Strangely Normal

by Tess Oliver

  “Oh shit, shit, shit,” Finley cried suddenly. “I can’t believe I’m such a ditz.” She swam back to the shallow water and hurried out of the pool. I was in the midst of deciding whether I should follow her out when she raced over to the planter that she’d tapped the day before. She was grumbling to herself as she touched the planter three times. She marched back to the water with a major frown. “I never forget that. I don’t know what got into me.” She looked very distressed by it all.

  “I don’t mind going back inside and starting all over again,” I said. It was obvious this was going to stick with her for awhile.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” A weak grin appeared. “Thank you for that, but it’s too late. The damage has been done.” She glanced around as if she expected a meteor or massive earthquake any minute.

  “Maybe this will be a good thing, Finley.” I knew my words would have little comfort, but I decided to give it a shot. “If nothing happens then you’ll know that you don’t have to tap the planter anymore. It might ease your mind some.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” she said with little confidence. She dunked under and wet her hair apparently hoping the cool water would ease her worry. She popped up and smoothed her hair back. “Hey, Eden, thanks for not patronizing me. Most of my friends do that when they see me freak out about something ridiculous. I think that’s why I don’t hang out with many of them anymore. They weren’t willing to put up with my crazy shit, and I wasn’t willing to have them laugh behind my back.”

  “It’s not all that crazy, Finley. Everyone has compulsions. I once bought a curling iron at a yard sale. I was so damn excited to get that thing. I’d spend an hour in the morning curling my hair, but even though I always made certain to unplug the thing, I’d check it like ten times before leaving the house. Even then I’d start panicking about it in first period, wondering if I’d truly unplugged it or if I’d be responsible for burning down the entire apartment building. When it finally broke, I was both pissed and relieved. So it’s really not that bad.”

  “No, it’s all right. I know I’m batshit crazy. Remind me to show you my collection of voodoo dolls sometime.”

  “Voodoo? All right, I don’t have a comparable quirky behavior for voodoo dolls. You’re on your own with that.”

  Without warning, she swam over and hugged me.

  “Oh, man, I didn’t expect this much fun at the pool.” Cole strutted down the path in a pair of swim trunks and a muscular chest that nearly rivaled his brother’s. He was definitely slighter than Jude but equally handsome. His wrist was wrapped in a support brace.

  “Uh, sicko, did you forget I was your sister?”

  “Huh?” he asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “The girl hug,” Finley said, seemingly forgetting about the moment of anxiety seconds before. “I thought that was what you were commenting on.”

  “Nah, I was talking about the goddess standing in our pool.” He smiled my way, and once again, I tried to figure out why it was so familiar. Cole waded into the water.

  “Ah, here we go.” Finley looked over at me. “Watch out for floating pieces of bull shit, the master of smarmy flirtation has just entered the pool.”

  “Hey, where’s the sympathy for an injured man? The doc said it was one of the worst he’d seen yet.”

  “Did he also advise you not to use one hand to stop your entire body from crashing to earth?”

  “No, that I learned on my own. Although, it’s easier to pop a wrist back into place than a head, so I think I’ll keep using my hand.”

  I floated onto my back. “Back at school, I was dating a football player, and he had a constant string of injuries. Didn’t seem worth it to me. I mean the guy is going to have major arthritis pain before he hits forty.”

  “Ah ha, I thought you looked like the type of girl who hung out with the jocks,” Cole said.

  I pushed my feet down and smiled at him. “Sorry, but you’re wrong. I’ve always been much more interested in the chess club guys than the jocks.”

  “As long as the chess players are hot,” Finley interjected.

  “Well, hotness does help,” I admitted.

  Cole swam over to the small island in the center of the pool and pulled himself up onto it. Jude had had the band logo, a pair of black wings, tattooed across his shoulders, but Cole had the words Black Thunder across his. He spun around and sat down with his long legs hanging in the water. “You’re the one that said you were dating a football player. Don’t tell me the guy played chess too.”

