Dear Journal, so as it turns out, Conrad was in Cousins, he's fine, all things considered. But I'd never seen Jeremiah that mad before.

It was... weird, not to mention Belly being there, I hadn't seen or heard from her since Susannah's funeral. Which, I'll probably write about later.

It's still kind of hard to write or even talk about it, so many reminders of the woman I got to know and the similarities with Catherine and her funeral.

Oh, and to top off the already shitty sundae, the reason Conrad went awol was because he found out that he and Jeremiah were going to lose the house.

Since I've got some time I'll write it all down now. Because, boy, a lot happened yesterday.

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Matt stood off to the side, his eyes bouncing between the three of them. Staying silent, soaking in as much information as he can.

"So this is why you haven't answered any of my phone calls and texts?" Jeremiah asked.

Conrad exhaled in frustration, "Jere. Jere. Did you not hear what I just said? We're going to lose this house. Mom's house."

Belly asked the question that was ringing in Matt's mind, "Why would your dad sell this house?"

"He's not. Our Aunt Julia is." Conrad replied.

He corrected, "Half sister. Apparently, the house belonged to the both of them. And then when Mom... Now Aunt Julia owns the whole thing, so..."

Jeremiah piped up, "Okay, we'll just call Dad and figure something out. That's it."

Conrad pointed out, "You think I haven't already done that? He says legally the house is hers."

"Okay, then he'll buy it." Jeremiah suggested.

Conrad raised his voice, "He doesn't have the money to buy it. Between Brown and the medical bills and the.."

Jeremiah did the same, "Yeah, I know how much the medical bills cost because I was there."

"How long did you know about this and not tell me?"

The older Fisher sighed, "Jere, this was all happening so fast. I was going to tell you after I'd taken care of it."

Jeremiah chuckled in disbelief, "And this is you taking care of it? Going AWOL, ditching school, not talking to us."

"F*** school! I don't care!" Conrad exclaimed.

"Connie, you have to go back or you'll fail your class." Jeremiah said, reminding him about his final.

"How are you going to become a doctor if you fail out of college, Conrad?" Belly asked.

Matt noticed something, Conrad refused to look at her, he didn't know much, but their break up was bad. "You have no idea what you're talking about." He said.

Jeremiah furrowed his brows, "Seriously? We went to Brown to check on your ass. I called Matt at two in the morning to see if he could check the house."

"You know what? I didn't think you'd pull this shit again. But you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself."

He didn't wait for his brother's response before turning on his heels, shutting the front door and  heading to his room upstairs. Matt locked eyes with Belly and pointed to the ceiling.

She nodded her head and Matt followed him, finding the teen pacing back and forth. Matt walked in and shut the door behind him.

"I can't believe him. He pulled this disappearing act, and only now claims he was trying to do the right thing."

Matt listened, "I've already lost my mom. Losing this house would mean I'm losing her all over again."

Jeremiah ran his hand through his brunet curls, "I understand his side, and before you yell at me. He didn't want to burden you with that stress."

"Yes, the way he went about it was pretty much useless. But he wasn't doing it to intentionally hurt you. I know you're pissed, frankly I am too."

"But you've gotta work together. Neither of you can do it alone, and you're all that you've got."

He could tell Jeremiah was taking in what he was saying, but that didn't mean he was going to follow through.

He stopped in his tracks, going to his closet, taking out bed sheets. Matt looked out the window, seeing the sun start to set, its once golden glow shifting into an orange hue.

Meanwhile Jeremiah was trying yet failing to make the bed, Matt offered to help but Jeremiah waved him off. "Alright, if you're so sure." He teased.

He watched on for a few minutes before Jeremiah gave up and flopped down on the bed, Matt shook his head fondly.

He took a place above Jeremiah's head, Belly then appeared in the doorway, "You'd think someone would have invented an easier system by now."

Jeremiah retorted, "If I wasn't so f***ing tired, I'd probably leave tonight."

Belly stalked further into the room, "My mom would always fix everything up before we got here."

She sat down next to him as he sat up, "Yeah. The house feels different without her in it." That statement resonated in Matt's soul.

"I'm still so pissed at Conrad. I mean, what is he even talking about with this whole house thing?" Jeremiah asked.

Belly turned to him, "I think it's real."

He saw Jeremiah deflate, "Shit." Then flop back down on the mattress, feeling his hair brush against his cheek.

Belly laughed softly, "You're just going to sleep on it like that, aren't you?"

"Yep." He replied, popping the P.

