Ocean Blue ✓

chapter thirty

alyssa

I don't know what time it is when I wake up, but it's still dark outside, and I can hear rain spattering against the window. Elliot's legs are tangled with mine, and her slow, deep breathing right against the back of my neck tells me she's asleep. There's such a rush of sudden happiness over being in her arms that it takes me a moment to even realize that something woke me up.

Elliot's phone is set on my bedside table next to a now-empty carton of peaches and onion ice cream. Blearily, I try and scooch out of her arms just enough so I can see who's calling.

Neema. At this hour?

I pick up, rubbing my eyes and preparing to say that it's me, not Elliot. But I'm cut-off.

"Elliot, someone's been posting about you on the Insta."

"Wha—"

"I think it's the swim girls," she continues, her voice a heavy whisper. "It-it's not good. At all. I just wanted to let you know, because really, I think you might just want to delete the app and walk away."

"Neema?"

"Oh shit." It's certainly an 'oh shit' tone of voice. "Alyssa. Hi. Are you with Elliot?"

"She's asleep," I whisper hoarsely. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. But, um, you might want to wake her up."

"Okay?"

I roll over and gently nudge Elliot. She doesn't stir. I end up having to shake her after ripping off the covers. I have to tell myself that now is not the time to find her deep sleep cute. She mumbles something, and I hiss, "Elliot, Neema's on the phone."

"Wha?" I feel her sit up. "What's going on? Is she okay?"

"I don't really know. Here."

"Neema?" Elliot asks, her voice heavy with tiredness. In the dim light of her phone screen, I can see her rub her eyes and prop her head up on her hand.

I can hear Neema faintly telling her exactly what she told me about the Instagram, whatever that means.

"What?"

"I know," says Neema. "It's so fucking awful. I just wanted to tell you. I don't think you should look at it, but I also figured you deserved to know as soon as possible."

"It's three a.m.," Elliot mutters. "Why is it three a.m.?"

"Elliot, are you even listening to me? This is defamation of character. This is libel. There are some fairly serious accusations on there."

Goosebumps prickle up my arms. "Like what?" she whispers.

"They were all saying you did creepy things and sexually harassed girls in the locker room and in the showers. That you try and get girls to let their guards down so you can, like, benefit in some perverted way. Someone stood up for you, but only because it hadn't been definitively confirmed that you're gay."

"How long did that last?" Elliot asks.

"A couple of minutes. Someone shot back that you were making out with a girl at Jace's tonight. Elliot, I thought what they did to Jace was bad, but this is just ... so disgusting. Like, I'm tempted to call the cops."

"Can we even do that?"

"I don't know." Neema's voice is tight. "I know that this is a libel case for sure, because you didn't do any of these things. You might be able to get them again on emotional distress? I think if the authorities were to get a warrant, they could find out all the identities of these anonymous senders. Probably. I hope. I don't know how cyberbullying goes in a court of freaking law."