest, something that my body has refused to do for the last few weeks. I try to remember the last time I saw him. I remember what he was wearing, the way his hair looked, the look on his face as I ran out of the house in tears. āIāll show you to my dorm and then we can go get lunch,ā he says and releases me.Ā
The walk to his dorm is short but the campus is beautiful. I feel his eyes on me the entire time weāre walking. His arm brushes against mine and his eyes stare down at me willing for mine to meet them. I donāt.Ā
His door has a blank whiteboard on it and I almost think thatās more fitting than him writing his name on it. His roommate is gone so when the door closes, weāre alone and suddenly it all feels too quiet. āHow did your last chemistry test go?ā I ask as I stand awkwardly in the doorway. Conrad carried my bag the entire way and itās now lying at the foot of his bed, his hand still lingering on the straps.Ā
He chuckles and says, āit went well, thanks for helping me study.āĀ
āAnytime.ā He smiles at me and waves me toward him. I take the few short steps across the room and he hugs me one more time, this time as tight as his arms will allow.Ā
details (a seventeen going under story)(j.f)(ch.1)
details (a seventeen going under story)
a/n: hello everyone!! i hope you all enjoy this new story. It's a continuation of seventeen going under, so if you haven't read that yet I encourage you to do so! I'm trying to follow the story line of book/season 2 but obviously, it's going to be different. Let me know what you all think!!
Susannah died at the beginning of June. The call came late one night as I was fast asleep, but Jeremiahās empty breathing woke me up. I immediately knew something was wrong and ran next door without putting any shoes on. The boys were sitting on the couch in the dark not speaking. They looked like statues, I thought at that moment. Little wax figures forever frozen in time when their mom was still alive, but they were not. They were alive.Ā
They both turned to look at me when the front door swung shut. Jeremiahās eyes were puffy and red. Neither of them looked like they had gotten any sleep for days, maybe. We all knew it was coming soon - her death. She was slowly getting worse and worse, it was only a matter of time. I kissed Jeremiah in the doorway as he left for the hospital to see her. Neither of us knew it would be the last time he saw her. If I had known, Iād have kissed him a little harder.Ā
If I had known that everything would change that night, I would have hugged him a little bit harder. I would have locked him in the house and not let him leave. I would have strapped our ankles together so that he could never leave me, but he did. He did leave me. And now, Iām sitting on the back porch watching the rain poor down flooding the grass.Ā
āDinner is ready,ā my mom calls from inside of the kitchen. She always likes to keep the back door open when it rains. āCome inside before you get a cold.ā
āItās too warm out for me to get a cold,ā I tell her once Iām inside. She pushes a plate toward me on the counter with a sad smile. Sheās been pitying me for weeks it feels like. Always giving me sad smiles and hugging me for longer than normal. Shouldnāt she be the one grieving? She lost her best friend. She watched her person die right in front of her eyes and sheās the one comforting me? I pick at the chicken with my fork but donāt eat it. āIām not hungry.āĀ
āYou have to eat something.ā My dad comes in from the other room, kissing the top of my head once before rounding the island and kissing my mom on the cheek. She leans into him and my stomach turns.Ā
āI ate lunch.ā I push the plate away. āIām just going to go to sleep.ā I can feel both of them watching me as I walk away with their sad eyes and wallowing stares. Being upstairs doesnāt make me feel much better. Heās all over the place up here. His clothes are in my closet, his shoes under my bed, and the notebook he gave me on the desk. I flip it open to the last page. Big, white, and empty. Iāve been meaning to pack up all his stuff for weeks now, but I canāt bring myself to do it. One minute I was packing for Cousins and the next Susannah is dead and Jeremiah is no longer my Jeremiah.
