𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑, Jeremiah Fisher

09 : Bad Idea Right?

Cruel Summer: Bad Idea Right?

I was kissing my best friend, Jeremiah.

-

"What are you two still doing up?" Laurel stood there with her arms crossed her expression stern. Jeremiah and Jolene immediately moved away from each other as if they weren't kissing just seconds ago- making out to be exact.

"And why is there a bottle of beer here? We're you two drinking?" Laurel continued as she walked over to the poolside and picked up the beer bottle holding it up for the two to see.

"Uhm- that's not- we didn't drink Laur we we're just going for a late night swim, that bottle must be from Conrad." Jeremiah lied swimming over to the grab rail getting a good grip for him to get off the pool as he was obviously but not noticeably tipsy.

Jolene followed him off the pool as well grabbing her towel as she got off slightly shivering from the air contact hitting her skin.

Laurel sighed and shook her head slightly as she spoke gesturing to them for them to go inside.

"Go to sleep. Now." Laurel's stern voice slightly echoed through the quiet night.

"Yes Laur, We're sorry." Jeremiah apologized as he made his way inside dripping wet leaving Laurel and Jolene there.

Jolene wrapped herself with the towel and stared at her mom for a second and started making her way inside as well. She entered the house getting a quick glance at Susannah who was asleep on the couch, Jolene's lips curled into a small smile as she continued in making her way up the stairs.

She had saw Jeremiah drying his hair with a towel making his way to his bedroom, Jolene debated about whether they had to talk about what had happened but she contemplated that it was getting late and Jeremiah was quite drunk.

Fuck it.

Jolene followed him still wrapped in a towel.

"Jere." Jolene smiled at him, he had turned around to see her and smiled drunkenly.

"I think I've had a bit too much of that beer. It has quite a kick. No wonder why Conrad likes it." Jeremiah chuckled and shook his head.

Jolene chuckled with him as well. But then her voice turned into a serious tone and asked him, her tone obviously demanding a good answer.

"Did that kiss- mean anything?" Jolene asked hopingly as she fixed the towel that was wrapped around her falling off slightly from her shoulders.

Hearing this however made Jeremiah's drunken smile drop and his turned slightly pale almost immediately. Silence foreboding throughout the hallway, but then he spoke.

"Im sorry Jo, I'm too drunk out of my mind." he bluntly said, hearing this made Jo's heart drop, Jeremiah sympathetically looked at her as he held her hand.

But why did it feel so real?

Jolene didn't want to process what she had just heard and immediately made her way inside her room not caring if she left a trail of wet footprints throughout the hallway leaving Jeremiah baffled.

Jolene closed her door passive aggressively as to not make a scene. But as she closed the door she leaned on it and immediately sunk to her knees, tears stinging her eyes threatening to fall at any second. How could she have been stupid to believe that kiss actually meant something to Jeremiah?

How was she so stupid enough to believe that her best friend was actually in love with her?

She ran her hands through her hair, getting up from the position she was in, she looked down at her wrist. A bead bracelet that Jeremiah had given her last summer, she glared at the inanimate object.

Jolene took it off and walked over to her drawer and immediately threw in inside. She was so frustrated all she could do was cry.

She was probably not thinking straight anymore and grabbed a hold of her phone and looked for a certain person in her contacts.

Ollie.

She pressed call.

It rang for quite a while.

Pick up, pick up.

"Hello?" Oliver asked on the other line.

Jolene sniffled away from the phone and answered to Oliver.

"Hey, wanna go around town tomorrow? You're not busy at all right?" Jolene offered biting her lip wishing for him to just agree.

Oliver took a while to respond thinking of what to say.

"Why so sudden? Are you okay? " Ollie asked.

Jolene simply said "mhm. " and continued on with what her purpose of calling was.

"Just please tell me you're free the whole day." Jolene hopefully said to Oliver impatiently tapping her right foot slightly.

"Yeah, I'm not busy at all. So sure?" Oliver replied smiling on the other end, thinking of it as a way for Jo to make Ollie feel that they could still be something, or just friends, after all- they did start out as friends.

"See you then, thanks." Jolene smiled slightly; in relief that he agreed.

"You're welcome Jols." Ollie sweetly said, he was too nice for his own good, oblivious about what the real reason Jo called him for.

Deep down, he still loved Jo. After everything she had done to him. Somewhere deep inside him, he knew. He knew that Jo didn't mean to hurt him. He just came into the wrong time of her life. Maybe thats why. Oliver couldn't blame Jo even if he forced himself to those years ago.

If by any miracle in the future, he had hoped that someday— Jo would come back and tell him that she still loved him too, after everything he had hoped genuinely deep in his heart that she would come back, that after all— it would still be him.

"Thanks, Ollie. See you." Jolene sounded so optimistic it didn't seem like she was frustrated just moments ago.

The line cut off and Jo put her phone down. She inhaled and exhaled.

If Jeremiah couldn't love her. Another boy will.

Jolene looked at the picture by her vanity table: a picture of her, her siblings, and the fisher brothers as she turned it face down, anger flowing through her system.

Seein' you tonight, whatever, it's fine

Yes, I know that he's my ex, but can't two people reconnect?
"I only see him as a friend, "

the biggest lie I ever said

Oh, yes, I know that he's my ex, but can't two people reconnect?
I only see him as a friend, I just tripped and fell into his bed.