025 it happened one night

The call came early in the morning. Jeremiah was hysterical, non-stop sobbing. Julia and her brother tried to calm him down, but there was nothing they could do. Susannah had passed.

Everybody was a wreck, even two weeks later during her funeral. If possible, Jeremiah was worse. At first, it was initial shock, not wanting to believe it was real.

But, as he sat in front of her respectively decorated coffin, a nice portrait of her, he had to face it. His mom was really gone.

Julia didn't look up, not once. Not even when she heard her brother sniffling beside her. She couldn't build up the courage to look at Susannah's photo. She was too happy in it for the circumstances.

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." She heard the pastors voice, but she didn't truly hear him. There were people who didn't truly know her, sobbing over someone they barely even knew. People she barely knew. The call was what one would expect when getting bad news, fast and urgent. Distressed. The only news worth waiting for is good news. And, well, there was no wait. It hit like a truck..

She couldn't drown at the sound of her boyfriend's muffled sobs. It hurt her heart too much just to ignore him.

Belly looked far too pale to be fine. Julia was sure she would pass out at any given moment, but she never did. She held her head up, trying to contain the tears.

The pastor had never met her once in his life, yet he bared the responsibility of her eulogy. It was all too calculated. Too calculated for not expecting any of it to come.

She didn't look up once. At least, not until Conrad had gotten up, his feet absent-mindedly taking him towards his mother's coffin. Her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying. She didn't pay attention to anything around her besides the oldest Fisher boy, guitar in hand.

"This was the song that she always asked me to play for her," his voice sounded so strained, as if every word sucked the life from him. His fingers began strumming soft chords, a quiet melody echoing on the air. He began singing, 'Oh Where Oh Where Could My Baby Be', his voice exhausted.

Julia was sure that a tear fell from her eyes when his voice cracked, head falling low. He looked so tired.

The ceremony ended not long after that. People gave their condolences, telling the Fisher family how great of a woman she was as if they really knew her.

When people began leaving, Julia didn't waste a second to be at her boyfriend's broken side. He didn't stand up from his spot in the pew. He didn't even look up. But, he did continue to cry. Steven and Belly moved to talk to Adam while Laurel hugged Conrad.

Julia sat down beside Jeremiah, his head low. She put her hand on the side of his face gently to show him that she was there for him, and just then did he look up. "Jere..."

The second his eyes fell onto hers, he only began sobbing harder, tears pooling. Without hesitation, she pulled him into her chest, gently holding him against her. His arms were limp around her, and he couldn't move.

"I'm so sorry..." She cried, shutting her eyes tightly to get rid of her tears. But, it was no point. They were already falling.

Everybody was falling apart. Breaking. Susannah was their glue, and now she was gone.

Julia walked down the dock, her heart pounding in her chest. She was terrified to talk to him. She didn't know where they stood anymore. Before, he was the first person she would go to about anything, she could confide in him. Now? Well, she was at a crossroads.

He heard her footsteps, but he didn't bother to turn around and actually acknowledged her.

From inside, everyone crowded around the window, watching as she stopped in front of him. Steven was practically fuming, while everyone else found it absolutely hilarious.

She stopped in front of him, her head low and jaw clenched. She picked at her nails nervously until he finally looked up. She couldn't depict his expression. He looked almost mad. But, she wasn't sure.

"Hey..." She mumbled, sitting down beside him. She made sure to keep her distance, not wanting to make him anymore angry. When he didn't answer, it gave her all the answers she needed. He was definitely mad. Which, in some way, only made her mad because why the hell was he mad?

"Okay..." She nodded with pursed lips, pushing her hair back from her eyes, the wind blowing her blonde locks in different directions. "I see how it's gonna be."

"What do you want me to say?" He finally spoke, looking up into her eyes expressionless. "That I missed you."

"Well, you don't have to act like you don't," She knew it wasn't the best time to use sarcasm, but she couldn't help it. It was her way of coping. Snarkiness and sarcasm.

"Jesus, can you ever just be serious?" Jeremiah scoffed, standing up and moving away from her.

"Can you ever get your head out of your ass?" She retorted back harshly. She didn't want to be rude. She just wanted to hug him and tell him how much she missed him, but she couldn't. They weren't dating anymore. She wasn't even sure if they were friends.