Matt raised his hand, waving his imaginary white flag, "I tried helping, he was too stubborn and didn't want it."

Belly laughed at that, "Sounds like Jere."

A beat of silence passed, as Belly stood up, getting ready to leave the room, "Hey, Belly?"

She turned around to face him, "Yeah?"

He propped himself up, "Um, thank you for coming with me."

"I don't know what went on between you and Conrad, but I know it couldn't have been easy to be here. I'm glad I don't have to do this alone."

She smiled, "Yeah, I'm glad I came too." They wished each other goodnight, and then she was gone.

Matt sighed, Jeremiah took one look at him, and turned on his side, "Don't think I forgot about you."

"Jere..." But the boy cut him off.

"No, I'm serious. I know I haven't been a good friend. Me calling you and seeing if you could check on Connie was a lot to ask."

Matt saw the genuine look in his eyes, "So thank you for everything, and I'm sorry."

Instead of arguing, he decided to smile softly, "No problem Jeremiah."

Matt took out his phone, seeing that it was already eight o'clock in the evening, "I um, I should probably get going."

He began to sit up then stand up, when he felt Jeremiah's hand catch his wrist, "Wait, stay."

"Jere, I can't do that. I don't want to annoy your brother." Matt said.

"If he's annoyed, then I'll deal with him. We haven't hung out or talked in a while. Which is mainly on me." He said, meekly.

Matt looked down, Jeremiah was still holding his wrist, "Please, Matt. I want to hear about everything that's happened since I've been gone."

He thought about it, it would be nice to talk, but he couldn't get rid of that gnawing feeling in the back of his throat.

Sighing, Matt sat back down, "Okay, fine. But only because you asked politely."

Jeremiah grinned and they talked for the next few hours, before Matt noticed along the way that Jeremiah fell asleep.

He looked so... peaceful and relaxed, he quietly got up and slipped out the room, being sure to turn out the light.

He looked and saw Belly walking to her room, noting it was too late to drive home and the fact that he was tired.

"Hey, Belly. Is there anywhere I could crash?" He whispered.

She nodded her head, "Yeah, you can take Steven's room right there. I'll get you some blankets."

He waited a few minutes before she returned blankets in hand, he thanked her and he went to Steven's room.

He slipped off his shoes and laid the blankets down on the bed. Before he passed out, he texted his dad about where he was, that he was safe, and he'd see him later in the day. 

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The next morning, Matt woke up, almost forgetting where he was, then remembered what had transpired the night previously.

He yawned, getting up out of bed and opening the door. It was quiet, he made his way downstairs. Seeing Belly and Jeremiah in the kitchen.

He looked his way and Matt shifted on his feet, "Oh sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." He apologized.

"It's fine, it's just.. You know, he keeps saying he's going to figure things out. He hasn't figured out shit." He said, sitting down.

"Can.. Can you talk some sense into him? You are the only person that can get through to Conrad."

Belly shrugged slightly, shaking her head, "Uh, Conrad may have listened to me at one point, but I don't think he cares what I think anymore."

The Fisher boy accepted her reply, "Mm. Did you sleep okay Matt?" Jeremiah questioned.

Matt joined the two, sitting next to his friend, "Yeah, I slipped out of your room when you fell asleep. I couldn't drive so I crashed in Steven's room. Hope that was okay?"

Jeremiah nudged his shoulder, "I was the one who asked you to stay, besides Steven isn't here, don't worry about it."

Belly stated, "I'm hungry. Are you... you guys hungry?" As she walked over to the pantry.

Finding it empty, "Man, Susannah used to have this place filled to the brim before we got here." Taking what she had in her hand and throwing it out.

Matt looked at him, "Remember when I came over, brought my keyboard, and played every request she could come up with?"

He started to laugh, "Even when we were supposed to make cookies the next day?"

Jeremiah chuckled, "Yeah, you told me your fingers were aching for two weeks after that. To the point where I was making all the cookies."

Matt smiled to himself, reminiscing about it, that was one of Susannah's good days.

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"Oh you play piano?" Susannah asked.

"Yeah, well, I don't play much anymore." He replied sheepishly.

Susannah smiled, he knew what she was gonna ask, but he let her anyway. "Could you play something, please?"

He sat down on the couch, brushing over the keys, "Got any requests?"

She hummed, thinking of her answer, "Anything you want sweetheart, I'm your audience."

"I.. I don't sing in front of people. So I'll just play something my mom likes." He relaxed his fingers, and began playing.

Susannah recognized the song, she hummed along, but Matt didn't dare look at her.

