Alianna Connors always had a passionate dislike towards fighting. She believed.. no, she knew there were better ways to solve problems without having to hurt the other person (or yourself).

But in this case, both people were hurt.

And both people wished they could take everything back.

As soon as the girl arrived back at the house, she rested her head down onto her sun patterned pillow. Her blonde locks messily fell on top of her face.

While stuck in her thoughts, Alianna's phone buzzes from her bed side table, she lifts it up and the screen reveals Jeremiah calling.

She was surprised by his call, he hadn't talked to her since.. that day. She sat up and answered the phone.

"Hey, I've mi-"

"Are you with Conrad?"

He cut her off, he sounded worried. A confused expression washed over Alianna's face.

"No- not since.. you know."

    Silence broke out. It echoed, loudly. "He's gone."

"Wait.." Alianna half stuttered. "What do you mean he's gone?"

"He's missing, Als."

His words rang upon her ears. Her concern became worse as she began to take in the words. "He's not answering any of my texts or picking up my calls."

Thousands of thoughts ran through that girls head, most of them being the worst outcomes. She stopped herself before she could have a chance to say the something horrible.

She sucked in a deep breath then spoke clearly,"Since when?"

"Yesterday." Jeremiah tells her, his voice still tense.

She pondered, "Well, doesn't he have his finals? He's probably just studying or something." The blonde tried to think of a reasonable explanation.

Jeremiah scrunched his eyebrows together and shook his head, "No, No, I don't think so. Apparently he told his roommate that everything is fucked and that he just took off."

"I think I'm gonna go out to Brown in the morning and see if I can track him down." Jeremiah warned her.

Suddenly a spark bursted in her mind. Alianna thought that she could come in control of the situation.

She believed she would be the one to fix the messes she had made in the past by coming along with Jeremiah.

"Okay," Alianna said, "But I'm coming with you."

The scenarios already being planned, and the delusions becoming stronger. Besides all of her problems, she mostly wanted to see Conrad — they hadn't talked since the break up which was the last time anyone saw him.

Alianna and Conrad thought they were meant to be, they all thought that they were meant to be.

Forever and always.

They never imagined the day they would break up.

That was when everything seemed to go downhill, when everyone fell apart.

And with Susannah's death — it made everything worse. Steven and Josh kept in contact with Jeremiah but never with Conrad. Alianna wanted to talk to Jeremiah, she needed her best friend so bad and she couldn't. He wouldn't.

So they just grew apart, not talking to one another.

♾️ ⋆｡˚

When Alianna Connors had something that she wanted, nothing was going to stop her. So she immediately jumped out of her bed to get ready to hop on a train to meet Jeremiah.

She ran the shower, steam already seeping out from the top. The girl stepped in and let the hot warm run down her skin.

She took in a deep breath before rethinking everything she was about to do. All the mistakes that could happen, and all the things that could be done.

By the time she came to a decision she was already packed up, ready to leave.
      
As Alianna stood in the kitchen, checking her phone for the train ticket, her eyes caught the sight of her mom walking through the front door. Her mom's eyes immediately locked on hers.
      
"Hi my love," her mother spoke.
      
The tone in her mom's voice indicated something else. Something Alianna definitely didn't want to hear.

She tucked her phone in her shorts pocket. "Hey, Mom."
      
Her mom shut the door behind her and made her way over to Alianna.
      
"Where are you going?" her mom questioned her, eyebrows furrowing as she looked at her daughter's bags
      
Alianna's heart sank as she realized her mom had spotted her bags.She swallowed deeply, fiddling with her hands.
     
"Um... I'm going to visit Jeremiah for the weekend." She tried to respond casually.
      
It wasn't a complete lie.
      
Her mom's expression changed to one of skepticism and disappointment. "Jeremiah, huh?" her mom said sternly.

She crossed her arms and took a step closer to Alianna. "You haven't spoken to him in months. Why are you visiting him now?"
      
Alianna's mind raced as she tried to come up with a convincing excuse. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, avoiding her mom's gaze.
     
"Look, Mom," she began, trying to sound sincere, "I've been feeling lonely and I just really need some company right now."
      
Her mom's expression softened for a moment. She knew how close Alianna and Conrad had once been, and that the news might worry her.

"Missing? Since when?"
      
Alianna took a moment to answer, trying to remain calm. She didn't want her mom to worry about her.
     
"He left for Brown a while ago and then kind of just...disappeared. Jeremiah called earlier and asked- well, he needs help finding him." She tried to explain, her voice faltering slightly, "Mom, I really have to leave or I'm going to miss my train."
      
