The next morning she wakes up to her alarm clock. She groaned and hit the button, sitting up. She yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Lauryn turns her head to see her aunt in the doorway. Coralee smiles softly at her and walks over to her. "You ready for the big day?"

Lauryn is then reminded that today is the deb ball and she starts to overthrow things and her anxiety gets the best of her. "Oh, crap that's today." She mutters and sits up, running a hand through her messy hair. "Aunt Cora, what if I mess up and everyone laughs at me? What if I fall and make a fool of myself?"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, honey." Coralee sits on the bed and wraps her arm around her niece. "You are going to be fine, you'll do great. And besides, we both know Conrad won't let you fall. He'll be right there with you."

Lauryn sighs, leaning into her aunt. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I always am." Coralee grins, chuckling along with her niece. Her gaze went over to the photo of her niece and her sister and brother in law. "Your parents would be so proud of you, Laur. They're gonna be with you the whole time." She reassures her, looking back at Lauryn. "And I bet you they'll be watching with proud smiles on their faces."

Lauryn could feel tears pricking her eyes as she smiles softly at her aunt. "Thanks, aunt Cora. You're the best."

"I know." She joked with a grin on her face.

Lauryn chuckles and shakes her head. "Now come on, let's get you ready for the big day." Coralee smiled as she stood up.

Lauryn's stomach fluttered and her anxiety began to grow. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew one thing. It was going to be a long day.

****

(lauryn's outfit for this part of the chapter)

After Lauryn got dressed for the day, she went down stairs to eat breakfast with her aunt and uncle. Her white dress was hung up in the closet and she couldn't help but feel nervous about the whole thing.

"Morning, kiddo." Doug greets with a smile as Lauryn walked into the kitchen. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good." Lauryn replied with a small smile, taking a seat next to her aunt.

"Ready for today?" Doug asked, putting some pancakes on her plate.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She sighed, looking down at her hands.

"I know you'll do great." He assures her, placing the plate in front of her. "And I just wanna say me and your aunt are super proud of you."

"Thanks, Uncle Doug." Lauryn smiled, picking up her cup of orange juice to take a drink.

"And we know Conrad will treat you right. But if he doesn't then I won't hesitate to knock some sense into him." Doug threatened. 

Lauryn almost chokes on her drink when he said that. "What?"

"We know about you two being together and we couldn't be happier for you guys." Coralee smiled.

Lauryn's eyes widen, her heart pounding in her chest. "H-How?" She asked nervously.

"We saw you kissing on the porch last night when he brought you home." Coralee replied with a soft smile. 

Lauryn's face flushes, and she looks down out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, honey. Don't apologize. We're happy for you." Coralee smiled, giving her niece a side hug.

"Yeah, you deserve to be happy. And if Conrad is what makes you happy, then we're more than happy that you two are together." Doug added, placing a kiss on her temple.

Lauryn smiles, her cheeks warming. "Thank you, guys. Just please keep this a secret. We're not telling anyone yet. So just, keep it to yourself."

"Of course." Coralee smiled, nodding her head.

"But I swear, if he hurts you-"

"Doug." Coralee cut him off, glaring at him.

"Right. Sorry."

Lauryn chuckles, shaking her head. "It's okay. Thanks."

After breakfast, her uncle helped getting her dress to her car. When she was getting ready to leave, Conrad walked over to her with a soft smile on his face.

"Hey, are you ready for the big day?" He asked her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Lauryn muttered, looking nervous and Conrad knew she was nervous and anxious by how she's fidgeting with her rings.

"Hey." Conrad's hand reaches out to hold hers, intertwining their hands together. "I'm gonna be right there with you, okay?"

She nods her head and takes a deep breath. "Okay."

He smiles and leans in, kissing her forehead. "You're gonna be amazing. I know it."

"Thanks, Coco." She smiled, feeling slightly better.

He smiles and nods. "Alright, you should get going. Don't wanna be late."

"Yeah." She smiled a little and nodded, reluctantly pulling away from him. They didn't let go of their hands until she got to the car door.

"Here, let me open that for you." Conrsd offered after she had unlocked the car.

"Thanks." She smiled, her cheeks pink as she stepped into the car.

"No problem." He replies, his hand leaning against the car. He looks down at her with a smile. "I'll see you later. I can't wait to see you in your dress. I'm sure you'll look gorgeous as always."

