The Grass Is Always Greener

by Jen Calonita

  Zoe smiled sadly. “That’s all anyone can do: try.”

  Six

  “ ‘Happy V Day, Mira,’ ” Charlotte read from the just released Book of Love insert in the EP school newspaper. “ ‘Your first clue about tonight’s date: Don’t bother wearing your favorite jeans or fancy shoes. Go with rain boots. Clue number two can be found where you lost your diamond earring last month. Kellen.’ ” Charlotte frowned at Mira. “That’s what he writes in the only Valentine’s booster he’ll ever write you? Don’t bother wearing your favorite jeans tonight?”

  Mira swiped the pink pages from Charlotte and dropped them in her paisley bag along with the other four copies she had grabbed. What if one got wrinkled? “I think it’s romantic.” Mira tried to sound confident, even if she wasn’t. Rain boots? Really?

  “Why would you need rain boots?” Charlotte sounded rattled. “It’s not supposed to rain tonight! Where is he taking you? Fly-fishing?”

  Mira gave a nervous laugh. “No!” She bit her lip. “He wouldn’t, would he?” The only thing she did know was that they were celebrating a day early. Kellen was leaving tomorrow.

  Charlotte wrinkled her nose. “God, I hope not. You’ll reek for days.”

  “If that’s what Kellen has planned, I’m going to say no,” Mira declared. “Dad wants us to make an appearance at a food bank with him on Sunday. Smelling fishy would not be good for his poll numbers.”

  It looked like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol had exploded at Emerald Prep. The halls were a sea of pink decorations, and everyone had gotten into the Valentine’s Day spirit. Many of the girls had accessorized their uniforms with light-up hearts, Savannah and her friends had on annoying red berets, Charlotte had made herself a pair of funky heart earrings, and Mira was wearing a pink headband. Why couldn’t Kellen think pink? Clues were cute, but the rest of his message was flat, and now that Charlotte had mentioned it, their date sounded like it could involve cleaning fish at the dock. He didn’t even spell out Valentine’s Day. Who called Valentine’s Day “V Day” anyway?

  Charlotte checked her lip gloss in Mira’s locker mirror. “Don’t sweat it. I’m sure whatever Kellen has planned will be good. I’d be more worried about your good-byes.” Charlotte pulled on her jacket, a cute bright green raincoat that she had designed herself. “That’s going to be the worst part. How do you say good-bye for forever to a guy you like?”

  “I don’t know.” Mira spun the bracelet on her wrist around and around, which was a nervous habit. “I hadn’t thought about that part yet, because it’s not really good-bye. He’ll be back at Easter.”

  “Yeah, but that’s just for a visit,” Charlotte went on as she reapplied her mascara. “It’s pretty much over between you guys. You can’t do the long-distance thing when he’s not coming back permanently and…” Her eyes caught Mira’s misty ones in the locker mirror and she stopped herself. “Oh God, Mira. I’m a horrible friend!”

  “No! You’re being honest,” Mira said. “I need that. It’s not like I haven’t thought about this stuff a zillion times myself.”

  “Okay, so let’s think about something else.” Charlotte slammed Mira’s locker shut. “What are you doing for the art class submission? I’m torn between two designs: One is a gown for the First Lady and the other would be my dress for the Crystal Ball.”

  “I started two new portraits, but I’m not in love with either of them.” Mira stared at the pink streamers and red hearts decorating the hallway. “It’s hard to focus.”

  “It will be easier after tonight.” Charlotte ran a comb through her red hair. “Any idea where Kellen’s second clue is?”

  Mira leaned against the locker next to Charlotte’s. “I lost my earring near the bus stop on Main Street when we were heading to Sup one afternoon.” Mira frowned at the memory. The earrings were her favorite studs. Her dad had bought them for her thirteenth birthday. “If I’m right, the second clue should be there.”

  Izzie appeared out of nowhere. “Wear rain boots?” she asked Mira, and raised an eyebrow. “Does Kellen know who he’s talking to?” Charlotte laughed.

  Mira had no clue what Kellen was thinking, but at least he had given her one less thing to worry about: choosing the perfect outfit.

