Chapter four
There were only four days until the spring party. It had grown warmer since the storm. Claire had told Marlin that she could go to the bar with him that day. She got dressed into her casual clothes and began to leave. She heard a deep voice calling her name.
"Claire! Claire?" Cody was shouting. He was panting when he met her in the road.
"What Cody?" She asked, worried.
"I-I-I wanna ask Nami to the spring party, but… I don't know h-how…" He said catching his breath.
"Alright." She said calmly. "Pretend I'm Nami." They practiced for fifteen minutes before Claire realized that she was late. She said goodbye and ran off to the bar. Marlin was inside blushing as Muffy talked on and on to him.
"And then I was like- Oh hi Claire- I said to him "Like, no way ever would I-" Marlin? Are you listening?"
"Yes…" was his solemn reply.
"Hi Marlin." Claire said happily rescuing him from being talked to death.
"Oh, hi Claire." He got up and quickly hugged her, as though he didn't want to.
"Hey, are you two like going together?" Muffy asked, confused.
"No!" Gavlin quickly replied. "We are just going to the spring Party together, that's all." Claire looked at him, confused.
"Technically we are." She said quietly. Muffy didn't seem to hear her, because she mentioned Rock and her going.
"Yeah, the cute little thing walked in and asked me to the party. I was hesitant, but I couldn't refuse." Muffy said importantly.
"Oh…" Marlin mumbled.
"That's nice." Claire commented. Then the couple left and met Rock on the way out.
"Hey Rock, I heard you and Muffy are going to the Party together." Claire said, teasing him.
"As friends! Nothing more, at all." He corrected, sweating.
"I see."
"And we are not dating and never were." He assured them seriously. They smiled and laughed.
"Well, uh, bye Claire." Gavlin said, as Claire leaned in to kiss him. Instead he shook her hand. She unhappily took it, and he left. Then she heard Cody's deep voice.
"So uh, I was wondering if you wanted to go to that silly old party with me…" He said.
"Are you trying to ask me out?" Nami asked awkwardly.
"No, uh, nothing like that… But I-" He stuttered.
"I except." She said quietly. There was a silence. Claire looked behind the tree to see Nami walking away and Cody blushing. She saw Cody go blush and go back to his mobile home. She smiled. They were finally together.
That night, Claire went down to the beach and sat there, the waves slowly coming up onto her legs, the freezing cold water feeling unusually soothing. She heard footsteps behind her and soon Rock sat next to her.
"You know," He began. "I don't really like Muffy…"
"Really?" She replied sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed." He blushed. "So why did you ask her?" She continued, feeling obliged to ask.
"Because I wanted… Because I wanted to make a certain girl jealous." He said quietly.
"Well maybe you don't need that to make her like you." She said, having no idea that he was talking about her.
"Maybe your right…" He trailed off.
"Although I don't think that someone would fall for you just everyday." She joked.
"Oh yeah?" He laughed. "And why is that?"
"Well maybe it's your bad breath!" She said getting up. He followed her lead. Next thing they knew they were splashing each other happily, laughing and screaming.
Meanwhile, Gustopha sang a song about blind love, and something about six legged starfish. Also, Marlin watched from the mountain grinding his teeth in anger. It began to rain and he thought evilly,
"They deserve it." Suddenly a dim light shown from behind him. He turned to see Muffy, in her small red dress, rapped in a shawl, and umbrella over her, with a lamp and her hair in a ponytail.
"Marlin? Oh my! Come in! You must be freezing!" She said, motioning to under her umbrella. He took one last glance at his girlfriend, and went with her, dry and safe, with a beautiful girl by his side.