Dolphin Tale 4

Chapter [5]

One week had passed since the talk on the jetty and Sawyer had begun to avoid Lacie at all costs. He had asked Kat to continue Lacie's training. He wasn't sure why, though, because if Hazel was the only girl in the world who he loved, surely there wasn't a reason to avoid other girls. Was there?

Sawyer shook his head. No, there wasn't a reason to avoid other girls, so why was he avoiding Lacie?

The only conclusion that Sawyer had come to was that he liked Lacie. And not just liked. No, this was something much deeper than just a simple friendship.

But how could it be? If Sawyer truly loved Hazel, then it would be wrong to love Lacie, too.

He sighed, thinking back to the moment when Phoebe had first introduced him to Lacie. His heart had been fluttering, and if he had been looking into a mirror, he was sure that he would have seen his pupils dialate.

Sawyer put his head in his hands and cringed. All the thinking was beginning to give him a headache. Ever since Hazel had left, Sawyer had felt like his heart had been ripped in half. He felt as though time had stopped. That was until Lacie had shown up. Lacie's smile was so contagious, as was her happiness. She was momentarily filling the gap in which Hazel usually occupied.

But was it momentary?

Everything about Lacie reminded him of Hazel. Even the way that Lacie looked at him seemed so similar.

Sawyer raised his head from his hands and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, biting his lip. If he fell for Lacie, he would be betraying Hazel. But if he ignored Lacie, something told him that he was doing the wrong thing. There was only one thing Sawyer could do.

He was going to have to go and find Lacie. He was going to have to talk to her.

***

"Phoebe, have you seen Lacie?"

Phoebe raised her head to look a Sawyer wearily. "No, I haven't seen her all week. Why?"

Sawyer sighed. "I was hoping to talk to her. Has she not come to training for the past week?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know. Ask Kat, she may have seen Lacie. Where have you been for the past week? I haven't seen you much, either."

Sawyer cringed. "I've been trying to avoid seeing Lacie."

Phoebe sighed and put the pen she had been holding onto the desk. "This is about Hazel again, isn't it? You're still confused as to who you like, and why you like them. You're still unsure of how to act around Lacie, right?"

Sawyer nodded. "Pretty much. I've been doing some thinking, and I really need to talk to her. Are you sure you don't know where she is?"

Phoebe shook her head. "Sorry, Sawyer. Why don't you go and ask Kat? If anyone knew, it would be her. If she doesn't know, come back to me and I'll see if I can help you."

"Thanks, Phoebe." Sawyer left the office and went looking for Kat. He found her with Bondi and Nicholas. "Hey, Kat."

Kat looked up at Sawyer, smiling. "Hey, Sawyer. Haven't seen you in a while. How can I help you?"

"Have you seen Lacie?"

Kat sighed. "You must have missed her by ten minutes. We finished training ten minutes ago. I think she said that she was going home. Why?"

Sawyer groaned. "I really need to talk to her about some things. But, thanks anyway, Kat. Do you know where she might live?"

Kat shook her head. "You'll have to ask Phoebe. Sorry, Sawyer."

Sawyer sighed. "Thanks, Kat. I'll see you later." He walked back to the office.

Phoebe took one look at Sawyer's face and sighed. "Lacie's not with Kat?"

Sawyer shook his head. "I missed her by ten minutes. According to Kat, she went home. Is there any chance that you might have her address?"

Phoebe pulled a file out from the desk drawer and flipped through it. She paused on a page, scribbling something down on a post-it note before shutting it and placing it back into the drawer. "Here," she handed Sawyer the post-it not, "that's her home address. Don't lose it, I wasn't supposed to even give that to you, but I figured that you were pretty desperate."

"Thanks." Sawyer took the post-it note and slipped it into his pocket. "I'll see you later."

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. Oh, and Sawyer?"

Sawyer paused in the act of leaving. "Yes, Phoebe?"

"Good luck."

***

 Sawyer raised a hand and knocked on the door of the two-storet house. He heard footsteps, ad the door was opened a few seconds later by who could only be Lacie's mother. She eyed Sawyer up and down before smiling.

"You must be Sawyer Nelson. Such a pleasure to meet you."

Sawyer stared at her, stunned. "You must be Lacie's mother. How do you know who I am? I believe we've never met before, right?"

She laughed. "Yes, I am. Lacie talks about you all the time. She's obsessed with you, Sawyer."

Sawyer smiled slightly. "Is Lacie at home? I was hoping to talk to her."

Lacie's mother nodded. "She's upstairs. You can go and talk to her if you wish. First door on the right when you reach the second floor."

Sawyer nodded and stepped through the door and onto the threshold. "Yes, thanks." He walked past Lacie's mother and made his way to the stairs, pausing to admire the ornate timberwork along the way. He climbed the stairs slowly and paused at the first door to the right. He drew in a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in."

Sawyer pushed the door open slowly and entered the room. He paused in the doorway, mesmerised by the sight before him.

Every inch of the wall was covered in a mural of the sea. Dolphins, turtles, and other sea creatures were swimming through the blue seas. It felt so real. "Wow."

"Sawyer." Lacie quickly hid the notebook she had been writing in. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk to you. Did you do this?" he asked, gesturing towards the walls.

Lacie laughed. "No, but I wish I could. My mom is a full-time artist. It's amazing, isn't it?"

Sawyer nodded. "Yes. Anyway, I wanted to tell you something."

Lacie leaned into the back of her chair and sighed. "What would you like to tell me, Sawyer?"

Sawyer drew in a deep breath. "Lacie, I know we haven't know each other for very long. I know we haven't seen each other in a while. I know that I've been a bit cold towards you..."

Lacie frowned. "And?"

"I've been doing some thinking for the past week, Lacie, and I think..."

"You think...?"

Sawyer sighed and looked directly into Lacie's eyes, his heart pounding wildly.

"I think I'm falling for you."