Happy Place || A Jerrie Fanfiction

II - LOST AND FOUND

So it turns out my plan to take a nap for a few minutes on the beach bench was a failure because I ended up in a slumber for the whole afternoon. And now at seven in the evening, I discovered that my head is aching for sleeping too much and my whole body feels like it's been under the sun for too long like a burnt toast and is now simmering.

I rub at my eyes to get rid of any sleep before sitting up. The beach is almost empty, save for the few people who were swimming. Perhaps it was time for me to go join them.

I stood up from the bench, did a little bit of stretching here and there, divested myself of my robe, and sheltered my bag with it before ambling towards the beach.

I stood by the threshold of the sand for a few moments, letting the beach water wash over my feet. It felt so refreshing even though it wasn't as hot as I wanted it to be. When I felt like I was ready to dip in, I walked forward.

And that was when I heard someone yell from behind, "Watch your head!"

I spun around just in time to have my face get hit by what felt like a volleyball. I stumbled back until I lost my balance, leading me to fall down on the water with my back against it. I struggled for a little while before I clambered up to my feet and pushed my hair back away from my face. I could taste the saltiness of the beach water and I am not happy about it. I was spitting it out, trying to get at least some of the salty taste out of my system, when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.

I shivered at the touch and jumped away. "Don't touch me."

"Yikes, sorry about that." The voice sounded familiar, but I was too vexed by what happened that I had to burst first.

"Listen here," I finally looked up, and a wave of recognition washed over me as I remembered her as the waitress from awhile ago at the restaurant this afternoon.

She's wearing her blonde hair down now, so it's hard not to acknowledge the fact that she's gorgeous. Not to mention that she's also wearing a bikini - a neon green one to be precise. She's literally glowing in the dark. And I have no idea why I did not notice her awhile ago.

I shook my thoughts away and spoke up angrily, "If you suck at volleyball, then don't play volleyball. Alright?"

"Woah, woah, woah." She took a step back, taken aback by my sudden aggressive attitude and held up a hand before speaking, "First of all, I did not hit you with the ball, my sister did." She pointed at the little girl who failed at hiding behind one of the poles of the volleyball net. "And second of all, mistakes don't define a person, alright? Just because my sister wasn't able to pass the volleyball properly doesn't automatically mean she's bad at it. Get your facts straight, babe."

I narrowed my eyes at the nickname again and spat, "Don't call me that. I'm not your girlfriend. Just because you called me 'babe' and practically flirted with me awhile ago doesn't mean I approve of it."

She stared at me for a moment, flummoxed. She furrowed eyebrows before tilting her head. "We've met before?"

"Yeah, we did," I retorted, disapproving her pseudo-innocence.

She scoffed before shaking her head. "Look, I may not have the best memory, but I could at least remember someone as rude as you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm too mad to excuse you, ma'am."

It was my turn to scoff. "Do you even know who you're talking to right now?"

"A rude woman, that's who."

It occurred to me that I'm in a place where celebrities chill at because nobody will be able to recognize them. And it also occurred to me this is the reason why I picked this place. A part of me felt grateful for that, but right now, all I wanted is for this woman to recognize me and finally realize where she stands.