where the water meets the moon | e.d.

three

addison

it is exhausting to be with the same group of people for two days of instructions, let alone four months with three other people on a boat.

i did have fun, though. i made acquaintances through each of the lessons and noticed the people i want to stay away from.

i have a list, actually.

people i would rather not spend four months with:

- the james guy who kept making sexual jokes when we were discussing the importance of life jackets. don't even know how he came up with them.

- mallory with the blonde hair. she kept giving me nasty looks.

- keegan. he doesn't know was deodorant is on a good day, so what happens when we're out at sea?

- ethan. he seems broody and quiet. i don't like the vibe he gives off. plus, we got partnered to do the demonstration on how to tie the boat to a dock and he yelled at me for not knotting it quick enough. scarred for life now.

we're all anxious throughout the day as we finish up instructions and a couple of parents, family members, or friends meet us to say goodbye.

obviously i can't do that, since my entire family is 1,000 miles away. so i sit in the corner quietly, munching on a sandwich and texting my little brother.

he tells me to catch him a pet fish. i tell him no.

i only look up from my screen when i feel someone sit down next to me. turkey and bread is crammed into my mouth unflatteringly as i look up confusedly.

a guy— maybe 19?— nervously smiles at me. he has blonde curly hair, and wears a light pink t-shirt with bermuda shorts.

i cover my mouth with my hand, trying to stop my mouth from looking weird as i eat. "hi."

"hi... sorry. i'm evan."

i finish chewing and smile, noticing his small black backpack with a rainbow flag pin, and his chaco sandals.

"nice to meet you," i hold out my hand. "i'm addy."

he shakes it limply and offers another weak smile, looking around at everyone else. "don't have anyone to say goodbye to either?"

i can't help but laugh. "no, i don't. my family lives out of state."

"same," he nods. "who do you think you'll be paired up with?"

"for the boat?"

"yeah."

"i don't know," i answer, wrinkling my nose a little. "hopefully people who are normal. when are they announcing it?"

"they have a couple of clipboards and they're passing them around in a bit."

"okay," i lean in slightly as if i'm about to tell a secret. he looks intrigued and does the same. "who would you absolutely hate to be with?"

he laughs, scanning everyone closely. he suddenly points to a boy who looks obnoxious. "he's homophobic."

"gross. anyone else?"

"oh, the red head. with all the freckles. she's so annoying," he whispers. "but i know who i'd love to be on a boat with..."

i furrow my eyebrows. "who?"

evan puts a hand on my shoulder and points at ethan, who seems to be having a quiet, serious discussion with a girl with curly blonde hair. she chews on her finger nails, and he seems to be talking with his hands.

"ethan?" i scoff. "god, no you don't. he seems like he's so moody and closed off."

"just for the eye candy, obviously."

i roll my eyes playfully. "good luck with that. he seems to be in a very... happy? relationship," i say and my voice raises a pitch on the 'happy' as we look to see the pair seemingly arguing quietly.

evan shrugs it off. "probably just some nerves or something. i think she was supposed to come on the trip too, but backed out."

"how do you know?" i ask.

"i ask around."

before i can open my mouth to answer, dr. cornell is back on the platform talking loudly again.

everyone, even parents, turn to him as he welcomes them and holds out a large clipboard filled with names.

i suck in a breath and notice evan doing the same.

we sit through ten minutes of a pointless speech before he smiles and looks down at the board. "for the moment you've all been waiting for... your boat partners! most of you probably have a group already, so you might not have to listen as close as the others."

"boat 1: captain lia with mallory k, brian b, and holland s," he reads off and i see a couple people turn to a waving woman, probably captain lia.

"boat 2..."

and so it goes on, neither evan or us getting our names called, all up until boat 7.

"boat 7: captain james avery with addison j, evan g, and ethan d."

evan and i turn to each other excitedly and squeal a little bit at our convenient arrangement.

and then the third name registers in my mind.

ethan.

his face is unreadable as i notice it across the room, but it doesn't seem necessarily happy. and his girlfriend looks nervous.

all of us wait until parents and friends have left before meeting up in our boat groups. i spot ethan and the girl hugging at the glass front doors, and turn away before i have to endure a kiss.

turns out, captain james avery is a spry old guy with a salt and pepper colored beard and a missing tooth.

"alright," he grins at the three of us, and we dodge spit coming from his mouth. "who's ready to explore?"

ethan frowns, but evan looks excited.

such an odd group, honestly.

"when do we leave?" ethan asks blandly.

captain avery checks his watch. "i'd say in about thirty-five minutes. get your bags and your puke bins."

"why?" evan pipes up.

he grins. "it's gonna be a helluva summer."