Let’s be real, Belly is not the villain here. She’s a teenage girl caught in an emotionally chaotic love triangle, torn between a love that was stable, safe, and a love that gave her fireworks.

On top of that, she lost one of the most important people in her life. So let’s walk a mile in her sandals before fully blaming her, and being team: "The Summer Belly Ruined a Family."

Prom Night & Hotel Chaos

Prom night, Belly broke up with Conrad. ‘Why did she not understand that his mother was dying and he’s trying so hard? She’s so inconsiderate.’

But here’s the catch: he never even told her that Susannah’s condition had worsened. Belly thought Susannah was still in treatment. How was she supposed to know what Conrad was thinking or feeling if he wouldn’t share it?

It’s exhausting being in love with someone who refuses to let you in, who pulls away, who hides his feelings behind walls. How could she carry the blame for that?

Then came the Stanford episode. Belly was feeling guilty about not being there for Jeremiah when his mother died, and was tired of Conrad loving her when it was convenient and shutting her out when it wasn’t.

Conrad, dodging confrontation as always, said, “Stop chasing after me and go be with Jere. He’s the one who wants you.” And then he acted jealous in the car and later admitted, “Of course I still want you.”

His love was never steady; it was confusing and uncertain. Belly never knew where she stood, never knew what was coming next. How can anyone blame her for being caught in that whirlwind?

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The Guilt Complex & Repressed Feelings

Even with all this, Belly was still a ray of sunshine. She was kind, understanding, and more mature than people gave her credit for. Susannah wasn’t just Conrad and Jeremiah’s mom; she was like a mother to Belly, too. Losing her was brutal, and Belly was just a teenager trying to handle grief and love all at once.

Throughout the series, even in wedding planning, Belly tries to do what she thinks is best. She isn’t blind. She’s just trying to hold onto stability in chaos, and that doesn’t make her selfish. She repressed her feelings about Conrad for years because he stayed away.

And in that time, she redirected so many of those emotions onto Jeremiah. That’s why she thinks Jeremiah rescued Rosie when it was really Conrad. That’s why she remembers Jeremiah crying, because crying symbolized sensitivity and understanding.

But it was Conrad. She repressed so much of what she felt for him that her own memories blurred.

Fireworks, Again

Repression only lasts so long. In the beach and the bathtub scenes, the fireworks came back. And let’s be clear, this wasn’t about playing games with two brothers.

Belly tried to stay away from Conrad. She really did. But the situations kept pushing them together, and the spark was still there-undeniable. You can’t bury that kind of connection forever.

And even on Conrad’s end, it was really wrong. She was getting married. If you wanted to do something, you should have done it four years ago, not right before the wedding.

That was a trash move. Showing up at the very last moment, confusing her all over again.

And then there’s Jeremiah. Belly also didn’t want to hurt him. He was her best friend, the one who’d always been there, and she felt like she had to be there for him in return. That guilt ran deep; it made her choices more complicated than they looked from the outside.

At the end of the day, Belly was 16, caught between grief, love, loyalty, and pressure no teenager should carry alone. And I mean, come on, we all know she’s iconic AF.