"Stop." She blushed, looking down to hide her blush as her hair fell in front of her face.

He chuckles, smiling at her. "What? I'm just telling the truth."

"You're making me blush." She whined, her cheeks growing warmer.

"Good. Because it's really cute when you blush." He replied, giving her a cheeky grin.

She pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you gonna close the door or what?"

He chuckles, straightening up. "Yeah, yeah." He closed the door, giving her one last smile before walking off.

Lauryn smiled, her heart fluttering in her chest. She started the car and drove off, heading towards the dance. She was so nervous and anxious, but she hoped everything was going to be okay.

****

When she got to the country club, she went to the green room that was only allowed for the girls. It was where the girls got ready before the ball.

"There you are!" Belly said excitedly, going over to her. "I was wondering when you would get here. Come on, you can sit by me."

Lauryn smiles a little and followed her, taking a seat next to her friend. "Thanks, Bells."

"Are you nervous? Because I am." She confessed while biting her lip.

"Totally." Lauryn nodded in agreement with a heavy sigh, fidgeting with her hands.

"Same here." She agrees, biting her lip. "But I'm sure everything will be fine. Right?"

"Yeah, hopefully." Lauryn gave her a reassuring smile. Then she looked over to her left, realizing she was sitting by Nicole. She hadn't talked to her since that night at Hopper's Cove. She knew they needed to talk.

"Nicole."

Nicole turns her head to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk?" Lauryn asked softly, sending her a small smile.

"Sure." Nicole agreed, a small smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry. About what happened at the cove. I'm sorry." Lauryn apologized, looking at her with an apologetic expression. She really never meant to hurt Nicole. 

"Oh. Um...It's fine. I'm sorry, too." She said, looking down. "I was just really upset Conrad said he was taking you to the ball."

"He didn't tell you before you saw that text?" Lauryn asks in surprise and Nicole shook her head. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew. And I didn't know you two were dating. I just thought you two were a fling."

"I was hoping we would be more." Nicole admits. "But I could see how he looked at you and how happy he is around you. I realized he likes you. So, I decided to give him up. It's obvious he likes you and you like him."

"I'm sorry." She frowns, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "I just feel so bad. You don't deserve to be hurt. No one does."

"It's okay, I'm fine. I'm over him. Besides, I came here with someone else. I think you'll like him." Nicole smiled and Lauryn was relieved that she was fine.

"That's great." Lauryn smiles. Then she looks nervous again as she asks, "So are we cool?"

"Yeah. We're cool." Nicole replied, nodding her head, nudging Lauryn with a smile. 

Lauryn lets out a sigh of relief, smiling back at her. "Good."

The girls continue to get ready for the ball. There's a lot of excitement and laughter as the girls chat and do their hair and makeup. Lauryn can't help but smile, and her nervousness dissipates. She's excited to go to the ball, and even more excited to spend the night with Conrad.

****

(lauryn's outfit for the rest of the chapter. with the dress she wore white flats)

Eventually, it's time for them to leave. The girls take their bouquet of roses and go get in their places. Soon enough Lauryn is in the line to walk out, she froze for a few seconds when she heard her parents names.

"Lauryn Carpenter, daughter of Camille Carpenter and Michael Carpenter."

She took a deep breath and started walking, her heart beating fast in her chest. Paige was talking, but she blocked everything out. She looked across the stage where Conrad stood in the wings by the other escorts, staring at her with a soft look. But after noticing she looked panicked, concern filled his eyes.

Shayla, who was standing behind Lauryn in line, gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Lauryn, you okay? It's your turn."

Lauryn snaps back into reality, nodding her head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She slowly makes her way across the stage to where she and Conrad met in the middle. His arm reaches out for hers to link her arm with his. "Are you alright?" He whispered quietly as they stand under the arch made of flowers.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied quietly.

He knew that she wasn't completely fine, but he didn't continue to ask her about it. Instead, he smiles a little, leaning over to kiss the top of her head, not caring everyone was looking or that pictures were being taken. "You're doing great. I'm right here with you."

"I know," She says quietly, glancing at him with a soft smile. "Thank you, Coco." Conrad smiled back at her, his heart fluttering. After the pictures were taken, they walk over to stand by Jeremiah and Belly, who were standing in front of the table that had Coralee and Doug, Laurel and Susannah, and Cleveland and John. She gave her bouquet of roses to her aunt, like the others giving their roses to their mom.

