Page 83 of Second Tide's the Charm
WaveChaser58: Hope Evans, this you?
Below, the user posted a link, but I know better than to click it. Gabe did though, so I know exactly where it leads—to the Shoreline Dunes official page and the post of me ruining the chance for conservation funding.
There are already thirty replies to the commenter, but I don’t look at those either. Marissa comes over to stand at my shoulder. “Shit.”
My phone rings when I’m on the way to the car, Marissa by my side, and when I see that it’s Zuri, I put her on speaker. “Is Owen seriously this upset over high school grades?” I ask.
“I saw your text, and that’s why I’m calling,” she says. “His brother stopped in the shop this morning, and you know how people love to talk when they’re at the checkout.” She acts like chitchat is a hardship, when I know it’s her favorite part of working the register. “He was saying Owen’s wife just had a baby and they’ve been at the hospital for the past few days while she recovers.”
“He’s married?”
“News to me, but I can’t see someone being up to no good in the delivery room, or having the energy for it, for that matter.”
“You would know.”
Marissa gives me an inquisitive look and I hold up three fingers. “Three kids?” she asks, eyes wide.
“Who’s that?” Zuri asks.
“Sorry, it’s Marissa,” I say. “You’re on speaker.”
“As in your cousin-in-law?”
“Don’t even start, Zuri.”
Her husky laugh comes from the phone, and Marissa joins in. “Anyway, Owen did have a part in it, in a roundabout way, by posting the video originally,” Zuri says. “But I felt like you should know he doesn’t seem to like, have a vendetta against you.” Kids are laughing and yelling in the background, and I’m guessing she’s at the park. “Not sure if it being random helps any though. Regardless, this sucks. How are you doing with it?”
“Honestly?” I lean against my car, then regret it when my skin touches the hot metal. “I’m kind of relieved. The fear that people would see that video has been hanging over my head all summer.” I never wanted to talk about it, because I figured it made me weak. “But now that they have, nothing happened. A few comments, sure. But those people don’t know me, and they don’t have a bearing on my real life.” The damage to the freshwater conservation effort is already done, and no amount of people watching can make that worse. I’ve come to terms with the loss, and so have all my old colleagues, who are working on other projects, pushing forward. Just like I am. “I have an interview coming up for what would be an amazing internship, I have Adrian.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Marissa start to make a gagging face, but I shake my head. “Don’t even start. Not when I know you wanted us back together all along.”
“Wait, what?” Zuri’s voice is full of eagerness. “You didn’t tell me this.”
“Another time.” She’s going to be stewing, waiting to hear the tea, but right now I need to deal with the video situation. “Adrian’s calling, so I’m going to let you go.”
With a quick promise to call later, I switch to the other line. I’m doing all right, but someone used Adrian’s channel to try to hurt me. I have a hunch he’s not okay with that.
thirty-three
adrian
“This is exactly what I was worried about, Hope.” I’m pacing the dock at my house, and each loose board feels like a personal insult. I can’t imagine how Hope’s feeling. But she showed up a few minutes ago and seems a lot more chill than I am, so I want to remain calm for her sake. “You sure it wasn’t that guy you went to high school with?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t seem like it. The Shoreline Dunes social media pages are public. It could’ve been any of your followers.”
Any of my followers.The reality one of them dredged up that low moment in Hope’s career because of her proximity to me is hard to bear. My hands clench into fists, and Hope makes her way down the dock and wraps me in a tight hug. “You’re not responsible, okay? I knew the risks when I agreed to stay on, and realistically speaking, this isn’t a big deal.”
I hate that she’s comforting me, when she’s the one who got targeted. “I don’t want to say you’re wrong. Itwillblow over, and no one with any real pull will be swayed by the comments.” I rub her back. “But it’s a big deal because people said some really shitty things about you. And I hate that it happened because of me.”
“It didn’t.” Her head is tucked against my chest, and that, more than anything, slows my rapid heartbeat. “It happened because whoever shared it gets their kicks from bringing other people down.”
“And I gave them a platform to do it on.”
She pulls away, staying in the shelter of my arms, but looking up at me with impossible tenderness. “You gavemea platform. To start over, to regain my voice. You gave me a platform to share my passion for shark science with people like that librarian’s goddaughter. You’re really going to wish that away because someone came after me in a comment section?”
Once again, she has me at a loss. “Have I mentioned how incredible you are?”
“Once or twice, but I think it’s better if you show me your appreciation.”
