Page 117 of Small Town Swoo
Eventually, the girls started shivering, and Olivia came out and said there was bubble tea and warm clothing waiting in the pool house. Everyone dried off, and I figured that was the perfect time for me to make anescape, but that’s when Pinky came over and took me by the hand. “You can’t leave yet,” she said. “The party’s not over.”
I allowed myself to be dragged into the pool house, where the girls were all stepping into what looked like big blue fleece bags, and pulling hoods over their heads that had eyes and jagged white edges.
It took me a second to realize what they were—shark onesies.
“We have one for you too, Dash,” Pinky said excitedly.
And just when I thought the day couldn’t get worse, I found myself pulling on a shark onesie, which was so narrow around my ankles I had to waddle over to the couch, where I sat with ten seventh graders, sipping bubble tea and answering questions about my life.
“Where did you live when you were our age?”
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“Do you have any pets?”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Who’s your favorite music artist?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
The pool house definitely got quieter after that one.
“No,” I said, sipping my bubble tea.
“Do you like anybody?”
I hesitated.
“He likes somebody,” Eddie said confidently.
“Who is it? Do we know her? Is she an actress? Is it the girl who played Selena onMalibu Splash?”
“No, no,” I said. “It’s—it’s someone from back home in Cherry Tree Harbor.”
They all scooted closer. “What’s her name?”
“Ari.”
“What does she look like?”
“She has curly brown hair and brown eyes.”
“Just like me,” someone whispered.
“Is she an actress?”
“No. She’s a waitress—her family owns a diner. But she went to culinary school, and she’s an amazing chef.”
“Do you have a picture of her?”
I had some pictures on my phone, which I’d set down over on the bar where we’d gotten the bubble tea. A few women were sitting there now—I hadn’t even seen them come in—and I realized with dismay that one of them was Katherine Carroll. Was this how I was finally going to meet her? After shuffling over to the bar in a fucking shark onesie? At this point, did I even care?
“Hang on,” I said. “Let me go get my phone.” After standing up, I gave the girls a big laugh as I Charlie-Chaplin-walked over to where I’d left my phone. The women were seated farther down the bar, and I was hoping to escape without talking to them, but Olivia called my name.
“Dash,” she said from where she stood behind the bar. “Let me introduce you to Katherine.”
Reluctantly, I turned around and waddled closer to them. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Dashiel Buckley.” I pushed my shark hood off and held out a fin.
