Nobody Likes The Gray Area

Skipping School

I'm woken up by a hand gently shaking me. My groggy eyes open into a squint. The sunlight burns them. I'm overwhelmed with confusion as I look around. I see other cars parked around, a boardwalk, and the beach nearby. Once I see Huey, it all comes back to me.

I yawn, "We're at the beach?"
"Yeah," he says. "Jersey Shore."
I cup my head over my mouth. "Ohmigod, I don't have a swimsuit, and it's cold!"
"We can just walk around."
"OK."

We get out and start making our way to the board walk. When he sees that I'm getting cold, he gives me his uniform blazer.

"I still can't believe you of all people skipped school," I say. "I hope my parents don't find out."
"Relax. Just answer your mom's phone before she can find out."
"I found it kind of hard to believe that you and Riley were related before, but now it's clear."

When I say this, his eyes widen and he almost stops walking.

"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Shit, he never came home last night," he says. He shakes his head, trying to forget about it. "He should be fine, probably out loitering with Cindy."
"Oh, did you and her ever make up after that thing at McDonald's?"
His eyes glance to the side. "Uh...no."
"You look suspicious. Did something else happen?"
"Well, I sorta caught her and Riley about to make out. I told her off, so she got mad and left."
My jaw drops, and I stifle a squeal. "Her and Riley?!"
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah."
"C'mon, Huey, let them be! That's so cute!"
"Jazmine, Cindy used to be in a Girl Scouts gang and helped Riley start a whole chocolate cartel that got so big that both the mafia and FBI came after them."
"Woah... Well, it's not her fault the mafia and FBI got involved. Plus, I used to be a Girl Scout."
He sighs, "I just don't want her to get him into any trouble."
"I'm sure they'll be fine."
"I hope so."

We're about to pass a Ferris wheel. I point at it.

"We could get a good view of the city from there," I say.
"Cool."

We pay for a ride then get on. We sit next to each other and watch as the boardwalk gets tinier below us.

"What happened to those Ed and Rummy guys?" I ask. "Have you or Riley heard from them?"
"No. I think both Riley and Cindy probably know better than to hang around them now, though."
"I didn't even know guys like that live in Woodcrest. How do they all know each other?"
"Riley met Ed at a garden party, then they just started hanging out."

We gaze out over the boardwalk, and tiny people walking through it. Outside of the boardwalk is the city, filled with tall, pretty buildings, people, and cars zooming through it.

"I guess I sort of prefer Cindy over them because at least nobody ends up getting shot or held against their will when he hangs with her," he says. "Granddad doesn't like them either."
I laugh, "There's always something crazy going on with you guys."
"Yeah, you get used to it after a while. The neighborhood watch has been trying to get us to leave for years."

I look out at the beach and ocean. A man plays fetch with his dog by the shore. I fold my arms on top of the railing on the outside of our unit and rest on head on them, enjoying the view.

"Who was your first date, Huey?"
"Why?"
"Because I wanna know your type!"
He sighs, "She was Chinese. We took PE together."
I look at him and raise an eyebrow. "You date outside your race?"
"Is there a problem?"
"You're just so pro-black, I thought you'd only be into black girls."
"It's not nice to assume things, Jazmine."
"Anyway, so she was Chinese and you took PE together," I recap. "Where did you two go?"
"Well, she was really competitive, so we went hiking and she challenged me. Basically, whoever could survive in the wilderness longer got to... Never mind..."
My eyes widen and I lean in closer. "What?! "Got to-" what?!"
"Nothing."
"Huey!"
He rolls his eyes. "Whoever won got to be on top for a week."