Submerge| ✓

{09} N E W S

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COPYRIGHTED 2015

{09} N E W S

When Monday arrived, Quinn knew that she would have to act as though everything was normal and that she wasn't turning into a half fish woman. She pulled her aqua hair up in a high ponytail, splashed a little makeup on her face to smooth out her complexion and hide the worry lines that were ever present now, and slipped on one of her baggy sweatshirts and dark washed jeans. Tying the laces to her hiking boots—Quinn grabbed her car keys, bid her mom goodbye and told her to have a good day at work, and then got in her car and drove in the direction of the school.

Like any other Monday, Quinn found herself behind the normal amount of traffic that was clustered outside of the school parking lot. Teenagers that were always getting in minutes before the dismissal bell because they couldn't stand being there any earlier, and teachers that were running late was a complete norm. The dreary skyline above them provided an insight that it was going to storm later in the week—but would begin with a light shower that would have them putting their hoods up or putting books over their heads for shelter.

Finding a parking spot, Quinn got out of her car and grabbed her things before she shut the car door closed tightly behind her and locked it. Smoothing down her sweatshirt that was crinkled from being hunched in the driver's seat, Quinn headed casually in the direction of where the side doors that led into the school were—seeing in the corner of her eye the coffee cups in hands and dark bags underneath eyes from those who stayed up late into the early hours of the morning or were merely not morning people.

Following behind the crowd into the hallway, Quinn barely paid attention to anyone around her as she headed in the direction of where her locker was. She paused where she was though, when she saw a familiar blond haired boy leaned up against the locker—looking down at his feet while he played with his fingers.

"G-Gavin?" Quinn probed, seeing the teenage boy bring his head up and flicker his eyes in her direction. His brownish eyes seemed to gleam more when he connected them with the widening blue ones that Quinn had. She silently cursed herself as her heart skipped a beat in her chest, and found it strange that the boy was wearing a long sleeve navy blue and white striped sweater and dark washed jeans along with tennis shoes.

If it was one thing that Gavin was, it was being hot natured. She could recount plenty of times when it came to him preferring to wear t-shirts and gym shorts with his tennis shoes. Now though, it looked as though he was doing quite the opposite—and it caused her to raise questions internally about the boy.

None the less, Quinn tried to calm down her nerves as she approached him—finding that he was stopping from messing with his fingers and was now tapping his soles of his tennis shoes against the linoleum flooring. "Hey, Quinn. I needed to talk to you...before class starts," Gavin admitted as he gave her a shy smile, making her heart beat uncontrollably in her chest again. She glanced around, finding that her classmates were glancing at them with interest, in seeing one of the loners in school talking to a social butterfly.

"Don't you have to meet up with Coach Kaolin and the guys before class though? I heard Mitch in class last week about how there was a meeting today before class," Quinn shifted the conversation, knowing that she wondered why he wasn't with his teammates and gracing her with his presence.

Not that she cared or anything, she didn't, but still.

Gavin chuckled softly, but not with amusement, before he sighed and met her eyes full on with his. "I quit the swim team. I just haven't been feeling myself lately. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about...in private," Gavin confessed as he reached one of his hands up and scratched the nape of his neck before he waited for her response.