The Summer I Fell

cancer

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The audience clapped as the escorts finished their dance, a wide smile plastered on Jewel's face as she looked at Jeremiah. Despite the fact that it had just been publicly displayed before her very own eyes, she still couldn't wrap her thoughts around Jeremiah's willingness to do something that he so heavily denied in the past. Jewel watched as Jeremiah's smile slowly faded from his face, her eyebrows furrowing as the glimmer of happiness vanished from his eyes. She could see his breathing turn heavier, his chest heaving up and down as his eyes laid focused on Susannah.
"Jewel." Laura called, snatching her attention away from her date. Despite her hesitation, she still found herself standing from her seat and walking toward the woman.
"Can you believe he actually did this?" Susannah laughed, a hint of proudness of her son laced in her words.
"I was thinking the same thing." Jewel answered, as she feigned a smile. Jeremiah caught her attention from the corner of her eye as he walked across the room, headed directly for the room's exit.
"Can you excuse me?" She asked, however not sticking around to hear a reply. Jewel followed Jeremiah's path out to the pool, knowing the first dance was going to start soon.
"Jeremiah." She called out, growing offended as he ignored her voice. She quickened her pace as best as she could in her heels, finally catching up to him.
"Jere." She called out yet again, her small hand reaching out to grab his arm. She turned him to face her, a look of distraught and worry buried deep in his irises.
"What are you doing?" She asked, Jeremiah's hand wrapped tightly around something in his pocket.
"I just need to see about something. Just go back inside, your dance is about to start." He dismissed, turning away from her yet again as he continued his path.
"The dance I can't do without you!" She reminded him, Jeremiah quickly growing frustrated.
"You don't even want to do it!" He spat, turning back around to face her.
"What?" She breathed out quietly in response.
"We all know that you're only doing this deb ball because your mom wanted you to. Because you think it'll make the two of you closer or something." He explained with an accusing tone, Jewel's eyes falling from his. Jeremiah let out a soft sigh, knowing that calling her out for it had taken it too far.
"I didn't mean for it to come out like that." He spoke quietly, watching as Jewel shook her head.
"It's okay...you're right." She admitted, Jeremiah stepping forward and gathering her hand in his. He guided her over to one of the pool's lounge chairs, both teens sitting down on it.
"What were you seeing about?" Jewel asked quietly, not sure what to really say to replace the silence that rocked between the two. He pulled a phone from his pocket, the familiar case telling her that it was Susannah's.
"Why do you have your mom's phone?" She asked, receiving no response as he looked through her emails. She couldn't see what they said, but the tears quickly collecting along his waterline and the slight quivering of his lip let her know that it wasn't good.
"Jere?" She called out, watching as he tossed the phone down beside him. His body quickly went rigid, his chest growing heavy yet again, restricting him from looking toward Jewel.
"My mom has cancer." He admitted, Jewel unsure if she had heard him correctly. She could feel the same clenching feeling in her chest that she had when her mom died, her body going numb as she processed the news. She could feel her eyes stinging with tears, the girl shaking her head in denial. It didn't matter if the tightening in her chest told her it was real, she didn't want to believe it. She needed Susannah to be okay, and for the nauseating feeling her body was suddenly producing to go away. However as the first tear fell from her eye, the rest followed through like a waterfall. Jeremiah's arm wrapped around her figure, the two looking for as much comfort as they could within each other.