Lie to Me: A Mermaid Tail

Chapter 2- We're Just on the Same Sidewalk

Chapter Two

 Math class was a drag, as was the rest of the day. I walked home on the sidewalk because I didn't live very far. I saw dark clouds looming over me, and I prayed it wouldn't rain. Water from the sky that falls spontaneously? My worst nightmare! I heard my feet patter slowly on the concrete, and I could swear I heard more footsteps, but I knew it was just the echo of my shoes in the thick air.

"Ashlyn," I heard a slightly familiar voice call.

"What?" I demanded rudely, spinning on my heel and placing my hands on my hips. Of course, Nate was there. What little sun was seeping through the clouds seemed to be landing right on him, making his hair shine. He looked amazing, his tight, plain gray t-shirt emphasizing what looked like perfect abs. I shook my head and focused on the clouds.

"Nothing, we're just walking on the same sidewalk," he said, pointing down at the ground with an innocent expression. I began to kick a rock, trying not to think about his amazing, tan face.

"Oh," I said, silently cursing myself for sounding like a brainless idiot. 'Oh'? Is that the best I can come up with? Shoot me, for not being able to sound intelligent while talking to cute guys. "Yeah," I mumbled, cursing at myself internally again. I must sound like such a genius.

He mumbled in what I think was agreement. Then he jogged up next to me and stole the rock I was kicking. He started to kick it himself.

"You stole my rock!" I complained, trying to run and get it back. Oh, what does it matter, it's a damn rock! Nate kicked it down a gutter and I looked at the metal grate.

Nate stopped in his tracks. "Do you want to go swimming later?" he asked. This took me aback.

"Swim? With you?" I said, completely unaware of how prissy and bitchy that sounded.

"Got a problem?" he said, seeming to bulk up, and he had a glint in his eye. It looked like he could have attacked me. He took a small, short deep breath. It was almost un-noticeable. He calmed down.

"No, it's just that I don't swim with anyone."

"Oh," he mumbled, sounding disappointed.

"I mean, we can, since you've already seen me and all," I said, blushing like crazy.

"Good, then." He sounded much happier. "Meet me at that beach," he pointed towards the giant strip of sand. The beach. My beach. I'd claimed it, being a mermaid and all.

"Okay," I assured him, enjoying the moment. "Later, then," I almost squealed.

***

Once again, at home, I threw my bag onto the porch and ran straight to the sea, awaiting my transformation. This time, though, I didn't head straight for the water. I waited for Nate to show up because he said as long as I stayed close to the surface, he'd swim with me. So, I waited with my toes in the soft, cool beige sand. Finally, Nate showed up, rocking a stunning set of abs. I tried to catch my breath as I ran into the water, despising my last few moments on legs.

The tingling sensation emerged a minute after I made contact with the water. The thick, bronze chain around my neck froze, and the tear-shaped aquamarine stone glistened under water, sparking every time I swam. I saw Nate's eyes widen as he saw me change into water itself (only for a split second), and then taking the shape of a mermaid. There was no painful bone re-construction. I was human, then water, then mermaid; simple as that.

Since the moment Nate discovered me, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was doing something wrong. Shouldn't I be sitting on a rock, combing my hair with a fork while admiring human princes from afar, singing my little heart out? Well, I can sing, it's part of being a mermaid. Mermaids and sirens aren't all that different.

Sirens used to sing to young, male sailors, luring them to their deaths.  But was killing really in the heart of a teenage girl? No, of course not.

I tried to see through the thick curtain of my russet hair. Nate was swimming, much slower, next to me, smiling and waving. Even underwater his pearly white teeth glistened, captivating me. His teeth and my voice were similar; intriguing and captivating. His whole face was captivating, beautiful...

Stop it, Ashlyn, I thought. He's human, you're mermaid, it'll never work. I gave myself a mental slap and turned my head away from him, focusing on the crystal clear water surrounding me. I refused to look at him the entire rest of the swim, but I could feel him staring at me.

We found a parade of large, black rocks spewing out from the shore. Nate climbed up and then pulled me up. He shook his hair out like a dog, then ran down the rocks to the shore, where he came back with a towel. I dried off my tail and waited until I turned human again.

I was still wet when Nate asked me a startling question.

"Can I...touch it?" he asked wearily, gesturing slightly towards my tail. 

"Why would you want to? It's kind of...slimy."

"I want to."

"Okay, then. Be my guest."

Beginning at the top, he slowly moved his hand down. Although he said nothing, his face showed nothing but awe.

I stopped watching the slow movement of his hand, turning my attention to his face.  His dark, loose in an "I-don't-care" way locks were swaying in the breeze. His ice blue eyes were wide, and the smallest sight of a blush crept onto his face as he watched his hand on my tail. I lost his smile in a cloud of bronze glitter and gold mist, and my tail turned into legs. He flushed a deeper pink when he realized his hand was on my upper thigh, stopping right underneath my short-shorts. I blushed and swung my legs away, covering my face again with my hair.

He had also quickly pulled his hand away, blushing madly, his bang-sweeping hair covering his face as he tilted his head on an angle. I was pretty sure that he was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. If I blushed anymore, my cheeks would turn purple. How red could they get? They turn purple sometimes with the amount of blood rushing to my face. I continued to stare at the crashing waves, smashing the shore.

Their aggression pierced my like daggers. I don't know whether it was my connection with the ocean, or whether it was just the fact that they were so harsh, hitting the shore...

It reminded me that what I was doing was all wrong.

"Nate," I said, my voice trembling. "You shouldn't...I mean I shouldn't...I can't believe....you're not supposed...this is wrong," I finished, trying to take the right words from my mind and put them into sensible words.

"You mean I shouldn't be here, with you, knowing what I know. You shouldn't have ever let me find out. I'm not supposed to know. This is wrong," he clarified. I nodded, feeling the sharp tingle behind my eyes, and the big bulge in my throat, telling me I was so close to crying. Nate swung his arm around me, tugging me closer to him.

I tried to shrug his arm off my shoulder, but he moved it to my waist instead. "Ashlyn," he said. The name didn't sound very familiar, very welcome in his mouth. "Ashlyn," he repeated, though quieter this time. "Maybe I was supposed to find out. Maybe it's fate!"

"It's wrong." I paused, trying to clear my head. I sniffled. "It's definitely wrong. We...we don't go together. Humans and mermaids, we don't exactly mix." I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, not wanting to look like a fumbling, crying idiot. I pulled away from him and threw myself into the water.

I waited, letting myself sink until my tail formed. It only took a second. I swam up to the surface, but I didn't let my head break the surface of the water. I stayed underwater, breathing and trying to decipher images through the waving liquid. I could barely make out the black rocks, and the person sitting on them. The sun sparkled, blurring my vision. I could tell that the person on the rocks, Nate, had his head in his hands.

I swam away quickly, not giving a backward glance. No, no, no! This would not become some sappy, classic high school love story, I was too different, and so many things could go wrong! No; I'm keeping myself to my own business.

I nodded my head confidently, confirming my idea.