𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓, jeremiah fisher

nineteen. i don't like belly

"YOU SURE YOU don't wanna come with us?" Belly asks from where she's standing in front of her mirror beside Taylor.

"Come on, Dani," Taylor speaks up, spinning around to face me. "It'll be fun!"

I shake my head almost immediately. The last thing I want to do right now is go to a party. I just want to stay home and watch some k-drama like True Beauty or something.

"I'm good, but you guys have fun."

I scroll through tiktoks on my phone as I lay on Belly's bed. The two girls forced me to look at their outfits and choose which ones to wear to Nicole's party. A video showing a performance of "Delicate" and the crowd shouting "1, 2, 3, let's go bitch" from the reputation tour ends right when my sister and her best friend come into view showing off their outfits.

They're both wearing cropped tops and blue shorts, Taylor with a blue top and Belly with a pink one. I grin at them, holding up a thumbs up.

"You two look great," I say, admiring their outfit choices.

Belly stares down at her phone, tapping at it before looking back up. "We should get going, everyone's there already."

Taylor nods and gives me a hug before Belly does the same. I wave to them and follow them out the door to go to my room. They head in the direction of the stairs while I go back to my room. Getting out my laptop, I start rewatching True Beauty for the umpteenth time.

After sitting through until the second episode ends—because each episode is like seventy minutes long—I decide to take a little break and get a snack.

I leave my room and start heading to the kitchen until I hear the soft hum of the television coming from the living room. Peeking my head into the room, I find Susannah laying there with a blanket over her. Warmth fills my chest, and a small smile pulls at the corners of my mouth.

Walking closer, I see that her eyes are closed and she's breathing softly and quietly. The blanket is halfway off of her, so I slowly reach my hand out and tuck Susannah into the soft blanket. I sit on the edge of the couch and move my finger lightly over her face, stroking her cheek.

I stare at her for a couple of minutes, just admiring the woman I consider a mother and a friend. She has always been there for me even when I didn't deserve it. I love her so much that I honestly don't know what I would do with myself if something ever happened to her.

It is while I'm in the process of thinking this that I hear someone clearing their throat. I turn my head and see Jeremiah leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and an unreadable look on his face.

I swallow, looking away right as he walks to the couch and grabs the remote to turn off the TV. Then, he takes a seat on the other end of the couch where Susannah's feet are. His gaze is locked onto me, unwavering. I can't force myself to turn away.

We're still staring at each other when Susannah moves a little and opens her eyes slowly as if they're too heavy for her to open on her own.

I move my eyes down to her and smile. She sends me a tired smile back.

"Thought you left for Nicole's party?" she directs at me before noticing Jeremiah. "And you were going to leave with Connie and Steven, right?"

It's Jeremiah who answers first.

"Uh, wasn't really in the mood for a party." His eyes slide to mine, and he has this strange look on his face.

"Oh, that doesn't sound like you," Susannah answers. "What about you, Dani?"

"Same, I kinda just wanted to binge watch some shows. You okay?"

She sits up and shrugs. "Yeah, just tired. Want a watch a movie with me?"