SUNKISSED - Jeremiah Fisher

- 14 -

- Sarah -

I sit in one of the lounge chairs by the pool, scrolling through my phone while Belly, Taylor, Steven, and Jeremiah splash around, playing some sort of pool game. The sun's warm, the water's crystal clear, and it should feel peaceful. But Taylor's loud voice breaks the air, suggesting they play chicken. I glance up as she throws the idea out there. I already know this is either going to be hilarious or a complete disaster.

"Sarah, where's Jade?" Belly's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"She went home to grab her outfit for tonight," I say, looking up from my screen. "She'll be back before dinner. Plus, she's meeting some guy we work with."

"Oh, nice," Belly smiles, eyes twinkling at the mention of Jade's date. "Hope he's cute."

I grin. "He's alright. Definitely Jade's type."

Meanwhile, Taylor's managed to convince everyone to play. After a few seconds of maneuvering, Belly and Jeremiah team up against Taylor and Steven. As expected, Belly and Jeremiah win, toppling Taylor and Steven into the water with an explosion of laughter. The sound echoes across the pool, and I can't help but smile.

Suddenly, the gate swings open and Nicole walks in, her voice louder than usual, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Hey, guys!" she calls out, waving. Belly, still perched on Jeremiah's shoulders, turns to face her, her smile wide and bright.

"Hey, Nicole!" Belly grins. "Glad you could make it!"

"Hi. Happy birthday, Belly." Nicole returns the smile, then glances at the pool. "Are you guys playing chicken?"

"Yeah, it was Taylor's idea," Belly chuckles, her laughter trailing off as Taylor speaks up.

"Hey, I'm Taylor," she says, trying to sound friendly but it comes off a little too sharp, her eyes lingering on Nicole longer than necessary.

The next few moments feel awkward. Taylor's tense, and even though Nicole's standing there smiling, I can sense a bit of unease. It's subtle, but definitely there. Nicole's sweet, though. Sure, she can be a bit much at times, but she's never been anything but kind to me. I'm not sure why Taylor's so standoffish toward her. Maybe it's just that Taylor doesn't like new people in her space, especially when that space involves Belly.

The awkward silence stretches on, and just when it starts feeling unbearable, Belly claps her hands together. "You guys want to play a real game?" she asks, her voice eager, as if she's desperate to break the tension.

-

By the time Jade gets back, I'm outside again, laughing as she recounts her disastrous date. Apparently, the guy was way more awkward than expected, kept bringing up his ex, and spilled his coffee all over her shoes. We're both cracking up as we walk back toward the pool.

"Honestly, you should've seen his face after the coffee thing," Jade giggles, shaking her head. "I mean, it wasn't a total waste. He was cute, just... a mess."

"Sounds like a keeper," I tease, nudging her as we step closer to the group. Conrad and Nicole are sitting on the edge of the pool now, their feet lazily kicking at the water while the others play volleyball. Laughter rings out, and I can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. This feels like the summers we used to have—all of us together, just enjoying being young and carefree.

Jade and I settle into the lounge chairs behind Conrad and Nicole, close enough to watch the volleyball game. The boys versus girls dynamic makes it even funnier. Jeremiah spikes the ball, sending a cascade of water over the deck, and I cheer loudly, leaning forward.

"Go, Jere!" I call, my voice joining the chorus of laughter.

Jade, of course, raises an eyebrow and turns to me with a teasing smirk. "Oh, so we're team Jeremiah now? Not team Belly? On her birthday?"

I roll my eyes, laughing. "Okay, hush. You know I'm team both."

Taylor's up to serve now, her eyes locked on the net with laser focus. She tosses the ball high into the air, ready to send it flying toward the boys. But as soon as her fist connects with the ball, I know something's wrong. It veers off to the side, sailing straight for the deck.

Time seems to slow as the ball hurtles toward Nicole, who's caught completely off guard. It smacks her square in the face, and the sound echoes in the sudden quiet.

Jade and I freeze, exchanging wide-eyed looks, completely speechless. A few seconds pass where no one moves or says a word. Then, of course, Taylor breaks the silence by bursting into laughter.

"Oh my God!" she laughs. "I'm so sorry!"

She laughed? I blink, my mind struggling to catch up with what just happened. She just hit Nicole in the face with the volleyball, and she's laughing?

Even Belly looks horrified. "Taylor," she says sharply, her voice cutting through Taylor's laughter. The smile drops from Taylor's face as she realizes Belly isn't laughing with her.

"It was an accident," Taylor says quickly, defensively, her tone pleading now. "I didn't mean to—"

"Are you okay?" Belly asks, her voice full of concern.

Nicole, still in shock, waves her off. "Yeah, no, I'm—I'm fine," she stammers, though it's clear she's rattled. "You guys keep playing. I'm good."

Jade and I quickly walk over, though Conrad's already checking Nicole's face for any bruising.

"You good?" I ask gently, my voice soft. Jade adds, "That looked like it hurt."

Nicole nods, but her face is flushed from more than just the impact. Her embarrassment is obvious, though she tries to brush it off with a weak smile. "I'm okay. Really."

"Let's go inside," Conrad suggests, his voice calm as he helps her to her feet. "I'll get you some ice."

"Conrad, I'm fine," Nicole insists, though she doesn't resist as he leads her toward the house. She glances over her shoulder, still trying to smile through it. "Seriously, guys. I'm fine. You guys keep playing."

Belly looks back at Taylor, clearly torn between her best friend and her guest. "I'm really sorry," she says again, guilt heavy in her voice.

Taylor, on the other hand, doesn't seem to fully grasp the situation. She huffs, crossing her arms. "Come on, Belly. Conrad can take care of Nicole. Let's just go inside and, I don't know, look at ourselves in the mirrors some more."

The sarcasm in her voice is impossible to miss, and it's clearly directed at Conrad. He rolls his eyes as he walks Nicole inside, muttering something under his breath. "Yeah, have fun with that."

Jade and I exchange a look, both of us shaking our heads in disbelief. The light mood from earlier is completely gone now, replaced by tension.

"We're going inside too," Jade says awkwardly, sensing the awkwardness between Belly and Taylor. I nod, ready to leave the situation before it gets worse.

"Have fun," I call back to them, trying to lighten the mood again. As I turn toward Jeremiah, I wink playfully. Without missing a beat, he blows me an exaggerated air kiss, and suddenly, I feel the heat rise to my face. My cheeks flush bright red, and I try to play it off, but Jade notices.

She bursts into laughter. "Oh, okay, we're definitely team Jeremiah now."

I laugh too, shaking my head, but my heart's still racing a little from that wink.