My Friends

For as long as Louisa can remember she’s wanted to see it in real life, she used to talk about it to Fish all the time, that one day they would be here together. It might seem strange for someone who’s seventeen and can’t swim, and actually has never even left this city, because it’s the sort of city that feels like it’s closer to outer space than the sea. This is the first night of the rest of his life, and it starts with a squelch. “Watch out for that dog shit!” Louisa calls, precisely one second too late. So she closes them and breathes slowly and then, at last, she asks the question she really doesn’t dare ask: “What happened to Ali?” Joar and Ted lie there in silence, as if they are both hoping the other will say it, then they both start talking at the same time, the idiots.