The Summer I Fell

mistake

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Susannah stood on the platform facing the crowd, a welcoming smile bestowed upon her face.
"Good afternoon. I'm Susannah Fisher, chair of the club's community service board, and I am delighted to welcome you to Play It Forward!" She welcomed, the crowd cheering at her enthusiastic words.
"You know, as my mother used to say, if you're lucky enough to be at the beach, you're lucky enough. And we are very fortunate indeed... Which is why, in the spirit of fun and friendly competition, and it is time to open our hearts and our wallets and give back to those who may not be as fortunate. We have teams raising money for homelessness, women's shelters, environmental causes and many more. And Play It Forward will match pledges for the winner of the tournament!" She announced, a second round of cheers coming from the crowd.
"Pledge tables still open, so please donate generously. And with that, I say let the games begin!" She concluded, an excited smile on her face as Jewel leaned against the fence. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Jeremiah, finding his neon purple shirt a couple of yards away. He stood in front of Taylor, who had flown in to join Belly's team, light laughter escaping his lips as Taylor's hand lightly grabbed his arm. Jewel swallowed deeply at the sight of what looked like the two flirting with each other, part of her hurt and the other part irritated. She knew she would regret what the two had done the night before, but the scene in front of her was the confirmation she needed. The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, Jeremiah jogging towards her knowing the tournament was going to start soon.
"You ready to do this?" He spoke with a motivated tone, clearly excited for the competition.
"Yeah." She mumbled, her eyes refusing to meet his own. Jeremiah's eyebrows furrowed at her lack of enthusiasm, watching as she began to walk toward the benches. His hand reached out for her waist, pulling her back to turn her around to face him.
"What's wrong?" He questioned, the girl shaking her head dismissively.
"Nothing." She lied, watching as Jeremiah's enthusiasm slowly died off.
"Jewel..." He spoke, the girl pulling back from his hands.
"We gotta get ready to play. I want to make it into the top four at least." She told him, turning back around to continue her path from before.

The competition had only grown in intensity as the pair fought their way to the top four. Jewel's frustration slowly throwing her off her game. Jeremiah was too distracted by her shorts, as well as her mood, to focus on the game, watching as the volleyball hit the ground on their side yet again.
"Jeremiah, you have to dive." She scolded, growing more frustrated. The other team only needed one more point to win, practically sealing their victory already. The opposing team's player tossed the ball into the air, preparing to hit a spike. Jewel dived down against the sand, the ball hitting her harshly against the nose before hitting the sand beside her. She could feel the blood beginning to drip from her nose, her hand quickly cupping around her nose to try to ease the pain.
"Are you okay?" Jeremiah asked, quickly moving forward to help the girl up from the sand. She waved him off rudely, stepping off the makeshift court to get a moment alone.
"Jewel!" Jeremiah called out, watching as she continued to walk away from him. He jogged to catch up to her, grabbing her arm lightly to turn her around.
"What the hell's going on with you?" He questioned, still feeling protective, despite her attitude, as he saw drops of blood slip through the spaces between her fingers.
"Now really isn't the time, Jere. I just have a lot on my mind, alright?" She dismissed, heading toward the bathrooms to wash the blood off of her face.
"Earlier today you told me we needed to talk to me about last night. What's going on?" He asked, Jewel's eyes leaving his own for a moment as she remembered his flirty moment with Taylor.
"Yeah, I think we both know that last night was a mistake." She spat, turning away and heading into the women's bathroom. Jeremiah's mouth was slightly parted due to her words, not expecting the girl to believe it was a mistake when what they shared had meant to much to him.