JEWEL -𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭

𓇼ii. bonfire

JEWEL
chapter two

☼𓇼࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ☼𓇼࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ☼𓇼࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ
Everyone was sitting around the table eating dinner. Jeremiah and Steven laughing at something on Steven's phone.

"Steven, I swear to God if you look at that phone one more time, I'm putting it in the screen basket." Laurel intruppted there laughing.

Serena giggled at his offended face. "It's just we want to see your beautiful faces." Susannah smiled. "Can dinner be a screen-free zone?" She asked.

Steven still didn't look up from his phone, so Jeremiah took it and threw it on a chair. "Dude, are you serious?" Steven questioned.

"Okay, we get it; you've been working out," he joked.

"Oh, you're just jealous because Jere has a better body than you." Belly spoke. "Uh no, it's actually all about the lean look now." Steven defended himself. "Right Serena?" He asked the girl sitting next to him.

"Oh definitely," she laughed out, patting his shoulder in mock sympathy. "When are you leaving for training camp?" Steven asked Conrad, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, he quit football." Jeremiah spoke. Serena put her head down. She knew why he quit, but she wouldn't tell anyone. She saw Belly looking at her from across the table. Serena just zoned out of the conversation when they kept talking about football.

She zoned back in when her mom pulled out her "surprise" for Belly. "What is it?" Steven asked. "I wrangled Belly an invitation to be a debutante." Susannah squealed. Her mom began to explain what it was to Belly.

"I'm going, Belly; you should come." Serena smiled over to the girl. "You're a debutante?" Steven laughed. Serena rolled her eyes and hit him. "I'll think about it." She offered. Susannah nodded and smiled at her.

☼𓇼࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

Serena was in her room applying her final touches to her makeup. Belly came in still wet from the pool. "You're going to the bonfire?" she asked. "Yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I promised a friend I would go, and I already ran it by our moms," Serena muttered awkwardly.

"Why don't you come?" She asked her best friend. "The boys said I couldn't, and I guess it's too late." Belly sighed. "Whatever screw that meets us there," the older girl winked.

"Okay, I gotta go." Serena spoke, walking over to the girl and giving her a kiss on the head. "Cya." Belly muttered.

Once they arrived at the beach, Serena sprinted out of the car to her friend.

"Cammie!" she squealed, jumping into his arms and giving him a hug. "Sea!" Cam spoke, his voice muffled by her hair.

"How have you been?" Serena asked while being set down. "I've been good. Come on, let's go find a place to sit."

They walked to an empty spot on the beach far enough away to have a private conversation.

"I've missed you." Serena muttered, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I've missed you to Sea," he muttered against her head.

"How's your family been?" Cam wondered. Serena started tearing up, not knowing if she should share what had been weighing on her mind.

Cam heard her sniffle and turned to face her. "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" he questioned, wiping a tear that fell from her eye.

"it's nothing." Serena said, wiping her eyes. "Clearly, it's not nothing. You know you can tell me anything," he assured.

"My mom." Serena paused, trying to mentally encourage herself to say the words. "Her cancer came back," she sniffed. Cam had a shocked look on his face.

"Conrad, he saw an email or something I don't know," she cried. "Hey, it will be okay," he said, trying to give her comfort. He pulled her into a hug and let her cry it out. "Your mom is brave; she beat it before she can again," he soothed, running his hands through her hair.

They sat in that position for a while, and Serena felt she was composed enough to let go. She looked at him through puffy eyes. "Thanks," she croaked. "Of course you know I'm always here for you," he smiled.

Serena was about to speak when she saw Belly. "Belly!" she called out, waving her hand and beckoning the girl over.

Belly's face lit up excited to see someone she knew she walked over. "Flavia!" Cam beamed? "Excuse me?" Belly questioned, "Flavia, right, it's me, Sextus." Cam spoke awkwardly. That didn't help the confusion on Belly's face. "Seventh grade Latin convention. You placed second." He tried one last time.

"Oh yeah." Belly laughed, the confusion leaving her face. Serena looked between the two of them. "I'll go get us drinks." The fishergirl spoke, getting up. She wasn't really going back; she could tell they would hit it off.

She decided to just chill with Jeremiah and his fan girls for the rest of the time.

She was sitting next to Jeremiah, sipping on her beer, not paying any attention to the blatant flirting that was happening. She saw Conrad picking a fight with some guy, so she excused herself to go destroy it.

She ran over in time to see Belly get hit in the eye. "Belly!" She called, squating down to the girl laying on the ground in pain. Jeremiah came over, so she stood up to get Conrad.

"Conrad!" she yelled, but that didn't seem to get his attention. She searched the crowd and saw Steven. She called his name, and he came running over to split up the fight. Just as he got them split up, a kid yelled, "Cops!"

All of them went running, trying to get to their respective cars. Serena helped Conrad get in the car, his head lying in her lap. She heard Jeremaih trying to get Belly in the car, but she couldn't care enough to help; at this point, her head was banging from all the crying and alcohol.

A police officer knocked on Serena's window. She rolled it down, and the officer questioned them. They got escorted home. Laurel talking to the officers at the door.

Serena just wanted to curl up in bed; she was tired of everything. Laurel was giving everyone a lecture, but she was hardly paying attention. "You guys are the oldest; what the hell has gotten into you?" she spoke to the twins. Serena just sat there guilty as Laurel began to question Belly.

She sent everyone to bed, stopping the twins before they could leave. "I don't understand what is going on with you guys," she said with concern. "It's nothing," Serena said at the same time as Conrad. Serena walked away before she could be interrogated anymore. She walked up stairs to her room and crashed immediately.