lifted the tray closer to my nose. “Are you sure? They’re freshly caught and so tender they just melt in your mouth like mousse.”
What lovely mental imagery. Don’t gag—don’t gag—don’t…gag. Enter gagging. I sounded completely spastic, and that’s probably nothing to how I looked.
“What can I do?” Trey asked. Judging by his smirk and crinkled brow, Trey was either on the verge of unrecoverable hysterics or calling the paramedics.
“Air—GAG—outside—now.”
He took my hand, weaved me through the many disgusted faces, and opened the doors to the terrace.
“Was that as embarrassing as it felt?” I asked.
“That depends. How…embarrassing…did it feel…exactly?”
“Great. It was that bad. I hate fish.”
“Maybe I should call you Gaggles instead of Squiggle.”
“Does a well-placed knee mean anything to you?”
“Got it. No Gaggles. Hey, Marina?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you ever look at us and think maybe we do better…”
“As friends?”
Trey nodded. “You feel the same, don’t you?”
“Sometimes best friends are just meant to be best friends, no pass go, no benefits.”
“Oh, well, I don’t agree about the benefits part.”
“TREY!”
“Kidding, kidding…kind of. How about some punch?”
“I’m thinking yes,” I said, fanning my face with my hand.
“Be right back. Don’t go anywhere, and for God’s sake stay away from the crab puff girl,” he said, squeezing my hand before leaving me alone on the mammoth terrace.
I waited and waited as the ticks and tocks clicked on.
“You’re not right back,” I muttered after too much time had passed. Trey would never leave me alone this long, and my tummy started embracing nervous waves of ick—never a good sign. “Okay, that’s it. I’m coming to find you, Trey.”
I headed for the terrace doors, but stopped cold when I heard Benji and Troy in a heated discussion just inside the ballroom.
“You know what people are saying,” said Benji. “She’s not one of us, and Katrina would kill her if she even suspected you might have a connection.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Troy grumbled.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” said Benji. “You’re falling for Marina Valentine.”
GASP! Falling? For me?
“Don’t be ridiculous, Benji.”
“I’m not the ridiculous one. It can’t happen no matter how attracted you are to her. It’s not recommended for good reason.”
Nosy S.O.B.
“I have never been less connected, less attracted, or less interested in someone than I am to Marina Valentine.”
I found myself desperately searching for a quiver in his voice, a brief hesitation in his delivery, or a clearing of his throat, but there was nothing. He meant every word. My mom always says, “There’s nothing worse than kicking people when they’re down.” Well, I disagree. Kicking somebody—annihilating more like—while they’re up, happy, and hopeful hurts far more because you fall that much further and hit that much harder. At least I did learn something about Troy Tombolo tonight: two words—pompous jerk.
I emerged from the shadows, sauntered by the pair of them, and briefly glanced at Troy, giving him my best expressionless face. While avoiding the still eager crab puff girl, I continued meandering about, looking for Trey, trying to ignore the painful pounding of my heart.
“Looking for something?” said Katrina, her voice oozing venom, while two of her sleazy friends blocked my progress down the hall. Her barely-there, red lace costume matched the jewelry she always wears—apparently, her fashion sense flat-lined with her personality.
“My date. Haven’t seen him, have you?” I replied coolly.
“Fortunately, no. So, how are things going with you two? I’m always interested when two Normals hook up. It’s so…cute.”
“Girl talk? Really?”
“You’re right. I care about as much as an octo. Have you met Mitzi and Nerissa? What am I thinking?
What lovely mental imagery. Don’t gag—don’t gag—don’t…gag. Enter gagging. I sounded completely spastic, and that’s probably nothing to how I looked.
“What can I do?” Trey asked. Judging by his smirk and crinkled brow, Trey was either on the verge of unrecoverable hysterics or calling the paramedics.
“Air—GAG—outside—now.”
He took my hand, weaved me through the many disgusted faces, and opened the doors to the terrace.
“Was that as embarrassing as it felt?” I asked.
“That depends. How…embarrassing…did it feel…exactly?”
“Great. It was that bad. I hate fish.”
“Maybe I should call you Gaggles instead of Squiggle.”
“Does a well-placed knee mean anything to you?”
“Got it. No Gaggles. Hey, Marina?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you ever look at us and think maybe we do better…”
“As friends?”
Trey nodded. “You feel the same, don’t you?”
“Sometimes best friends are just meant to be best friends, no pass go, no benefits.”
“Oh, well, I don’t agree about the benefits part.”
“TREY!”
“Kidding, kidding…kind of. How about some punch?”
“I’m thinking yes,” I said, fanning my face with my hand.
“Be right back. Don’t go anywhere, and for God’s sake stay away from the crab puff girl,” he said, squeezing my hand before leaving me alone on the mammoth terrace.
I waited and waited as the ticks and tocks clicked on.
“You’re not right back,” I muttered after too much time had passed. Trey would never leave me alone this long, and my tummy started embracing nervous waves of ick—never a good sign. “Okay, that’s it. I’m coming to find you, Trey.”
I headed for the terrace doors, but stopped cold when I heard Benji and Troy in a heated discussion just inside the ballroom.
“You know what people are saying,” said Benji. “She’s not one of us, and Katrina would kill her if she even suspected you might have a connection.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Troy grumbled.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” said Benji. “You’re falling for Marina Valentine.”
GASP! Falling? For me?
“Don’t be ridiculous, Benji.”
“I’m not the ridiculous one. It can’t happen no matter how attracted you are to her. It’s not recommended for good reason.”
Nosy S.O.B.
“I have never been less connected, less attracted, or less interested in someone than I am to Marina Valentine.”
I found myself desperately searching for a quiver in his voice, a brief hesitation in his delivery, or a clearing of his throat, but there was nothing. He meant every word. My mom always says, “There’s nothing worse than kicking people when they’re down.” Well, I disagree. Kicking somebody—annihilating more like—while they’re up, happy, and hopeful hurts far more because you fall that much further and hit that much harder. At least I did learn something about Troy Tombolo tonight: two words—pompous jerk.
I emerged from the shadows, sauntered by the pair of them, and briefly glanced at Troy, giving him my best expressionless face. While avoiding the still eager crab puff girl, I continued meandering about, looking for Trey, trying to ignore the painful pounding of my heart.
“Looking for something?” said Katrina, her voice oozing venom, while two of her sleazy friends blocked my progress down the hall. Her barely-there, red lace costume matched the jewelry she always wears—apparently, her fashion sense flat-lined with her personality.
“My date. Haven’t seen him, have you?” I replied coolly.
“Fortunately, no. So, how are things going with you two? I’m always interested when two Normals hook up. It’s so…cute.”
“Girl talk? Really?”
“You’re right. I care about as much as an octo. Have you met Mitzi and Nerissa? What am I thinking?
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