My phone starts to ring in my hand. I know who it is before I even look at the screen so I answer it, but I donāt speak. āY/N,ā he says softly. āI can hear you breathing.ā I lay back on my bed and try to stop breathing. I hold my breath until my lungs start to burn. āDid you eat today?āĀ
āDonāt start doing that,ā I whisper.Ā
āDoing what?āĀ
āTalking to my mom and checking up on me. She already talks to me like sheās walking on eggshells I donāt need you to do it now, too. Youāre the one grieving.ā I can picture Conrad now, rolling his eyes because all he ever does is care for other people he couldnāt imagine not doing it. Not even now. āI should be asking you if youāre eating.āĀ
āI ate a burger about 30 minutes ago. I can feel it traveling through my digestive tract as we speak,ā he says. I can hear the smile on his face.Ā
āGood.ā Conrad calls me every day at the same time for the last month. Sometimes we sit in silence and sometimes we donāt but he never hangs up first. Itās been exactly 32 days since Iāve seen Jeremiah. 32 days since I have heard his voice, although Conradās is similar. Similar but not the same. 32 days since I have felt his hands on me and exactly 30 days since his motherās funeral and 28 days since Susannah died. My mom keeps telling me that time heals all wounds but how can I believe her when I feel like it just keeps getting worse and worse?
āWhen are you coming back to visit? Theyāre doing prospective student tours next week. Figured you could come then and tag along.ā he suggests. Itās been a while since Iāve been out of the house and I think he knows that. Heās been trying to get me to visit him at school for weeks now but I keep blowing him off. I shouldnāt be, I know that but the thought of leaving the perimeter of my house feels very similar to dying.Ā
Ā āIāll think about it,ā I tell him. āLook, I should probably-āĀ
āJeremiah asked about you.ā We both say the same time. His words stop me in more ways then
one. I sit up and grip my phone harder. My voice stops, my breathing stops, and Iām pretty sure my heart stops.Ā
āWhat did he say?ā My voice cracks and I clear my throat. āWhat did he want?āĀ
āHe asked me how you were doing,ā he tells me. āHe asked me if you ask about him.āĀ
āDid you tell him that I donāt?ā I donāt recognize my own voice. I keep talking about him to a minimum because when I do, it feels like my entire body is falling apart. Conrad sighs on the other side of the phone and he doesnāt reply. āWhat did you tell him?āĀ
āI told him that you were.ā he hesitates. āThat you were you. You were okay.ā I stop myself from picturing how he was doing in that house all alone. Just him and Adam. I have to stop myself because if Iām afraid of what will happen if I donāt. āYou were going to tell me that youāre hanging up, right? Before I said that.ā
āYes.āĀ
āDonāt hang up yet, okay?ā His voice cracks so I donāt hang up. I donāt hang up for what feels like hours but we sit together all night long until eventually I fall asleep listening to him breathing.Ā
When Susannah got really sick, the worse Iāve ever seen her, being around the house was hard. Conrad hardly seemed to be around. It was his first year at Brown, so we all let it slide when he didnāt come home on weekends or make it to her doctorās appointments. Jeremiah or my mom always took her. Laurel came down a lot, too but Jeremiah always got the worst of it it seemed like. One day, I came over to find him with his head in a pile of bills.Ā
āThatās not your responsibility,ā I told him when he told me that he was sorting through the bills and trying to pay them off.Ā
āItās just one less thing she has to worry about, you know? Conrad isnāt going to do it.ā His voice was tense and unlike the Jeremiah that I loved. I put my hand on his shoulder and kissed the top of his head.Ā
āYou have a dad,ā I reminded him. He half smiled at me and took my hand off his shoulder. He held it tightly and kissed my knuckles. āLets go get some food,ā I suggested. āWe can bring your mom home something.āĀ
āNormal food makes her nauseous.ā There was a lot of things Susannah couldnāt do anymore. She barely could get out of bed. It was like seeing a stranger toward the end. She still smelled the same, her smile was still the same. She said all the things that Susannah said but she wasnāt Susannah. She wasnāt dancing around the house with the radio on in her apron. She wasnāt gardening in the backyard with dirt on her cheek. She was living off of saltine crackers and chicken noodle soup.Ā
āThen weāll bring her back a cup of water. Come on.ā I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the dinning room table. I felt guilty sometimes. Taking Jeremiah away from his mom like that but he didnāt deserve to sit here and grieve her before she was already gone while Conrad was off living his life. Sometimes I found him smiling. A real smile, the kind you only get when youāre really, really happy. His eyes would light up and heād be him again. But then, everything hits him all at once and heās sad again.Ā
He almost didnāt even go to prom with me. We had everything planned. Susannah even picked out the corsage but at the last minute he showed up at my door crying. āHow can I go out and have fun while my mom is dying?ā He said through his tears. I didnāt have an answer to that so I just let him cry but the next night, he showed up in his suit and tie with the corsage in his hand and it was perfect. It felt like nothing had changed.Ā