  Mira walked to the trolley stop on Main Street at 6:40 PM and stared sulkily at her feet. It was a starry night, just like her Weather Channel app had predicted, and she had no need for her stupid rain boots. It killed her to swap out the outfit she already had planned for their last date—a mini-dress—for her least favorite pair of skinny jeans and a long, fitted sweater.

  When the trolley pulled up a few minutes later, Kellen wasn’t on it, and there wasn’t a clue to be found near the bus stop. Stumped, Mira waited till everyone had gotten off. That’s when she spotted a red envelope taped to the trolley-stop bench. It hadn’t been there earlier, but there was no missing her name printed in big black letters on the front. Inside the envelope were ten dollars and a handwritten message:

  Head to Bait, Tackle, and Reel ‘Em In. Tell the guy behind the counter that Kellen Harper sent you. He’ll give you the next clue.

  Mira’s shoulders slumped. They were going fly-fishing! She dragged herself the short distance to the tackle shop. She was so busy practicing fake enthusiasm for their outing that she barely noticed the guy behind the counter staring at her strangely.

  “Hey.” Mira gave him a less-than-peppy wave. “Kellen Harper sent me.”

  The guy placed a smelly carton on the counter. “That will be ten dollars.”

  Mira gave the container the evil eye as she forked over the ten-dollar bill. “What is in there?”

  “Fish,” he said as if it should be obvious.

  “Fish,” Mira repeated, and gingerly grabbed the container by the handle.

  “I’m supposed to tell you to take the next trolley to the bay,” he said, and handed her a plastic bag. She gratefully put the carton inside it. “Then he said something about meeting you on the pier. I think.”

  “You think?” Mira asked.

  He shrugged. “Hey, I just sell bait. I don’t usually coordinate people’s dates.”

  And this had to be the oddest date ever. What could Kellen be thinking? He had to have his reasons. He paid attention to details, just like she usually did. As she walked to the pier from the trolley stop, she tried to figure out what he was up to.

  “Do you have my fish?” Kellen called out, startling her. She looked around and saw him a few yards away. He had on a coat, jeans, boots, and an adorable skullcap.

  Mira held the smelly bag out as she walked toward him. “Yes. I don’t think anyone on the trolley appreciated the smell.” He pulled her toward him and her grumpiness couldn’t help but melt away. “You made me wear rain boots,” she grumbled.

  He grinned. “I like torturing fashionistas.”

  She gave him a look. “I can’t believe you made me wear these for our last date, which is supposed to be romantic, considering it’s the day before Valentine’s Day. Or did you forget?”

  Kellen looked like he was enjoying himself. “How could I forget when the guys were making fun of me all afternoon after reading your message: ‘Live, laugh, love, today and always, near or far,’ ” he recited in a high voice.

  “I was trying to get in the spirit of the holiday!” she said in mock indignation. “That’s why I didn’t write something totally dull like ‘Go with rain boots,’ ” she said in a deep voice meant to sound like his. “Now I’m worried you’re taking me fishing.”

  He laughed hard and held her tighter, blocking out the wind. “You can relax. Look over there.” He pointed to a pretty Victorian house nearby. She recognized it as Harbor Shores, one of North Carolina’s aquariums.

  “We’re going to the aquarium?” Mira felt relief wash over her. Anything beat outdoor fly-fishing! “I didn’t know they were open at night.”

  “They’re not. We’re getting a private tour.” Kellen led her to the building. “I have been racking my brain to fig
ure out what to do for our last date, but nothing I came up with felt good enough. Hayden said I was trying too hard, while my mom said I wasn’t trying hard enough.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Being a guy who is good at dates is exhausting.”

  Now she felt bad. “No, stop. You did great. This looks fun.” When she wiped her nose she got a whiff of fish. “I still don’t get why I had to bring my own bait, though.”

  Kellen smirked and rang the aquarium door buzzer. “You’ll know soon enough.”

  A voice crackled over the intercom. “Yeah?”

  “It’s Kellen,” he yelled into the microphone box.

  “Right on time,” said the voice. “Come on back. You know the way.” The buzzer sounded and the door unlocked.

