Salmonella

Side Story - Terra

🫧Terra🫧

We swim away from our little guppy sister, Gigi looping her arm through mine. I shift the bag of our own clothes to my free arm, and as soon as Sam is out of earshot, grind my teeth together. "I don't get why we have to be nice to her all the time just because of what happened."

"Yeah..."

"Like, she's not our responsibility. She's not our child."

"Mmh..."

"Just 'cause some people want to be shitty paren—" Gigi giggles rudely over me. I frown at her, only to see that she's not even paying attention to me, just liking some dude's shirtless selfies! "You're not even listening to me! Who is that?" I reach for her phone, but she's faster than me and snatches it out of my grip.

"You like someone?" I frown. No, that can't be the case, or she would tell me. My sister doesn't keep secrets from me. And last time I checked, she liked somemer else. "But I thought you liked that girl? What's her name, Delta?"

Gigi turns an angry shade of scarlet and jerks her arm away from me. "No, I don't."

I sigh. "Fine. But you did at one point."

"That was a long time ago."

Oh my god... "Okay? I'm wrong, then, geez. No need to be so defensive. What do you think I am, a homophobe?"

She says nothing, just returns to liking people's posts. I gape at her. This bitch did not just ignore me. I didn't do shit and she thinks she has a right to be mad? So annoying. I should have just gone out with my girlfriends instead.

Then my sister vanishes.

"What—Gigi??" I call after her wildly, rushing to catch up. God, I hate when she does that, just disappears without a word. I find her staring in the window of some little roeba tea place.

"Let's go here." Her voice is still dry as always but her eyes light up. I know that means she really wants to go, because Gigi never shows any hint of genuine happiness, but come on! Can she get her priorities straight for once? If we got Finstaclam famous, then she could buy all the roeba she wants!

"Noo. We have to go to Wentletrappuccino! You know we'd get a thousand likes if we took selfies there. Come on." I tug at her arm.

"But I want roeba." She pouts and smushes her face longingly against the glass like a little kid.

"So get it after. We have to go before it gets crowded or there'll be people in our shot."

"Then edit them out."

"What do I look like, an photosop expert?"

"You go by yourself. I'm getting roeba."

"Ohh no, you're not." I snatch her by the collar and tug her away before she can enter the place; she reaches towards the store, making futile little grabby motions with her hands. "I need you, you're my photographer."

"But you said you were taking selfies ..."

"I changed my mind. You have to take them for me. Hurry up." She groans in protest but still lets me lead her by the shoulders towards the cafe.

Of course I don't really need her to take the pics for me; the truth is I'm just scared to go alone. Wentletrappuccino is always flooding with people who want to be famous, plus the occasional real celebrity. And if I happened to swim into one, I know I'd make a fool of myself. I need to have my rock there to keep me grounded.

Plus, everyone knows you look cooler chatting with somemer than just floating idly by yourself.