Heartthrobs of the summer: Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah
Conrad Fisher, the oldest brother of the Fisher family, is one of Belly’s love interests throughout the two seasons. Through the series, we witness Conrad going through intense emotional challenges such as his mother’s cancer and death, his absent father, school troubles, and many more.
His romantic relationship dynamic with the main character, Belly, led to a split between the fandom. The ultimate debate being which brother is the better romantic choice for Belly, the clear answer being Conrad.
At the beginning of the series, we witness Belly fall head over heels for Conrad. She explains in her inner-narration how as a little girl she has always loved Conrad. In season one, during a monologue flashback, Belly even said, “I’ve wished for Conrad on every birthday, every shooting star, every penny in a fountain.”
Even in the most recent seasons, we witnessed Belly’s constant disregard for her other love interest, Jeremiah, in the favor of Conrad. In the first episode of season two, when Conrad asks if she wanted to be with Jeremiah. In season two, episode one, Belly said, “My whole life, all I ever wanted was you.” There was no hesitation in her answer as Belly knew she wanted to be with Conrad, as she has proven constantly throughout the entire series.
It is clear that Belly truly wants Conrad, but when she can’t have him, she runs to Jeremiah. For example, all of season two takes place in about a week when she is trying to get closer to Jeremiah after they haven’t spoken since his mother, Susannah, died of cancer. With her new relationship with Conrad, she completely disregards Jeremiah, when they were best friends before they hooked up. After this we see Belly trying to understand her relationship with Conrad and understand the new feelings she feels for Jeremiah.
She constantly goes after Conrad, and when she can’t have him, she goes to Jeremiah. Jeremiah even results in sabotaging Conrad when he shoots a firework at Conrad and Belly right when they are about to kiss at the beginning of season 1 to prevent it from happening.
Honestly, she deserves neither of the brothers, but if we would choose a side, we would pick Conrad because he suits Belly in different ways and is her first love. Conrad, being Belly’s first love, is such an important aspect of their general relationship.
Conrad is the ideal fit for Belly because they connect on a deeper level according to their past. They have a deep love for each other and are conjoined with an invisible string. Conrad has to express his feelings better and Belly needs to understand him more to help him.
Many students here at Rancho Cucamonga High School have debated about which brother is the better fit for Belly.
“Conrad has loved her since before she was pretty and has always included her in any activities they did when they were younger,” sophomore Lauryn Desai said.
Once they take these steps in their general relationship, they’ll be stronger than whatever Jeremiah and Belly were. Conrad is very supportive of Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship but Jeremiah is always sabotaging his brother’s relationship with Belly.
Conrad and Belly are endgame.
Jeremiah is the younger brother of the Fisher family. Throughout both seasons, he is portrayed as the fun, nonchalant brother who is very flirtatious with Belly. Jeremiah started to have feelings for Belly as soon as she arrived at the beach house in season one with her “glow up.” Throughout the series, Jeremiah demonstrates how he cares for Belly in multiple ways. He is always there for her when she is going through something. The chemistry between Belly and Jeremiah is undeniable. He is very outgoing and his energy is seemingly magnetic. He has to conceal his love for her because he wanted to respect her conflicting relationship with his brother Conrad. While Conrad, the inferior brother is moping around and ignoring Belly.
On the other hand, Jeremiah is emotionally available and waiting for Belly despite her choosing Conrad time after time.
RCHS students all have their own strong opinions on both the Fisher brothers and their shared love for Belly.
“Belly can always rely on Jeremiah to have a fun and good time and he always wants to make her happy even if it hurts him,” sophomore Rahanna Banks said. “Jeremiah is open and affectionate. Belly deserves Jeremiah because he is open and willing to show who he really is and let her love him.”
Although many students prefer Conrad because he is seen as more loyal and likeable, sophomore Kaeli Dowell had other thoughts about him.
“Conrad is just so awkward and ugly; he also has so many red flags who wouldn’t wanna pick Jere?” Dowell said.
One of the red flags Dowell is referring to is the fact that Conrad’s age-gap is concerning, especially because Belly is still in high school and Conrad is in college. Belly is very dependent on people, and Conrad, because he is emotionally unavailable, cannot be there for her the way that she wants him to be. Whereas, Jeremiah is an age-appropriate match for Belly who is always wants to be there for her.
Belly and Jeremiah have many moments that make their relationship/friendship so iconic. When Belly first arrived at the beach house, Jeremiah smiled upon seeing her, then picked her up to spin her around as a greeting. When they went for their first swim of the summer together, Jeremiah had waited all day for her to arrive so they could go in the ocean together. After the beach night, he protects her by refusing to let Cam Cameron, whom she just met drive her home.
One of Jeremiah’s best qualities is his patience and determination, no matter how many times Belly’s friendzoned him, he always supports and spends time with her. Even if that means he doesn’t get the label of being her “boyfriend” right away.
This is why Jeremiah will always be the better brother and boyfriend to Belly.
