Kaleidoscope

Author's Note: Just to avoid confusion Siobhan is pronounced Shi-vawn. It's an Irish name.

"Okay." Amy leaned forward against the cold marble counter of the bathroom and glared at her reflection. "You're doing this." Amy dropped her face in her hands and groaned softly. 

"You know, this door isn't soundproof-" A muffled voice came from the outside. Amy jumped and slammed her head on the cabinet nailed to the opposite wall. 

She kicked the door open to glare at Siobhan smiling and Skye who was sitting on the edge of her bed inspecting his nails. "Who let you in my house?" she asked. 

Siobhan smiled. "June. I gave her another Dollar Tree mini-game." 

"Why are you giving my little sister so much crap? You already gave her all the McDonald's toys that have come out IN THE PAST TWO YEARS!!"

Skye twisted around to face Siobhan. "How big was that collection before you gave it away to June?" Siobhan paused to think and then began counting on his fingers.

"I can't do this with you right now." Amy dropped the plastic brush she had been holding onto the floor and tried to walk back into the bathroom. 

Siobhan grabbed her wrist and stared at her outfit. She was wearing paint-stained jeans and a long-sleeved black striped T-shirt. "You're going out in that?" 

"Yes." Amy folded her arms and squinted. "I don't have anything else." 

Siobhan stood up and opened her closet. He flicked on the light and started searching through the rack of clothes. "What about that nice blouse I got you for your birthday." 

Amy stood awkwardly behind him. "That was too big for me, remember?" 

The metal hangers stopped clinking. Siobhan stepped back, holding out a dark navy blue blouse. It was flowy and almost resembled water when it moved. The little white flowers embroidered in the fabric could have been waterlilies trailing down the falls. 

Siobhan grinned and shoved it into her. "You said it was too big when I got it for you, so by now it must be the perfect size!" 

Amy opened her mouth to argue, but Siblioan kept his smile firmly plastered to his face and pointed to the bathroom. She saw it was hopeless so she stomped back in and locked the door. 

She came out again with her hair down and the blouse on. To Amy's annoyance, it fit perfectly, just as Siobhan said it would.

Skye was bouncing his foot against her bed leaving little Converse dirt smudges. Amy kicked him and he stopped. "Where are you two meeting?" 

"Allen park." 

Siobhan looked down at his watch and bolted up. "Go! Now! You're going to be late." He started pushing her out of the room. 

Amy slapped his hand and walked out of the room. "I'm leaving, chill." She doubled back and jabbed a finger at him. "Get out of my house," then she left and slammed the door. 

After about ten seconds, a little girl clutching a tiny red squishmallow parrot turned the door handle. She giggled and sat on Amy's ribbon carpet. 

"She's gay together with the pretty lady." 

"Lesbiannsss," Skye muttered without looking up from his phone. 

"Lesbiansssss." June and Siobhan giggled together and June put her hand straight up next to Siobhan who took it.

"Can we watch Sleeping Beauty again?"

"Can Skye come too?" Siobhan asked. 

"Yeah, I guess so." She stood on her tiptoes and whispered. "As long as he doesn't talk during the dancing parts." 

Siobhan smiled. "Don't worry, I can shut him up." 

"With what?" 

"Duct tape," Skye said. Siobhan and June both stared at him. "She's 5 years old, man, I dunno what age kids are supposed to be when they learn about date mates."

Siobhan died in a fit of laughter. "Did you just say, date mates?!" 

June frowned and whispered again, "Your boyfriend's weird." 

Siobhan leaned and whispered back, "I know, but I still love him." 

Skye blushed and looked down to hide his face with his hand. Siobhan grinned. "See, he loves me back." 

-

Amy got there ten minutes early, which was unfortunate because that gave her even more time to spiral.  

She paced through the oak trees for a while then she found a wooden bench on the edge of the park next to the sidewalk around where they had planned to meet. A golden stamp on the back of the wooden panels declared the bench was dedicated to some guy named Walter Andrew. Like anyone knew who that was.

A tiny silver Subaru pulled up across the street and someone got out. There she was. Iris was wearing a red sundress. Her wavy sandy-blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, but strands were already falling out to surround her face.

Amy sat bolt upright on the bench and fumbled to pull out her phone-

~

Amy: SHIV 

Amy: Shiv Shiv Shiv Shiv Shiv Shiv Shiv 

Siobhan: WHAT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GREEN WHAT????

Amy: I cant do this she’s a girl I’ve only dated guys and now im dating girls who are beautiful and talented and amazing

Siobhan: 🤦 You're a girl too, yeah? Unless there's something you haven't told me 

Iris spotted her and they stared at each other for a few seconds. They broke eye contact, both of their faces now dusted with blush. Iris scanned the street preparing to walk over. 

Amy: SHE'S COMING OVER SHE JUST SMILED AT ME WTF

Siobhan: Get off the phone, you idiot

Siobhan: and stop texting me I'm watching Sleeping Beauty with Skye and ur sister. 

Amy: Again??

*Siobhan left. Last active 6:18 PM*

Amy: DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME

Siobhan: *GIF of Sleeping Beauty twirling* Bye ((;

~

Iris ran across the street and was suddenly standing in front of Amy. She sat down next to her on the bench and grinned. "Hi." 

