Shipwrecked Summer by Carly Syms

important to us, you know?”
        I nodded. “Yeah, I get it. I didn’t realize that was you at bat.”
      “Wouldn’t of cheered for me so hard if you had, huh?”
        I was surprised he’d seen me in the stands before I’d realized it was him. “I wasn’t...I’m not-”
        “Relax, Lexie. I’m just teasing.” I didn’t say anything. “That was my first hit in the last month,” he blurted out to fill the silence. “Maybe you’re my good luck charm or something.”
    I smiled despite myself. “Maybe I am.”
    “Well,” he said slowly. “There’s only one way to find out.”
    “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”
    “Guess you’re just going to have to come to our next game.”
    “Now why would I do that? There’s got to be some kind of law about me trespassing where I don’t belong.”
    He looked at me, eyes narrowed slightly but still amused. “You still haven’t let that go?”
    “Why would I? You were so rude to me for no reason!”
    I didn’t know where this assertiveness was coming from, but it seemed like Jeff always brought out the part of me most willing to stick up for myself. I liked that.
        “I know,” he said. “And I felt bad about that, but I was just having a really bad day.”
        “Doesn’t mean you take it out on someone you don’t even know.”
        “Yeah, you’re right, but I did. I just really like to sit up on the stand in the late afternoon after all the kids are gone from the beach if I’ve got a lot on my mind. And then you were up there and I wasn’t expecting to have to talk to anyone and I just snapped at you. I’m sorry.”
        I nodded. “I like that about the stand, too.”
        “It’s great, isn’t it?”
        “Best time of day.”
        “Yeah.” He looked down at the black plastic watch on his left wrist. “Hey, you hungry? That new burger place just opened up a few blocks away and I really want to try it.”
        “Sure,” I said, keeping my voice light and airy.
    Inside, I was screaming. Just a few hours ago, Jeff the Lifeguard had been the farthest thing from my mind. It’d been all Pia and Anthony, Anthony and Pia.
    I hadn’t expected anything with Jeff and I wasn’t sure I did now. But it was nice to know that we could at least get along.
    We stood and climbed down the bleachers without saying anything.
      “Let me just tell the guys I’m going,” he said, picking up the bag he’d left at the bottom of the stairs.
    I nodded and watched him walk back towards his teammates. The group had thinned out since we began talking and he said something to a few of the guys, who immediately turned to glance at me. I blushed and looked away.
      It only took us a few minutes to walk down to Betsy’s Burgers and we settled in at a window table in the corner to watch the traffic hustle by on Central Avenue.
    “So,” he said as soon as I took a huge bite of my greasy burger piled high with lettuce, tomato, onions, and bacon. “Do you spend the whole summer here?”
        I nodded and pointed to my mouth and he laughed as he waited for me to finish chewing and swallow. I reached for a sip of my lemon water before I could talk.
       “Yeah,” I finally said, putting the burger down on my plate and wiping my hands with a napkin. “My grandparents have a house here so I come up for the summer.”
        “I’ve never seen you before,” he said. “And I’ve been working the Gull Boulevard stand for three years.”
       I shrugged. “You probably have and just didn’t know it.”
        Jeff shook his head. “No. I’d know it.”
        We let that hang in the air between us for a few seconds. He suddenly became very interested in his fries while I tried to figure out what he meant by that.
       “Um,” he said, clearing his throat. “Where are you from, anyway? I know it can’t be around here with that Southern belle thing you’ve got going on.”
      “Alabama,” I said.