The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Ending Explained: Who Does Belly Pick?

The Big Picture

Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty was emotionally dense, with high stakes and a love triangle between Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad.
Belly reconciles her relationships with Jeremiah and her mother, but ultimately chooses to pursue her happiness with Jeremiah.
The season ends with a slight return to joy, as relationships begin to mend and the beach house is saved.

Season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty was so jam-packed with events, that it is sometimes hard to remember that it took place over only a week (with flashbacks). The cast of recurring characters went through a lot this season, the stakes were high and every day they spent together was emotionally dense. By now, fans of the show are all too familiar with the love triangle that drives the story of Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno), and Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). Hard-core followers of the series have split into factions: "Team Jeremiah" and "Team Conrad," fiercely advocating for their fighter to win Belly’s confused heart. All season, both brothers have been sending her mixed signals about whether or not they see a romantic future with her, and she didn’t know where her heart would lead her – until the season finale that is.

Do Belly and Conrad Make Up After Their Break Up?

This season was a test of endurance for everyone. As a group, they fought to keep the beach house within the Fisher family, but they also fought to keep love in their lives despite how tedious and fickle it appeared to be this year. In the events leading up to the finale, Belly feels a certain amount of shame around Conrad and Jeremiah; she has a lot to atone for. This dark cloud of guilt and betrayal hangs over the trio for the better part of the season, but the tension begins to ease when their efforts pay off and their mission to hang onto the house is successful.

Belly makes amends with Jeremiah for not being there for him when their mother died, she reconciles her estranged relationship with her mom and manages to have a mature conversation with Conrad (albeit following a drunken screaming match) about how she doesn’t have any regrets about the time they spent together. They both loved each other (extra emphasis on the past tense) and she looks forward to always being his friend. Long story short: it appears Conrad has blown it and Belly is finally mustering the strength to accept what she cannot change and put the past behind her. But is that really possible when her future is in the same family?

Belly Has to Make a Big Decision

This 16-year-old’s head is spinning as she doesn’t want to do any more damage to Jeremiah and Conrad’s relationship. However, she still wants to find her own happiness by being with someone who will love her fully. Conrad may be hurt by Belly pulling away from him, but she is still reeling from her own pain after their sudden breakup. Her attraction to Jeremiah is visibly resurfacing throughout the entire season, and his ability to keep a level head and reject her advances is often negated by his enticing words and prolonged eye contact. Before long, it's undeniable that they want each other, but Belly is still split between not wanting to choose wrong, and not wanting to hurt anyone more than she already has. At this point, is it best to just walk away from them both? Or does she owe it to herself to pursue what she wants after she was hurt so badly? Lest we forget, these are just a bunch of inexperienced teens who still have a lot to learn about toying with others’ feelings and how to properly vocalize your own. Mistakes in love are the only way for Belly to discover what she really wants and needs in a partner, and who is willing to give it to her.

That aforementioned maturity does make a swift exit when Conrad catches Belly and Jeremiah having a very intense makeout session (on top of his car! While wearing his sweater! Damn). Jeremiah is understandably a little skeptical when Belly asks him for a second chance, and her speech does come off a little second-choicey, so when jealousy rears its ugly head on their ride home, Jeremiah puts them both to the test. He asks that Belly have a frank conversation with Conrad about where their feelings stand before they can continue their own relationship. If she can move forward with the knowledge that Conrad really does still love her, then he can trust her enough to not change her mind and leave him high and dry again. Conrad’s accusation that Belly had only kissed Jeremiah to make him jealous definitely affects Jeremiah’s confidence. Conrad’s newfound cocky attitude, a paper-thin defense mechanism, makes for an incredibly uncomfortable, incredibly long car ride.

Does Belly Choose Conrad or Jeremiah in the End?

Hazardous storms force the trio to shack up at a motel for the night. The close quarters leave them no choice but to communicate. Jeremiah confronts Conrad about what is really causing him to be such an obnoxious jerk, his brother sees right through him. He knows Conrad is hurting because he’s still in love with Belly and encourages him to tell her the truth. He doesn’t want his own relationship to be built on deceit, he doesn’t want to feel like he’s second place to Conrad, but overall, he wants them both to be happy.

Belly also turns to someone she trusts for answers. During a call with her mom (Jackie Chung), she reminds her about a candid talk they shared last season about how it feels to be in love. When she asks how Laurel knew she was no longer in love, it’s as though she is trying to convince herself with logic and anecdotes that she is making the right choice leaving Conrad behind. This chat with her mom doesn’t inspire much confidence because the truthful answer is that there is no real, surefire way for Belly to know she is making the right decision. This concept is terrifying for everyone involved. In the middle of the night, Conrad comes clean about how he really feels.

He keeps his confession short and sweet, but his candor takes her by surprise. It brings to mind a painful memory between her and Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) where she promises her that the three of them will be able to come together again somehow, someday. Once again, she feels as though she’s letting Susannah down by complicating things between them all. But if this memory is any indication of Belly’s character, it demonstrates how intensely she is able to love, and how much she truly cares for the Fisher family. She wakes up the next morning with reinvigorated confidence in her decision and seems ready to commit to Jeremiah. Even when Conrad once again tries to offer his love and then suddenly yanks it away, she allows him to. She sets him free by letting him save face with his lie.

Belly and Jeremiah End Up Together.. For Now

In the closing moments of the season, we see how gleefully Jeremiah shows up for Belly when it’s time to watch her do something that she loves. We’re reminded that it’s been merely a month since the group faced Susannah’s loss, it is absolutely no wonder why everyone’s emotions are running so high and how unmoored they all seem. Season 2 took place at a time when everyone was at their most vulnerable. The ending of the season signifies a slight return to joy: Jeremiah and Belly, Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Taylor (Rain Spencer), Belly’s return to a sport that makes her happy, Conrad on his path to Stanford again, Laurel sharing her book, and last but not least, the beach house being saved.