Page 6 of Beautiful Small Things

Iris

“Hey, Iris,” a deep male voice calls behind me. Turning, I see the green eyes and smile of my cousin.

Orion is Uncle Callan’s oldest son and the closest to me in age. He is exactly ten months younger than me, to the day. He’s my best and oldest friend. We are polar opposites. He’s laid back, carefree, the life of the party. Not unlike my father, ironically.

I presume people at school were baffled by our association until they figured out we are the children of Callan Prince and Marcus Sinclair. They are legendary in this town, and my father’s exploits are the things of local urban legends. That ratchets up my level of cool a notch or two, at least with the guys.

I don’t have many friends my age who are girls. We can’t seem to relate to one another. I have tried, but I’ve found that my bluntness can be off-putting to other women. Boys are more easygoing.

They also don’t repeatedly tell me how “hot” my dad is. That’s just gross. I’d be a millionaire if I had a dime for every time I heard that.

Oh wait, I am a millionaire. Gross.

So I spend a lot of time with Orion and his friends, although they are slightly younger. Orion is very smart but also athletic and popular. He tends to make everyone around him feel comfortable. He has social gifts I do not possess, and I find it both admirable and irritating. Nonetheless, I am relaxed with him and find that my entire demeanor softens in his presence.

“What’s up, Purple Rain?” he jokes as he meets me at the Jeep.

People in my life have created several iterations of my name based on nicknames alluding to the color of my eyes. His is my favorite because Prince was an iconic musician with talent beyond measure. Also, Orion’s last name is Prince, which makes it even more ironic.

“Hey,” I reply. “How are the waves looking today?”

“Good, from what I can see from here. Let’s get out there and find our set.”

“So, what have you been up to lately?” he asks as we walk down the beach.

“Working on a letter of recommendation for something for my dad,” I shrug. “Reading, surfing.”

I completed my credits for graduation at the end of my sophomore year, so while I am technically finishing up my junior year of high school, I rarely go to classes. I could graduate and get it all over with now, but I like living at home and taking college classes online. I’ll just wait it out and finish up with the rest of my class. There’s plenty of time to go to a university later.

Orion is one year behind me just finishing his sophomore year. I’m fairly certain the school would shut down if he stopped going.

“How are things with you?” I ask.

“Fine. The same as always,” he shrugs. “Guess who asked about you the other day?”

“Don’t even say it,” I command.

“Henry,” he teases, bumping my shoulder with his own.

“Orion Nolan Prince!” I shriek. “We don’t speak that name aloud, and you know it.”

He throws his head back and laughs. He loves getting an emotional response from me. “I don’t get it, Iris. He’s a good guy. He’s been in love with you, like, forever, and you treat him like crap.”

“Categorically untrue. I’ve never flushed him down the toilet. Although, I think I’d enjoy it immensely.”

“You know what I think?”

“Here we go. Deep thoughts by Orion Prince.”

“Fuck you and that brain of yours,” he laughs. “Henry is an awesome dude. He’s funny, athletic, and kind to everyone. That’s rare in the average American high school, Purple Rain.”

“He’s also not the sharpest knife in the drawer,” I counter, although I agree that being kind is a trait seriously lacking amongst my peers.

“He’s not stupid. He’s actually a really intelligent guy. Maybe you should quit trying to hide behind your intelligence and using it as an excuse not to get close to people?”

“I’ll consider it,” I say, mostly to placate him, as we get to the water’s edge and let the chilly current creep up to our toes. “Can we go in now?”

Orion shakes his head in defeat. “Yep, let’s go.”