Eight Arms, Eight Scorecards
Every judging panel has one judge with notes. Under the sea, that judge has eight arms and holds up a score with each. This time the octopus gave her all tens, then asked to see it again, and she obliged.
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The friend who wins everything: Trivia night, bake-offs, the office chili contest.
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Swim moms and dive club families: Weekends on the pool deck, scores in your head.
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Competitive sisters: Somebody keeps the trophy on her mantel and says nothing about it.
Dawn swimmers and dock sitters agree on one thing: the air after the water is colder than the water. This garment-dyed crewneck from Comfort Colors is ring-spun cotton in rich, lived-in color, with a relaxed fit and dropped shoulders that pull on over damp hair without an argument. Double-needle stitching holds through years of pod birthdays and beach bonfires (and the bachelorette weekend nobody photographs honestly). Preshrunk and made to keep its shape, it is the layer the whole pod borrows and nobody returns. Mermaid Dayz made it for the one who comes out of the water last.