Teeth(41)

He picks at the scales he still has until I stop him. When he speaks, his voice is much louder, but he’s still not looking at me. “So what’s the f*cking point of me if I’m not, like, in this battle with the fishermen all the time? If I stop that, what do I do? Float around until I drown? It’s not like I can f*cking . . . be something. Or even have a real friend.”

I wish he’d slapped me instead. “Yeah.”

“See, ’cause in a way . . . they’re sort of all I have.”

I exhale. “The fishermen.” And then his hand is in mine, and I don’t even know how it got there.

“They’re my reason to be here. They’re my battle, you know?” He looks at me with a little smile. “And it’s not like they do anything I can’t handle. I always win. I’m the hero.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.” He takes his hand away and dives back into the water. “Look,” he says. “Anyway. Operation Fish Freedom Part whatever. You ready?”

I shake my head. I feel like I’m not getting enough air or something, because it’s like my head is fuzzy and I can’t focus. I think that conversation took too much of me. And it takes me a minute to process where he is. I think I’m still two minutes behind. Eventually I realize what he just asked and say, “Fuck no.”

There’s no way I’m helping with this, and really, right now I just want to go home. And there’s no f*cking way I want him going over to the marina today. If he’s going to let the fishermen come get him, fine, but he should at least make them work for it. I’m not going to hand-deliver him. I couldn’t live with me.

He says, “Come on, Rudy, please?”

Dylan Dylan Dylan, I will not forget Dylan; no way, we’re not doing this again.

But I look at Teeth. He’s fragile.

Lately I’ve been thinking Daniel Daniel Daniel all the time.

There’s no f*cking way I’m going with him, but I can at least be gentle. This isn’t the time to tell him he’s acting like a murderer. So I give him a smile. “I can’t tonight.’“

He frowns. “What are you doing?”

“I just have plans.”

“With your brother?” His eyes light up a little. “Oh, is he better? Are you going to play with him? Tell him I say hi. Can you play with him out here so I can see?”

“We’re still working on getting him better.” I say this with a bit of a bite. I can’t help it.

Teeth’s voice is small. “I’ll give you fish after I free them. I promise. Don’t get mad.”

“That doesn’t save everyone else.”

“But I can’t get fish for all of them. That’s . . . that’s too many.”

How many is too many? I shake my head. “I’m not mad. I just can’t tonight. I have plans already. Sorry.”


And then he starts screaming. Holy shit. He screams like the sound is coming through the top of his head. No human could ever make that noise.

Then he’s gnashing his teeth down so hard that the tips bend. “What? What are you doing? Are you going there?” He waves his hand to the Delaneys’ mansion.

“Daniel—”

Oh.

Shit.

I don’t know how it happens. I really don’t.

He’s staring at me, frozen exactly where he was before I spoke, his hand still weakly pointed toward his old home.

And he opens his mouth, and I’m ready for anger and spit and fire, but instead it’s just the smallest voice in the world. “What did you call me?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t . . . I’m sorry. Really, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“Who?”

“You know who! That girl!”

“No, not really, I—”

“Not really?” He screams again. I just know someone’s going to come running out here. Someone has to come. This is not the wind. This is not a ghost. This is the realest thing I’ve ever seen.

He points his hand at me, his fingers stretched and slimy. “You can’t call me that! I didn’t tell you you could!”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t hurt me with that!”

“I didn’t say it to—”

“I don’t even care if she told you.” He shakes his head hard. “I don’t care what she told you. You know why? You want to know why I don’t care?”

I can’t take this. I feel meaner every time he speaks.

He says, “Because I don’t care what you do. I don’t care what you do at all, Rudy! Go hang out with humans. I don’t care. I can do all of this on my own.”

“No, you can’t. Please don’t go to the marina. Don’t free the fish. Not tonight. Come on. You’re tired. You’re probably sick. Stay here and rest. Eat another catfish.”

It’s like he didn’t even hear me. “I don’t care if you hang out with humans. I hate humans. Go make out with my sister. Whatever. I bet her lips are, like, warm and stuff.”

I exhale. “She has nothing to do with this.”

“Bullshit!” He splashes hard with his tail. “You think I don’t see you going up to the house instead of coming down here to be with me?”