Ocean Blue ✓

chapter five

elliot

By the time I've reached Neema's cutesy ranch house, with its moths and mosquitos buzzing ecstatically about the lit porch light, I've calmed down. What happened with the girls was definitely just a misunderstanding. Five minutes ago, I was pretty excited to tell them about the team's rekindling of our friendship, the politeness of everyone at the beach, and—especially—that girl, Alyssa. Now, I would rather go home and do my best to fall asleep.

Still. You don't ditch movie night. So I'm here.

I can hear the TV of Neema's living room blasting out that good Titanic-y goodness, so I lightly rap my fist against the front door before just walking straight in. Neema's parents are used to Duncan and I all hanging out in one big, hormonal mass, and I've been instructed to not worry about knocking. Just march in and pray that Lady, the resident evil feline, doesn't attack you.

Duncan has his arm slung over Neema's shoulders. They both smile at me, and I wiggle my eyebrows in response. It's been a bit weird with them dating—not because they aren't great together or because they're suddenly bad friends to me. It's just the whole realisation that I'm as single as single can be, and they're off being closer friends than I could ever hope to have.

I'm untying my shoes when Lady bounds up to me. Her fur is a shock of white, and she looks more like a bouncy cloud full of slightly-malevolent energy than anything. "Hello, Lady," I say to her. "Are you going to whack me today, or can I go in peace?"

"She's feisty tonight," Neema warns.

"It's because we won't share the popcorn," Duncan says. "But like, Neema put curry powder on it, Ellie. Curry. Powder. It's literally my second favorite powder."

"Second only to cocaine?" I ask as I reach out to stroke Lady, who meowls and thwaps my hand. Her claws snag slightly against my skin for a moment. "Ow, why can't you love me?"

"That cat is possessed," Neema says. If Lady weren't the unofficial-official mascot of the Adriko family, they probably would be rid of her, because she is a lot of hassle. A mean hassle. She's an old husk of a thing with a passion for spitting and throwing up in Mr. Adriko's shoes.

Lady continues to bat at me, even as I cross over to the couch. It's an effort not to trip over her.. "You think?"

"I don't think," Duncan says. "Curry powder thinks for me. It controls me. And my life. It—"

"Shh," Neema whispers, scooching a little onto his lap so that there's room for me to join them. I know that that's a huge plus of my being here, aside from the fact that we've been best friends since we were little. This couch is small enough to excuse some Neema-Duncan overlap when we all pile on together. Just more almost-third-wheeling on my part.

Hanging with Neema and Duncan as just friends is way different than hanging out with a couple as an almost third wheel. Still, they're my people, and I love them. We work too well. We're this weird hodgepodge of snippy teens, each of us a little too awkward to properly hang out with anyone but one another.

Okay, that's a lie. I'm the awkward one. Duncan and Neema are just here out of pity or because we've known one another too long or something—they're, like, peak social. Duncan has his cool-ish jock dudes who all are somehow better people when around him, and Neema has her nice-ish choir kids. After quitting the swim team, I just have Duncan and Neema.

Neema's arms are wrapped tight around Duncan's neck when I come to join them, sidled next to Duncan. I used to hang out with him more one-on-one than I do his girlfriend, but I think that's just because he was going through some kind of epiphany, that the majority of people at our school are more than toxic. Neema has it good—she flits around social circles with ease, enjoying the company of honors students and slackers alike. She gets it all. Honestly, I don't think she realizes just how lucky she is to be social. When someone falls through for her—like too many of the basketball guys for Duncan, or the swim team girls for me—she has backups. See again: very lucky.