If I Die Young

29. Weird

"You what now?"

Ethan and I began practically cackling, our view of the river as gorgeous as it would ever be. We were sitting on a blanket and watching the stars, the warm breeze ruffling my hair and kissing my skin. This was our second date, our first one having been the exact definition of what I'd call normal. I loved it.

"I was three drinks in and this guy comes up to me," I giggled through my words as I told the story, "he says, "I'm a big fan, but I can't help but think you're a little young to be modeling". I looked him dead in the eye and said "I can't help but think you're a little old to be such a big fan"."

We broke out into laughter again, raucous whoops echoing in the trees as we enjoyed each other's company. I found myself inching closer to him, wanting to do the simplest of things: my fingers itched to lace through his and I wanted to feel him wrap his arms around me again. I hadn't felt like this with someone in a very, very long time.

"You know, I always wondered if we were alone." Ethan said quietly, his eyes brimming with starlight as he admired them. "I didn't know if I believed in God or aliens or what have you, but just thinking about the strange people out there, the ones like you and the other kids, there has to be someone else."

"I could see that." I nodded along, imagining all the different life that could exist on the far reaches of the universe. "When I was little I used to pretend the aliens were coming to get me and I'd run around the kitchen with a pot on my head. I guess I was always a little weird."

"A little weird is good." He told me, giving me a big smile. "You make weird seem normal."

"Well, weird is normal to me." I laughed. "When you wake up at six in the morning on a Saturday to a wombat version of Brandon DuPont, you learn to live with the weird."

"He can turn into a wombat?" Ethan gawked, and I pulled my phone out of my back pocket.

"He can turn into any small mammal, these are just a few of his favorites."

I put him on the album that contained the pictures I'd snapped of Brandon in his finest moments. He was limp in Delilah's arms as a ferret and hanging out of Elyse's hoodie pocket; we sent him down the slide with the hose as an otter and I'd caught a video of him running through the house as a fox, trying to act sneaky. Ethan seemed utterly amazed by the things that were completely normal to me by this point.

"So...what can everyone else do?" He asked gently, as if he was unsure if he was treading on solid ground.

"Delilah can create anything she wants with her mind, she likes to pretend she's a magician." I chuckled as I took my phone back. "James holds information like a sponge, I've caught him doing long division that even I had trouble doing when I was double his age. Elyse can see people's auras, their color and their personality." I laughed to myself as I looked at him. "Yours is a deep, dark purple. Like amethyst."

"Amethyst, huh?" He grinned. "I love amethyst. What color is yours?"

"Black." I sighed. "She's never seen anyone with a black color before. Noelle's is odd too, it's as white as snow. We're two oddities in this world of ours."

"Well, odd isn't bad."

I felt something brush my cheek. When I turned my head I saw that Ethan had reached out, his fingers grazing my skin as he tucked my hair away from my face.

"Personally, I like you because you're odd. I can't stand all of these people, the same thing day in and day out, pointless drama and problems that could be solved if they just sat down and talked. You have real problems in your life though, unsolved mysteries and unending doubt. You don't let it get to you though."