Coralee smiled at her and she returned it before she stood by Conrad again and curtsied. As she looked at the table, her heart ached since she knew her parents should've been there as well. They should've been sitting there with her aunt and uncle, proud smiles on their faces. Tears brimmed her eyes as the memories of her parents flooded her mind. She missed them so much, and she wished they were here.

Conrad pulls his arm from hers to intertwine their hands together, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He could see her tears and wanted to comfort her. He leans over and whispers in her ear. "I'm here, I got you."

Lauryn smiled a little and squeezed his hand, grateful he was there with her. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. As she did, she could feel her aunt and uncle watching her. They were proud of her, and they knew her parents would be, too. Lauryn glanced over beside her at Jeremiah and Belly. Lauryn wasn't surprised that Belly didn't wear the dress Susannah got her. Belly had told her she didn't really like it and she told her about the dress she did like. She knew this dress was the one she talked about because she looked so happy in it. It fit her so well and she looked beautiful.

Lauryn saw how Jeremiah and Belly were and she realized how perfect they were for each other. And seeing the love that was in Jeremiah's eyes as he watched Belly and the way Belly smiled at him made her realize they were definitely in love. It reminded her of the look she used to give Jeremiah and the look she now gave Conrad. She smiled to herself as she watched Jeremiah whisper something to Belly that caused her to giggle and smile shyly at him.

Her gaze went to the table though when she noticed out of the corner of her eye Laurel had got up and excused herself. She had seen her give Susannah the roses Belly gave her and she thought that was sweet. But she didn't know why Laurel suddenly looked upset. She shared a concerned gaze with Conrad as John got up and went to check on Laurel.

Soon it was time for the dances and Laurel came back with John to watch. The girls all sat down as the escorts did their dance. Lauryn cheered along with Belly and the others. Lauryn never thought she would see Conrad dance and she had to admit he was really good at it.

Once the dance was done, soon it was time for the dance with the debs and escorts. But Lauryn wasn't anywhere to be found and neither were Jeremiah and Belly. "They were here just a moment ago." Doug said in confusion as he looked around the room.

"I'm going to find Lauryn." Conrad announced and got up. He left the room, going out the side door. He looked around, hoping to find her. He knew she had been nervous and anxious about this, but he thought that she was starting to feel better. His eyes landed on her as she sat on the bench in the gazebo. She was staring at the water, and he could see she was upset.

"Lulu?"

Lauryn turns her head at the sound of his voice and her heart clenched. "Oh, hey." She whispered, her voice shaky as she wiped her eyes that were watery.

He frowns, seeing her tears, but when she noticed she was having trouble breathing, he knew she was having a panic attack. He sat by her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "It's okay, just breathe."

"I'm sorry....I'm such a mess." She apologizes, tears slipping down her face as she leaned into him, her breathing uneven. "It's just-When I-I heard my parents name everything hit me all at once. I-I knew they wouldn't be here with me for-for important events like this after they died, I accepted that...But...Now that I'm actually here, they're names are spoken...I'm thinking about them, and, um, t-they'll miss all these special moments and I-I'll never have that again, and that makes me feel so alone."

Conrad's heart aches at hearing her words and he pulls her in for a hug, his chin resting on top of her head. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, holding onto him tightly. He kind of understood how she felt. Recently he found out his mom's cancer came back. He hadn't told anyone yet, even Lauryn, but he was worried his mom wouldn't be here for his own important events and would miss things. And like her, he was feeling lonely and lost.

"It's okay." Conrad said softly, his hand rests on her lower back, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. "Breathe in, breathe out. Just focus on my breathing, okay?"

Lauryn nods, trying to focus on him. She listened to his calm heartbeat and the evenness of his breathing, trying to match her own breathing to his. Hearing his calm breathing and his soothing touch helped. After a few minutes, her breathing slowly started to even out and her heart stopped racing.

"Thanks." She whispered, her grip loosening a bit.

"Anytime." He replied, his thumb continuing to rub her back.

"How did you know how to stop it?" She curiously asked after taking a deep breath to continue to stay calm. 

He sighs. "I had one when I was with Cleveland. He helped me and taught me some ways to help."

"That's when you had one." She realized with a frown as she pulled away to look at him. She hated she hadn't been there for him when he first had one, but she was glad someone was there to help him and comfort him.

