slowly drifting ★ circa waves

XV.

(several hours earlier)

-

the radio had been on christmas music, and joe didn't change it so the car ride turned into a moving sing-a-long. which was hell for emma.

she couldn't get anyone to shut up, so eventually she tied the hatch closed with some string she pulled off of eleanor's sweatshirt when she wasn't looking, and then shoved a pillow next to it to absorb the sound.

now, she was looking out the window with the map on her lap as she occasionally read out directions.

"why circa waves? like, not only is it hard to know how pronounce but it's not even an adjective? how can waves be circa? are you even talking about ocean waves? what about all the other waves? wavist much?" eleanor rambles. joe laughs and shakes his head.

"if i told you then i'd have to kill you."

eleanor rolls her eyes and slides lower in her seat, crossing her arms. "do you think they can hear us in the back?" she asks joe. he turns to her blank-faced. the screams of sam, ellie and colin are enough to kill the surrounding village.

"they're too busy jingling their bells to notice."

eleanor's face scrunches up, "never say that again. ever." she then faces emma. "what have you heard about ellie? do you think she's nice? what do you know?"

emma, startled, begins to shake her head. "can you calm down, please. i don't know much, but i talked to her in the car on the way to our apartment. she's nice, she's like us."

eleanor nods as if contemplating something.

"why....what do you know?"

"that's the thing, i don't know anything! no one tells me anything!" she huffs, talking louder than intended. joe sends the two a confused look.

they both shrug it off and eleanor continues. "all i know is that there's some sneaky shit going on. like, have you seen how kieran reacts when she's around? it's like he's jealous or something, i don't even know! and then how it gets all tense and awkward at random times? it's so weird..."

emma's eyebrows furrow in thought. "i agree...now that you mention it there was something weird that happened when i first met her. sam was about to say something and then joe cut him off. i wonder what that was about."

"i asked if her and kieran used to date...that was a mistake haha."

emma can't help but laugh at her friend, imagining the tension and horror. "so did they?"

shaking her head, eleanor taps the seat impatiently. "colin was going to explain but she was right there. i didn't want her listening."

joe clears his throat. "you guys know i can hear everything you're saying, right?"

slowly, emma and eleanor turn their heads towards him.

"and it's kind of complicated, so prepare yourselves."

emma and eleanor share a glance of excitement before emma says, "tell us everything."

-

"it started in year eight. everyone—well, almost everyone—in the band new that kieran had a crush on sian. it was so obvious. everything sian did, kieran was right beside him. it was really sweet, they were really close. before year eight, they'd always been the best of friends. they were inseparable and we all accepted that you had to be friends with both of them if you were going to be friends with either of them.

"but year eight, the year we started playing music better, something clicked. it was like somebody turned on these lights in kieran's eyes that would glow whenever sian was around. that was a good year. kieran could innocently admire sian, and sian would still have a best friend.

"year nine was when ellie joined our class, and then it got sad. well, kieran got sad. really fucking sad. sian had developed a crush on ellie the instant he saw her, and there was no stopping him. they'd talk all the time, and soon sian was spending more time with ellie than with kieran. the rest of us thought it was strange, colin tried to help kieran get through it but it seemed impossible. that year, and year 10, were the worst.

"in year eleven ellie left. this time sian got sad, which meant kieran was still sad. but sian got over it pretty quick. kieran got happier, but he was never the same. they were never the same. i think that's what tore the band apart. why plummer left. the rest of us had a small part of us that hated sian for his ignorance, and what he made kieran go through," joe sighs, a far away look in his eyes.

eleanor nods her head slowly, taking in all of the new information. "that makes sense. he still hates her for what he made sian do."

"that's not really fair. it's not her fault that sian liked her. he should be mad at sian, ellie didn't even do anything!"

eleanor shakes her head, "he can't really be mad at sian if he's still in love with him."

"then he needs to get over it! it's been years!"

joe sits quietly, still thinking. "i agree, he needs to get over it. especially now that sian's gone. there's no way it can happen."

a knock comes from the hatch, startling the three. then colin's voice is heard.

"guys, i think we should pull over and get some sleep, it's pretty dark out."

eleanor climbs back through the hatch to be next to colin and joe falls asleep on emma's shoulder after one of the longest days they've ever had.

-

whoah that was quite the chapterrrrrrrrrrr