Her mom studied her face for a moment, her eyes searching for any signs of deception. After a few seconds, she sighed and nodded.
      
"Alright. But I want you to stay safe, and call me if you need anything." Alianna's shoulders relaxed slightly.
      
"I will," she promised as she gave her mom a quick hug. She picked up her bags and headed out the door, feeling a mix of relief and guilt over the half-truths she had told, running out the door.
      
"This is so unfair. You would totally flip if I pulled something like this." Josh speaks, revealing himself from a corner he lingered on.
      
"It's different, Josh."

♾️ ⋆｡˚

The train arrived at brown fairly quickly, giving Ali some time to freshen up before meeting up with Jeremiah.
      
Alianna hopped off the train and looked up at the University campus. The setting sun cast a warm golden light over the buildings and trees. She took in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

After fixing her hair and outfit, she checked her phone for any updates from Jeremiah.
      
There was one message from Jeremiah, sent about an hour ago, stating that he would meet her outside the campus parking lot after her train arrives.

Alianna quickly typed a reply, confirming her arrival time, then started making her way to the spot he mentioned.
      
As she walked through the campus grounds, Alianna couldn't help but feel a mix of anxiety and excitement.

The memories of her past with Conrad and Jeremiah came rushing back to her, and she tried to shake them off, focused only on the present.
      
After a short while, she finally reached the parking lot and spotted Jeremiah's familiar red jeep parked nearby. Alianna's heart skipped a beat as she approached the car.
     
She could see Jeremiah sitting inside, scrolling through his phone, waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, Alianna knocked on the car window, gaining his attention.
      
Jeremiah looked up from his phone and his eyes widened as he saw Alianna standing outside.
He quickly got out of the car and walked over to greet her.
      
"Hey," he said, his voice sounding uneasy.
      
"Hi," Alianna replied, smiling weakly. She noticed the bags under his eyes and the tired expression on his face.
      
He clearly wasn't sleeping well.
      
"You look tired," Alianna remarked, unable to hide the concern in her voice. Jeremiah shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.
      
"Yeah, I haven't really slept much.. been worrying about Conrad."
      
He confessed. Alianna's heart ached at the mention of Conrad's name. She knew how hard it must be for Jeremiah to not know where he was.
      
"I'm sure we'll find him,"
      
Jeremiah gave her a small smile, appreciating her words. "I hope so." He exhaled, then gestured towards the busy campus. "Come on, let's go."

Jeremiah and Alianna head over to Conrad's college dorm. Alianna had only ever seen his room through face time.

Alianna fidgeted with her earrings as she worriedly walked through the hallways filled with people.

The two kept a small distance from each other as they walked to what was supposedly Conrad's room. Jeremiah hastily walked in front of the girl knowing exactly where to go.

Jeremiah stopped at one of the doors. "This might be it, right?" Alianna laughed awkwardly trying to lighten the mood a little.

He didn't reply and instead just knocked on the door. When his fist touched the door, it slightly opened, which let him take the lead and walk into the room.

The two looked around and saw how no one was inside. Alianna glanced around at the room, it of course looking bigger than the tiny screen on her phone.

Jeremiah went straight to the desk, snooping around. Alianna walked over to his bed and sat down on it. "Wow it's, uh, much comfier than I imagined." she says.

    Once again, Jeremiah didn't bother to say or do anything in reply to what she said. He was being cold and gave her the silent treatment.

    "Okay, you can't be Snoopy without a Charlie Brown." Alianna stood up from the bed and walked over to Jeremiah. "What are we looking for?"

    She asked as she hovered over the boy, her eyebrows furrowed and lips pouted out. Jeremiah did not take a glance or look over at the girl while she spoke. He couldn't bring himself to it. He couldn't see her face again after everything that went down last summer.

    "Hey, excuse me. This is my room that you guys rifling." some guy entered the dorm coming back from somewhere.

    "Hey man, I'm Conrad's brother we talked on the phone earlier." Jeremiah spoke up first, " it's nice to finally meet you."

    "Oh Jeremiah right?" the guy said and Jeremiah nodded as a reply.

    Alianna's gazed landed on the infinity necklace that Conrad had given her. Now it was here.

    "Uh, hey, Connie's not back, is he?" Jeremiah asked calmly.

    Trusky looked up, "I haven't seen him since Thursday afternoon." he answered.

    Alianna chimed into the conversation, "Did anything else happen before he left?"

    "He got into it with somebody on the phone, like he was yellin and shit."

    Alianna furrowed her brows together. Not in confusion but in worry.

    "And then he just took off. Do you have any idea who he was yelling at?" Jeremiah asked.

