Love Sick

Love Sick is the third episode of the second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. It aired on July 14, 2023 on Prime Video.

Synopsis[]

The summer house is for sale, but Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad won’t let it go so easily. While Conrad works on a secret plan, Belly and Jeremiah try a more direct route. But being back in Cousins with the Fisher brothers means Belly can’t escape painful memories of the past year.

Plot[]

Belly's confused as to why Adam is selling the house. But Adam's not the one selling, their aunt Julia legally owns the house now that Susannah is dead. Jeremiah is mad that Conrad didn't tell him about any of this sooner. He wants Conrad to go back to school, but Conrad refuses as he doesn't care. Jeremiah accuses him of being selfish and leaves. Belly talks to Conrad, explaining they are both worried about him. He found out about the house two days ago. It was like losing his mom all over again. He plans to use his trust fund as a down payment.

Belly walks along the beach as she muses over the beauty of this particular sunset and how it matches the beauty in the world ten times over. She can feel the tension of the day drifting away and out to sea. She wants to memorize it all because she never knows when she'll see a place or a person.

Jeremiah fails to make his bed, so he lays on it. Belly sits next to him. He's still mad at Conrad, and she chuckles about him sleeping on the bed while half-made. He stops her before she leaves to thank her for coming with him. He doesn't know what went down with her and Conrad, but it couldn't be easy for her to be there. He's glad he doesn't have to do this alone. She's glad she came too. They say goodnight and Belly goes to her room. The hardest part of being there isn't Conrad, but it's facing that Susannah isn't there anymore. She goes for a late-night swim, emerging to find Conrad sitting on the edge. She doesn't pretend she's in the Olympics anymore. He doesn't think she'd notice if the house were on fire when she's swimming, it's like she's somewhere else. That's what she likes about it. She goes back to swimming and when she surfaces, Conrad isn't there.

In the morning, Conrad tells Belly and Jeremiah that Julia is here now. It doesn't matter why she's here now because it's serious. He stalks off to make calls. Jeremiah asks Belly to talk some sense into him, as she's the only one who can get through to Conrad.

Belly flashes back to last year when she and Conrad prepare for prom. Laurel comes down and Belly reminds Conrad they have to pitch in together for the hotel room so they can hang out with their friends. Laurel teases Belly about it on her way upstairs. Belly asks if he wants her to order his tux, but he's got it. They hug and he tells her about his mom's doctors putting her on new meds, which means the old ones stopped working. Belly knows Laurel gets upset when Susannah isn't doing well, and since she's jovial, that must mean things are okay. The med change could mean Susannah is doing better but needs a smaller dose. The hug again and Belly recalls that while she didn't know it then, she was already losing him.

Now, Belly isn't sure Conrad cares what she thinks anymore. She throws away a can of cocoa while she and Jeremiah make a plan to get food and find Aunt Julia.

Steven checks his messages from Conrad but sees nothing new. Laurel prepares to leave for New York. She asks if he's heard from Belly, and he has, though only one-word answers. He convinces her not to go check on Belly. Laurel reminds him of his chores and then leaves. Taylor is running when she answers a call from Steven, who is going to Cousins. He was going to let Belly handle it on her own but lied that Conrad asked him to go. She decides to go with him to Cousins.

Belly and Jeremiah make a plan on how to woo Aunt Julia. The last time he saw Julia and Skye he was eight. Belly remembers Susannah telling her that Julia made her think she could be an artist. Jeremiah is sure Conrad tried the anger route. Belly muses that he's never been good at putting on a fake happy face.

She flashes back to prom night when Laurel is taking pictures of the group while on FaceTime with Susannah. As the girls show the corsages to Susannah, Conrad realizes he forgot Belly's corsage in his dorm fridge. Once at prom, Steven and Taylor dance with their dates. Steven tells Conrad to ask his sister to dance. Conrad finally does, but he's distant while they dance. He asks her to go somewhere else where they can talk, but she wants to stay there for a while. He might go back to school tonight for an exam. He offers to drop her off at the after-prom. He worries he'll ruin the rest of the night for her if he stays. He leads her outside to talk while Steven and Taylor watch. She asks him not to shut her out. He feels like he's disappointing her all day, and he can't go back inside with her. She follows him into the rain because if he won't say it then she will - that they're over. He doesn't want her to leave things like this, but he's the one leaving it like this. She takes off her necklace and runs back to the door, where Steven finds her sobbing. He embraces her as Conrad puts the necklace in his pocket. When she looks over, he's driving out of the parking lot.

Now, Belly tells Jeremiah that Conrad pushes people away when he needs them the most. There are only so many times Jere can be pushed before he's done. They pull into a motel and knock on Julia's door with flowers. They greet Julia, who guesses they want to talk about the house. She's having an open house the next day. Belly tries to talk her out of selling a magical place, but it's not personal. Skye joins everyone at the doorway, just before Julia closes the door. In the car, Jeremiah doubts Conrad can talk to their dad about dipping into his trust fund since things are still bad between them. She suggests they talk to Adam together to show a united front, and he reluctantly agrees. She opens up about what happened at regionals to get her captaincy revoked; all she could think about was Susannah. They make a deal - he'll deal with Conrad while she shows up for her team at camp.