  Mira followed Kellen into the dank, dark lobby. It smelled pretty fishy, but it wasn’t hard to ignore the smell when you saw how pretty the aquarium was. A long footbridge covering a pool with sand sharks was to her right, and a shallow stingray feeding pool was to her left. Everywhere else she looked, there were lit glass tanks showcasing octopuses, schools of fish, and other creatures. EC could have a great party in this place—if they could find a way to deal with the smell.

  Kellen grabbed her hand, interrupting her thoughts. “Do you remember the first night we hung out? We both said we live near the water and we’ve never fished.” Mira nodded. “Well, I figured it was about time we did something about that—and about your fear of being up close and personal with dolphins even though you love them.” Mira froze. “I know we said we’d try a dolphin encounter this summer, but since I won’t be here, I thought we needed a plan B.”

  “You might be,” Mira said hopefully.

  Kellen seemed pensive. “Maybe.” She heard a small splash from the stingray tank and looked over. “If not, I think it would be cool if you remembered me as the guy who took you to meet some dolphins.”

  “Seriously?” Mira’s voice echoed in the cavernous room. Here she’d thought Kellen’s Valentine’s message was weak at best, but now Kellen was giving her dolphins! “I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” Mira realized.

  “Well, they don’t actually let you swim with dolphins here, but you can feed them,” Kellen told her. “I figured you’d like this better. You can’t chicken out.”

  Now it made sense why she wasn’t supposed to get dressed up. Wait till she told Charlotte.

  “My cousin Jameson is a trainer here, so he arranged the night visit,” Kellen said, guiding her forward. “He’s waiting for us in the dolphin arena.”

  “And this is something you’ve never mentioned, why?” They passed a huge spiral fish tank with a small octopus inside. “Connor would love this.”

  “If I come back to town, we could come back here and bring Connor,” Kellen suggested.

  But what if he doesn’t come back? Mira worried. She quickly forced herself to stop fretting about what-ifs. She wanted to enjoy tonight, and seeing the dolphins was enough to make her do just that. When they entered, two dolphins were swimming around in a pool with a floating platform.

  “So this is the famous Mira.” Kellen’s cousin walked toward them in a head-to-toe wet suit. He put down a bucket of fish and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Mira tried not to think about what Jameson had just been handling when she shook his hand. Fish guts. “Thanks for letting us come tonight.”

  “Don’t mention it. We do private tours for wedding couples and dignitaries all the time, so my boss didn’t mind me inviting family.” Jameson looked at Mira. “I think your dad has even met Tom and Jerry.”

  “Tom and Jerry?” Mira repeated, eyeing the bucket again. In a few minutes, she would have to pick those fish up.

  “Our dolphins,” Jameson explained. “I’ll introduce you once you’ve put on a wet suit.”

  “But I thought we weren’t swimming.” Mira’s voice went up an octave.

  “You’re not, but those two are mischievous,” Jameson said. “They’ve been known to knock visitors into the pool when they turn their backs on them. They buckle people’s knees with their nose. It’s funny as long as you’re not wearing street clothes.”

  “I can just watch from the edge,” Mira tried again. The dolphins looked big. Kellen gently nudged her toward the changing area. She could see there was no point arguing. Wet suit it was. Then she remembered something.

  “Jameson has food here to feed Tom and Jerry, so why did I need to bring my own fish with me?” Mira asked Kellen.

  He made a face. “You didn’t need to. I just wanted to see how you handled having to carry bait on a trolley.” He burst out laughing, and Mira glared at him. Jameson wisely steered her away to put on a wet suit, and then, before she knew it, she was standing near the edge of the pool.

  The dolphins swam closer as she and Kellen stepped onto the moving platform. She vaguely heard Jameson give them a few instructions: what to do, what not to do; how to pet, rub, and kiss them, and toss them their favorite toys. Then, suddenly, she was touching an actual dolphin. They didn’t seem so frightening now that she was up close. Jameson snapped a few pictures of them with Tom and Jerry and promised to e-mail them later. Then, too soon, the encounter was over. The rest of the aquarium experience flew by. They fed stingrays (which made a weird slurping sound when eating sardines out of her hand) and had a picnic dinner in front of the shark tank.

