Joe Keery Imagines

Stranger By The Pool-Joe Keery

Family vacations are never relaxing. By the end of it, I need a vacation from my vacation. After yet another family vacation fight, I left our combined suite. I headed to the roof and took a big breath when I stepped outside. I walked over to the side of the jacuzzi, sitting on the edge, and put my feet in.

I took a shaky breath, trying to let the last 24 hours go. When breathing didn't work, I did the opposite. I took out my secret pack of cigarettes and lit one. I took a large inhale, exhaling the smoke.

I was halfway through my cigarette when someone laughed. I looked over my shoulder to see a guy around my age smirking at me.

"May I help you?" I sighed.

"I'm pretty sure smoking by the pool is illegal."

"Are you telling me or warning me?" I asked as I turned around and took a long drag of my cigarette.

"Just a rhetorical statement," the guy laughed. I looked back when I heard him sit on one of the beach chairs.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Joining you," he shrugged. "Can I borrow your lite?"

"Sure," I said slowly.

I tossed it to him, slightly surprised when he caught it. I couldn't help but watch as he lit his cigarette. When he was done, he tossed it back. We spent the next little while sitting like that; I was sitting with my feet in the jacuzzi and this stranger was sitting on a nearby pool chair.

After a while, I pulled my feet out of the jacuzzi and moved to that chair next to the stranger.

"So," he said, finally ending our silence streak. "What brings you out for a pool-side smoke at 2 AM?"

"I am trapped on a family vacation from hell," I scoffed. "You?"

"Business trip," he said after a second of hesitation.

"Really?" I challenged. He looked over and saw my smirk which made him laugh.

"That's what I'm going with," he shrugged. I just hummed as I took another drag from my cigarette.

"A stranger from a hotel who's lying about who he is," I scoffed. "Wonderful."

"Sorry," he chuckled, putting his hands up in defense. "I was just. . ."

"No, I'm sorry," I cut him off. "It's just. . . It's been a really long day."

"What's going on?"

I laid back in my chair and crushed my cigarette on the ground. "My family has been drifting apart for years," I sighed. "My older siblings got married, moved away, had kids. Naturally, we drifted apart. They went and had families while I went to school and became a lawyer. But for some reason, I'm the one who still isn't good enough. Forget the fact that I make 75 grand a year. I'm not married so, of course, I'm the one who is failing."

"I'm sure that's not true," the stranger shrugged.

"I wish," I said through my teeth. "My sister is the worst."

"Let me guess," he laughed, "she is your typical Instagram Mom?"

"Oh yeah," I scoffed. "She looks perfect online, but the minute the picture is posted the truth is revealed."

"What kind of truth?"

"One of her kids is depressed while the other is having problems in school," I said. "That's not even the most ironic and annoying part."

"What is?"

"She and her husband are having marriage problems," I sighed.

"Damn," the stranger sighed.