Summer, #1
The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
Contents
chapter nineteen
Overview
Steven departs for a college road trip with their father, leaving Belly unsettled by his parting warning and the imbalance without him. Watching Conrad and Jeremiah drive Steven away sharpens Belly’s awareness that change is imminent. Belly resolves to make this summer matter as Conrad heads to Brown and Jeremiah eyes football camp.
Summary
Belly watches Steven pack for a college road trip with their father, feeling unexpectedly sad about his leaving. She bargains for a Princeton sweatshirt and endures Steven’s teasing about her crush on Conrad, revealing both sibling friction and affection.
Early the next morning, Conrad and Jeremiah drive Steven to the airport. Steven hugs Belly and pointedly warns her not to do anything stupid, a remark Belly senses is meaningful but doesn’t fully grasp. She lets him go without arguing, determined not to sour his departure.
Left alone on the porch, Belly sits with her sadness and considers how Steven’s absence disturbs the house’s equilibrium. His role as buffer made things feel stable; without him, the dynamic shifts.
Reflecting on the future, Belly acknowledges that Conrad will soon start at Brown and might not return next summer, while Jeremiah may attend football camp. Recognizing that change is inevitable and her sixteenth birthday is approaching, Belly resolves to make this summer count in case it’s their last one like this.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel)Narrator; saddened by Steven’s departure and resolves to make the summer count amid impending change.
- StevenBelly’s brother; packs and leaves for a college trip, warns her not to do anything stupid.
- ConradDrives Steven to the airport; impending move to Brown underscores the group’s uncertain future.
- JeremiahDrives Steven to the airport; potential football camp symbolizes diverging paths.
- Belly and Steven’s DadGoing on a college road trip with Steven; his plans prompt Steven’s departure.