  “No final date will ever top this one. Tonight was incredible,” Mira summed up later as they got off the trolley on Main Street and waited for Kellen’s bus home. Mira’s mom was picking her up in five minutes.

  “You’re incredible,” Kellen told her.

  Even if they never saw each other again, she knew this was a guy she’d always remember. “So this is it.” Mira’s voice wavered.

  “I think so.” Kellen’s voice sounded strangled, too.

  “I don’t want it to be.” Mira felt small. Her eyes were growing teary.

  “Me, neither.” He hugged her tightly. “Listen, these last few months have been better than all my time at Emerald Prep, and that’s because of you.”

  “Mine, too,” she said. Without Kellen, she never would have had the courage to start painting seriously. “So let’s not say good-bye,” she said determinedly as she heard the bus coming down the street. “It’s not good-bye if you’re coming back at Easter.”

  “I know, but…” Kellen hesitated. “I’m moving. This really is it.”

  The tears dripped down Mira’s face, and she couldn’t stop them. He was saying they were over. Through. Finished. But she didn’t want to hear it.

  Kellen brushed her tears away and kissed her. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

  The bus pulled up in front of them and the doors opened. Kellen snuck in one last kiss before he got on. He turned around before he moved to his seat. “Bye, Mira,” he said, saying good-bye even though she had hoped he wouldn’t.

  “Bye,” Mira choked out as the doors closed. The tears dripped down her face. She had to see the bus drive out of sight to believe it. Kellen was gone, and this time it was for good.

  Seven

  Izzie did not want to cause a scene in the middle of EC’s coffee shop/bakery/wine bar, but she couldn’t take it anymore. She covered her face with her hands and screamed.

  Savannah shot her a look of contempt from the seat across from her. “Was that really necessary?” she snapped in a thick drawl.

  The phrase seemed to be a favorite of Savannah’s lately. Savannah had used it when Izzie got mad at her because she kept putting off their meeting to discuss Founders Day. She’d used it again when Izzie snapped at her for changing their “absolute, definite” meeting time that Saturday morning to four thirty in the afternoon because of “prior engagements.” And she used it a third time when Izzie obviously embarrassed her by screaming because it was five thirty on Valentine’s Day and she was going to be late for her date with Brayden. But Izzie had had it. Every time she suggested an idea, S
avannah shot it down.

  “I’m done,” Izzie said. The coffee shop was clearing out. The smoothie machine wasn’t whirring, and the constant stream of people coming in and out for the past hour had slowed to a trickle. People were getting ready to go out for Valentine’s Day, and Izzie wanted to be one of them.

  “Something wrong?” Savannah sipped her second frozen mocha of the afternoon. Wearing a black tube dress with a bright pink tulle skirt, Savannah looked like she had someplace much more exciting to be. Strangely, she was in no hurry to get moving.

  “You obviously hate any suggestion I make, so we might as well call things quits.” Izzie rose from her seat. “Have a good Valentine’s Day.”

  “Come on. Don’t be like that,” Savannah begged. “I’m sorry.”

  Pretend Nice Savannah was even more grating than Mean Girl Savannah. Izzie had a feeling she was up to something. The question was: What?

  “I want to like your ideas, but none of them have anything to do with our town history. This is Founders Day!” she reminded her. “We need some culture. Some town lore! Didn’t you read the books I gave you?”

  Izzie didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been studying Emerald Cove’s past the way she memorized facts for a biology exam. “A little.”

  “Good!” Savannah said, as if she were praising a dog for finally learning how to roll over. “What have you learned?”

  “This isn’t a quiz at EP, Savannah. I’m using what I learned to give you these ideas.” She pointed to the long list in her notebook. Only two ideas weren’t crossed out yet. “And you’ve hated all of them.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes to the ceiling, which was decorated with hanging hearts, just like every other shop in town. “It would be easier if you just let me do this myself.”

  Izzie picked up her drink and took a sip. “Not in a million years.”

  “Fine.” Savannah opened her Vera Bradley notebook to the page with the sticky note on top. She took out the matching pen and smiled patronizingly at Izzie. “Then let’s get back to brainstorming. Where were we? Float ideas?”