The Island Curse

Iced Coffee and Flirtation

"Earth to Isla."

Something sharp bit into the end of my nose, and my eyes snapped open to find Tara sitting in front of me, her eyes dancing as she laughed at me. "Did I fall asleep?"

"One minute you were talking, the next snoring."

"I do not snore."

"No one ever thinks they snore."

I cleaned the sleep from the corner of my eye and tried to focus on the words in my textbook. Squinting and blinking helped, but a low pounding throbbed in the back of my head. "Well, I know I don't."

Tara rolled her eyes before taking a deep drink from her latte. We were sitting at the Steaming Sailor, one of two coffee shops on the island, the second being Latte Love, but Tara had made it clear that only tourists drank at the latter. As I sipped on my iced coffee, I couldn't fault her taste. This was far better than any other coffee shop I'd ever visited, and I made a point of locating a shop everywhere I went.

"Have you slept at all this week? You look like crap."

"That's so kind of you."

"For real. I've got purses smaller than the bags under yer eyes."

I leaned away from her, trying to appear highly offended, but I'd seen the mirror this morning. I knew what she was looking at, and it wasn't pretty. It didn't make sense. I came home from school exhausted. I'd fall into bed, unable to hold my eyes open only to be lie there with a my mind buzzing like an exposed wire. I'd only be able to sleep after swimming in the pool, and it was such a deep sleep I barely remembered closing my eyes before they opened.

"It's just an adjustment period," I explained. "I'm going to sleep all weekend."

"Mmmhmm, I'm more concerned about you being able to stay awake long enough to make it to the party tonight."

I wrinkled my nose, still not entirely thrilled about the party. Especially, since I would be accompanied by Kieran, and I'd done my best to put distance between us since Niko's comments on Tuesday. "Maybe I should just skip it. I've still got a lot of unpacking to do."

"Oh no," Tara exclaimed, "you are not getting out of this. I have been waiting all week to see you in something other than a school uniform. You will not take this away from me."

"If your entire goal is to see me in real clothes, I'm happy to oblige. It doesn't have to be at a party."

Tara slammed her math book shut. "You know it's not just that. This is yer home now, and you should get to know everyone."

"The town I grew up in was smaller than this place, and I didn't know everyone. What's wrong with having a small circle?"

She shook her head, her braids clicking against her chin, the beads on the end the same yellow as her uniform. I'd never seen someone with such a knack for color coordination, but it suited her. As sharp tongued as she could be, Tara was a piece of sunshine on this often times dismal Island.

"Ach, I'm going for a refill, and yer getting one too. Extra shots. No arguments."

The pain in my head pulsed. "Maybe make it two extra shots."

My friend nodded solemnly, a slight crinkle forming between her eyes, but she didn't say anything else as she bounced to the front holding our cups. I took advantage of her absence, returning to the notes for our math test in front of me. Tara might be good for my spirits, but she wasn't good for my grades.

A jingle sounded from the front door, and a small group of students entered. They were in the year below us, and I only recognized them because we shared P.E. together. They grabbed a table in the back, but one of the boys in the group bypassed the line for drinks and walked over to our table.