Page 50 of The Other Side of Paradise
Brooklyn struck up a conversation with both of them, saving me from any more awkwardness, except for one point where Stella gushed to Oscar about how she wasgetting Allison a girlfriendandyou could join us if you weren’t so boring.I was so, so grateful that Oscar was boring, because he had no interest in that, just in an IPA and sitting at the bar while Stella got a cosmo and dragged me to sit at the pool with her. She handed me her drink and jumped into the pool, pinching her nose and going in feet-first, and she went underwater before she splashed up over the surface, and she got me to dip my feet in the water with her. Tried to insist I share her drink, too, and I had to remind her that I was just on a thirty-minute break and I wasn’t about to show up back to my shift tipsy, and she contented herself with floating in the pool in front of me chatting away, at least until I heard the telltale signs of Ryan showing up—namely, Brooklyn’s voice changing as she flirted with her. Stella gasped at the sight, and I turned half-expecting someone dying from the sound of shock, but nobody died—just a haircut. Ryan’s, to be specific.
It was a cute look, actually, chopped just above her shoulders, bright and fresh, almost like a longer and more layered version of Brooklyn’s, and I guess I wasn’t surprised Brooklyn was taking her to get queer-coded haircuts like a bisexual bob. Stella splashed out of the pool, bowling me and about six other people over on her way over to gush about Ryan’s new hair, and I laughed as I watched the whole thing—Brooklyn leaning over the bar practically making heart-eyes at Ryan, Ryan posturing with her new hair, Oscar shaking his head with his little smile he only seemed to get with the siblings, and Stella gushing like it was her job.
Despite how many heart attacks Stella had given me, and despite how much things sucked with Ryan’s breakup and her family, this was some of the most fun I’d had here. I wondered if Brooklyn could keep Ryan around. The girl was clearly getting more attached than she wanted to—both of them were—and I was enjoying this little dysfunctional group more than I’d thought I would. I’d have hated to give it all a clean goodbye.
And that had nothing to do with wanting to be around Stella for longer. Although… I wouldn’t have survived being around Stella for that long.
I shouldn’t have been thinking things like that. I didn’t need to wishmoreof Stella into my life, not when it was already all I could take. I was just seriously down bad for her. So much so that when Stella got back to the pool, dropping down onto the concrete next to me and saying, “Hey—Oscar and I are tagging along for Ryan’s and Brooklyn’s rock-climbing later, do you want to come?” I didn’t even make a face at rock-climbing.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said, trying to sound cool and casual. Trying not to sound like I wouldn’t dream of saying yes normally but that I’d do anything if it meant more of Stella. She grinned.
“Great. I’m gonna suck at it. I hear you suck, too, so we can figure it out together.”
“You heard correctly. I can’t wait.”
I just saidI can’t waitabout rock-climbing. Stella had done more of a number on me than I’d ever dreamed possible.
Fuck me.
Chapter 15
Stella
I was not a climber.
I tried my best to be for about five minutes. Full of hope and dreams and lofty aspirations while Brooklyn was guiding me, Ryan, Oscar and Allison through warmup stretches. And then I hit the wall and I felt what it was actually like to hoist myself up the thing, wobbling around on the tiniest little footholds and grabbing at anchors on the wall that felt like trying to hold a beach ball with one hand, and I reached that conclusion before I was two feet off the ground:
“I’m not a climber,” I said, exhausted and wiped already, as I walked away from the wall together with Oscar and dropped down on the bench next to Ryan, Oscar sitting on my other side. Brooklyn was still guiding a feisty Allison up the wall despite the latter’s complaints, but I was tapped out, sinking back into the seat with a groan. “This kind of sucks.”
“Ah…” Ryan laughed. “You and Allison are so in sync.”
I rolled my eyes, laughing, looking across the gym at Allison struggling while reaching for a hold. “She’s not nearly as bad as she said she was,” I said, and Ryan sighed.
“She’s… trying to show off. Even if she’s mad Oscar is better than she is without putting in the slightest bit of effort.”
Oscar grinned at the two of us. “It’s kinda fun. Brooklyn’s a good teacher.”
“She is… definitely very good at what she does,” Ryan said, her voice measured. I didn’t get why the careful wording, but I wasn’t prying. I looked across the gym, off to where Brooklyn hopped up onto the wall next to Allison, demonstrating a technique for her.
“She’s really cool,” I said. “I don’t know how she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
Ryan snorted, which I assume was about me going on about everybody’s love lives, but she should have known by now who I was. “Ah… you know how it is,” she said. “Not a lot of people really stay on the island. Everyone’s just coming and going.”
God, that sounded miserable. I frowned at her. “That’s kinda sad,” I said. “Doesn’t that get lonely?”
Oscar laughed. “Doesn’t sound half-bad to me. You’re left alone to your own devices, anyone annoying in your life eventually leaves…”
I elbowed him. “Not everyone is a misanthrope. Some of us want real connections!”
Ryan laughed quietly. “Like with you and Jacob.”
I grinned at her. “That’s not a real connection. But some of us want real connectionsanda couple of fun connections too. It’s called living life. You should try it!”
Oscar spoke lightly. “I think Ryan’s living life as it is.”
I snorted. Ryan pitched in with, “I really, really am,” and I rolled my eyes at her.
“Okay, sure,” I said. “You won’t even entertain the idea of alittleflirting with somebody while you’re here.”
