In the end of Belly understands that their relationship is finally coming to an end and that Conrad will never be able to show her the kind of love she desires.

I used to think that if I wanted it bad enough, wished hard enough, everything would work out the way it was supposed to. And so when August and September began and still the phone didn’t ring, all I had to do was think back to the way he’d looked at me that last night, and I knew there was still hope. Belly understands that Conrad didn’t travel to the summerhouse to avoid his exams and run away from his difficulties when he sends the woman away and tells her that the house won’t be put up for sale after all. The girl was Conrad’s ex-girlfriend Aubrey, and even though Belly and Conrad had already ended their romantic connection, the sight of him being comforted by another girl drove her into a fit of jealousy. The next morning, Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly drive away from the beach house, and Belly cries because leaving the house feels like losing Susannah all over again.But I couldn’t get the words to sound right in my head, and before I could figure them out, he hung up. She said I looked like the smartest girl in the room, the kind of girl who was going somewhere and knew exactly how she was going to get there. We were all surprised when it happened, and even when it became inevitable, a fact, we never really believed it. Which was weird, because he’d known Susannah too, so it only made sense that he’d be at her funeral. Then Taylor spotted Davis over by the beer pong table and she put her finger to her lips and grabbed my hand.

By July, I was already at Cousins Beach, and home and school and school friends were a million miles away.When I begged for Lucky Charms or Cap’n Crunch, my mother would say, “Beck will have plenty of cereal that’ll rot your teeth out, don’t you worry. I hadn’t forgotten my vow to stay by his side, but he was making it hard, the way he kept disappearing. Fisher leaves after declaring that the house will be sold no matter how much Conrad opposes the idea.

As soon as Jeremiah nods out, Conrad tells Belly in a hushed voice that he was lying about never wanting her.

If I forgot Conrad, if I evicted him from my heart, pretended like he was never there, it would be like doing those things to Susannah.

The last time I wore it was to a reception at my mother’s university three years ago, and now it was too small. Fisher’s ineptitude as a father makes Belly appreciate how her own father always remains calm and never gets angry at her for any reason. He looked terrible the entire night, wouldn’t dance or make conversation, and wouldn’t engage in any of the romantic prom activities she had imagined. They walked up the steps, cracking up over how Steven had lost his shorts after a particularly ferocious wave. You need to see Conrad face- to-face and tell him you’re over him and you’re not gonna play his games anymore.Before they lowered Susannah into the wet ground, Conrad and Jeremiah both put a white rose on top of the coffin, and then the rest of us added more flowers. Taylor sat back down in front of the mirror and said, “Well, then wear that black dress with the little flowers.