FLOOD [Pokémon]

Chapter 6: Ice Cream and Bad Dreams

DARWIN

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Underneath the awning of the shop, I saw Patrick poke Riley out of the corner of my eye. They both grinned at each other, sharing a laugh. Then Riley fished his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture in my direction, not even bothering to be discreet about it. No doubt there would be laughs later at my expense.

I sighed inwardly. Maybe I should have been more focused on eating my chocolate-dipped vanilla cone. Then I wouldn't have had to worry about a photo of me with a handful of melting ice cream circling around my peers.

But it was so damn hot that I really couldn't bring myself to care. I wanted to shoot whoever had thought it was a good idea to stand around in the sun and eat ice-cream after lunch. Didn't they have any pity for the cold-blooded? I guess not, else I wouldn't have sweat pouring from my forehead and melted ice cream staining my T-shirt.

That wasn't the only thing distracting me, though. I turned back, looking towards what had claimed my attention before I'd heard the snap of Riley's camera: the ocean, a line of sun-bleached blue that that I could see even from here, at the top of one of the Saltwater Strip's many hills where the Sleepy Sealeo Ice Cream Parlor sat. From this distance, the water appeared to grade into the whitish sky, creating a single entity that consumed the horizon from one end of my peripheral vision to the other. So massive and wide and alien to mankind — a whole other world, if today's venture was any indication.

Today's venture... I rocked my jaw as my headache drummed against my skull. So much for not thinking about it. Though I don't know what I expected: today was just too big to ignore, even with the boiling heat and a cone of melting ice cream to distract me. Between that...creature trying to drown me and the Sharpedo nearly busting out of her tank, my brain was coughing smoke in its attempt to square it all with reality, despite my attempts to shut it off.

Chattering rose up behind me — I glanced over my shoulder to see the other half of my group placing their orders for frozen treats under the yellow-white awning. Those who'd already been served were clustered into groups, chatting and licking at the same time. More of my classmates had gathered around Riley and Patrick, and they were all peering at the former's phone. Laughs — I heard my name once or twice, along with the word "idiot". Neck heating up, I decided I agreed with them: I had to have been an idiot to stand around this long with a puddle of ice cream in my hand, stomach-turning dilemma or no.

I strode over to the trash can sitting at the edge of the outdoor eating area just as Thomas spun around from the counter, his prize in hand: a double-decker of Neapolitan and mint chocolate chip. He spotted me wiping my hands into the garbage can and tsked.

"Well, there goes a perfectly good two bucks," he said, looking utterly disappointed in me. Then, he slapped my back with his free hand. "But I'll take pity on you, Snowman. You want a bite of mine?"

I wasn't sure I liked the idea of my and Thomas's lips on the same cone. "I'll pass," I grunted.

"Suit yourself." He took a big bite, and I turned away, a little disgusted — he was one of those freaks that actually chewed his ice cream. "What were you doin', anyway? You were out here starin' like a Houndoom at the moon." He suddenly craned his neck, peering over my shoulder. "Was she cute?"

"I wasn't looking at—"

"Don't be shy now." Another bite, another round of annoying chewing. "You're among friends here, my guy! You see a cute girl, you let your bros know. We can all drool together."