Mr. Garret is my dad, I'm a mermaid, I can heal people, and the love of my life, Cole, is dead. A lot has happened since that day; I found out Mr. Garret is my dad, I moved out, but that's not the worst part. Cole and I were celebrating our two-year anniversary when it happened. We were walking down the street holding hands when we heard honking then bam we were in the hospital, Cole died on impact, he saved my life.
It's been a hard year not having him around, but I think I'll be okay, I hope.
"Marianna?" I feel someone shaking me.
"Huh? What?" I see Ryker. "What do you want?" He smiles.
"Since you're finally twenty-one lets get drunk!" He says happily, but I shake my head.
"Nope sorry, it's my birthday and I'm not spending it with you." He pouts.
"That's not very nice Marianna." I smile.
"I know." I get a flashback to when he and I almost kissed.
" I know it's going to be your first year without Cole, but come on lets party." He tries to cheer me up. Just after a year I finally met Ryker. Cole and I were swimming and he popped up out of nowhere. Cole, Ryker and I went swimming all the time and they were very close. Ryker had been there for me since Cole passed.
"Wow, thanks, Ryker real smooth." I punch him in the arm.
"You punch like a girl." I glare at him.
"You know I don't want me to punch you again?" He raises his arms to surrender.
"You win, you win, you win!" he bows over and over again.
"I know I do," I hear keys jingle in the door "Someone's home." His smile fades.
"Duck and cover." He hides behind me thinking his wide-shouldered, tall, muscular body would hide perfectly behind mine.
"She'll never find you there," I roll my eyes and sigh "Hello, Tiffany." She walks in.
"Oh, you're here. Hey, Ryker." He puts her hand on her bony hip.
"Hey, Tiff," He moves out from behind me, but not before he whispers in my ear "how do I break up with an anorexic stalker?" I sigh.
"Just break up with her." I whisper back, he walks over to her and I walk into the kitchen.
"Ryker, why are you breaking up with me?" I hear them yelling at each other.
"Because, Tiff I just don't feel anything with you, I used to I really did, but not anymore." I can hear the pain in her voice.
"Is it because I'm fat?" I choked on my water and started coughing.
"No, Tiff that's the thing your skin and bones." She was crying.
"I did this for you." I sigh.
"Tiffany I liked you a lot more before." She was a beautiful girl, but now she just doesn't eat.
"It's because of Marianna, isn't it? You're cheating on me!" I walk out of the kitchen, grab my purse, turn around and look at her.
"Don't blame me for something you did to yourself because you thought something." I storm out of the house and down to the beach.
I sit down on the hot sand and dig my feet into the sand and wiggle my toes. "Mind if I join you?" I look up to see Ryker.
"What about Tiff?" he sits down "I didn't say you could sit there." He lays his head on my shoulder.
"She slapped me." I try to hold back a laugh, but it doesn't work.
"Ouch, getting slapped by a boney hand." I laugh.
"Shut up and let me lay on your lap." I glare at him.
"No," he pouts and gives me puppy-dog eyes, "Fine, but just remember I hate you." He laughs.
"No you don't," I get my feet out of the sand, he lays his head on my lap and he grabs my hand and puts my hand on his head "Play with my hair." I sigh and run my fingers through his shaggy brown hair is soft. I play with his hair for about twenty minutes and the next thing I hear is snoring. I flare my nostrils.
"You've got to be kidding me?" I push him off my lap and stand up. I take off my t-shirt and begin to take off my jeans when Ryker wakes up.
"Are you stripping for me?" I sigh.
"Nope, I need a swim. Wanna join me?" I always have a swimsuit on under my clothes and he stands up and takes his shirt off. I'm always in awe to see him shirtless. His abs are rock hard and his dark olive skin makes them look even better; he smiles at me when he catches me staring at him.
"Like what you see? I'll join you if." I interrupt him
"I do, but I won't do anything for you to join." I take my jeans off, put my long auburn hair into a hair ponytail. I look back at him and smile.
I turn and run into the ocean and he shortly follows. We swim for hours, but at about seven in the afternoon a huge crowd of teenage boys and they see our clothes on the ground and they pick them up, "What are they doing with our clothes? How do we get back on shore without them seeing us?" he sighs grabs my hand and starts swimming.
"We can go to the other side of the beach and walk over there and bam we get our clothes back." I nod and we do as he says and we start walking back to where are clothes are and the group of boys are there waiting.
"Now what genius?" He grabs my hand again.
"Lets pretend to be dating and we were on a date." I sigh.
"This is just an excuse to hold my hand isn't it?" He smiles at me, his perfect smile, his lip piercing shins in the moonlight and he grabs my hand. "Fine, but only this once." We intertwine our fingers and start walking and the boys see us.
"Hey! Looking for these?" He holds up my jeans and t-shirt and Ryker's shirt.
"Yeah, thanks." I reach out to grab my stuff, but he pulls them back. He grips my hand hard.
"Lets get out of here Marianna." We turn around, but there were some standing there too. He wraps an arm around my waist and brings my close to me. Feeling his hand on my bare skin makes my face heat up, "Why am I like this? Do I like him? No, I couldn't...could I?" My face in his chest and he looks at all the teenagers.
"What do you want?" they shrug and they throw our clothes at Ryker's feet.
"Nothing, we just wanted to see what the lady looked like. We aren't disappointed." I roll my eyes and look up at Ryker.
"Don't be mad," he looks at me and I smile. "I'm yours you don't have to worry." He smiles and they boy leave one by one un till only one was left.
"I don't believe you." He holds a gun and points it at us.
"What are you talking about? We've been dating for a year." I think you're lying."
I look at him. "How do you want me to prove it?" He thinks then says something.
"Kiss him." I nod.
"I can do that." I got on my tiptoes, wrap my arms around his arms and I kiss him; his grip on my waist tightens and he moves both hands to my waist and pulls me closer to him.
"Okay whatever." He says in a grumpy voice.
We don't stop kissing, I lower myself back onto my feet and he bends down and his soft lips press against mine more.
"Ryker." I say breathlessly against his lips and he backs away.
"Yes?" he asks me and my face is extremely red.
"I like kissing you, but I feel like I'm cheating on Cole." He hugs me tightly.
"I know, but feel this," He grabs my hand and puts it over his heart; his heart is beating really fast. "My feelings for you are true." I hug him.
"Just give me some time please." He nods.
"Of course." We stand there for a few minutes.
