*March 5th*
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E.J's POV:
My anxiety is getting bad again.
My parents are too busy focusing on work and themselves to notice that my only sources of support right now are my cousin, my friends, and my boyfriend.
I don't know how long Ricky is going to be here in Utah.
He could move anytime.
He could swim anywhere even in a pool, ocean, pond, or bay.
He could swim to Hawaii and leave me here.
What's going to happen when Ricky, Gina, and Nini finish their mission?
They never said that they were here to stay.
I was supposed to go over to Miss Jenn's place today to see if he's feeling better but it's raining again.
I can't risk his tail getting seen outside and I can't go to his place to hang out since my teacher basically lives there.
"Hey, I thought that we were going to rehearse lines for Descendants 2 the musical together. Where are you going?" I see Ashlyn walk into the living room holding a bowl of popcorn and a bag of gummy worms.
We used to have movie theatre snacks on rainy days as a tradition but now that we are teenagers, I don't go by tradition.
I go by instinct.
My instinct is telling me that I need to be alone right now.
"I'm going to the marina." I grab my raincoat and rain boats from the front foyer of her house that I'm staying at and zip my phone up in my pocket.
"It's raining. And you are going to the marina? Who are you seeing? Even, I am not going outside to see Maddox. It's yucky outside and freezing. Tail or legs or whatever. You are staying inside. You are going to get sick cuz." I watch Ashlyn grab my shoulder even though she's a bit too short to reach me.
"I need to be alone. Ash let me go. If I get sick then I'll take care of myself and my voice. It's not like my parents will take care of me!" I scream at her and grab the keys to my mom's car since my parents have the other one.
"Why do you need to be alone Eej? Cuz talk to me." I hear my cousin call but I'm already drenched in rain and in the car buckling my seat belt up.
With Ricky being fake sick because of the rain, it gives me time to think about this whole merman situation.
Once I get to the SLC marina which is pretty far away from my house, I park the car in an empty lot and head to my family's boat.
"Ah. There you are." I hop up onto the yacht deck that's covered in rain and take out a spare key on my keychain to open the door.
I don't care how cold or wet it is in here.
I need a place to be alone and think and my house is somewhere where Ash can easily find me.
"Found ya." I grab a neon blue fishing pole from the inside of the deck that was locked up and look around for my fishing hook kit that my dad gave me.
He used to take me fishing when I was really young.
My memories of us being a happy family are fuzzy right now.
If he's putting work before me and my water polo games and musicals, I am ignoring him.
"Shit. I don't have any bait. Where's Ricky when I need him?" I curse to myself.
Instead of going to a bait shop to buy fishing bait, I sit on the edge of the deck holding the blue fishing pole that my dad and I once held, and watch the rain start to die down.
I don't care if I get sick or wet out here.
I just need to get away from things, specifically school, rehearsals, and Ashlyn always asking me if I am okay.
I need Ricky.
He's my safe space and my person.
I can't believe that he was the person in the water I saw last summer and Nini was with him!
"What the hell?" I hold my fishing pole and face it down into the water even though it has no bait and feels it tug on the end tightly.
I could not have caught something in this rain.
I am going insane.
Maybe Ash is right? I should have stayed at her house.
"Psst. Eej. Down here." I hear a familiar voice and look down into the water that is being rained on while I sit on the edge of the yacht in my raincoat.
I look ridiculous out here by myself.
"What?" I look down into the water and set the fishing pole down on the deck so it doesn't fall in.
"It's me, Jet. down here in the water." I look down and see Jet with a dark yellow tail that is almost identical to Ricky's.
Oh my-
"What are you doing in the water? Do you have a tail too?" I look down in disbelief and cover my head with my rain jacket hood since it's still raining.
"Yeah. Long story. Anyways, what are you doing here?" I look down at him and notice that he is just wading in the water with his tail.
How many mermaids are there in Utah that I don't know about?
Ricky, Nini, Gina, Maddox.
Who else?
"I needed a space to think and this is my family's yacht. What are you doing here?" I look down at him and blink as if I am going crazy.
"I needed space to think away from my sister and mother. Is this about Ricky?" I look down at him and blink again twice because he said Ricky's name.
"Maybe. Why do you ask?"
"I wouldn't trust him if I were you. You are being deceived by his love and talent. He doesn't want you, he wants me and what my family has. Once he gets what he wants, he won't want to be with you. He'll be going back to Mako Island with Nixie and Gilligan." I listen to Jet talk in the water as if he has no problem with the rain.
"And what does your family have?" I ask hesitantly since I still don't believe a word he is saying.
"Power, secrets, and a moon ring." I listen to Jet talk in the water.
Wait, Ricky has mentioned Mako Island and the moon to me before.
He mentioned something about Jet and Maddox on our bowling and arcade date.
What was it?
Something about the two siblings finding something.
"Okay and-? What does that have to do with Ricky and me? He is not deceiving me. He loves me and I love him. He might not say it until later but we are in a good place right now with the musical and texting. It's the weekend. I'll see him at school. How do I know that you aren't deceiving me?" I look down at the water and wonder if this is really my friend speaking to me or someone else.
"I'm just saying be careful with him. He's got his mind on something and it's not you. Hook, line, and sinker with that fishing pole mate. Ricky is deceiving you." I watch Jet swim away into the rainwater.
What just happened?
I cannot be having visions as I had on that boat last summer.
Hook, line, and sinker mean that you have been deceived.
And how much more ironic can this get?
I was fishing for nothing and I found Jet in the water.
Your secrets safe with me means a lot of things to me right now.
What am I gonna tell Ricky?
YOU ARE READING
Your Secret's Safe With Me: A HSMTMTS AU
FanfictionE.J Caswell believes that he saw something or some people in the ocean while he was on the deck of his family's private boat by himself during the Caswell's summer vacation. At first, his cousin, Ashlyn doesn't believe him but when school starts, sh...
