The Summer I Turned Pretty, #2
It's Not Summer Without You
by Jenny Han
Contents
Chapter Twenty
Overview
On July 4 in Cousins, Belly wakes to memories and resolves to finish the mission: get Conrad back to school. After calls with Taylor and her mother, Belly and Jeremiah confront Conrad over dropping out. Belly challenges Conrad’s abandoned doctor plan, but he shuts down and leaves, keeping the house tense and unresolved.
Summary
On July 4, Belly wakes in the beach house and momentarily pretends life is unchanged—Susannah alive, her family nearby—before accepting it’s make-believe. Seeing Jeremiah and Conrad surfing gives Belly hope that Conrad might still return to school, letting her retreat home to an ordinary summer.
Belly calls Taylor, who criticizes the trip and urges Belly to reclaim power by making Conrad want her and then rejecting him. Belly recognizes the appeal but doubts it would work. Belly then calls her mother, lies that she’s still at Taylor’s, and senses her mother’s relief to be left alone with grief.
Downstairs, Belly joins Jeremiah and Conrad over warm dirt bombs. When Jeremiah tries to set plans, Conrad suggests they leave early to beat traffic—without him. Jeremiah pushes back, warning that missing Monday exams will get Conrad kicked out and that he’s been running away.
Belly presses harder, asking how Conrad will become a doctor without college. Startled, Conrad denies ever choosing that path and refuses to explain. Instead, he comments on Belly’s sugared face and heads back to the ocean, dodging the confrontation.
After Conrad leaves, Jeremiah vents his frustration. Belly and Jeremiah acknowledge Conrad shuts down when pushed, yet they cling to the dwindling time before exams. The mood of the house remains governed by Conrad’s withdrawal, leaving their mission unresolved and the stakes for Monday looming.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel Conklin)Narrator; reminisces, lies to her mother, calls Taylor, and directly challenges Conrad about his future.
- Conrad FisherWithdrawn and evasive; refuses to return for exams, denies past plans to be a doctor, escapes confrontation.
- Jeremiah FisherPushes Conrad to go back for exams; frustrated by Conrad’s shutdown but determined to keep trying.
- Taylor JewelOn the phone; urges Belly to seize control and emotionally outmaneuver Conrad; agrees to cover Belly’s lie.
- Laurel (Belly’s mother)On the phone; accepts Belly’s cover story, revealing her desire to grieve privately.