Jellyfish

8. Time Goes On

"What did you want me to do, your highness?" The sarcasm dripping from Oliver's words did nothing to soothe Blair's attitude.

"Literally what I fucking asked you," he fired back.

It had become a routine thing, these fights. Oliver was a generally wonderful guy. He was bright, optimistic, and empathetic, but he also had a short fuse. Nobody was perfect, and we didn't hold it against him because it was really a small problem, there was usually nothing happening that set him off. When there was though, oh boy, it was best to steer clear of him until the fire died down. When you combined that little issue with Blair's ability to irritate even inanimate objects, what you got was the equivalent of a forest fire in our living room. At first, we had all done our best to stop it. If the fight started, whoever was closest would end it, but that had changed when Winter accidentally got hit. Blair had settled down after that, actually apologizing profusely and shutting up for a bit, but that hadn't even lasted the entire day. From then on, neither he nor I made their fights our business. We were no Eddy Villa.

"Stop fighting like fucking two-year olds," Eddy spoke calmly as he walked downstairs, but his expression said defy me and die. "We have a trial to get to if you're done."

On a normal day, Blair probably would've bit back at him until Eddy dragged him away by the shirt. Today, the word trial was all it took to bring him back to earth and end the argument. Something in me almost wished they'd continue fighting. At least then I wouldn't have to watch Blair deflate like a week-old balloon as he remembered our plans for the day. He marched off to the car without another word muttering how we were late to watching Diego's future decided. Personally, I didn't think it mattered whether we were on time or not, he'd be arrested regardless. We all knew there was no getting out of it, only Blair kept hoping that they'd set him free. It was clear in his eagerness that he still saw a chance, one that was quickly going to be taken away, and that might be the only reason Oliver too dropped the fight and shuffled to the car.

This time, Oliver sat in the front and Blair on the other side of Winter. There was room in the car now for all of us, at least, although that might've made things worse emotionally. It was very, very evident that Diego wasn't there and that we were heading to his theft trial where he would inevitably be convicted and put in jail for an undetermined amount of time. Needless to say, it wasn't a good feeling that gathered around us and it wasn't at all pleasant riding to the courthouse. Why we even bothered to come I didn't understand. Sure, moral support was nice, but I doubted that seeing Diego get convicted was going to improve Blair's attitude and I knew that Diego wouldn't want him to be there when it happened. That just led me to wonder, if the outcome wouldn't change, and nobody would benefit from going, why were we going to torture ourselves? Well, the answer was simple: we were going because Eddy had said so.

As we awkwardly navigated the unfamiliar courthouse, Eddy was at the head of us looking like he actually knew where he was going. Each step was purposeful, and you'd never be able to tell how lost he was just from watching his face. It was easy to forget that this was personal for Eddy too. I loved Diego, of course, but I didn't really know him like they did. He was family, but he was like a freshly born sibling that you loved despite not knowing yet. Even like the cousin that you'd donate a kidney for but didn't see enough to actually say you knew them. To my friends, it was different. One thing I'd learned over this rough patch is that he and Eddy grew up together. They had a bond much stronger than even Blair had with Diego and it was so easy to overlook that when they weren't together. Now though, it was impossible to miss. The strain was visible in the wrinkle between his eyebrows and the tense set of his shoulders. One could almost call it anger, but I knew better.

That tension was something I myself was very familiar with. A physical manifestation of the fear you aren't allowed to show. Eddy was afraid for his brother as we sat down to watch. He was afraid of the attorney already standing and waiting to tear Diego apart. He was so afraid of what happened after this hour, and I couldn't even blame him. People like us lived a life afraid, sometimes not even knowing that's what it was. Afraid that your next meal would never come, or your next paycheck wouldn't keep the house and pay the bills. It was a constant anxiety that never left because your situation would probably never change. I think every one of us was scared. Blair for the sake of Diego, Oliver for the security of our home, Winter for the future of us, and I for the unknown that would follow. The only person holding his head high was Diego at the podium with a soft smile and a thumbs up that completely contrasted his situation.