by JE Hunter
By five o'clock everyone was exhausted, worn out from playing the Neptunian version of water polo. Caesar started a bonfire, and everyone crowded around for warmth. Colleen had swum out and caught a bunch of fish. I was surprised to discover she was the best fisherman of the bunch—I had thought Kyle and Zeke would be better—but it turns out that if orcies catch a fish, they eat it right then and there. The mermaids were getting ready to cook supper; my stomach growled in anticipation.
“Nessa, come and dance with us.” Rainbow’s blue skin glowed in the deepening sunlight. All week Rainbow had appeared in her fully human form with spikey white and blue hair; it was strange to see her in the blue sea nymph form again.
“Oh no, I'm so tired.” I dragged my feet, pulling back on the arm that Rainbow was tugging on.
“There's no saying no to dancing,” Cloud—a third-year sea nymph—said, grabbing my other arm. “There's nothing better than dancing.”
At that moment, someone turned on the solar-powered stereo; Euro-club dance music filled the clearing. I looked over to see Amynta flicking through tracks on an iPod. The sea-nymphs started dancing, still holding my arms. I couldn’t help but be pulled in by their energy. Five minutes later I was laughing and dancing as energetically as I would have been even if I hadn't spent the last six hours swimming.
“Who wants a drink?” Markus stepped into the middle of our dancing circle, holding a very large bottle of rum high above his head. In his other hand he held a metal canteen. “I fixed this one just for you as a thank-you for all the party planning help.” Markus winked at me with one of his icy-blue eyes, handing me the container. “Plus, I figured you could use a little bit of artificial relaxation after last night.”
“Hey, I helped with the party planning too,” Juan said, handing Markus his own canteen. “How come I don’t get any special service?”
Markus tilted his head left, smirking. “Because you aren’t pretty enough.”
The sea nymphs disappeared to get their cups, effectively putting an end to the dancing. I watched for a moment as people brought up their drinking containers, letting Markus pour some rum into their bottles. I was overcome by a wave of nostalgia for my old life; I'd never been to a party without Marnie before. We'd always watched each other’s backs, making sure that if either of us got too out of control so we’d get home okay. And no one ever, ever drove home drunk. That was the good thing about tonight: no one would be driving, plus there appeared to be only one bottle of rum to go around.
The collapsible tables on the other side of the bonfire held an assortment of soda and juice, along with the selection of junk food we'd bought for the party. I headed over and topped off my rum with orange juice and a bit of Sprite. Lifting the canteen to my lips, I took a sip; I couldn't taste the alcohol, but I could feel it warm my blood.
“Don’t drink that too fast, we have limited rations out here,” Caesar said, coming up to top his canteen up with Coke.
“Don’t worry, I’m a lightweight when it comes to this stuff. It’s warming me up nicely.” I took another sip and then screwed the top back onto the silver canteen. “The fire you built is nice and hot too.”
Caesar turned, looking over his shoulder at the flames. Our classmates around the fire glowed brightly. “Thanks. Dad and I used to go on these boat trips through the Bahamas that would last for weeks. We’d pick remote and uninhabited islands to camp on. Dad would always make me start the fire while he prepared the fish. It was amazing.” Caesar leaned closer to me. “I haven't seen you around much today.”
“What do you mean? I've been here all day. I believe I even kicked your butt at water polo.”
“Yes, but you haven't spoken to me all day.”
“I'm talking to you right now.”
Caesar stopped and looked at me closely. “Are we still friends?”
“Yes. Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?” I looked away, looking at Caesar made me feel guilty. I caught site of Colleen staring at me from the other side of the fire. I shifted my weight.
“Is it her?” Caesar’s gaze had followed mine over to Colleen.
“She really doesn't like you.”
“You get to choose your own friends in this life, Nessa.”
“I know; you're the second person to tell me that today. But you know what: I don’t agree with you. I shouldn’t have to choose between the two of you. I like you both. A lot.”
Caesar glanced down at his feet, and then looked up at me, his eyes burning. He moved slightly closer, reaching for me. “How much do you like me, exactly? Because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to set things right with Colleen.”
“I–”
“Caesar, we need to cook dinner.” Shia popped a hole in the bubble that had formed around Caesar and I. I stepped backward, increasing the distance between us.
“People are getting hungry.” Shia smiled at Caesar, tagging him lightly on the shoulder.
“Right.” Caesar looked from Shia to me. “Do you want to help us, Nessa?”
I shook my head. “No. No thanks. You two have fun.” I turned and left Caesar with Shia. How big of an idiot could I be? I was about to tell Caesar that I really liked him, which would have ruined everything with Colleen. Is that what I wanted?
I moved to the other side of the fire and sat with Colleen, she smiled at me with almost too much happiness. I half-listened to conversation around me, while I wondered what it would be like to cook dinner with Caesar. Could I really keep myself from him if being apart meant I felt like a dead jellyfish lying on the beach?
“Nessa, are you in?” Colleen leaned into me, physically jarring me out of my melancholy.
“In for what?” I asked, looking at the curious faces surrounding me.
“A game of cards.”
“Right. Yes. Sure. Why not?” I sighed, watching Kyle deal out the deck. It’s not like I had anything better to do—at least until I could figure out a way to turn Caesar into my boyfriend without hurting Colleen’s feelings.