"What're you doing here?" He changed the subject, rolling his eyes at her words. From inside, everyone collectively winced, knowing it wasn't going as smooth as they wished it would.

"Uh, I don't know," She scoffed. "We came after Belly told us about Conrad. But, apparently, it's a lot more than that."

"Yeah, well, we can handle it ourselves," he clenched his jaw, taking a step towards her when she stood up.

"Why are you being such a dick?" She scowled. "You're acting like I did shit to you. You are the one that broke up with me, in case you forgot."

"I didn't forget," he spat. "I just don't need a reminder."

"Oh, so me coming here is a reminder?" She tilted her head with narrowed eyes. She hated arguing with him. It felt like he was slipping away, and there was nothing she could do. But, then again, he broke her heart and made her feel guilty for it. So, no, she wasn't going to be innocent or nice. "I'm sorry if your plans to push me away aren't working."

"Is that the only way you see this?" He narrowed his cerulean eyes at her harshly, which only made her more furious. "As I'm pushing you away? You just can't handle the fact that I don't want this." He motioned between them, and it had officially sent Julia off.

Harshly, she lunged forward, placing her hands on his chest and shoving him back. God, she hated, resulting in violence, but she couldn't help it. She hated how resentful he sounded towards her as if they had nothing between them.

"Holy shit." Taylor scoffed, jaw dropping from the window.

"Do we do something?" Belly questioned wearily, eyes widening at the view they had gotten, Julia practically fuming.

"Did you just push me?" Jeremiah scoffed. She swore she saw a hint of a smile appear on his lips, but it vanished as fast as it came.

"Yeah," She then pushed him backward again, only forcing him to plant his feet stronger. "'Cause you're a fucking asshole."

"That's great," he rolled his eyes before holding her shoulders harshly so she could no longer push him.

"Fuck you." She spat, ignoring the hint of encouragement in his eyes. He would never admit it, but he found her hot when she was angry.

"I bet you would," he retorted sarcastically, eliciting an eye roll from her. Aggressively, she smacked his hands off of her shoulders before taking an angry step back. As much as she tried hating him for breaking up with her then acting like they meant nothing, she couldn't. She would always love him. He wold always love her. But, he would never admit that so openly. "I mean, are you seriously just mad because I was upset?"

"Are you kidding?" She shouted, eyes narrowing. "God, I wasn't mad at you because you were sad, your mom just died. Of course, you're allowed to be sad. I was mad at you because you thought I wasn't gonna be there for you through it."

Tiredly, Julia sat back down on the bench, her head hanging low. She messed with the hem of her t-shirt, eyes landing everywhere but near him.

Suddenly, his eyes softened at her chipped demeanor and he regretted yelling. Wordlessly, he sat beside her, his eyes never leaving her fallen face. He wanted to grab her hand that wouldn't stop fidgeting, but he wasn't sure if it was okay. She probably hated him.

"I'm so confused..." Taylor furrowed her brows, seeing the two all of a sudden sitting by each other, no longer attempting to draw blood.

"Yeah, me too," Steven muttered, moving behind Belly so she could better see through the window.

From outside, the only noise that was heard was chirping birds and the water slashing softly against the dock. Julia didn't dare speak, she didn't want to mess things up again. Meanwhile, Jeremiah never wanted to stop telling her about how much he regretted everything he'd ever said.

He would go back in time and change everything, but he can't.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to be there for you?" She finally spoke after what felt like ages, having the courage to lift her head. When she did, he noticed her saddened eyes.

"No, I don't know," he shrugged, closing his eyes momentarily to collect himself. He took a deep breath. "No."

She wasn't sure whether or not he was telling the truth, but she had already done enough to push him away, she didn't bother urging him to tell the truth.

"So why did you do it?" She looked into his eyes, noticing the way they didn't usually shine.

"I guess I was just struggling," he shrugged again, Jeremiah finally looking up at her. "After mom died I guess I just didn't want to make you feel like I wasn't trying," he confessed. "I don't think I could be there for you if I wasn't doing okay myself."

Julia couldn't say anything. She knew Susannah's death was his rock bottom. But, it hurt to know he was struggling and she wasn't there.

