H2O: Just Add A New Tail

Acceptance

Welp, here we go. After almost two years since my last update, and almost SIX years since my last legit chapter, I bring you guys the newest chapter. I apologize for making you all wait so terribly long for this. I finally managed to hold onto some inspiration to churn this chapter out. Truth be told, I've been lacking in the creative writing department for a while now. I've been so focused on getting my comic book done (if all goes well, it should release sometime next month!) as well as dealing with life stuff, that working on this story kept getting away from me. To exercise my creative writing brain after a substantial period of disuse, I picked up this story again. I hope you enjoy! Thanks again to everyone for sticking it out.

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Will let out an exasperated sigh as he shut his locker. The dark clouds in the sky reflected his current state of mind. It had been a week since his last run in with Poseidon's Curse. The ominous voice in his head from that night was still lodged in his brain. He had been avoiding Lauren ever since they ran into each other at the JuiceNet. He couldn't face her. How could he? Every time she looks at him now, all she sees is a monster.

"Hey, you okay?" Will spun around to see Lewis, his face wrinkled with concern.

"Ehh." Will shrugged his shoulders. "School is the last place I wanna be right now. Kinda just want to sleep the day away."

Lewis fell into step with Will and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, at least we can be bachelors together."

A small smile formed on Will's lips before letting out a laugh. "Yeah, guess you're right."

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Will stood in front of the classroom, lamenting the fact that he had to go inside. Math was the bane of his existence. When would he ever need to use logarithmic functions? They made no sense to him. He brought his hand to his mouth and started unconsciously gnawing on his fingernails as his heart rate quickened.

The subject of the class wasn't the only reason he hesitated. This was the one class that he and Lauren shared together. Unlike him, she loved math. She practically did it in her sleep. She had always teased him during their study dates whenever he yelled at his homework like it were a sentient being. Will peered through the small glass window on the door, seeing two of his classmates laughing with one another. At least they were in a good mood. He, on the other hand, wanted to erase himself from existence.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Will pushed the door open and trudged into the classroom. His eyes were glued to the ground. The tile floor seemed particularly interesting today. His shoulder recoiled as he bumped into someone. "C'mon man, wake up," they huffed.

"Sorry," Will said flatly. He raised his head to meet his classmate's eyes, but his attention instead fell on the middle of the classroom. There she was, feverishly scribbling into her notebook, unaware of Will's presence. He noticed the way her lip curled as she was jotting away. She did it all the time when she was concentrating. It was one of the many small quirks that he loved about her. As Will looked at Lauren, he couldn't help but wonder if she had another nightmare about him. He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. His eyes fell onto the empty desk next to her. His desk.

Well, that's not gonna work anymore, he thought. He scanned the room for another empty desk, trying to filter out the sea of heads that clouded the room. After a moment, he found one tucked away in the back corner of the classroom and started to make his way over.