  “I guess that would be a rarity. No, he was your typical jock, and he was one of my biggest high school regrets.”

  Finley joined Cole on the island. “Aside from walking into my aunt’s office with a joint on your backpack.”

  “Yeah, I guess that was also quite regrettable.”

  “Wait a minute—” Sunlight radiated off of Cole’s white smile. “You walked into Aunt Julie’s office with a joint on your backpack?” He laughed. “That is classic.”

  I swam over to them but had no intention of rising out of the water in my unsightly bathing suit. I grasped the cement edge. “It’s funny now, but I definitely didn’t think so at the time. And your aunt wasn’t exactly chortling with mirth either.”

  Finley burst out laughing, and I was glad to see that the earlier issue was seemingly forgotten.

  Voices floated up the pathway, and I glanced back over my shoulder. Jude was walking toward the pool house with a woman, but it was definitely not the same woman as the day before. Apparently, he liked variety. And, for some reason, that thought angered me. Our brief but harsh conversation had replayed in my mind throughout the night, but I wasn’t completely sure what’d bothered me most— the fact that he didn’t think I would be able to handle this job or the fact that he thought I was just a shallow, mooching valley girl looking for easy summer money.

  The lady at his side kept talking, but it became clear that Jude had lost interest in the conversation. Even from the distance, his pale, unflinching gaze was riveted to the scene in the pool. And, as usual, he did not look pleased.

  He vanished inside with the woman. Finley and Cole hadn’t seemed to notice his disapproving scowl, or maybe they were just so used to seeing it, they didn’t care.

  “So, Fin, I’m having a little party here tomorrow night, and I definitely think you and your extraordinarily hot friend should attend.”

  “I don’t know, Cole. I think we’ll be busy painting our toenails or something. And by the way—” Finley nodded toward the pool house, “does the emperor know about this party?”

  “I haven’t told him yet. And so what if he gets pissed? I cleared it with Dad. You know Jude is just waiting until his time is up and then he’s out of here. I asked him if he was going to come back to work with me, but he doesn’t want to. Says he has better things to do.”

  “He’s been cooped up for a long time. Can’t really blame him,” Finley said with her usual habit of coming to Jude’s rescue.

  “What kind of work do you do?” I asked.

  “My dad owns a construction company and I’m the foreman.”

  And that’s when it struck me. His smile was familiar because I’d been on the receiving end of it. “Kingston Construction?”

  “Yeah, how’d you know?”

  I shrugged. “Just a guess. I’ve seen the sign before and thought because of the name, it might be your father’s company.” There was no way I was going to mention that the shabby, rundown apartment building next to his work site was my humble home.

  “Good guess. Kingston is our real name. Anyhow, you need to convince my sister to bring you down to the party tomorrow night.”

  Finley leaned back on her hands and turned her face to the sky. “His friends are all jerks.”

  Cole looked back at her over his shoulder. “Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that
Max is back from New York.”

  Finley sat up quickly. “When did he get back?” She made a pathetic attempt to sound nonchalant. It didn’t take a genius to see that she had a thing for this guy, Max.

  “Last week. And he’ll be here tomorrow night.”

  She leaned back again and lifted her face again. “Good for him. What do I care if Max is back?”

  Cole grinned down at me.

  “And don’t flash that cocky grin at my friend,” Finley said without ever opening her eyes.

  “How the hell did you know I was grinning at her?”

  “I can hear the black stubble on your face grinding as your cheeks move. Plus, you are totally predictable.”

  “Okay, now my interest is piqued. I have to go to the party to see this guy, Max,” I said.

  “He’s a jerk like the rest of them,” Finley sighed. She sat up. “But I guess we could make an appearance.”

  A door slammed on the pool house, and I peeked in that direction. Jude walked outside and sat on a chair in front of it. He was wearing black sunglasses, but it was obvious that he was staring our direction. He lit a cigarette and took a long slow drag as he watched the pool action or, in this case, inaction. The girl who’d walked inside with him did not join him. This time his presence attracted his siblings’ attention.