Taylor texts while Steven drives and he tries to eavesdrop on her texting. He brings up Milo and if he's cool with them traveling together after what happened last summer. She diminishes it to just a two-second kiss. Milo asks Taylor how long she'll be gone as he needs her. Steven picks up on the tension and asks her about it, calling him dumb as he does. She snaps back that he's one of the entitled assholes that go to Ivy schools, especially after he berated Belly.

Jeremiah and Belly arrive at the beach house as Conrad comes back from the beach. Jeremiah reveals they saw Aunt Julia and it didn't go well. Belly takes the groceries inside so the boys can talk. They make small talk about waves until Jeremiah offers to be there with Conrad when he calls Dad. There's no more doing things alone, and he's going to use his trust too.

Taylor and Steven stop at a store and she offers to drive the last leg. She doesn't think he's a shitty brother, just that he comes across as thinking he's better than everyone, including her. He doesn't think that at all. He thinks she's one of the smartest people he knows. She wants to know what's going on with him. He asks if Belly really thinks he doesn't care about Susannah's death, and Taylor assures him that she doesn't. He misses Susannah but is really excited for Princeton, worrying it makes him an asshole. Her therapist tells her happiness and grief can co-exist and be perfectly fine. Steven admits no one knows they're coming, which annoys her. She reminds him not to take whatever happens once they get there personally.

Belly and Jeremiah join Conrad in the dining room. Conrad tells her she can stay as she helped them get this far, and it's as much her house as it is theirs. Adam phones in and Conrad and Jeremiah talk to Adam about the trust funds. He's denying them access to their trusts, as the money is for their futures. Conrad begins to argue with Adam, willing to beg. Belly drifts off as they argue, remembering the call of Susannah's death came early in the morning.

Everyone attends Susannah's funeral. Belly watches Jeremiah sob in the front row. The funeral was what she thought it would be. A eulogy from a pastor who never met her, people sobbing who barely knew her, and everything was expected. Until Conrad went to the front of the church to sing a song that Susannah always asked him to sing. Belly made a promise at that moment to be at Conrad's side, because he would need her. Steven and Belly arrive at the luncheon and she sees Jeremiah, asking to talk to him alone. She offers to take a plate of food to him upstairs if he wants to be alone, and he agrees. As she prepares the plates, Laurel criticizes Belly for wearing a dress that's too small. Belly wore it for Susannah, as it was her favorite. Steven offers to take the plate to Jeremiah, and she agrees. John comes over and she asks about Conrad, who he saw go into the rec room. She heads upstairs only to find Conrad with his head in a girl's lap. Belly quickly leaves and Conrad goes after her. He grabs her arm and she pulls away, angry. He explains the girl was Aubrey, who was just helping him. They argue and exchange hurtful retorts. He knew it was a bad idea to start something with her, a huge mistake, and she hates him. She never wants to see him again and falls when she tries to push past him. Laurel glares at Belly as the spectacle unfolds. Belly leaves the house in tears.

Now, Belly refuses to let herself be affected like that by him again. If she did, it would destroy her. Adam looked into everything legally after the funeral, but there was nothing he can do. Jeremiah is hurt that he knew this long about them losing the house. Conrad accuses him of never caring about the house or Mom. Adam refuses to let them buy the house, ending the conversation and telling them to make sure Julia has everything she needs. Jeremiah hangs up on him. Moments later, Taylor and Steven enter with pies and a gleeful surprise. Jeremiah explains that they're losing the house. The foursome takes a seat at the table.

Jeremiah sits on a bench by the pier, crying, when Conrad joins him. He apologizes for that morning. He was scared they would see him mess everything up. He was glad Jeremiah was there to talk with Dad, though. Jeremiah knew Julia was a stretch, but he thought he could convince Dad. He feels like everyone is slipping away and the house is the last thing holding everyone together. Conrad isn't giving up, and they'll figure something else out, putting his arm on his brother's shoulder. He doesn't have a plan yet, but they'll figure it out together. He thinks them all standing around during the open house being pains in the asses is a good place to start. They can fuck some shit up, and Jeremiah returns the comment.

Everyone sits in the living room together. Belly asks Conrad how Jere is, learning he's okay, and that Conrad isn't giving up. He thanks her and she joins everyone on the couch. Taylor makes Steven move out of Belly's spot on the couch. Belly wonders if Julia was right about Susannah thinking Cousins was a fantasy place, but she couldn't help but think she could convince everyone else. Conrad puts in the movie Belly chose. He gets a text and begins to act strangely, something Steven notices.

Conrad goes out to the beach, where he has a panic attack, struggling to breathe. Steven follows him to see if he's okay. Conrad collapses on the beach.