chapter twenty - eight

In a flashback summer when Belly is fourteen, Taylor pushes the group—Conrad, Jeremiah, Steven, and Belly—into truth or dare. After baiting Steven into admitting he reached third base with Claire Cho, Taylor teases about kissing and claims she'd kiss Belly, embarrassing her. Conrad’s dismissive comment heightens Belly’s discomfort.

Taylor dares Jeremiah to kiss someone. Jeremiah unexpectedly kisses Belly on the lips, stealing her first kiss to provoke Taylor. Belly feels humiliated and angry that such a milestone was taken in a joke, and that Jeremiah did it to get at Taylor. Steven storms out; Belly follows, vowing payback, while Conrad needles her, implying she liked it, which escalates Belly’s frustration.

The next morning by the pool, Belly spars with her mother, Laurel, about Taylor and friendship. Later, Jeremiah and Belly race in the pool, while Taylor pointedly comments from the sidelines, keeping tensions simmering.

At sunrise the following day, Belly discovers Taylor kissing Steven, not Jeremiah. Belly confronts them, calling out Steven’s hypocrisy and Taylor’s pattern of chasing the boys around her. Taylor pleads and claims long-standing feelings for Steven, but Belly accuses her of acting “slutty” and of not understanding Jeremiah. The confrontation marks a rupture in their friendship.

Afterward, Jeremiah and Belly quietly reconnect over a game of spit, agreeing the summer is better without Taylor’s drama. In the aftermath, Belly and Taylor remain friends but no longer best friends, and Steven returns to ignoring Taylor, acting as if nothing happened.