Summer, #1
The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han
Contents
chapter five
Overview
At the first-night dinner, family rituals resume but new tensions surface. Conrad drinks, rebuffs Susannah’s touch, and reveals he quit football and lifeguarding plans, signaling distance. Jeremiah lightens the mood and flirts with Belly. Belly’s memory of feeling younger and excluded underscores her evolving place among the boys.
Summary
The families share their traditional first-night bouillabaisse. Susannah pours wine for everyone, declaring summer officially begun. Conrad quickly downs his wine and corrects Susannah, then flinches from her touch, which Belly notices as a new strain. Jeremiah spots the moment and tries to redirect the table’s mood.
Jeremiah boasts about a fresh football scar and shows off his physique, prompting teasing from Conrad and Steven. In the banter, it emerges that Conrad quit football, surprising Belly and Steven. Conrad shrugs it off as boredom, reinforcing his detachment.
Jeremiah continues to play the clown and flirt with Belly, while Susannah and Laurel praise Belly’s loveliness, needling Steven. The group laughs over Jeremiah’s failed match with Taylor Jewel, and Jeremiah jokes that Conrad is the one “missing out.”
The conversation shifts to summer jobs: Jeremiah will lifeguard at the country club as planned, but Conrad has abruptly chosen to bus tables at the seafood buffet instead, another withdrawal from shared traditions. Belly recalls childhood visits to that buffet, when claiming the under-twelve price made her feel singled out and apart from the boys.
These memories emphasize Belly’s long-standing desire to belong equally. The evening ends with a mix of warmth and unease: Jeremiah’s levity softens the edges, but Conrad’s distance and changed plans hint at deeper issues, while Belly recognizes how much her place among them is changing.
Who Appears
- Belly (Isabel Conklin)Narrator; notices Conrad’s distance, responds to Jeremiah’s flirting, and reflects on past feelings of exclusion.
- Conrad FisherWithdrawn; drinks quickly, recoils from Susannah’s touch, reveals he quit football and lifeguarding plans.
- Jeremiah FisherPlayful mediator; shows off a scar, flirts with Belly, jokes to defuse tension around Conrad.
- Susannah (Beck) FisherGracious host; cooks bouillabaisse, pours wine, declares summer begun, praises Belly’s loveliness.
- Laurel ConklinBelly’s mother; shares wine with Susannah, joins the laughter, gently reins in Steven.
- Steven ConklinBelly’s brother; teases Belly, joins in banter, surprised by Conrad quitting football.