GUILTY | CONRAD FISHER

why you keep doing this?

People were too excited for the volleyball tournament, if you ask Sara. She felt weird knowing well that all her friends were gonna enter the competition or, at least, they had an opportunity to enter. She, herself, tolerated ball games only while swimming, on dry land it was her biggest fear due to the group of older girls who broke her nose with one of these balls back in the elementary school.

So, Edwards was spending time with Jeremiah who, fortunately, wasn't anybody's partner, and Susannah didn't ask him for help as she asked Conrad. The pair was watching their friends preparing, making bets. The younger Fisher tried to convince the girl that Belly was gonna win, that Theo and Cameron couldn't make it, couldn't win the Conklin girl. Sara would be ready to believe him if she didn't know how extremely good her best friend was in volleyball.

"By the way, I'm almost sure your lover girl and Taylor'll win," she said.

"She's not..."

Sara glanced at him with a sly grin on her lips. "You sure?" he nodded hesitantly. "Right, I'll pretend I didn't recieve that text."

The girl showed him her phone. She tried her best to stay calm, to not start laughing, but the boyish reaction broke her. His eyes widened when he saw the message he sent her a couple of days ago. How could he forget about telling Sara about the pool makeout session?

"You're adorable, Jere," ruffling his hair, Edwards said between chuckles. "I fully support Jelly, even if you didn't want me to know, love."

Jeremiah shook his head. "I'm in shock, S, that's all. How could I forget?" they laughed together. "Well, I think I wanted you to know, I told you, didn't I?"

"You did," she spun towards the opposite side of the field and caught Conrad already staring at her. They smiled at each other shily, both quickly turning away.

The boy burst with laughter, receiving the look of confusion from his friend. "You act like little kids act when they develop their first crush, S. I thought you were a badass."

"Don't call me badass ever, Jeremiah, my grandma calls me that way."

"I want to meet her, then. We have so much in common. She surfs?"

"Shove off, idiot!"

Sara felt too comfortable with the younger Fisher. It was too easy with him, it seemed like he understood evey single stupid idea she had in her head. He was up to everything she was up to, they didn't need to speak about their wishes, the other read the emotions of the first without any difficulty.

Was it even possible to visit the town for good surfing with family and get much more than she could ever expected to get? She developed that she could be the naive teenager, clearly believing she was in love with the person she knew for two months. She found the platonic connection with the boy who literally was the incarnation of the Sun for her. She started to call the boy she knew for years, who wasn't her family, her best friend.

Watching Susannah Fisher telling her speech about the goals of the tournament, she thought about that summer being her dream. She remember her meeting with Nicole earlier today, how sweet her and ther deb girls were. Sara remembered the way Steven was looking at her and Shayla while they were teasing him endlessly. He looked at them with love she had no idea he had inside of him. It was impossible to believe that life was real at the moment. Edwards had to pinch her arm due to the people that she was surrounded by.

"What do you think, what're they talkin' bout?" Jeremiah interrupted her daydreaming, indicating Belly and Conrad with a motion of his head.

Ignoring the itching feeling they both, obviously, had, Sara smiled and tried to imitate Conrad's voice which sounded absurdly hilarious. "Oh, Bells, you're amazing player, of course, but Theo and Cam are gonna wipe you and Taylor out!"