    "I don't know, bro. The government who's surveillance us through our devices as we speak?" Trusky said causing Jeremiah and Ali share a look.

    "Is that the last time you heard from him?"

    "No. He texted me this morning saying that he was going to miss bio lab and asked if I could take notes. I'd be annoyed, but I spent this whole year copying off of his shit, so I can't really complain. Yall feel?"

    "Yeah," Alianna sigh softly, "Would you mind if you, uh, just like tried calling him from your phone to see if he answered?"

    "Yeah for sure," Trusky pulled out his home from his pocket. A girl in a green tank top and denim shorts entered the room.

    "Trusky, did I leave my sweater in here?" she peered.

    "Uh I don't.." he trailed as the phone call tried to go through. "One sec, I don't know, maybe?"

    And the call went straight to voicemail."Nope, straight to voicemail. But Sophie might know where Conrad went." Trusky adds.

    Sophie's eyes immediately look at Jeremiah and stay on him for a good seven seconds before glancing over at Alianna.

    "Hey, Sophie, um you wouldn't happen to have any idea where my brother disappeared to?" Jeremiah spoke.

    "I think he said he was going to hang out with his cousin by the beach."

    Alianna deeply sighed. He was at the beach house. He was in Cousins.

    "Alright, Ali, let's go." Jeremiah said, leading the way.

    Trusky's eyes widen as the name, "Oh, wow, you're Alianna. Oh.. when you guys fell out, my mans fell into a depression. Like he was real bad."

    Alianna opened her mouth to speak but words didn't- couldn't form. "Uh, I don't think that was, uhm, because of.. me."

    "Not it definitely was. He was like always looking at pictures of you and holding onto that stupid ass necklace which I told him to get rid of but he insisted not to."

    Alianna's heart hurt a little, her eyes fell back onto the necklace again that sat on his desk. After that everything around kind of went blurry.

    She didn't pay attention to anything that was being said, she just followed Jeremiah knowing that he knew what to do.

They exited the dorms and ended up at Jeremiah's car. "The next train is about to arrive to I should get going." Alianna softly spoke.

"Why would he take off like that to Cousins?" Jeremiah spat, "I don't think he's missed a day of class in his life. Not even when mom was sick."

Jeremiah pressed his back against the red car. Alianna didn't really know what to do at this point.

    "Yeah, I'm not sure."

    Jeremiah continued, "I mean, who was he even yelling at? It had to be Dad, right?"

    Alianna half nodded. Unsure of how to respond. She hadn't really felt like this around Jeremiah. This was a new feeling, like she was scared to say the wrong thing.

   She was always so comfortable around him and could be herself jo mattered what but now.. now it was different.

    "What could they possibly be arguing about?" He sighed.

    "I probably was Adam. He and Conrad are always fighting about something, so yeah. You're probably right." she said.

    Jeremiah dropped his head. "I really don't want to get dragged in the middle of whatever bullshit Conrad's in right now, but if something were to happen to him, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

    Alianna intervened, "Hey, no, nothing has happened to Conrad, okay?" she took a step closer to Jeremiah.

    He finally lifted his head and looked at her. Their eyes meeting for the first time in forever.

    "He's most likely just spending the day surfing and his phone is off or dead." Alianna adds.

    "Maybe." Jeremiah muttered. "But it's only been a month since.."

    Since Susannah died. 'Just say it' Alianna thought. The words repeating over and over again, loudly.

    "You know how he is. He just bottles up all that shit until at some point it explodes. I don't think he has anyone. He definitely hasn't been talking to me."

    "All right. Do you want me to come with you to Cousins?" Alianna acknowledged, worried to say the sentence out loud.

    "I didn't need you to come here."

Jeremiah's voice was stern. His words made Alianna's eyes widen and look hurt. "Well, I thought..." she paused.

He had noticed her face dropped and felt guilty for lashing out. "Sorry" he sighed. "There's just a lot going on right now."

"No, it's fine." Alianna tried to not seem offended.

Jeremiah pushed off the car and opened the car door. "Are you coming or not?" he questioned.

Alianna looked up and noticed. She sighed and then nodded.

"Alright." she muttered, and then walked around the car and climbed into the passenger seat. The girl buckled up.

It was quiet. Awkwardly quiet.

No one would speak.

Jeremiah started the car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. The car ride to Cousins was not any less tense.

    The two barely looked at each other. The radio was on and the quiet music played, it didn't help the silence one bit.

Alianna tried so hard to break the atmosphere. Every five seconds she was either adjusting in her seat, or fixing her hair.

She couldn't help but to notice that Jeremiah was gripping the steering a little too tight. Her eyes kept making their way over to Jeremiah, studying his face.

