Freaks and Fortune

I couldn't go back to the cabin just yet. The day had been busy. What with Ravi and my run in with Cal... I had to clear my head. I sat in on Aqua's last show.

The clear glass tank in the middle of the tent was polished to perfection. It was as if the hundreds upon hundreds of gallons of water were floating in mid-air. Aqua slid through the water like an arrow. He really did look like Aqua Boy, his blue skin and hair glistening under the delicately placed lights throughout the tank. He looked almost primitive in his concentration, so serious and precise.

I was riveted. The flips and bold jumps and twists all seemed graceful when he executed them. I found myself on the edge of my seat, gasping when he turned a back-tuck into a perfect dive, barely making a splash. Clapping and laughing when he skidded over the edge of the water, spraying the front row.

I could see how he kept so fit. Each twitch of muscle was visible under the shadowed lighting. His arms and legs flexed and pulled with each movement. His pale body was like a whisper... Like a ghost in the water.

I ran backstage to greet him after the show. He had collapsed onto a small chair, a white towel around his shoulders. I ignored the fact that he was dripping wet and hugged him fiercely.

"You're amazing!" I cried.

He laughed and asked me to wait around while he changed. He instantly appeared in jeans and an oversized v-neck, most of his blue hair gel and make-up hastily rubbed off to avoid recognition. We headed back up to the cabin and I fell in step behind him.

"Is this Cal's shirt?" I asked, tugging on the hem of the blue v-neck.
Aqua scowled. "Yes," he replied darkly. "He keeps stealing my tank tops because he thinks they make him look muscly. So I stole one of his shirts."
I laughed.
"Cal's a weird one," he commented. "He does what he wants... But he's insecure as well. It's a strange combination."
"Well, he's a strange boy," I said.

We continued across the fairgrounds. Aqua rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You know, Ivy..." he said slowly. "I think you should know something."
"Uh... Okay?"
"I don't normally do this," he reassured me. "I want you to know that I only do this kind of thing if I think it's absolutely necessary."
"What kind of thing?" I asked hesitantly, raising an eyebrow.
"Betray someone's trust."

I blinked heavily.

Aqua was struggling with himself. I could tell he really didn't want to go on. There always seemed to be some sort of solidity about him. Some kind of reliability and trustworthiness in the way he presented himself.

"Cal told me something about three months ago that I really think you should hear."
I nodded curiously.
"He said that he knew he was never going to be with Savannah."
I shook my head. "I don't-"
"He said that he knows what he's doing is hopeless and that he really only likes her by default."

I sighed. "If this is supposed to be some sort of-"
"Ivy, listen to me," he interrupted. "Cal needs to get over Savannah. And he knows that."
"Aqua, stop trying to-"
"He needs someone smart," he continued, talking over my protests. "Someone pretty, someone funny, someone caring."
"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were hinting at something, Aqua Boy," I muttered sarcastically.

Aqua laughed. "That's all I'm going to say on the matter," he said. "Just my two cents."
"Well, you can have your two cents back," I told him. "I don't like Cal."
He coughed pointedly and avoided my eyes.

-_-_-_-_-

Aqua and I arrived back at the cabin before Savannah. The awkwardness that filled the air was unmistakable. Cal and I were well aware of the fact that, not two hours ago, he'd accused me of liking him as more than a friend. And what with Aqua's little comment, he was in on the tension, too.

We sat in stuffy silence until Savannah came back from her show. She smiled at us, blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable circumstances. She strolled into the bathroom and changed into sweat pants. Then, pad and pen in hand, she sat down on the floor and began writing.

Cal shuffled over and sat down next to her.

"What are you writing?" he asked quietly.

Savannah ignored the question until she finished the sentence she'd been working on.

"A letter to my parents," she answered distractedly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "They're in Peru."
"Peru?" he repeated. "That's cool."

Cal shot me a deliberate look.

"I bet they wish you were with them. If I was in Peru, I'd wish you were with me."

I rolled my eyes. He had to be kidding!

"Mmmm," Savannah murmured, not really paying attention to him. She crossed out a word and began writing furiously again.

"You should take your hair down," Cal commented, touching Savannah's high ponytail with a gloved finger. "You look pretty when it's down."
She waved a hand at him. "Not now, Cal."
"Yeah, you're right," he said. "You look pretty when it's up, too."

He gave me another look.

I almost laughed! Why didn't he just make a big sign that said, "Look at me! I like Savannah, not you!" and hang it around his neck?

"You look pretty all the time."

Maybe even the sign would have been too subtle.

"I've been practicing something... Do you want me to show you?" he proposed.
"Whatever," Savannah replied, still engrossed in her letter.

I heard the sound of a button snapping and I knew what Cal was going to do even before he did it. He slid his bare hand up under Savannah's shirt. He rested his palm on the small of her back for about five seconds before she realized what was going on.

With a quick somersault and a front hand spring, Savannah was on the other side of the room. She looked at Cal with a mixture of fury and fear.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"W-What?" Cal asked, looking hurt. "N-No! No! I would never do that!"

Savannah ran past him, knocking heavily into his shoulder. He stumbled and turned to her, confused and distraught.

"Sav, please!"
"Are you drunk?" she screamed at him. "Are you high?"
"No! No, Sav! Listen to me, please!" he cried, his voice breaking.
"Then you must be crazy!"
"I'm not! I'm not I just wanted to be able to really touch something!"
"Oh, yeah! You wanted to touch something, alright!"
"No! No! I didn't mean it like that!" he protested, trying to grab at her wrist.
"I swear to God, Calvin... You disgust me!"

Savannah turned on a heel and slammed the door. Cal made a violent move to follow her, but Aqua stepped in front of him and placed a heavy hand on his chest.

"Don't," he ordered, clearly angry. "Seriously, what were you trying to pull?"
"Nothing!" Cal insisted weakly.

Aqua left the cabin and chased after Savannah, calling her name.

Cal flopped down into his hammock, defeated. It was a full thirty seconds before I could even draw a breath again. I was shocked at how fast everything seemed to have passed.

"Wow," I breathed.

Cal buried his head underneath his blanket.

"Hey... Hey, are you okay?" I asked him.
He said nothing.

I walked over to his hammock and gently tugged the blue blanket away from his face. His eyes were red and I could see that tears were smeared down his cheeks. He wiped at them hastily.

"Cal..." I groaned. "You don't have to-"
"I'm not," he said angrily.
"Well, you sort of got what you deserved!" I told him hotly. "You knew she would react like that."
"Yeah, but if she had just let me explain!" he cried. "I've been practicing lowering my body temperature! I can keep it low if I concentrate hard enough..."

I shook my head.

"It might have been good for you to tell her that before you felt up her back."

He looked at me balefully.

"You've ruined me, Ivy," he said, closing his eyes. "You've absolutely ruined me."
"Oh, really?" I asked. "Mind telling me how I went and did that?"
"I can't touch anything," he said, looking at his hands. "Fire destroys everything. I destroy everything I touch."
"Cal!"
"I'll be wearing these gloves forever. I'll never be able to really touch anything... Just like you said."
"I didn't mean to upset you. I... I wasn't thinking. Please don't take it that way."

He sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"I don't feel right any more."

The way he said it almost broke my heart. He looked... sad.