  “What are you doing?” Finley called.

  “She’s getting ready, and I needed a smoke. Any other questions?”

  His answer made me wonder exactly what the girl was getting ready for.

  “Nope, that covers it,” Finley said tersely. She looked at Cole. “He’s full of shit. I think he came out to watch my new pal swim.” She winked at me.

  Cole glanced in Jude’s direction and then looked back at Finley. “Nah, you’re wrong. I know my brother, and he’s out here to keep an eye on me.”

  Finley and I had the same brow lifting reaction. “Huh?” Finley asked. “I think my theory is more plausible. I mean you look cute in your trunks, Coley, but Jude is just not that into you.”

  “Your theory is better,” Cole said. “That’s why he’s out keeping an eye on me.”

  Their rather cryptic conversation became clear to me after some thought. “You’re both totally wrong. Your brother has made it very obvious that he doesn’t like having me here.”

  Cole looked down at me. “Really? What makes you thinks so?”

  “I can just tell he doesn’t care for me.” I definitely didn’t want to bring up the conversation in the theater.

  Cole looked over at Finley. “Isn’t that interesting?”

  Finley nodded. “Why, yes it is.”

  “If you two are going to continue talking in secret sibling code, I’m going to take a swim over to the deep end. I’ll send up a flare if I get lost out there.” I pushed off and swam toward the far end of the pool, which was a good distance away. Two laps in this pool would be a full workout. I was halfway across when I heard Finley call out for Some Pig. The sudden urgency in her voice made me turn back quickly.

  “Where is he?” Finley cried. “Cole, find him, find him, please.” Cole pulled himself out of the pool just as I reached the small island. Finley was sucking in short gasps of air, and her face was white with worry. “I knew something would happen,” she cried. “Some Pig is gone and it’s all my fault.” I climbed up on the island and sat next to Finley. Her shoulders tensed up around her ears as she struggled to get a solid breath.

  “I’m sure Some Pig is fine,” I said, but she didn’t hear a word. I felt completely helpless. I took hold of her hand, but she didn’t react to my touch. She was fading into her own panic-filled world. Water splashed over the island, and Jude’s head popped up from the water. Fully clothed, he pulled himself up onto the island and knelt behind his sister.

  Gently he kneaded her shoulders and lowered his face near hers. “Breathe, Finley, breathe.” He looked at me. “I’ve got her. Go help find the pig. He likes the shade tree by the rose garden.”

  I jumped into the water and swam quickly to the side. I hoisted myself up and ran toward the path. Cole joined me.

  “He’s not under the tree. I already checked.” He motioned toward the house. “See if he went back to the house, and I’ll check out by the tennis courts.”

  I raced back to the house and noticed immediately that the screen door was pushed open. Some Pig glanced up lazily from the rug in front of the television, completely unaware of the chaos he’d created. I turned to race back to the pool with the news. Some Pig got up and trotted after me. We jogged down the path side by side as if we were out running the track together. “You sure caused a stink, S.P. Let’s hurry back.” As soon as my foot hit the path leading to the pool area, I called out. “I’ve got him!”

  I rounded the corner just as Jude was carrying Finley out of the pool. She looked sickly pale and her thin shoulders shook.

  “I found him!” I called again.

  Jude and Finley looked up. “Some Pig,” Finley cried as she spotted us. “Where were you?” Her voice was weak and shaky as if she’d just gone through something traumatic. And, I guess to her, it had been.

  Jude lowered Finley’s feet to the ground, and Some Pig ran over to greet her as if in apology.

  I pressed my hand to my chest to catch my breath. “He was curled up by the television.”

  Cole came around the back of the pool house. “Oh good, you found him.”

  “Cole, take Finley back to the house. She needs to get out of the sun,” Jude said.

  Cole placed an arm around her shoulder and led Finley back toward the house. Her pig followed.

