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Summary
Chapter Twenty-Four
In the days following the house party, Conrad acts as though nothing happened between Belly and him. He treats her like a little sister as usual. Cam invites Belly to the drive-in movies, and she wonders if they will finally kiss. She remembers spying on Conrad and his date at the drive-in theater one previous summer, and she wishes that Steven and Jeremiah were somewhere out in the darkness spying on her now. During her date with Cam, Belly is disappointed by the lack of physical contact. However, after he drives her home, he kisses her for the first time.
Chapter Twenty-Five
When Belly returns from her date, she overhears Susannah and Laurel fighting. Their argument reminds her of a time the two women had a disagreement the previous summer. Susannah wanted to buy Belly a purple chiffon dress as a treat, but Laurel would not allow it. She said that Belly would have no use for a dress that fancy or expensive. At the end of that summer, Belly found the dress hidden in her suitcase and assumed Susannah had left it as a secret present.
As Belly enters the summer house, she hears Susannah telling her friend to stop trying to manage her life. Belly asks the women why they’re arguing. They insist nothing is wrong, but Belly can tell from Laurel’s posture and silence that something is.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It is the first week of August, which is when Mr. Fisher typically comes to Cousins Beach for a short visit. However, Susannah informs them that he can’t make the trip this summer. Belly later learns from Conrad that his parents are getting a divorce. Although Belly is surprised, Conrad seems unfazed. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is upset about the end of his parents’ marriage. He tells Belly not to tell Laurel because the boys are not supposed to know. As she consoles Jeremiah, Belly realizes the divorce explains the recent changes in Conrad’s behavior.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Susannah asks Belly to invite Cam for dinner at the summer house. The next night, Conrad does not dine with them, choosing to play guitar in his room instead. Jeremiah teases Cam about the fact that he’s vegan and Belly is not, and he asks if Cam minds kissing her even though she eats meat. Cam says he does not mind then demonstrates by giving Belly a quick kiss at the dinner table. Later as they walk along the beach, Cam asks Belly which of the brothers was her first kiss. He knows it happened during the summer and deduces it must have been one of the Fishers. Cam thinks it was likely Conrad because of the way the older brother looks at her, but Belly corrects him and says her first kiss was with Jeremiah.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Eight focuses on the summer Belly is fourteen and her best friend Taylor visits the beach house. During a game of truth or dare, Taylor dares Jeremiah to kiss someone in the room. She and Jeremiah have been flirting, and she expects him to kiss her. However, he surprises everyone by kissing Belly instead. It is Belly’s first kiss, and she’s mortified that it took place in front of her brother and Conrad.
Two days later, Belly catches Taylor kissing Steven on the beach and quickly becomes angry. When her brother calls her response a temper tantrum, Belly tells him to “go to hell.” Taylor later reveals she’s had a crush on Steven for some time. However, Belly blames her friend for hurting Jeremiah and calls her “slutty.” By the time Taylor’s visit ends, the two girls have repaired their relationship. However, their friendship is never quite the same after that summer.
Analysis
Belly’s relationship with Susannah prevents her from having a closer connection with her own mother. The teenager bonds with her mother’s friend about clothing, boys, and other interests. For example, Susannah is eager to hear about Belly’s date with Cam after the evening at the drive-in theater. Belly believes that her mother does not share her interests t. As a result, when she discovers the purple chiffon dress in her suitcase at the end of the previous summer, she assumes Susannah was the one who gifted her the dress as a surprise. Later, Belly discovers that Laurel purchased the dress showing that her mother knows her better than Belly thinks. The teenager can’t always see this, though, due to her bond with Susannah. One reason that Belly has such a tight bond with Susannah is that her mother’s friend was “so good at making people feel special.” She feels she can talk to Susannah in ways that she can’t always speak with her mother. When Laurel says that she misses having Belly around the house because her daughter has been spending time with Cam, Belly is annoyed because coming from Laurel, the comment sounds like criticism. Belly does not feel that same pressure in her relationship with Susanna.
Belly’s ties to the Fisher brothers make her relationship with Cam impossible. Although Belly and Cam like each other, their connection can’t match what she feels for the Fisher brothers. Cam and Belly lack physical chemistry. During their date at the drive-in theater, they do not sit close together or exchange glances. She notes that they do not share a laugh when something funny happens during the film, the way she would if she were with Jeremiah. In fact, Cam and Belly do not touch each other at all until the end of the date when he kisses her for the first time, showing a lack of comfort and familiarity between them. Over the weeks, as the relationship builds, Cam remains slow and careful with her. Belly finds his approach sweet, but she also can’t help remembering how she caught Jeremiah kissing a girl on the beach last summer. The interaction between Jeremiah and the girl seemed frantic and passionate, which Belly has yet to experience with Cam. The lack of heat between Cam and Belly is partly due to Cam moving slowly. But it is also due to Belly’s feelings for Conrad and Jeremiah. She can’t progress with Cam while she remains bonded with the brothers.
Due to insecurity, Belly has difficulty accepting the fact that she has always been attractive. During her drive-in date with Cam, he confides that he noticed her during the Latin convention several years ago because she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Belly, however, finds it impossible to believe that anyone would have found her attractive then. She remembers wearing thick glasses and having chubby cheeks. Cam, on the other hand, remembers in detail how the dress she wore made her gray eyes appear blue, which drew him to her. In a flashback to the summer that Taylor came to visit, Taylor declares that Belly is “turning hot before your very eyes” to the boys. Belly responds with shock and embarrassment. To her, being seen as “pretty” is a recent phenomenon that makes her feel awkward and comfortable. As a result, she reacts with embarrassment when her friends discuss her looks and appearance. Again, “turning pretty” is as much about Belly realizing her own worth as it is about her appearance
