Sean goes red again, but this time it’s not followed by a downward spiral. “Kavya calls it my Donkey Laugh. I can’t help it.”

“Well, donkey or seal or whatever that is, I like it.” I see someone near the pool fence look our way when Sean lets loose another burst of laughter. I motion toward them and say, “And I think other people like it too.”

If I thought Sean’s face fell when I mentioned him kissing, it’s nothing compared to the way his features melt into a serious frown now.

“That’s Dominic,” he says, and he literally ducks behind the car beside us. “He probably came back at the end of practice to make out with Miguel some more. Is he looking? He’s looking at us, isn’t he?”

“Why are you crouching like that? Stand up.” I reach down to pull Sean to his feet, but he swats my hand away.

“But is Dominic looking?” he asks. “It was a rough morning and I just need some space, okay?” He really does seem mortified, a clown fish trying to hide behind their anemone to avoid predators.

I glance back toward Dominic, and he’s definitely squinting in our direction. Like he can’t tell exactly what he’s seeing. A vision of Elder Kelp swims into my mind, squinting at me and Drop when we started tickling each other with strands of seaweed instead of throwing it in our baskets to collect for dinner. It was a judgmental squint, very much like the one Dominic has on his face now. He’s squinting like he’s scrutinizing, like he doesn’t at all appreciate what he sees.

Wait a minute.

“Is he jealous?”

Back in Pacifica, we try to squash jealousy pretty quickly. The Elders say it’s a selfish emotion, and we should be focusing on what’s best for the colony. Even in relationships, things are more fluid than possessive. There’s not this idea that one other individual completes you, but rather the whole community is an integral part of our existence, so it’s not uncommon for mer to have multiple partners throughout their lives. Sometimes at the same time, sometimes not, sometimes never. The Blue drifts us together at the right time, and we figure there’s no point limiting yourself for love. But Elder Crab let us know that most humans are territorial when it comes to partners, and that look on Dominic’s face is definitely territorial.

“What?” Sean snaps up. He tentatively waves toward Dominic when they lock eyes, but Sean’s ex just crosses his arms over his chest.

“He’s totally jealous,” I say.

“He was always the jealous type,” Sean says. “When he thought a guy in trig liked me, he showed up outside my class every day for three weeks. Wow, that sounds possessive, doesn’t it? But I actually kind of liked it. He made me feel wanted.”