"H-hi," Amy stammered. She smelled so good. She also noticed a basket that Iris had set down at her feet. "What's that?" She had her own picnic basket, good gods . . .

"Oh." Iris picked it up and opened the lid to show the contents. "I know we planned to go to that one grill but my friend told me the food was super greasy, so I brought this." Iris hurriedly closed her basket. "We can still go there if you want, I don't care."

"Are you kidding me?" Amy flipped open the lid again and pulled out a block of cheese. There was also a small loaf of sourdough in the back corner along with other cheeses and fruit. "I would much rather have a picnic than some grill." 

Iris laughed. "Yay." 

"Your-" Amy put her head in her hands. "Nevermind." 

Iris pulled Amy's hands down and leaned over to get on the same eye level as her. "No, what?" 

"It's just-" She glanced down and kicked a pebble. "Your laugh is cute." 

They ended up walking through the park, Iris swinging the basket and Amy dying silently the whole time. They found a place to lie down underneath a tōtara tree and next to a sunflower bed. 

Iris spread out a checkered blanket and started pulling things out of her basket. She had brought bread, cheese, jam, grapes, and one container of oddly cut apple slices. 

Amy picked the container of apple slices up and examined it. Iris sighed and pulled the container away from her. "I can't cut up apples. I've never been able to." 

"Don't worry I'll still eat them," Amy grinned. She plucked a grape off the bushel and popped it in her mouth. 

They ate the picnic and ended up talking about soap and this one stand at a farmers market Iris had been to where she bought a cinnamon-scented soap in the shape of a flower. After, they discovered they both loved pokemon and screeched loudly, which earned them lots of confused looks from passing strangers. 

"Girl, I've been in love with pokemon since I was six. I've watched all the pokemon series to exist with my older brother." Amy leaned forward excitedly.   

"You have an older brother? I have a younger brother. I don't like him." Soon after they both logged onto Pokemon Go, a Dragonite spawned and all talk of siblings was forgotten. 

-

Iris and Amy walked back to Iris's car to drop off the picnic basket and blanket.

They began to wander through the park where they met a nice bird lady standing next to a small fountain with spitting dolphins. The bird lady let Amy hold a little sparrow which pecked her as soon as she ran out of birdseed for it to gorge on. Iris however was a real-life Disney princess. Not even one bird pecked at her. When she started walking away they all fluttered around her, giving her a gentle halo of sparrows. 

They found blueberries growing in a corner next to a run-down snack shack. Iris got wildly excited, and when Amy asked why, she revealed pockets on either side of her dress. They loaded Iris's pockets with blueberries and munched on them on the way back to the car. Iris hugged her. Amy froze but after a few moments hugged her back. 

As Amy was walking away she crashed head-on into a pole. It was a very gross pole covered in gum and 804 stickers but that was fine. Amy had just left from one of the most fun nights since Siobhan's glow-in-the-dark water balloon fight back in eighth grade. 

The dying light in the sky lit up the golden leaves, and an autumn wind blew her hair behind her shoulders. Her phone buzzed abruptly and then paused. She pulled it out of her pocket and unlocked it. Amy's happy expression fell. 

-

Back home, June held up a scribbled array of colors on lime green paper. "What do you think? Ms. Lauren said I had to redo it cause she said I didn't work hard enough." Her face fell as she looked at her drawing.

"Nah, Ms. Lauren doesn't know anything about art. This drawing is special." 

"Why?" June's eyebrows crinkled together. 

"Because it's the only of its kind in the whole world, that's why." Siobhan kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. 

The front door slammed and there was a soft rustling of a jacket being hung back up on the hook by the door. 

"Amy?" 

"Yeah?" A quiet voice came from the hallway and Amy walked into the room. She glanced at the TV and made a face. "How have you guys still not finished the movie?" 

"Skye kept talking so we had to re-watch a bunch of parts." 

"I said like two words during the scene where she was sobbing on her bed." Skye rolled his eyes. "They started the whole movie over just because I talked that one time."

"Ah." Amy glanced around. "Where's mum?"

Siobhan laughed and rested his elbow on June's head until she shoved it off. "Your mom saw that Skye and I were here and already kind of watching her so she went out to get chips for her students." 

"How was it with the pretty lady?" June said through a mouthful of chips.

"Yeah, it was fine." Amy still had an abnormally quiet voice. "Hey June Bug, let's get you to bed." 

"Okay," June hopped up cheerfully and followed Amy into the bathroom where she helped her brush her teeth then took her into her room. A few minutes later she gently shut the door and walked down the steps. 

Skye raised his eyebrows and Amy smiled back sadly.

"It's all my fault . . ." Amy whispered and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I messed up."

Siobhan sat up and squinted. "What happened, what did you do?"

Skye and Siobhan stared at her but she didn't speak. She sighed and took her phone out of her pocket, opened the messages between her and Iris, and handed it to Siobhan.

Iris: Hey I had a lot of fun

Amy: Yeah me too (:

Iris: The thing is I think you're great but I think that maybe you thought it was like a date? And that's not what I meant

Amy: Oh

Iris: I'm sorry I mean I still think you're amazing but I just got through a tough breakup and I'm not ready to be in another relationship. Can we still be friends?

*Read 7:42 PM*

"WHAT." Siobhan looked like he was about to throw Amy's phone across the room. 

Amy wished he would. 

Skye cringed and looked up at her. "Oh, you got friend zoned hard."