IKIGAI / Jake Sully

27

I held the ring up to the sun seeing the light refractions that made it shimmer in iridescence. Walking around different parts of my bedroom to see the colors moving.

"Where were you?" Seze ask popping into my room making me immediately trip over my feet and fall. "Clumsy as always"

"Can you go away" I groaned turning my head over to look up at her

"You bailed on me last night" she says ignoring me

"My mom told me to run errands. Remember?"

"Lame. I went to the dumb festival and guess what?!"

"What if I don't want to know"

"Jake wasn't even there all night! Mo'at said he...."

Still laying on the ground, I push my hair behind my ear and Seze stops talking. Her eyes glued to me as she stomps over to yank my hand.

"Ow! Stop!" I say forgetting my entire body was aching from last night.

"Where did you get this?!" Seze says holding up my hand, that had my ring on it.

"I found it"

"Liar!" She says looking at the ring in utter jealousy. "You...you were with Jake?!"

"Wh?!...I don't even know what" I protested trying to yank my arm back "Can you let go?!"

"How...? Did you sleep over his house?" She interrogates filling with anger as if she deserved that spot.

I can feel my face turning red "I didn't sleep anywhere!"

"Ugh! I can't believe you" Seze says her mouth dropping. She pauses for a moment "I'm telling Aunt Yurka"

"Seze! Wait! Are you crazy?!"

She throws my wrist back down and gets up "Aunty!"

"Stop!" I yelled grabbing onto her ankle causing her to tumble over to the ground.

"Ow! Get off! What is wrong with you?! Aunty!"

Only for us both to forget that she left for the marshlands this morning and would be gone for a couple of weeks.

"Hah! She already left!" I say standing back up and letting out an exhale.

Seze lays on the ground for a few moments and turns to me.

"I want to talk to him"

"No!"

"You want me to keep it a secret. I want to talk to Jake" Seze says sitting up and crossing her arms. "He knows me."

"No he doesn't?" I retorted and she just rolls her eyes

"We have a long standing history together Levy. Either he talks to me tonight or you deal with your mom"

But when I go to Jake he immediately refuses to talk to Seze. As if she is his version of trauma.

"I would rather get shot" Jake responds as he walks up toward the mountain system.

"I think you're being dramatic" I say following him

"She is the definition of dramatic."

"So you know her"

"Yeah and she's worse than your mom" he responds

"So Seze is right you two have history together"

Jake groans letting his arms fall as he turns and looks down at me.

"Levy how do you think I know her?"

"Was she..."

"That's sick that you think I would go for you and your cousin"