“Ask him, then,” he says.
“I will.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I stand, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. “I won’t.”
The tardy bell rings as I step out into the hall. Damselfish! One more tardy to American government and it’ll drop my already precarious grade. Yet another thing I can blame on Quince Fletcher.
3
“Go now!” Shannen shoves me out of the lunch line. “Before the goons behind us get to his table.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I see that she’s right. Brody’s posse—the swim team and cheerleading squad—are in line behind Shannen, behind the spot I just occupied. Out in the cafeteria, Brody is sitting alone at their table.
If I’m going to ask him, I’d better do it now. It’s my best chance.
With a deep breath, I hand my lunch to Shannen, push my way through the crowd around the registers, and make my way to Brody’s table. He doesn’t notice right away when I approach, so I clear my throat. He looks up and all the words in my mind wash away. He’s like high tide, clearing out my thoughts as easily as driftwood on the beach.
For a moment I’m back to the first time I saw him. It was the afternoon before my first day at Seaview High. The nerves and the fears and the homesickness had gotten to me. I was a mermaid, a girl of the sea! What was I thinking, going to terraped high school? I’d never survive.
So I’d left Aunt Rachel a note and headed for the beach. Leaving my clothes under the pier, I’d slipped beneath the water, intent on swimming home.
Then there was a splash in front of me, and when the bubbles cleared, I saw a boy gliding beneath the waves. He was clearly human, but he swam like he belonged in the water. Like he was the water.
That was the moment I knew. If a terraped boy could feel that at home in the water, surely I could survive a few months on land. After all, I was half human. And I wanted to find out more about my mom’s world.
That was also the moment I fell in love with Brody. He’s the reason I’ve stayed in Seaview for all of high school, instead of the one year I’d originally planned. He’s my future mermate.
Of course, when I was little, I never imagined I’d be bringing a human boy home to meet Daddy, but I’m pretty confident Daddy will see that Brody’s meant to be in the water. And Brody will love Thalassinia.
It’s way past time I finally tell him how I feel.
Smiling, he says, “Hey, Lil.” He forks a bite of pasta into his mouth. “What’s up?”
“Um,” I say, my voice suddenly quivering like an electric eel on full volts. “About what I was going to ask you this morning.”
“Right.” He swallows his food and takes another bite. “Shoot.”
“Well, I just—”
“Hey, is this about that special report on price gouging in the school vending machines?” His brows drop to shadow his golden-brown eyes. “I verified my numbers with three independent snack food distributors.”
I love that he is so dedicated to his work and excited about this exposé, but is a nickel a candy bar really price gouging?
“Actually, it’s about Spring Fling,” I blurt. “Since you and Courtney broke up, I was wondering if you might want to…”
My question trails off when I see his eyes soften with something that looks dangerously like sympathy. No, no, no. Not a good sign.
He sets down his fork and stands up.
“Oh, Lil,” he says, sounding sincerely sad. “You know I love you, but—”
No phrase in the history of civilization that begins with “I love you, but…” has ever ended well.
“Sure,” I say quickly, eager to get my humiliation over with. “No problem.” Tears prickle at the back of my eyes. “Forget I asked.”
I turn to rush away, but Brody grabs my arm.
“Listen,” he says, pulling me back to face him. “I need some time on my own right now. To find out what I really want for the first time in two years. It wouldn’t be fair to you—or any girl—if I said yes.”
Whatever. He’s just too nice to say he’d never in a million billion years go with someone like me.
“Of course,” I say, sniffing, hoping my tears don’t well up beyond the point of surface tension. “I totally understand.”
And I totally need to get out of here. Breaking into tears in the school cafeteria only leads to one thing: gossip. Most of the school already thinks I’m part freak. I don’t need to feed the swell.
“Hey,” he says, reaching for my chin and tilting my head up. “Save me a dance.”
I smile weakly.
“Promise,” he says, flashing me his most charming smile.
I nod. Then the table is suddenly surrounded by jocks and swishing poms. Taking advantage of the crowd, I slip away and head for the nearest restroom.
I don’t know what’s worse: that Brody said no, or that Quince told me he would. Why does he always have to be right?
Because it’s lunchtime, the halls are empty and I make it to the girls’ bathroom without being seen. In a back stall I succumb to several long minutes of crying. I feel like someone pulled out my still-beating heart, stomped on it a few times with dirty motorcycle boots, and then shoved it back into my chest. All the fears that kept me quiet for three long years were just publicly unveiled. Brody will never love me. The whole reason I stayed on land just evaporated like sea foam on sand.