Mermaids

Goodbyes

IT HAD BEEN A WEEK SINCE THE INCIDENT. Carly still wasn't talking to us. Ryan had apologized for acting harsh and he knew I wasn't trying to hurt him and all that good stuff.

After Ryan got wet, I forced Carly to pick him up and put him in a dry area. I tried him off, then begged my mom to drive us home. Carly departed angrily and that was that.

So maybe I was a little bitter. It was fine though, right? I had to protect our secret and it wasn't a good reason to get mad at me.

"Holly, we need to talk to you." My mom said, dad following, into my room.

"Is this about my real parents?" I was dying to know. They looked like I had just slapped them with a frying pan. "Oh.. I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, this is about Ryan."

Had he done something wrong? Had I? Why was I worrying so much? "What is it?"

"We don't have the money to let him keep living here."

"What?" I practically shouted, my eyes widened even more.

"Holly, we're sorry! He's a great kid but we can't do very much. Can't he live at Carly's place?"

"No, they can't either!"

My adoptive mother pulled me into a hug, and my adoptive father did too.

"Okay," I eventually agreed. "How long until he has to go?"

"How about one more night."

"Thanks, guys, for letting him stay." I hugged them again and they left the room.

Don't cry Holly! You'd get wet, transform, and that would be worse. I threw a pillow at the wall. Darnit! I should've never met Ryan and shouldn't have discovered that I was a.. a freak! And by no means I'd want to be! Because of this, I'd have lost two of my only friends!

I went into the bathroom, locked the door, and turned the tub on and submerged myself. I transformed, and I punched myself in the fin.

I started to bawl. Like, sob. I hadn't in so long, it felt like all my emotions were spilling out. I couldn't do this! I couldn't live a half secret life, an most certainly couldn't continue losing friends! I wanted out. I didn't know how, but I most definitely did. I couldn't keep doing this! My life was falling apart at my hands.

I couldn't stop crying. I guess when you are what I was, you had unlimited tears stored in you. Why did I become a mermaid? Did I belong on land, or alone in the ocean?

Was I human? Or was I a fish?

Either way seemed to hurt me, everyone. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have anyone to talk to.

I was alone, it seemed.

I took a big breath of water and started to drain the tub. I flopped out like usual and turned on the blow drier while I toweled myself off. Even before the transformation, I could hold my breath for about five minutes. I guess it was the same here. In just under five, I was completely dry and back human. Did I belong in this form?

I coughed up the water into the sink and greedily sucked in the warm air before I stepped outside.

Ryan was sitting at the couch in the living room, playing with the pink shell he held. I went to sit next to him.

"Did my mom tell you the news?" I asked him sadly.

"No," he started, looking at me. "What's wrong?"

"You have to move out." Gosh, way to be subtle. I had to attempt to hold my tears in. "I'm sorry, but we just don't have the money. I really, really wish we did and I-I'm sorry..."

His electric blue eyes found mine. "Your family has done so much for me, and I appreciate it beyond anything else. Thanks for everything."

We spent about a minute hugging, probably the longest hug I've ever had.

"I'll go get ready," he said when we finally pulled away.

"You can stay one more night, if you want..." I suggested, trailing off.

He gave a small smile. "Thanks, but I'll leave today." He left to go pack his things.


"Did you want to call Carly and say good bye?"

"I guess." He took my cell phone and typed in the numbers.

Oh. She was mad at me. What if she saw the caller ID and didn't pick up. She did, however. Ryan talked and told her to meet us on the beach, and to my surprise, she agreed. So even if she was mad at us, Ryan was still her brother and I could tell that she loved him.

I helped him fold all of his clothes and stash his things away. Except for a pair of shorts and a shirt, everything went in the back of my closet. He went to say thanks and goodbye to my parents, and we left the house.

"Here." I gave him the clothing. "Hide it, so that way we can see each other very soon."

"Thanks," he smiled.

"Hey," Carly said only to Ryan. "D'ya guys wanna explain anything to me?"

Carly was always very persistent. Sometimes I just wished she'd give up.

Ryan and I locked eyes. He nodded.




How good was our friendship after all? This was the first fight we'd had. It lasted too long...

I stood up after he finished telling our stories. Carly looked at both of us almost crying.

"I'm so sorry!" She reached in for a group hug.

"Just don't get us wet," I said and we all laughed.

We pulled away. "I feel like a world's class jerk. I had no right to be so horrible to any of you!"

We all smiled. I said that I was sorry also.

"So that's solved," I said. "But too late. Ryan's leaving today."

Carly started crying again and I hugged her.

"I'll visit, I promise." Ryan said.

I turned to him. "Can I grab you some food or water?"

"I'm going underwater." He laughed.

"You're going to have to visit every single day!" I almost started crying too.

"Wow," he smirked. "I never thought that you'd cry over me."

I'd never heard him act like that. "Shut up, you moron!" Another round of almost tears ran in my eyes.

"Do you want me to swim down with you?" I calmed down a bit.

Ryan shut his eyes tightly. "No, it's going to get dark and you should go."

Carly was pretty much sobbing. Ryan walked over to her and carefully put his arms around her, always careful not to get wet.

He stood up, and walked to the edge of the tide. "Thanks so much. For everything!"

He wiped away a tear and dove into the water. Carly and I watched until we saw a green fin in the distance.

"I'm sorry, Carly!" We hugged each other once again. And I knew that everything would be fine, because we were still best friends.


***

And that is it, readers! The end!!!

DON'T LEAVE YET, IM NOT DONE YET!

Lol I hope nobody did. I'm a little more than half way done.

So yep, Ryan ditched them. But don't worry! They'll see each other in six months!

Okay, so I'm going to put up a teaser prologue for the next story I'm writing. More chapters will be up in about two weeks.

Pretty pretty please check it out! For now, it'll be called Marked. The link's in my status!

Thanks guys!

Please vote, comment and fan!

Rae <3