HAPPENED.
“So I know where you came from, by the way,” I say.
“Humans and a house and all that. Yeah, I know.” Fishboy isn’t even looking at me. His eyes are busy tracking something under the water.
“That house. The big one, right there.”
“You must think I’m an idiot.”
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m—” He dives and emerges with a tiny fish in his mouth. He spits it onto the deck. “Look at that! Check that out! Oh, man, Teeth is the king. Teeth is the king. I am the king of the seas. Look at that.”
I squirm away from it. It’s flopping around like my brother during a bad night. “What is it?”
“Minnow. Oh, God, look at this minnow. Mmm. It’s beautiful.” He kisses it and cuddles it against his cheek, then neatly slits its head off with his teeth.
“Oh, Jesus, Fishboy.”
He looks up, a laugh, halfway through, frozen on his face. “What did you call me?”
“Fishboy.” But I didn’t mean to. Shit. “It’s, uh, what I called you in my head before I knew your name.”
He shrugs and nods a little. “Fishboy. Yeah, that’s cool.”
Thank God. This would have been such a stupid fucking thing to fight about.
He’s really grossing me out with this fish, licking the blood off its neck, so I shake my head quickly and say, “You know how I found out where you’re from?”
“I don’t care.”
“I made out with your sister.”
“What’s ‘made out’?” He’s looking at me with these huge eyes.
“Kissed.”
“Ew,” he says. “You kissed a fish?” Then he buries his face in the minnow and rips it to pieces.
“This is so gross.”
He comes up with flesh speared on his teeth. “Oh myGod. Rudy, this is the best minnow in the world. You have to try this.”
“I’ll pass.”
“I’ll save you the liiiiver .”
At least now I know he’s screwing with me. “Do fish even have livers?”
“You’re a liver.”
“How do you know that word?”
“I’m very, very smart.” He licks the skin clean. “Oh my God. Minnow. You are a beautiful minnow.”
“It’s dead.”
“It doesn’t speak English anyway. Oh, lovely, lovely minnow.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’re the one kissing a fish. Gross.”
“Your human sister.”
“I knew what you meant. Seriously. You think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”
I smile and he smiles and I lie down on my back, as far as I can get from the remains of the fishboy’s lunch. He’s sucking on all the little bones.
Eventually he finishes eating, and I don’t say anything, and he doesn’t say anything. He reaches up to the dock and walks the fish bones back and forth like they’re people. I half-watch his hands and half-watch the sky. It’s the firsttime we’ve been absolutely silent together when it doesn’t feel like we’re fighting. It almost feels like we’re tucked in to go to sleep. The silence must last nearly five minutes before he looks up at me and smiles.
It doesn’t matter what team I’m on, for a minute. For a minute it’s just me and that smile.
“If you’re done relaying my family history to me,” he says, “I have a mission for us.”
I sit up. All the blood rushes out of my head and makes me dizzy.
“I knew that would make you pay attention. Poor, bored Rudy.”
“What are we doing?”
“Operation Enki Freedom.”
“Seriously, how do you even know these words?”
“Ms. Klesko listens to the radio without her hearing whatevers in. And I am very, very smart, Rudy. You’re in?”
I guess freeing a few can’t hurt. The fact is, my mom brought a whole school of fish home from the market this week, and the guilt is eating me alive.
“Come ooooon,” Teeth whines. “Operation Save My Brothers.”
Now it’s not like I have a choice. “Yeah, I’m in.”
Fishboy licks his lips. “Excellent. Come on. Let’s go swimming!”
I slip into the water. I start shivering from the second mytoe breaks the surface. At least I’m more confident in the water now,
“So I know where you came from, by the way,” I say.
“Humans and a house and all that. Yeah, I know.” Fishboy isn’t even looking at me. His eyes are busy tracking something under the water.
“That house. The big one, right there.”
“You must think I’m an idiot.”
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m—” He dives and emerges with a tiny fish in his mouth. He spits it onto the deck. “Look at that! Check that out! Oh, man, Teeth is the king. Teeth is the king. I am the king of the seas. Look at that.”
I squirm away from it. It’s flopping around like my brother during a bad night. “What is it?”
“Minnow. Oh, God, look at this minnow. Mmm. It’s beautiful.” He kisses it and cuddles it against his cheek, then neatly slits its head off with his teeth.
“Oh, Jesus, Fishboy.”
He looks up, a laugh, halfway through, frozen on his face. “What did you call me?”
“Fishboy.” But I didn’t mean to. Shit. “It’s, uh, what I called you in my head before I knew your name.”
He shrugs and nods a little. “Fishboy. Yeah, that’s cool.”
Thank God. This would have been such a stupid fucking thing to fight about.
He’s really grossing me out with this fish, licking the blood off its neck, so I shake my head quickly and say, “You know how I found out where you’re from?”
“I don’t care.”
“I made out with your sister.”
“What’s ‘made out’?” He’s looking at me with these huge eyes.
“Kissed.”
“Ew,” he says. “You kissed a fish?” Then he buries his face in the minnow and rips it to pieces.
“This is so gross.”
He comes up with flesh speared on his teeth. “Oh myGod. Rudy, this is the best minnow in the world. You have to try this.”
“I’ll pass.”
“I’ll save you the liiiiver .”
At least now I know he’s screwing with me. “Do fish even have livers?”
“You’re a liver.”
“How do you know that word?”
“I’m very, very smart.” He licks the skin clean. “Oh my God. Minnow. You are a beautiful minnow.”
“It’s dead.”
“It doesn’t speak English anyway. Oh, lovely, lovely minnow.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’re the one kissing a fish. Gross.”
“Your human sister.”
“I knew what you meant. Seriously. You think I’m an idiot, don’t you?”
I smile and he smiles and I lie down on my back, as far as I can get from the remains of the fishboy’s lunch. He’s sucking on all the little bones.
Eventually he finishes eating, and I don’t say anything, and he doesn’t say anything. He reaches up to the dock and walks the fish bones back and forth like they’re people. I half-watch his hands and half-watch the sky. It’s the firsttime we’ve been absolutely silent together when it doesn’t feel like we’re fighting. It almost feels like we’re tucked in to go to sleep. The silence must last nearly five minutes before he looks up at me and smiles.
It doesn’t matter what team I’m on, for a minute. For a minute it’s just me and that smile.
“If you’re done relaying my family history to me,” he says, “I have a mission for us.”
I sit up. All the blood rushes out of my head and makes me dizzy.
“I knew that would make you pay attention. Poor, bored Rudy.”
“What are we doing?”
“Operation Enki Freedom.”
“Seriously, how do you even know these words?”
“Ms. Klesko listens to the radio without her hearing whatevers in. And I am very, very smart, Rudy. You’re in?”
I guess freeing a few can’t hurt. The fact is, my mom brought a whole school of fish home from the market this week, and the guilt is eating me alive.
“Come ooooon,” Teeth whines. “Operation Save My Brothers.”
Now it’s not like I have a choice. “Yeah, I’m in.”
Fishboy licks his lips. “Excellent. Come on. Let’s go swimming!”
I slip into the water. I start shivering from the second mytoe breaks the surface. At least I’m more confident in the water now,
Similar Books
