The Summer I Turned Pretty

In the present, Belly prepares herself to confront Conrad, deciding that now is the time she has to be honest with him about her feelings before summer ends. After Jeremiah’s confession, Belly decides that everything has changed and that she has to take a similar risk.

Belly catches Conrad off guard as he returns from his run and tells him that she has been in love with him since she was 10 years old. Belly stands in front of him, anxiously awaiting his response, when he tells her that she should not love him and that “I’m not the one. Sorry” (244). Belly tells him she does not believe him and knows he has feelings for her, but he denies it and says she is just a kid.

This angers Belly, and she accuses Conrad of being jealous of Cam and playing games with her so that she would “keep chasing after” (245) him. Belly tells him that she no longer wants to be either his admirer or his friend. Conrad accuses Belly of flirting with Cam, him, and Jeremiah. Belly tells Conrad that he has been acting selfish all summer and that it is hurting not only her but also Susannah. At this, Conrad grabs Belly’s arms and shakes her.

Jeremiah arrives suddenly and asks what is going on. Conrad tells him to keep Belly away from him, saying he is not in the mood to deal with her. Jeremiah tells him that he needs to start dealing with his anger and stop taking it out on everyone else. Belly wonders if she is the reason why Conrad has been acting so moody all summer until Jeremiah tells Conrad that he is “just like Dad” (248), and the brothers begin pushing each other. At that moment, she realizes that their argument and Conrad’s attitude are much bigger than she.

Jeremiah and Conrad begin fighting and knock over a jar, which spills on the ground. Belly watches them, unsure of what to do, until Laurel appears and breaks up the fight. Pulling the boys apart, Laurel asks them if they know the truth. Belly watches both boys become emotional in response. Susannah appears as well and says that she is sorry. Jeremiah runs to her and cries in her arms, while Conrad does not cry but lets his mother touch his hair.

Laurel pulls Belly away from the scene and reveals the truth: Susannah’s cancer has returned, this time more aggressive and attacking her liver. Laurel explains that Susannah did not want the kids to know and that she wanted this summer to be perfect. In bed that night, Belly cries and thinks about how nothing will ever be the same again.

Belly thinks back to childhood when the kids would all have to share a room to make space for Susannah and Mr. Fisher’s additional guests. Jeremiah and Belly would end up sharing a bed, whispering stories in the dark as they fell asleep. The night Susannah admits she is sick again, Belly goes to Jeremiah’s room and sits with him. Jeremiah says he has been thinking about how this will probably be the last summer and how Susannah wanted it to be perfect. He tells Belly that Conrad has run off and how Susannah did not want Belly to know about her illness, so everyone tried to pretend.

Belly tells Jeremiah to move over and that she is sleeping here tonight. They sleep face-to-face like they did when they were children, and in the morning, Belly sneaks out and covers Jeremiah with her side of the comforter.

As she exits the room, she runs into Conrad. Belly knows that he saw her leave Jeremiah’s room, and she asks him if he is drunk. Conrad asks Belly: “Aren’t you supposed to be nice to me now? Like the way you were for Jere last night?” (256) and in that moment, Belly hates Conrad and tells him that she cannot believe she ever thought she loved him.

Belly stays in bed until noon. Her mother enters the room, telling her she has to be strong for Susannah. Belly goes downstairs and helps Susannah make blueberry muffins. Susannah asks if Belly will “look after him” (259), and when Belly asks who she means, Susannah simply says, “You know who” (259). Belly decides that she does know who Susannah is talking about and agrees.

Susannah tells Belly she will have to send her photos of her first dance at school this year; Belly agrees and says she will wear the purple dress Susannah gave her. Susannah is confused and tells Belly that she did not buy the dress for her and that it must have been Laurel. Belly cannot believe that her mother would do that for her, and Susannah tells Belly to remember that she is lucky to have her as a mother.

Later that afternoon, Belly finds Conrad sitting on the beach. She begins to apologize for everything, but he asks her to stop talking. As she gets up to leave, Conrad says, “Don’t leave” (261). Staring at the ground, Conrad admits he is so angry with Susannah for not telling them the truth sooner. Belly stares at Conrad and feels a familiar surge of love for him. She has an overwhelming urge to take away his pain, and reaches out, touches the back of his neck, and pulls him into her. They begin to kiss, but as their passion mounts, Conrad suddenly pulls away. He tells her that “it can’t happen like this” (263) and that he just wants her to sit with him for now. Belly squeezes his hand, and they remain sitting together on the beach even as it starts to rain.

Belly begins to feel the familiar pull back to her regular life, even though she does not feel ready to leave. She reveals that while Cam tried to call her twice, she did not call him back. She thinks about how much she appreciates her time with Cam and how he will always have a piece of her heart because he was the first guy to tell her that she is beautiful. She also knows that she cannot explain to him that she still loves Conrad and always will, even if they do not end up together. Jeremiah and Belly go back to their old routine and easy friendship. Belly decides to spend every moment of the rest of summer with Susannah, making memories.

During their last dinner at the house that summer, they try to finish everything left over in the fridge. Belly notices Conrad looking at her every so often, but whenever she meets his eyes, he looks away. Jeremiah cracks a joke about the odor of the potato salad, and Belly is relieved to see that he and Conrad have mended their relationship as they joke together.

When Laurel states that she cannot eat a rib because it has mold on it, Susannah exclaims, “Mold won’t kill you [...]. You know what will? [...] Cancer” (269). She laughs and explains to everyone at the table that she is doing what she can to continue fighting but that she will undergo more chemotherapy or spend more time in hospitals. She tells everyone that she wants to spend time with the people that matter most to her.

After dinner, Belly goes to her room to begin packing. As she holds up her bathing suit, she realizes she wants to go for one more night swim. She writes a quick note to both Jeremiah and Conrad to meet her at the pool in ten minutes. Belly waits in the pool and sees Conrad and Jeremiah come out of the house together. The boys get into the pool with her, and Belly begins reciting Susannah’s favorite poem she taught them all growing up. The boys begin reciting with her, and they finish the recitation together.

Belly states that it might be their last summer before they all go their separate ways. Jeremiah vehemently disagrees, and none of them mention that it might be the last summer with Susannah. Conrad tells Belly they will always return, “All of us” (273). After a moment, Belly requests they all make a whirlpool, and Conrad and Jeremiah oblige while teasing her about her immaturity. They spin increasingly fast in the water until Belly lets her body go slack, and she leans back to give in to the current.

Months later, Belly wakes up to a phone call from a guy she implies is Conrad asking to see her. She realizes that it is 12:30 in the morning and that Boston is five hours away, which means he has driven all night. Belly tells him to park down the street and that she will meet him after her mother has gone to bed.

When her mother is finally asleep, Belly goes downstairs and out the door, forgetting to put on a coat. She finds his car on the corner and opens the passenger side door. Conrad immediately notices that Belly is not wearing a coat, and she claims it is not that cold even though she is freezing. Conrad gives Belly his fleece, and she is happy to notice that it does not smell like cigarette smoke, indicating that Conrad has quit.

Belly tells Conrad that she cannot believe he is here, and he asks her if she is still going with him. Belly says yes without hesitation and feels that everything in her life, everything that happened this summer and all summers past, has been leading up to this very moment.