Conrad nods in response. "It was when I first found out about my mom's cancer coming back. I didn't want to tell anyone I knew." He admitted.

"Why?" She asked softly, not yet registering the fact that he just said his mom's cancer was back.

"Because I didn't want people worrying about me. They have their own problems and I didn't want them to have to worry about mine." He explained.

"I hate it you keep things bottled up. I never understood what you do that. If you're having a problem, talk to me." Lauryn said softly. Then she realized something. Did he just say Susannah's cancer was back? Her heart dropped as she realized he was right. She remembered that Susannah had been more tired lately and smoking more pot too. Her heart rate picks up again, tears brimming her eyes once more. "Wait...Susannah's cancer is back? I thought...I thought she was getting better."

"Me too." He replies and he sniffles as tears threatening to fall. "But she's not. Her cancer is back and-and this time I feel like she's not going to try chemo again. It was so hard on her before, I don't think she can do it again."

"Hey." Lauryn softly said, reaching out and cupped his face, gently wiping the tears away with her thumb. Conrad didn't even realize he was crying until she did that. He was used to putting on a mask and hiding his emotions. But with her, he felt safe and like he could show his emotions. "It's gonna be okay. And we're gonna figure out how to get through this together." She promises him, her brown eyes full of warmth. "You're not alone." She was upset too, so upset and it was hard to keep the tears from falling again, but she did her best as she comforted Conrad.

He gives her a soft smile, sniffling again and wipes away his tears. He then turns to kiss her hand that's cupping his face. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed that."

"Of course." She smiled, leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you." He said quietly, his green eyes meeting her brown ones. He was looking at her with love and adoration and it made her heart skip a beat.

Her eyes widen in surprise, her heart fluttering. This was the first time he said the l word. "What?" She breathed out, feeling her face heat up.

"I love you, Lulu." He spoke, his voice a bit more confident.

She gives him a soft smile, her eyes full of love and adoration as her heart skips a beat. Her face is red also while she replies, "I love you, too, Coco."

He chuckles, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before resting his own against hers again. She smiles, closing her eyes as she enjoys the moment. "Ready to go back inside? We got a dance to get to."

"Yeah," She takes a deep breath, giving him a small smile. "I'm ready."

He intertwines their hands and they walked back inside, making their way to the dance floor. The dance was already in progress, but they take their positions and start dancing along with the others. It felt so right to be dancing with each other.

Lauryn noticed Belly and Jeremiah were back, but they both looked upset and seemed to be comforting each other as they danced. She wondered where they went and what had happened. After the dance, the girls are dipped at the same time before they all stand as everyone applauded for them.

When the dance is done, the escorts and the debs talk amongst themselves. Jeremiah and Belly went over to Lauryn and Conrad. "We need to talk." Jeremiah said to his brother.

"Can it wait until later?" Conrad asked.

"No, it's important. It's about mom." Jeremiah replied.

Lauryn could see the tears in Jeremiah's eyes and she frowns. "It's okay, we can talk later." Conrad reassured his brother.

Jeremiah's eyes widen slightly. "You already know, don't you? You've known all this f***ing time and didn't tell me?" Anger filled his eyes and Lauryn was worried about what could happen next.

"Jere..."

Lauryn gasps along with Belly when Jeremiah suddenly punched his brother. People around them gasped and looked on in shock and worry as Jeremiah tackled Conrad to the ground.

"Wait, stop!" Lauryn shouted worriedly as she tried to pull Jeremiah away, but he wouldn't budge. She stumbled back as Jeremiah shoved her away. Belly quickly grabbed her, holding onto her so she wouldn't fall.

"Stop it. Both of you stop it." Susannah suddenly speaks up, walking over to them with Laurel. She's staring at her son's in disbelief as they get off the ground, both having tears in their eyes. "What is going on?" She questioned.

"Mom..." Jeremiah's voice trailed off, tears brimming his eyes as he found it hard to talk.

"We know, mom." Conrad chimes in, his voice shaky as well as he stands by his brother. "We both know."

****

Later that night when Lauryn got home and she was behind closed doors, she let the tears fall as her heart dropped to her stomach. She noticed her aunt and uncle were in the living room and they were crying and comforting each other as well. It was heartbreaking. 

She didn't think they noticed her, but then her uncle glanced at her. He gave her a sad smile and she let out a shaky breath as she walked over to join them on the couch. They all still had their outfits from the deb ball on, but they didn't care. Doug wrapped his arm around his niece he saw as his own daughter and pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She leaned her head against his shoulder and let the tears fall.

