Page 11 of The Plan

I throw his arm off me again, and he looks down at me, confused. “I’m going to file an actual complaint if youkeep putting your arm over me like you’re my boyfriend or something.” He laughs beside me. I was only half joking, but it wasn’t that funny.

“Why do you say boyfriend like me being your boyfriend would be the most disgusting thing ever?” I roll my eyes in response. Cherries are definitely the most disgusting thing ever, and I didn’t say it the way I say cherry.

When we get to the parking lot, he walks to his car and opens the passenger door for me, but I don’t get in and keep walking for my car. “Can’t. I need to be somewhere right now.”

I climb in my Jeep, and Sire stands between the door, keeping me from closing it. “Can I see you before the game this weekend?” I hope that isn’t his way of asking me out again.

I turn my car on and steal a glance at him. “The game is in two days. I’m sure you’ll see me around campus, Sire.”

He rolls his eyes at my response, but I don’t miss the smile he tries to hold back. “Where do you have to be right now?”

“The aquarium on Peterson Ave for about an hour.”

He nods thoughtfully, like he’s trying to make sure he remembers. He closes my door for me and taps the hood of my car before walking off.

“I’m telling you, Hazel, thisis my hoodie.” I know this is mine because I just bought it yesterday. She was literally with me.

“Okay, well, then I must have the exact black hoodie. Either way, those jeans are definitely mine.” Okay, these ripped jeans are hers, but I don’t admit it.

Hazel looks up from her phone like she just remembered something. “Guess what bullshit happened today.” She sends me a bored look. I try to think for a second, but knowing her, thiscan range from her having to work this Friday to her literally punching one of her coworkers. It’s happened, and I have no idea how she still has her job here.

“Did you ‘lose’ a seal again?” I still can’t comprehend how she managed to do that. She called me with pure panic in her voice. I was in the middle of a very relaxing shower and ran out of the house with the conditioner still in my hair. I thought she was going to get arrested or something.

“No, God, please don’t remind me of that horrible day.” She rolls her eyes as she shakes her head at the thoughts of that day.

I can’t help but laugh at the thought of it. There wasn’t even a missing seal. She just miscounted and had us searching for three hours. I swear the bleach is getting to her brain. “What happened then?” She rolls up her sleeves to show me her arm is bandaged up, but when she pulls the bandages down, my eyes immediately widen at the sight.

“Hazel, what the fuck happened?” Grabbing her arm, I look at her wounds. It looks like a damn vampire attacked her.

“One of the baby otters bit me. I’m fine, really. She didn’t mean to.” She really does have a high pain tolerance because that bite looks like that baby otter meant it.

“Well, did they give you a shot at the hospital?” I’m assuming she went to the hospital since she is bandaged pretty well. When she nods in response, I feel a bit relieved.

Both of our phones start ringing simultaneously, and without looking down, I already know it’s our moms. Half of the time they call us, it’s at the same time. We both answer, and in sync, we say, “Hello?”

“Hola,mi vida.”

Hazel and I both reply with, “Cion, Mami.”

“Dios te bendiga, mi vida,”my mom says on the other end, her voice soft and motherly. The conversation goes on for a fewminutes, and then they both ask to speak to the other, so we switch phones.

They ask the same questions as always. “How are you? What’s new? How's my other baby?” Our moms have been best friends since high school, and they both got pregnant with us at the same time, so we grew up together.

They let us hang up after a few minutes, and I put my phone face down on the table, but when my phone buzzes again, I turn it over to see who it is.

Gryffindor:

u still at the aquarium right?

I pick up my phone and reply, letting him know I’m still here, and he replies before I can put my phone back down.

yeah why?

because i don’t see you, this place is huge

where the hell are you?

“Why are you smiling at your phone like that?” I wipe the smile I didn’t know I had off my face and slide my phone over to Hazel, showing her the text. “You two friends now?” She says it like there's a hidden meaning behind the word friends.

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