Hey Monday

a q u a r i u m s

"Hello, I'm Frogfish Fredrickson," Ellen had grumbled in a deep voice. "Get out of my way, rock. I hate you, minnows. Harumph. Bah humbug."

"You know, I'm not sure why people sterotype old men like that," Evelyn began. I held my breath- this was going to get Ellen started, I just knew it. 

"I met an old man once who was very sweet. He always kept candy canes in his pockets and gave them out to children on the playground," Evelyn continued passionately. 

"Isn't that illegal?" Logan interjected. "I feel like it's illegal." 

"No, it isn't," Evelyn snapped. "And my point is that it's unfair that you're making fun of old men like this." 

"Oh my god," Ellen exclaimed. "Take a pill or something, Evelyn, we're not making fun of anyone." She made quotes in the air with her fingers as she said 'making fun'. 

"Guys, chill out," I jumped in, defusing the tension before it got any worse. "Evelyn, they weren't trying to be mean, and Ellen, you sort of overreacted. Can you please just apologize to each other?" 

Evelyn shook herself out, straightened up, and thrust her hand forward. "Sorry, Ellen, I was out of turn." 

Ellen bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry." They shook hands and then separated, Ellen standing defiantly next to Logan and glaring at Evelyn. 

We walked around some more, but the aquarium had lost its fun. After some discussion, we decided to call it a day and head back to the RV. 

"Chicago," Logan proclaimed as we trekked back through the aquarium. "The Windy City. Anything can happen in Chicago. It's so big. So open. So full of possibilities." 

"Maybe we should make a few of our own," Ellen murmured into his shoulder. 

I sighed and placed a hand on the small of Evelyn's back. I knew that Logan was a lot more intimate with Ellen than he was with anyone else, and it sort of bothered me. They had their own relationship that was hovering somewhere between platonic and romantic, which seemed confusing to me, but apparently worked out fine for them. I didn't know Logan that well, he was just some sort of brainy idiot as far as I knew, but Ellen had mentioned that he was a lot more. 

For the first time since I'd met him, I began to wonder about Logan. What was it that had convinced him to pack up all his things, leave his friends and family, and join a couple strangers on the road? What was it that happened at that party, that party that seemed so long ago? 

And Evelyn. She was an enigma as well. The more I thought about it, the more surreal it became: Ellen was the only one out of all these people that I truly knew. Logan and Evelyn weren't exactly strangers, but they were far from people I knew well. 

I was uncomfortable with it. I was drifting away from Ellen, this girl I used to be infatuated with, this girl who used to be my only thought. And for what, Evelyn? Some blondie I picked up off the street? 

I wasn't sure how to feel. I wasn't sure of anything. It was as though there was a war in my body and peace was nowhere to be found. 

"Hey, Ellen." I said suddenly. "I have an idea." 

She groaned. "Great. You're really on fire with these ideas lately, I'm so excited to see what this one will be. Who's the surprise girlfriend this time?" 

I rolled my eyes. "No one. This time, it's all you." 

• • • 

"So what's the plan, Stan?" Ellen asked as she kicked a pebble with the toe of her black vans. She was in black skinny jeans and a grey long-sleeved shirt that read "cool kids don't dance" in some weird font. The shirt sort of spooked me, and I don't think it meant what Ellen thought it meant, but I wasn't one to stop her.