Letting the music fill the room. Jeremiah came into the room, standing behind his mom.

He'd never heard Matt play the piano before. But he watched on as his friend played the instrument.

This was the happiest he'd seen his mom in a while, maybe having Matt around was good for both of them after all.

Matt finished his song and stopped, turning and seeing both Fisher's looking at him, mesmerized.

Jeremiah noticed his cheeks were flushed, like he was embarrassed that the blue eyed boy was watching.

"'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' huh?" Susannah asked.

Matt nodded his head, "Yeah, my mom really likes Elton John. I learned that for her birthday some years ago."

"I think it was awesome Matt." Jeremiah praised.

Matt smiled softly, "Thanks Jere."

Susannah inquired, "Are you coming over tomorrow?"

"As long as you're not sick of me." Matt joked.

Jeremiah shook his head, "Never. She's asking cause we're baking a new cookie recipe and she needs another taste tester."

"You had me at cookies." Matt replied.

Susannah got up heading to the kitchen, "Then it's settled. You are staying for dinner."

Jeremiah and Matt followed her, with the taller boy leaning and whispering. "It's best if you don't say no."

Matt chuckled, "Sure Ms. Fisher. Thank you for having me. Anything I can do to help?"

"You and Jeremiah can set the table." She stated.

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He blinked his eyes focusing on the present, Jeremiah turned his attention to Belly, "I can get something. Can make some frittatas. The grocery store is right next to Ocean Harbor."

Belly walked back over to the boys, a smile on her face, "We're going to find Aunt Julia."

Jeremiah matched her, "We're going to find Aunt Julia." Raising his fist for her to bump, to which she did.

"All right." Belly said.

Looking at Matt, Jeremiah smirked. "So, are you up for an adventure?"

His gaze shifted from both of them, seeing the mischievous glint in their eyes. The temptation was too hard to resist. "Screw it. Let's go."

The three of them jumped up, got freshened up, Jeremiah sparing him some clothes to change into. And they all jumped into Jeremiah's jeep.

Pulling out of the driveway, and getting breakfast first on the way, "So what's our game plan with Julia, huh?" Belly asked.

Jeremiah hummed in response As she continued, "Sneak attack? Bribery? Murder?"

"A little arson sprinkled in maybe?" Matt suggested from the backseat, his voice monotone.

Jeremiah looked at him through the rearview mirror, "Damn Walsh, never thought I'd hear that come out of your mouth."

"But wow. Um, I was thinking that we just play to my strengths." He said.

Belly looked down at her lap where the bouquet of flowers rested, "So charm offensive. Hence the flowers."

"Exactly." He confirmed.

"You know I wish I had more to go on, but she and my mom weren't exactly close."

"I mean, the last time I saw her and Skye, I was probably, like, seven, eight years old." He explained.

Belly pondered at the revelation, "Wow, that's a long time."

"Yeah." Jeremiah replied quietly.

"You know, I remember Susannah telling me that it was her big sister who convinced her that she could be an artist."

Jeremiah smiled, glancing over at her, "Really? You know, honestly, I don't really remember much about her, so I'll.. I'll just wing it."

"And knowing Conrad, he probably took the righteous anger route when he talked with her."

Jeremiah joked, "And I'm sure that went over like gangbusters."

Belly averted her gaze to the window, "Yeah, Conrad's never been good at putting on a happy face when he's not feeling it."

"You know, Conrad just pushes people away when he needs them most." From what little Matt had observed, he agreed.

As a collective, every person on the planet has done that at some point in time. Jeremiah sighed, "There's only so many times I can take being pushed. It's f***ing exhausting."

Matt was worried, "As much as I love your go with the flow optimism Jere, what happens if this half baked plan doesn't work?"

"We'll figure something else out." The Fisher boy answered.

Matt nodded his head, they continued driving until they arrived at their destination. He was hesitant to get out of the car, seeing as how he didn't know Jeremiah's aunt.

All he knew was she was trying to take their home away, a place Susannah loved, where they created so many memories.

The three of them got out of the jeep, as Jeremiah was attempting to hype himself up. They got to her door, and he knocked.

A blonde haired woman answered the door, "Can I help you?" She asked.

Jeremiah put on the charm, grinning and hugging her, "Aunt Julia. Oh, my god! Uh, um, Conrad told me you were here."

"It's.. It's been so long. Just wanted to say hi." He greeted.

"Jeremiah. And...?" She turned her attention to Belly and Matt.

"Um, Belly Conklin. Isabel. I'm Laurel Park's daughter, Susannah's best friend." Belly said.

