Summer, #1
The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
Contents
chapter fifteen
Overview
Rain traps everyone indoors, and Jeremiah proposes a movie to escape the gloom. Conrad refuses and isolates, while Steven walks out of the rom-com, leaving Jeremiah and Belly together. Sharing old Twizzler-straw rituals, they grow unexpectedly close, and Belly realizes Jeremiah may want to kiss her, complicating her loyalty to Conrad.
Summary
After three straight days of rain, Jeremiah grows restless and proposes a trip to the mall’s lone movie theater. Conrad refuses to come, continuing to withdraw into music and his room, which leaves Steven hurt as he prepares to leave soon on a college road trip with their father.
Belly, Jeremiah, and Steven choose a light romantic comedy by default. Five minutes in, Steven can’t stand it and leaves, expecting Jeremiah to follow. Instead, Jeremiah stays with Belly, signaling a quiet shift in allegiance and companionship.
When a large man blocks Belly’s view, Jeremiah swaps seats without hesitation. He steps out and returns with a soda and Twizzlers, fashioning candy straws from their childhood habit. They sip together, leaning close, and the intimacy stirs Belly’s awareness of their shared history and his gentle attentiveness.
In that closeness, Belly reads something new in Jeremiah’s smile and wonders if he wants to kiss her. The moment unsettles her, because she has always centered her feelings on Conrad and has only ever seen Jeremiah as her pal. The chapter ends with that emerging tension, as Belly recognizes a possible shift in her relationships.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel Conklin)Narrator; goes to a movie with Jeremiah, shares nostalgic Twizzler straws, senses he might want to kiss her.
- Jeremiah FisherRestless from rain; chooses to stay with Belly, swaps seats, revives Twizzler-straw ritual, creates unexpected romantic tension.
- Steven ConklinAnnoyed by the rom-com and leaves early; feelings hurt by Conrad’s isolation; plans upcoming college road trip.
- Conrad FisherWithdrawn and brooding; refuses the movie, stays in his room with guitar, deepening distance from others.