The Summer I Turned Pretty

Belly and Cam spend the day swimming and having a picnic. Belly asks Cam if he will go to the house and get her some Kool-Aid. He agrees to water and promises to return soon. When Cam does not return after 45 minutes, Belly finds Cam inside playing video games with Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly, feeling left out and annoyed, goes to the kitchen for a drink.

Conrad follows Belly to the kitchen and asks why she is mad at him. Belly is unsure of how to respond, only knowing that Conrad makes her feel confused and distracted in her relationship with Cam. She tells Conrad to go smoke a cigarette, and he retorts, “Why don’t you go look at yourself in the mirror some more?” (199). Angry and hurt, Belly storms off to the living room and calls the next turn at the game, thinking about how her crush on Conrad is dead.

Cam comes over again the next night and stays late. At midnight, Belly asks if he wants to go for a walk on the beach. Staring out at the ocean, Belly gets the idea to skinny-dip. She feels that skinny-dipping will be proof that she has grown up.