She looked at Matt, "I'm Matt Walsh, just a friend of theirs."

Julia was shocked to say the least, noticing his features, his eyes to be specific. Belly passed him the flowers, "Uh, I got these hydrangeas for you from my mom's garden."

He handed them to her, "I was just wondering if we could have a second to talk?"

But Julia saw right through him, "Is this about the house?"

Jeremiah chuckled, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, but I've decided to move on ahead with the sale. Actually, we're.. we're gonna have an open house tomorrow."

Matt saw how Jeremiah's smile dropped, Belly stepped in, "Um, uh, you have to know how.. how much the house means to Jeremiah and Conrad and me and my family."

"I mean, you spent summers there as a kid, right?" She inquired.

Julia confirmed she had a few times. "Yeah, I mean, then, you know, why would you want to let go of such a.. a magical place?"

The blonde smiled, "I remember Susannah calling it that."

Jeremiah shook his head, "You know, I.. I don't understand how you can just get rid of something your sister loved so much."

His aunt leaned her hand against the doorframe, "It's not personal."

Matt could tell Jeremiah was getting angry, "Yeah, I bet."

The woman seemed annoyed herself, "Are you suggesting that I gift the house to you?"

Belly interjected before the conversation got worse, and Matt placed his hand on Jeremiah's shoulder.

"Then I.. I think you and your brother should sort this out with your dad."

"I'm certain you have the resources, but I can't put off a sale while I wait for you to get your ducks in a row." She stated.

"I have to be back at work in a week. I barely got the time off as it is."

"So that's why you didn't make it to the funeral?" The glint in her eyes softened.

"Something like that." Matt didn't really believe her, so he kept that in the back of his mind.

A voice called out from behind her, it turned out to be Skye, looking a lot different from the last time he saw her.

He introduced his friends, before the three of them were essentially sent away. They got in the car, driving back. The ride was silent in the beginning.

"So... what are you thinking about now?" Belly asked.

Jeremiah gripped the steering wheel, "That I'm an idiot for thinking I could change Aunt Julia's mind."

Belly took a hold of his hand, "Hey, you had to try."

She removed her hand, "It's all up to Conrad now and whether or not he can convince Dad to dip into his trust."

He scoffed, "That's gonna go over well."

Belly faced him, "It's still bad between them?" Jeremiah gave her a knowing look.

She suggested, "You know, you and Conrad should talk to your dad together."

Jeremiah refused, "No, he's gonna try and do it alone, and I'm sick of fighting with him."

'Does he not remember our talk from last night?' Matt thought.

Belly threw up her hands, "All right, then don't. I mean, you know, with Adam here, you two need to be on the same team."

Jeremiah agreed, "Yeah, I'll give it a shot."

Matt chimed in, "And whatever happens, we've got your backs."

He watched as both of them smiled, but Belly's disappeared. She got a text from her volleyball teammates, a list of everything they needed to bring to the camp.

She told them how she blew it at regionals, and after promising Taylor she'd go, now she was doubting if she should.

But Jeremiah stopped her, "No, you're doing the camp, okay? If I have to deal with Conrad, then you are gonna show up for your team. Deal?"

"Deal. Mmhmm." He was satisfied with her answer, and when she admitted she really missed him, Matt felt a pang in his chest.

It's not that he didn't like Belly, she was nice and he liked getting to know her, from what Lindsey's told him about her she was a sweet girl.

But he did feel a little jealous, she's known Jeremiah longer than him, so they knew each other insanely well.

Maybe he could talk to Lindsey and get to the bottom of it, so he texted her asking to meet up at his house. She agreed, plus he didn't want to intrude more than he had.

They pulled into the driveway and parked, Matt got out and paused, "I've gotta head out, but I'll see you guys later."

Jeremiah looked at him, "Okay, uh, Belly give me a second." She nodded her head, smiling softly and waving goodbye.

"Thanks for trying to help talking with Aunt Julia. I honestly felt like I was gonna explode." He thanked.

"I didn't do much talking to be fair." Matt replied.

Jeremiah rubbed the back of his neck, "You being there helped me keep my cool." He admitted.

Matt felt his cheeks flush, as they stood in comfortable silence, before Matt broke it, "Well, I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later Matty." He turned and walked away, and while Matt got in his car, he was left stunned, he hadn't heard that nickname for a while.

Not since the funeral.

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Matt didn't think that in less than two years he'd have to attend another funeral, he knew all of the steps, he'd been through it before.

He imagined he'd have to do it a lot over the many years of his life. That didn't mean it was any less easier.

