Chapter Text
It was a hot summer, and Jem would rather be inside with air conditioning than life guarding the shitty community pool.
Yeah, he'd agreed to take over for his little sister, Scout, because she was sick, but that was before the temperature hit over 90.
Sighing, he looked out over the pool, wincing at the kids screaming while playing tag or something. There was a couple of teenagers wrestling around near the deep end, and he recognized one as one of Scout's friends, Pickle or something.
He laughed as the kid fell into the water, sputtering. Hey, he said he'd be there, not actually do his job.
Looking around, Jem made sure no one was watching. He fished a small blunt out of his run down napsack, lighting it and taking a long drag. If he was gonna be here for another hour, he needed something to get through it.
Trying to let the smoke out as discreetly as he could, he glances back at the kid. He was rising out of the water, laughing with his friends. The sunlight was glistening off of his surprisingly pale back, his white blonde hair dripping as he shook his head, and- Jem needed to stop himself there.
He choked, the smoke still in his lungs launching out of him on short bursts. Someone asked him if he was okay. He nodded and waved it off, taking deep breaths.
He looked back at the kid, whose attention was also drawn to Jem's coughing fit. Blue eyes.
Fuck, Jem was so gay.