𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐞

Chapter Seven

Wish You Were Gay

4271 words

"Okay, watch this, watch this ready?" Martha spun around before looking at Ana and Leah with a grin. "Doesn't even hurt." "Whoa." "Nice Marty. I'm glad it's better." "I don't even feel it." They both looked down at her ankle noticing how bare it looked, "Oh, you took your splint off." Leah stated looking up to Marty. "Yeah. I feel like a brand-new woman." Martha quickly threw her stick behind her pushing some of her hair behind her ear. "I wonder if I'll actually say that and mean it one day." "I kind of hope not. 'A brand-new woman'? They only say that in old shampoo commercials." Ana snorted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, but, what if you mean it as in, you're getting rid of the old in with the new in your life. Taking out the trash and leaving it for the racoons." Martha hummed taking a seat beside Ana nodding. "Yeah, you get what I mean. I want to be changed by something." "You don't think all this will do the trick?" Ana and Leah looked around at the island frowning at it's emptiness besides Toni and Dot in the distance. "I'd rather be changed by something good. Like love." "Well, if you think about it. This island can be good, or it can be bad. Depending on how you let it change you. But love is pretty good too." Ana added with a giggle looking down at her notebook scribbling down a few more words to add to her log.

"What's it like? Like, really being in love?" Leah smiled a bit before awkwardly laughing. "Cool, so what did Fatin tell you?" "Nothing. She read me some of the book, and the little notes inside." Leah looked at Ana who only stared at her before tearing her eyes away and looking down at the words written. "Great, that's great, so, uh, any hot takes on what a creep he must have been and that I'm nothing but a teenage fetish object?" Ana and Martha both shook their heads staring at Leah with widened eyes. "No, like, I don't--I don't--I haven't even--I thought the whole thing was super romantic." There was a pause of silence and tension in the air between the girls. Leah sighed staring out into the water.

"It's misery, Martha, that's...that's what love is. Misery, doubt, and a shit-ton of self-loathing." Ana quickly shook her head, grabbing Leah's hand making her turn to look at her. "That guy, I don't know how he saw you, I really, truly don't but, judging by how you talk about it I can tell how you felt and feel. Think about the good he brought you, the smiles and laughs, the messages. Sure, it was messed up, there was insane power play and a big age difference but you loved him maybe he just wasn't the Ryan Reynolds to your Blake Lively but you'll find him. Or her, or them." Ana assured her, earning a smile and a nod from Leah, their hands still intertwined.

"Sounds like you know what love is, Ana" Martha smiled nudging her shoulder. "No, I wish. Just platonic love, unfortunately. The only love I ever felt was pretend." Ana's mind flashed back to Zeke, her face scrunching up into one of disgust. "Who was the lucky guy?" Leah asked, sticking her legs out in front of her and leaning back hesitantly letting go of Ana's hand. "A boy from our school, he was a dick. Toni saw it before we did though." "She always does." Ana glanced over in Toni's direction, their eyes meeting for a moment before Ana looked away and back to Leah. "Off topic, that bikini Fatin gave you really goes with your eyes." Martha smiled looking at the bikini top. "Really?" Ana looked down with a grin before looking at Martha. "I wasn't really sure if-" "Takis!" The scream made them all jump and look over before getting up and running down the beach towards Fatin, Shelby and Nora reaching them in record time.

There, on the ground, was a bag of Takis ready and waiting to be eaten, practically teasing all of the girls with it's color and pictures. "I need these in my mouth right now." Oh, Lord. It's like a miracle." "Those are so much better than Hot Cheetos." "I disagree." "They're mine." Toni and Dot both picked up the Takis looking at each other with slight annoyance. "All right, I'm not trying to start shit, but I bought those at the airport. I put them in my carry-on." "No way, I bought them at a mini-mart in Richwood along with an orange fucking gatorade like I always do." Ana stepped forward with a sheepish smile looking at Dot.