  I collected our towels and shoes. Jude’s shadow loomed over me, and I sped up my movements to get away from him quickly. I had this sinking feeling he was going to lecture me or give me the big I told you so look. Arms full, I spun around and nearly smacked into him. Obviously, my clean get away was not going to happen.

  The wet white t-shirt clung to every curve of his muscular chest and arms as he assessed me coolly with his disconcerting gaze. “You did all right out there,” he said quietly. “You kept your head.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but I’d been so ready to defend myself, his compliment caught me off guard. I tucked my hair behind my ears with trembling fingers. The entire incident had left me more shaken that I’d realized. Having Jude stand so close was definitely not helping matters. His gaze lingered on my face and lips and then floated slowly down my body to my feet. I cursed myself for not taking time to cover up with the towel. “I know— my suit is embarrassingly ugly. You don’t have to tell me.”

  His long black lashes lifted, and he stared at my face again. “What suit?” He turned and strolled back to the pool house without further comment, and I race-walked back to the house.

  I headed upstairs to change into dry clothes.

  Cole was just coming out of Finley’s room. “She’s all right now. I’m sure you can go in.”

  “I’m just going to change,” I said. The tremble in my hands had subsided, but my nerves were still on edge. The adept way in which both of Finley’s brothers had sprung into action made it obvious that these episodes happened frequently, and I had the sinking feeling that this had been only a minor incident. We’d resolved the problem quickly by producing her source for the panic attack. Jude had gotten to her so fast, I hadn’t even seen him race over from the pool house. I wasn’t completely sure that I would have been able to help her at all. Finley seemed to only respond to Jude at the time. That made the prospect of him leaving somewhat daunting. In fact, once he left and Cole returned to work, it would be completely up to me to take care of Finley. I hated to admit it, but that thought terrified me some.

  Chapter 8

  I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, changed into some shorts, and walked over to Finley’s room. My knuckles tapped the door lightly. “It’s me.”
/>   “Come on in, Eden.”

  Finley was sitting on the floor sliding off Some Pig’s Hawaiian print shirt. “I think we’ve both had enough of the pool scene today. He wants to spend the rest of the day in the raw.”

  I sat down across from them and glanced around. Every wall was covered with a mosaic of old movie posters, pictures, and paintings. There was a long shelf filled with tennis trophies.

  “Did you win all those trophies?”

  “Yeah, I was a pretty good tennis player at one time. But my anxiety issues got in the way, and I lost my edge in competition.” There was sadness in her chuckle. “Now I can’t even walk out to the tennis courts my dad had built for me. It’s like there’s an invisible perimeter around this house, around my world, and I can’t cross it because I will freak out. My issues control every aspect of my life.” She lifted her round blue eyes and looked at me. “I hope you don’t leave, Eden. I really like having you here.”

  “I’m not planning to leave, if that’s all right with you.”

  She reached over and hugged me. “It’s definitely all right with me.” I got up and walked over to the paintings. One was a portrait of Finley sitting next to one of the dogs. Another was a portrait of her father from his younger days in the band. I leaned closer but could not make out the signature. “These are amazing. Who painted them?”

  “Jude. He’s pretty good.”

  “Your brother, Jude?”

  “I know. He’s such an ass, it’s hard to believe.”

  I smiled to myself. “He’s actually really good. That would explain the chemical smell. Does he work with paint thinner a lot?”

  Finley walked over to a closet and opened the door. “Yeah. Sometimes it smells like he bathes in the stuff.” She walked inside the closet, which was bigger than my parent’s bedroom, and reappeared with a large box. She dropped it on her bed, and I plopped down next to it. “I promised to show you my collection of voodoo dolls. I made them myself, and I have to say they’re pretty cool.” She opened the box, reached inside, and plucked out a tiny hand-sewn doll with yarn hair and small blue t-shirt with the words bad pet owner embroidered in black thread. She held it up and reached inside the box. This time she pulled out what appeared to be a fake piece of dog poop, like a prank you’d get from the joke shop.