"I'm sorry I didn't try harder to be there for you," She apologized, catching his attention. "I should've known you were hurting."

"No, don't apologize. It should be me," he sighed. "Jules, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry."

Without another word, she moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She hid her face in his shoulder, feeling his arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer. She took a deep breath, reveling in the feeling of being held by him again. It felt foreign, but she didn't want to lose him again. She couldn't.

Before he knew it, tears were falling from his eyes. He tried to hold them back, he really did. But, the way she clung onto him for dear life only made it so much harder. He missed her a lot more than he let on.

"I missed you so much," he mumbled into her hair. "I'm so sorry, Jules."

"It's okay," She whispered, holding him against her tightly. He held the back of her head, whispering nonstop apologies to her in hopes that she would forgive him. But, she already did. "It's okay, Jere."

She pulled back to look into his eyes to see that they were watery. She laid her hand softly on his cheek, wiping the tear away that had fallen. "It's okay. Please, just don't cry."

He nodded against her hand, taking it off of his face and holding it gently with both hands as if she would disappear if he let go.

"I don't wanna break up," Julia admitted, her voice a low whisper.

He let out a soft chuckle, holding her hand up with one hand so he could lace their fingers together with his other hand. "Me neither." Julia stared softly into his cerulean eyes, eyes momentarily flashing down to his lips. Jeremiah seemed to notice because he smiled. As she was about to ask him what made him smile, he leaned forward, closing the gap between them.

His lips pressed softly against hers, hand moving to hold the side of her face.

"Oh, sick," Steven gagged, moving away from the window with a face contorted in disgust. Taylor simply laughed at his antics, a proud smile on her face. "Disgusting."

"You're the one who wanted to watch," Conrad retorted with a playful eye roll, following the boy into the living room.

"Yeah, but not that," he shivered in feigned disgust, his mouth formed into a cringe. Taylor and Belly moved to find snacks and extra blankets, already planning to set up for a movie night - it being their first night together, of course.

"Steven!" Belly shouted from the kitchen. The supply of food was limited, with barely any options. "Go get them."

"Wh- me?" He pointed to himself with widened eyes, not wanting to disturb something he didn't plan on seeing anyway. But Steven always knew how to be dramatic.

"Yes, you," Belly used the same dramatic tone before turning back to the empty pantry.

From the dock, Julia pulled away from the kiss, a wide smile creeping onto her lips. It had been a while since she had felt his lips against hers, but she didn't plan on it being the last. Jeremiah leaned his forehead onto hers, closing his eyes momentarily.

Before he could say anything, their privacy was ruined when the back door swung open, and Steven's obnoxiously loud voice traveled down the dock.

"Hey!" He shouted aggressively. "Stop making out with my sister and come inside!" Without another glance, he turned around and returned to the group, who had begun setting up in the living room.

"He's dramtic," Jeremiah muttered, pulling his forehead away from hers, hand still interlocked.

"Yeah, I know," She reminded, still sporting a smile. "Come on, before he kills us." She giggled when he dramtically groaned, being pulled away from the dock forcefully. But, he simply followed her, not ever wanting to be away from her again.

"Hey, you head inside," She told him, rounding the side of the house while he stopped at the back door. "I'm gonna get something from the car."

Jeremiah nodded, leaving a gentle kiss to her cheek before moving to enter the house, a giddy smile plastered on his lips. Even after the kiss still lingered on her lips, Julia couldn't help but graze her fingers against her lips, already missing the kiss.

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she got her bags and Belly's bag from the car. She made sure to grab the large bag of snacks she packed and bought on the way to Cousins, knowing everyone was surely ransacking the house for food that wasn't there.

She went back to the inside of the house, cringing at the chirping cicadas. She dropped the bags by the stairs before sauntering towards the living room where she could hear laughter emitting from.

"Guys!" She called out excitedly, holding up the bag of snacks energetically. "I have food!"

They turned their heads in unison at the sound of her spirited voice to see her wide smile entering the room. Belly and Taylor were already lying on the couch while Steven and Jeremiah helped Conrad set up the DVR.

"Holy shit, did you pack the entire pantry?" Steven chuckled, moving to look inside the cloth bag, jaw dropping. Taylor and Belly laughed from their spots on the couch.