    He sat up straight with his eyebrows knitted together. This whole situation was irritating him. Jeremiah was stressed and extremely worried about everything. And Alianna could tell.

    Jeremiah's eyes remained focused on the road. The sun was still present and shined right in his face.

    The car was still eerily silent. The long drive continued.
   
    Alianna couldn't bear the silence anymore. She desperately wanted to say something, literally just anything.

She let out a sigh.

Jeremiah's eyes glanced over to her. His eyes stayed on her face for a few seconds before returning to watch the road.

"Are you-" she paused, biting her lip. "Are you mad at me?"

Jeremiah let out a sigh and then shifted a bit in his seat. He didn't look over at Alianna. "No, I'm not mad." His answer was almost emotionless.

She studied his face more. She could tell that he was lying. He was most definitely mad at her. "You just have been acting like it." She softly spoke.

Jeremiah let out another sigh, then shrugged. "How am I supposed to act then?"

"I mean, I don't know, but probably not like this." she replied.

"Like what, huh?" he snapped.

Alianna's eyes widened. His tone was sharp and firm. She wasn't used to this side of Jeremiah.

    "Like you hate me or something" She barked, but tried to not sound hurt.

    Just as Jeremiah opened his mouth to speak all of a sudden a sound from below the car erupted. Most likely the tire had popped.

    "Shit!" Jeremiah uttered as the car came to a halt.

"Are you serious?" Ali's eyes widened and she sat up straight, looking forward.

"Great. This is just great." Jeremiah said sarcastically. He pulled the car over so it was off the road.

"Ugh, why is this happening?" Alianna groaned to herself.

    Jeremiah let out an irritated huff and shut the car off. "Probably, because we are in the middle of no where." He stated annoyingly. He got out of the car, slamming the door shut.

Alianna climbed out of the car not too long after.

Jeremiah crouched down and studied one of the front tires. He then pulled out his phone and dialled a number into it.

Alianna watched as he tried to call someone.

She didn't know who he was calling, "Who are you calling now?"

"Triple A, unless you know how to fix this mess?" Jeremiah spat once again.

"Jesus, alright there's no need to be angry." Ali replied. She was annoyed as well, by both the car and Jeremiah.

"I am allowed to be angry."

Alianna rolled her eyes. "Fine, but be angry at the car." She retorted back. The words sounded less intimidating than she imagined.

"No because I'm angry with you as well." He said angrily.

"Me?"

"Well why am I to blame, Huh?" Alianna questioned him. She knew there had been tension brewing up between them. It was only a matter of time until it came up.

Jeremiah stood up and faced the girl. "Where do you want me to start, Als" the boy said her name through gritted teeth. "I'm pissed about last summer."

Alianna's mood changed as soon as the sentence left his mouth.

    She was suddenly filled with rage from the memories. She felt her hands tremble, as she tried to fight back the thoughts.

    "Oh really? Is that what your so mad about?" she said sarcastically, hoping that the bitterness in her voice would cover up the fact that she was hurting inside.

"Ali, you were my best friend. We hooked up, then you went and hooked up with my brother. And then everyone expected for me to be fine with that and I wasn't."

    Alianna scoffed and rolled her eyes. The whole situation was so much more complicated then what Jeremiah made it out to be.

"Oh so now it's my fault?" she snapped, "And it's not like you would talk to me after everything. You completely shut me out. You couldn't stand being in the same room as me!"

Jeremiah gave a bitter scoff. "Yeah, because I was so pissed at you!" he threw his hands up in the air, "I didn't know how to act around you, I didn't know if I knew you anymore."

Alianna's breath caught in her throat and the anger from her expression disappeared.

    Jeremiah noticed as soon as the girl's face dropped. Alianna felt the tears prick her eyes. But she tried to stay strong. She let out a sigh and swallowed hard. Her heart was breaking. It hurt hearing him say that to her.

"Jeremiah," Alianna tried to sound firm but her voice quivered.

Jeremiah looked down at the girl, and her sad expression caused his heart to clench. He could see the pain in her eyes. And she could see the pain in his.

Jeremiah tried to look away from her face, but his gaze couldn't help but travel back to her.

She looked up and their eyes met again. All the anger from before melted away as they stared at each other.

"Jere." she spoke softly.

He didn't reply, he only stared at her. His heart beat raced, she was really all he could focus on in this moment.

"I'm sorry." The girl said softly, almost in a whisper.

Jeremiah's eyes remained locked on her face. He was taken aback for a second.

"I'm-" he was about to say something, but the honking of a car horn was heard. Jeremiah pulled his gaze away and peered over at the road. The help had finally arrived.