He told his parents he'd be fine on his own. Though they did send him with flowers out of courtesy. Of course Lindsey went with him, she knew he was putting on a brave face.

Taking his hand, they walked up the steps into the house, being greeted by Laurel and Belly's dad. There were so many people around, chatting.

None of them neither he nor Lindsey recognized, Matt took a deep breath, walking further into the house. He saw Steven and the duo made their way to him.

"Steven, hey." Matt said, watching as the older boy made eye contact.

He wore a thin smile, though the sadness in his eyes told a different story. "Hey Matt, Lindsey, thanks for coming."

"No problem, how're you holding up?" Matt asked.

"As well as I can be." He replied.

Steven cleared his throat, "If you're looking for Jeremiah, he's upstairs. Seeing you might cheer him up."

He glanced at Lindsey and she nudged him insistently, "Go, I'll keep Steven company."

"Up the stairs and to the right." Steven informed.

Matt stored that in his mind, weaving around clusters of mourners, he noticed how their tears streamed down their faces.

Susannah seemed to have touched them in ways Matt hoped would happen for everyone that passed on.

The teen stood in front of the room where his friend was, taking a deep breath, and knocking softly on the door. He heard a muffled voice call out.

Inching the door open a bit, he saw Jeremiah hunched over, his head resting in his hands. He stalked into the room, setting the small vase on a desk.

Jeremiah lifted his head, noticing his presence, Matt took in his features, his eyes were red and  glossed over, tear stained cheeks, and sniffling.

His heart broke at the sight, Matt sat next to him, letting the silence take over. After being in Jeremiah's shoes, there wasn't much he could say to make him feel better.

His actions would say more than his words, so he faced his palm up, waiting for Jeremiah to take it, eventually he did.

Intertwining his fingers with Matt's and laying his hand upon his shoulder. It was that quiet 'I'm here' that Jeremiah was thankful for.

Neither of them spoke, not for a while, but Jeremiah was the first. His voice barely above a whisper, "Thank you, Matty."

Feeling the other boy cuddle further into his shoulder, "You don't need to thank me Jere."

Jeremiah sighed, "I know, but still... thank you."

Matt squeezed his hand, "You're welcome." The moment didn't last, when they heard a loud commotion.

Exiting the room, standing at the base of the stairs everyone's eyes were on Belly and Conrad. Arguing, ending when Belly ran out of the house.

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Matt parked his car besides his dad's, seeing Lindsey was already there. He walked inside and found her playing tug of war with Sam.

He chuckled at the sight, "Hey, you two." Sam whipped his head and rushed toward him.

He petted him furiously, "Hi buddy, I know I was gone forever."

Lindsey set the toy down and walked to him, "Let's go up to your room so you can fill me in."

They did just that, going up to Matt's room, with Sam in tow and he filled her in on everything that had happened.

She took in all the information, "Okay, so there's so much to unpack with that. Holy shit."

He scoffed lightly, "Yeah, no kidding."

Sitting on the bed, with her legs crossed and Matt laid across next to her. Lindsey looked at him, "You're starting to crush on him again."

His eyes widened, "No." but Lindsey wasn't buying it, giving him her signature 'bullshit' look.

Matt groaned, his hands lying to cover his face, "Damn it Linds, why are you always right?!"

Lindsey laughed, "Because I know you really well."

The boy forcefully pushed out a puff of air, "This can't happen, I've been working to stop this."

She shook her head, "That's not how feelings work Matthew."

He rolled his eyes, "I know, it's just.. he pushed me away Lindsey. I hadn't heard from until he called me a couple nights ago."

"He got his heart broken by Belly, and they're just now repairing their friendship. I don't want to swoop in and be the hero."

Lindsey sighed, "I understand that, and I don't want you to get hurt, but you can't deny your feelings."

She advised, "If he's not interested in Belly, then put out those feelers. If he's still hung up on her, you'll have your answer and can move on.

"But you also have to talk about how you felt when he pushed you away. That's part of where your resentment comes from."

Matt thought about it, and again, she was right, he did have to admit he was still mad at Jeremiah for ghosting him.

"Okay, you're right, but that conversation is on the back burner. He and Conrad are dealing with some shit."

She crossed her arms, "If he hurts you, I'm kicking his ass."

Matt laughed, "I believe you."

Her expression changed, and her eyes lit up, "Let's go to the boardwalk tomorrow!" She exclaimed.

"Sure, sounds good." He replied, listening to her rave about how much fun it'll be, if only he knew.

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The End of Chapter 3