"No, I bought stuff, 'cause I'm actually considerate," Julia snarkily replied, rolling her eyes playfully. "Besides, you should know that the food in this house is emptied after summer, so thank you very much."

She tossed the bag on the ground before moving to the other side of Belly. Not long after, Steven sat down, stealing Belly's spot since she had gotten up to talk to Conrad. Seeing that Julia had sat down, Jeremiah rounded the couch and jumped on it from the back so he could sit beside her. She snorted a laugh at his antics but made room for him to sit nonetheless.

"That's Belly's spot," Taylor laughed, which only encouraged Steven to be more insistent. He sat right where Belly would've been sitting, but he made sure to drape his legs on Taylor's lap to annoy her. She began uncontrollably giggling, eliciting laughs from the three others on the couch.

"Do I need to separate you two?" Jeremiah joked, using a parental tone. Taylor simply laughed.

"No," She giggled. "There's a whole other couch right there."

"But then I couldn't sit by my favorite sister," he turned to look at Julia from beside him, but she simply scoffed. While he turned back to annoy Taylor, she shoved him harshly so he fell off the couch, landing with a thud near their feet.

Taylor and Julia broke out into a fit of laughter, the blonde hunching over to see her brother groaning in pain on the ground.

"My back," he whined, eyes glued shut. It only made her laugh harder, watching as he struggled to get up from the ground and move to the other couch.

Belly soon after returned from her spot near Conrad, taking her spot back before Steven could get up. When he saw that they made sure to leave him no room, he grabbed Julia's wrists and pulled her so she was pressed against Jeremiah, a series of complaints leaving her mouth. Defeated, she let her brother shove her into Jeremiah, taking the small space on the other side of her.

"Geez, Steven," Julia scoffed, adjusting on the couch so he wasn't squishing her, but she only resulted in being closer to Jeremiah. "If you love me that much, you could've just said that."

Having had enough of the banter, Jeremiah spoke up, resting his arm on the back of the couch so it was around Julia's neck. "Oh, uh, I ordered pizza. It should be, like, thirty minutes, but I only ordered one with pineapple, so I call dibs on two slices, all right?"

Feigning offensiveness, the blonde scoffed loudly. "Jeremiah, my snacks are right here. They can hear you." She retorted, bringing the bag on her lap and pulling out a packet of twizzlers.

"I'll give your snacks some attention," Taylor muttered from the other side of Steven, leaning forward to see the girl. Gladly, Julia handed the bag over for the two girls on the end to rummage through.

"Jeremiah, I think that's all you," Conrad muttered from his spot in front of the TV, setting up the DVR. The group broke out into fits of laughter, forcing an annoyed expression to fall on Jeremiah's face.

"What?" He chuckled, holding his arms up in surrender.

"Nobody likes pineapple on their pizza," Taylor informed, giving him a judgemental yet mocking glare.

He scoffed in bewilderment, earning a laugh from the two girls who had sent him continuous jabs in hopes that they would annoy him.

"Uh, so what do you guys wanna watch?" Conrad raised his voice over the bickering group on the couch, Belly turning to acknowledge him. She lifted a DVD off of the side table.

"I was thinking, It Happened One Night," She held up the case to reveal the movie. At the suggestion, Julia groaned, taking an envious bite into her twizzler. "What?" Belly chuckled.

"Black and white films are actually the worst," Julia leaned forward to look at her sister, who let out a bewildered scoff, a wide smile on her lips.

"What?!" She raised her voice, jaw dropped. Taylor laughed from besides her as Julia took another bite of her cherry flavored twizzler.

"I'll only accept 90's movies," She replied matter-of-factly, her brows raised and shoulders shrugged. "But, play it, I guess. I'll just go to sleep halfway through."

Her brother chuckled at her words while Belly ranted about how classic black and white films were. While Conrad set the movie up in the player, Julia couldn't help but think how foreign this felt. How foreign happiness felt. She was sure things would never go back to how they used to be.

But, with her friends- family laughing around her, she felt as if this was exactly where they were meant to be. Susannah would be proud.

authors note!
it took everything in me not to make jules laugh at conrad's singing because she would never do that. but i would. is the funeral scene too short? but anywayyyyss, they're back together!!