Jeremiah

It's Monday morning. Mr. Conklin and Steve would be here soon to help Belly with her dorm stuff. I gave her space all weekend, but I have to talk to her before she leaves for the summer. I have to fix this. So I got up early and grabbed coffee and breakfast before heading to her building. After Taylor butt dialed me last night I had tried calling her back all night. Her not answering can only mean one thing. She was with Belly. So when Belly wasn't in her room I didn't worry. All her things were boxed up waiting, so I knew she hadn't left yet. It felt wrong being in her room knowing she was upset with me, so I sat on the hallway floor waiting for her and Taylor to come back. After nearly 3 hours of waiting, I tried calling her. No answer. But I guess I didn't really expect one. Another hour later, I seen Steven, Taylor, and Mr. Conklin heading towards me. I stood quickly. "Is Belly not with you?" I asked, looking at Taylor.

She rolled her eyes. Does she know? She must, judging by the glare she was giving me. Steven looked confused. "Why would she be with us? We just got here dude." He laughed and pulled me into a hug. Okay, I thought. Steven definitely does NOT know.

Taylor pushed past us into the dorm room. After a couple seconds she comes back out, "She's not here." She hands Steven a notebook.

I can't be in this room anymore. I'll call you when I can. -Love, Belly.

"Okay. So she went to get breakfast." Steven rolled his eyes and handed me the notebook.

I shook my head. "I've been here for hours. She hasn't been here this morning."

"She was here last night, I think I left around 9 or 10."

Mr. Conklin sighed. "Belly never was one for lifting heavy boxes. She probably took off early to avoid helping." He laughed a bit, but Steven looked irritated. Taylor, however, was still glaring at me.

"Lucky then that Jeremy is here to do all the lifting. I'll call her and see if she is still on campus." Taylor pulled out her phone and walked away for a bit, before coming back over shaking her head. "Her phone is going straight to voicemail. This last week has been really hard on her, I'm sure she'll call when she gets up."

"Finals are hard on everyone," Steven grumbled, "But you don't see us ditching our packing on other people."

I shook my head, knowing Taylor didn't mean finals. "I got this Steve. Why don't you three grab breakfast, it looks like most of her things are ready to go anyway." Steven shrugged before throwing his arm around Taylor and walking off.

"I think I should stay and help you, Jeremiah. I know she has quite a bit of stuff. And some of it is pretty heavy."

I shook my head. "Nah, I got this John. It's the least I can do. Besides, I think Taylor is going to need some help with her things as well" He hesitated again, but then nodded and followed Taylor and Steven back to the parking lot.

She left already. She left me already. I had to get all of her things packed into my jeep and get to her. And I knew exactly where she would go. The beach house. It's always been her favorite place. The faster I got this taken care of, the faster I could get on the road and get back to her.

Taylor

I dragged Steven down the hallway away from Jeremiah. I wasn't going to betray Belly by telling Steven and her dad if she didn't want them to know, but I certainly wasn't going to be all buddy buddy with him either. I kept discreetly texting her all through breakfast and she still wasn't answering. I was worried, but I don't know if I should worry the Conklins if Belly had just taken off to her moms or Cousins early so she could be alone.

"Have you heard from Belly yet?" John asked as we were walking back to the car after eating.

Great. You owe me so big Isabel. "Oh! Yeah, she texted me and said her phone is messing up, but that she headed back a little early so she could stop at Cousins before heading back to Philly. I think she's having a hard time right now, she kept talking about Susannah last night." Not entirely untrue I thought.

Both Steven and Mr. Conklin looked surprised, but didn't say much about it. "Oh, okay. Jeremiah said he had Bellys things covered, do you need help with yours Taylor?"

"Yeah! That would be great actually. You don't mind, do you?" If nothing else, taking my things back to Philly will stop them from going to Cousins to check on Belly. If that's even where she is. I pulled out my phone and messaged her again.

Belly, you are seriously freaking me out. I don't know how to cover for you if I don't know what I am covering for. Told your dad and Steven that you went to Cousins. Call me asap.

Steven

Taylor is being hella weird. She's covering for Belly, but I can't bust her on it in front of Dad. Jere was weird too. Why was he waiting in the hallway? Like we don't all know he and Belly have basically lived together for the last year. And Taylor keeps being all sneaky on her phone. Does she have a boyfriend? Is she trying to hide that she's messaging him in front of me?

I shoved the last of her boxes into my car. "Dad! There isn't going to be room for the both of us on the way back, why don't you take my car and I'll just ride back with Tay Tay."

Dad eyed Taylor and I warily. "If you talk to your sister, have her call me. I don't like that she just left when she knew we were coming." He said, hugging me before getting in the car and leaving.

As soon as the car was out of sight, I turned on Taylor who was leaning against her car watching me. "Is it Milo?"

"WHAT?"

"Milo. Is that who you have been texting? Is he going to drop another diss track? Because honestly I am not cool with him using me to go viral." I sound so jealous right now

"No. It is not Milo. Chill out." Just then Jere walked up. Taylor snarled at him and got into her car without saying anything.

"Hey, I have Bells stuff all packed up. Have you guys heard from her yet?"

"I guess she took off to cousins early this morning." Jere's eyes lit up a bit.

"Oh okay cool. Yeah I was actually stopping there on my way back anyway,"

Yeah, something weird is going on here. "Great, us too." I said. I am not being left out of whatever they have got themselves into this time. "I guess we will see you and Belly there."

"Oh! Yeah- yeah okay, sounds good man." Why does he look so uncomfortable? What the fuck is going on around here? He patted me on the back and jogged back to his own car.

I slid into Taylors car and turned down the radio. "Are you going to tell me what is going on with you three, or do I get to figure it out on my own once we get to Cousins?" I asked her.

"We aren't going to Cousins." She said, trying to avoid the question.

"Yeah, well now we are." She nodded, looking pale and turned the radio back up before going back to playing on her phone.

"Looks like figure it out on my own it is." I muttered to myself as I shifted the car into drive and headed to the beach house.

Jeremiah

It felt like years before I got to Cousins. And then I was finally pulling into the beach house. But her car wasn't there. I sat there, feeling sick. Steven pulled in behind me, he and Taylor walked up to my window.

"She isn't here," I whispered. "I really thought she would be." I said getting out of the car.

"Okay, for real guys. What the fuck is going on? Where is Belly?" Steven said.

"We don't know." Taylor said. "Jere fucked up and she took off. But I really thought she would be here too."

Jere fucked up. I fucked up. I really really fucked up. "What did you do man?" Steven said. I shook my head.

"It's my sister, man! What did you do?" He pushed me.

"I fucked up…" I whispered. And that's when he hit me.