Waves

CHAPTER 05

NORA

Jules helped Nora set out the paper plates and silverware, as well as the napkins, and make the lemonade. By the time they finished with all of that, more people were starting to arrive.

Jules had just set the cups down on the counter when there was a knock on the door, and a split second later a guy burst through. "Mouse, hi!" He chirped.

"Hi Maxi," Mouse replied, standing from his attempt to fix the sliding door.

"Hello Maxi," Jules greeted from where she had just sat down next to Nora with a glass of lemonade.

Maxi turned to smile at her, and then did a double take. "Oh, hi, I didn't see you there," He told Nora with a sheepish grin.

Nora giggled at him in spite of herself and held out her hand, "I'm Nora."

"Maxi," Maxi replied, shaking her hand. He gasped, shaking out his hand when they pulled away, "Wow, you have a firm grip!"

Nora giggled again. If every one of Mouse's colleagues were like Jules and Maxi, this would be a fun night.

(}--|#!#|--{)

It was late in the evening when Nora was sitting beside Jules and Chappo on the couch. She was exhausted, but nervous to go to bed when there were so many people over. So far, she'd met way too many of Mouse's friends to remember all their names. But some of them stuck out in her mind more than others.

Like Jules, for instance, the only girl. Nora and Jules had bonded instantly. And Harrison, who'd also been very kind to Nora and quite liked her. Chappo was enough of a character that Nora couldn't have forgotten his name, much like Harries and Maxi. And, of course, Deano, Reidy, and Jesse, whom she had already met.

"So what do you all do?" Nora whispered to Jules as she watched Mouse and another guy who she thought might be called KC arm wrestle.

Jules turned to look at her in surprise, and then laughed, "Mouse hadn't told you?" She asked.

"No? Should I know?" Maybe he was a lifeguard after all...

"He's a lifeguard."

Nora blinked.

"Oh, really? Where?"

"Bondi Beach. We all are. But we patrol Bronte and Tamorama, too," Jules explained.

Wow, Nora thought as she looked around. But then again, it did make sense. Every person in the gathering was very physically fit, especially Jules. It surprised her less than she thought it should've that they were all lifeguards. After all, the whole lot of them were more kind than any of her foster parents' coworkers were. And more amiable, too.

"What are you thinking about now?" Jules broke Nora out of her train of thought.

Nora glanced at her, and then back at the table where Mouse had just been pinned by KC. "Well I guess it explains why Mouse was so calm earlier today, and how he wasn't tired," Nora said. Both her and Mouse had come out with quite a few scratches, but luckily, none of them were too severe. Nora had spread some triple antibiotic cream on them and put a bandage or two over the worst ones, but other than that left them be.

Jules burst out laughing, drawing the attention of Chappo as he shuffled a deck of cards. "What are you both going on about over there?" He asked.

Jules ignored him, "Mouse is just like that," She told Nora, "Him and Matt Dee both. I don't think anything could happen to either of them that would even change their tone of voice," Then, to Chappo, "We're talking about earlier today."

"Ah," Chappo responded, before saying, "Euchre? We've got more than enough cards for two more players."

Jules looked at Nora, as if asking her if she wanted to play, and Nora nodded. She pushed herself more upright and took the two cards that Chappo handed her. He passed out more cards to Jesse, a long, blonde haired guy that Nora thought was called Jethro, and KC.

"KC and Deano are both card sharks, and Chappo sometimes gets sticky fingers," Jules warned Nora as Chappo handed her the other three cards.

"Hey!" Chappo protested.

"Everyone knows it's true, Chaps," Jesse confirmed, winking at Nora.

Nora giggled and looked at her cards as Chappo laid down a nine of hearts on the top of the deck. Nora had a jack of hearts, which was trump card, as well as a jack of diamonds, an ace of hearts, and a king of diamonds. And then a random nine of spades.

"You're my partner," Jesse told Nora, and she nodded.

Chappo looked to KC, "Should I pick it up?" He asked.

"Pass," KC said.

"Pass," Jethro said.

"Pass," Jesse said.

"Pass," Jules said.

Nora bit her lip, and then said, "Pick it up."

Jesse looked up, "Oh, going for it, are we?"

"Hearts are trump, then," Chappo announced, placing a different card down on the pile.

Nora glanced around the group. Jules and KC, who were partners, both had perfect poker faces. Jethro was biting his lip with his eyebrows scrunched together, and Chappo, his partner, was staring at his cards with his lips ever so slightly upturned. Jesse wasn't exactly showing any emotion, but he didn't have a poker face, either. He was just watching Nora to see what she would do. So, she did what any normal person probably wouldn't have.

She played the jack of hearts.

"Oooh," Chappo said, and Nora thought she could see just the corners of KC's lips upturn for a moment before his poker face wiped any and every emotion from his expression.

Of course, Nora won the hand, so she played again. This time, she placed the right hand down. The jack of diamonds. And again, she won. She and Jesse only needed one more trick to win the whole game.

Nora placed the ace of hearts down and waited for everybody to add their cards on top. She took the stack again, and then put her king of diamonds down. KC immediately slapped an ace of diamonds and took the trick, before throwing his last card down. Nora and Jesse had won the first three tricks, and therefore the first round.

Jesse high-fived her, "We're gonna be good friends," He said with an infectious grin, "I can just feel it."

Nora smiled back at him.

Sorry guys, I know that this is a short chapter. I promise that I'll make it up to you sooner with a longer one, okay? Big time skip next chapter, FYI, but I promise it will make sense.