Blue

Chapter 3

My first week at Riverside has gone well. My teachers say it'll take about another week before I catch up with the rest of the class but that's fine with me. In history while everyone was taking the test, America stopped by and whisked me away to the yearbook room to get my school I.D. My photo came out alright I guess. I actually look human in it. Venice has been absent since Wednesday, leaving Nate in charge of Bew duties. He keeps making subtle moves at me which makes me uncomfortable. I can't even count how many times I've had to purposely scratch my arm when he tried to reach for my hand. He's a cool guy, but I'm just not interested.

It's Friday night now, and instead of being out with my friends , I'm stuck doing chores with the Grant kids. I've been informed that every month on the third Friday there's a big clean out of the whole house, and today I'm a part of it.

"Well since Blue's a part of this family now-" Cameron grabbed a marker and aimed it at the chart behind him, "-she'll be added to the laundry board." He wrote my name sloppily underneath Hazel's.

"Yay.." I said sarcastically.

"Since mom and dad are gone, I'm in charge today!" Cameron rubbed his hands together and looked at the line up in front of him.

He tapped a finger in his chin. "Hazel you can go scrub the toilets, Austin you'll polish the kitchen counter, and I'll sweep and vacuum. Carter you can go help Blue outside with cleaning the pool."

Carter and I. Alone. Outside. I can already see the trouble awaiting.

"Are you serious now!" Hazel cried dramatically. "Why do you get the easy job?!"

"Because I'm the oldest," he laughed. Memories of my sister Iris and I bickering over little things like this come to mind.

Cameron shoved a bucket full of brushes and a bottle of toilet spray into Hazel's arms and pointed at the bathroom door. Sighing, she finally slumped into the room.

"This way, Blue."

I felt Carter's eyes on me as we walked out to the backyard. Austin would be in the kitchen, so he should be able to hear my screams if anything violating happens. Carter threw me a pair of polka dotted flip flops outside, I assume they're Hazel's, and grabbed a black pair of his own. My feet are a bit smaller than hers but it's not a dramatic enough difference for the slipper to not fit.

We walked around the edge of the pool after grabbing nets from the side of the shed.

"First we'll scoop the leaves and any other debris out, then we can pour in some more chloroform-"

"You mean chlorine?" I corrected him.

"If you wanna do it the normal way," he said jokingly. "Cam's having a pool party after the football game tomorrow. That Ashley chick is gonna be there. I hate her."

I laughed. "Ashe? Girl with silver hair?" I rounded to the other side of the pool.

"It's Ashe, like Ashley with out the -ley. The e makes it sound more feminine, because that's what I am," he said in his best impersonation of her high pitched voice.

"Where would you even get chloroform?" I asked laughing.

"Dad's a doctor and there's some chloroform at the medical center he works at."

"Well that's unsafe."

"It's fine, I've used it before," he winked.

Note to self, lock bedroom door at night.

After we finished scooping everything out of the water, Carter grabbed a chlorine solution and poured it into the pool. He rounded the edge of the pool and stood next to me, shaking the cup of the mixture to get all the last drops out.