Coralee held onto Lauryn's hand tightly, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on her hand. Her own eyes were red from crying. "I hate this so much." Lauryn manages to say through tears. "First my parents die..." She swallows the lump in her throat. "I don't want Susannah to die too. I'm not ready to lose anyone else."

"Oh, honey." Coralee softly said, squeezing her niece's hand. She sniffles before she speaks again. "None of us are."

"We'll all be here for each other." Doug reassures them softly, tears in his eyes as well and his heart heavy. "And we'll get through this together."

"That's right." Coralee agreed, her free hand cupping her husband's cheek and giving him a soft smile while he leaned into her touch. He gave her a sad one, his eyes filled with sadness, but love as well as he takes his free hand to take hers from his face and hold it tightly. Lauryn smiled a little at seeing the way they interacted with each other. The love between them was evident, and she couldn't help but think she had that with Conrad which made her happy.

"Thank you, Aunt Coralee, Uncle Doug." Lauryn whispers, her gaze going to them. "For everything."

"Of course, honey." Coralee looks at her with a soft smile and Doug nods, a soft smile on his face as well. "You know we would do anything for you. We love you like our own." She spoke.

"I know. I love you both, too." Lauryn replied, squeezing her aunt's hand and kept her head leaned on her uncle's shoulder. They sat there for a while, not speaking, just sitting there and taking comfort in each other.

"I'm gonna change clothes." Lauryn spoke up. While she loved this dress, she just wanted to get into some comfy clothes. She got up, leaving her aunt and uncle in the living room.

Once she was in her room, she closed the door and sighed as her gaze landed on a polaroid photo of her and Susannah on the wall. Tears filled her eyes, thinking about her and the fact she was dying. She would have to say goodbye to someone else. Tears slipped down her face and she wrapped her arms around herself as she sat on the edge of her bed. She didn't realize someone else had come into her room and sat beside her until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Lauryn turns her head to see Belly was the one who had come into her room. Her eyes were red and she could tell she had been crying as well. "Oh, Bells." Lauryn murmured, looking at her with concern.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye either." Belly managed to say before the tears came.

Lauryn immediately hugs her friend, the two girls crying. "I know. Me neither." She whispered shakily, holding her close.

They stayed like that for a while before Belly pulled away. Lauryn wipes the tears from her face as Belly did the same. "I should go. I just...Wanted to see how you were." Belly admitted.

"I'm hanging in there. But thank you for checking in on me, Bells. I appreciate it." Lauryn answers, her eyes looking sad. "Wait, actually," She suddenly said, stopping Belly from leaving. "Wanna have a sleepover? Now that I think of it, we haven't really hung out a lot this summer and I could use some girl time."

"Yeah, me too." Belly smiled at her, perking up a little.

"Alright, cool." Lauryn said and smiled, happy that she managed to cheer Belly up.

"Oh! Can we make a blanket fort like we usually do?" Belly asked excitedly.

Lauryn grins. "Of course we can." Usually when the two girls had a sleep over they made a blanket fort. It was like their thing. They would also watch movies and eat junk food.

"Alright, I'll go grab some snacks." Lauryn offered.

"I'll grab the blankets." Belly nodded and the two leave the room.

Lauryn grabbed the snacks from the kitchen and the girls returned to the bedroom and started building their fort. Once the fort was built, the girls climbed in, laying the snacks down. There were twinkly lights hung up inside the fort, adding a nice touch.

"Remember when we had a sleepover the last time you were here? We watched movies all night and ate pizza and ice cream." Lauryn recalled, a fond smile forming on her face.

"Yeah, we didn't sleep once 'cause we were too hyped up on pizza and ice cream." Belly giggled.

"But it was fun." Lauryn commented with a grin.

"It was." Belly agreed.

The two girls decide on having a Disney princess movie marathon going in order. The night was filled with laughter, singing and eating junk food. Lauryn knew that while things would be difficult, she was glad she had people in her life to get her through it.

A/N i honestly cried while rewatching the last part of this episode to write this chapter, it's so sad. but i love lauryn & conrad together, they're perfect for each other <3 & i added a bestie moment with belly & lauryn cause i realized i hadnt really had many scenes with the two of them to show their friendship but i loved how it turned out!