Below the Surface

Chapter Seven: Coming After Me

Dedicated to lemon_fanta007 because she left such a nice and honest message and I adore her for that. Thank you.

Chapter Seven: Coming After Me

When I arrive back home I contemplate the fact that this summer will possibly be the worst ever. There is no doubt about it. I open the door to the house hastily before someone sees me without any pants on. One of the not so fun perks about being a mermaid, during the transformation you lose all your clothes and when you change back to having a pair of legs, you're stark naked. Bella and I have learned what to expect and now we have extra clothing on the beach in case anything goes wrong - like the situation I just had. In this case, I was definitely not prepared. I grit my teeth together the second Liam pops into my mind. He's back. I still can't decide whether or not this is a very good thing or a very, very bad thing. I walk to my room and slip on my turquoise pajama shorts and black tank top and make my way back to the kitchen where I pour myself a glass of water. I stare outside the glass door that faces the ocean and I watch as the sun sets on the horizon. Pacing back and forth across the kitchen and living room, I think about the pros and cons of Liam's return. A pro, can be the possibility of us rekindling our friendship. A small smile appears on my face and I hop on my feet at the idea of our friendship working out again. But, what if Liam doesn't want to rekindle our friendship because he's too stubborn about forgetting our past mistakes - my mistakes? The cons can be the possibility of him trying to have revenge on me for my past mistakes. He did act a little hostile today at the party, but he hid it very well from the others...maybe he is after me. I stop in my place and think this through. Liam, the nicest - well, who was the nicest guy a few years back - coming back to Maui to get back at me for hurting him? Holy. Shit. It makes perfect sense. He's coming after me. I need a bath. Sighing, I grab a jar of nutella and a spoon from one of the cabinets and make my way to the bathroom. I stop abruptly when I sense something missing. I turn to my right and walk over to the end of the room where a small mahogany table sits. On top of the mahogany table we keep a few candles with photo frames of family, and ourselves and a fish tank that I keep. I peek over the tank that is kept empty from water and see that Phillip, my turtle, has no food in his bowl. My frustration hits the roof. I told Bella to get him lettuce before I came.

"UGH!" I groan and stomp back over to the bathroom. I slam the jar of nutella down on the ground as I turn on the water. I plug the cork into the drain and sit on the toilet seat as I wait for the tub to fill up. This will be the worst summer ever.

There's a door slam that causes me to stir awake. I'm still in the tub filled with water, minus the bubbles, revealing every inch of my tail. As I look up to the sky window, I see it's a bright and blue morning. Bella can't possibly be back home? At this hour? I watch through the open bathroom door, waiting for Bella to pass by. I hear the keys being placed on the counter and I prepare myself for the conversation we're about to have. It's quiet, and I wonder if she passed out on the couch. Then I hear footsteps tip toeing across the hard wood floor. She's coming. I fold my arms across my chest and glance at my tail and when I turn my head, I see Bella entering the bathroom, but she doesn't notice me.

"Bella." I say sharply. She jumps back screaming and flips the light on. Even though she looks like a mess, she's still a walking goddess. Her makeup is smudged around the corners of her eyes but they're stilling shining bright. She puts a hand to her chest as she calms her breathing. I roll my eyes and I push myself to sit up straighter.

"Gaby! What are you doing?" she exclaims as she looks at my appearance. "Did you sleep in here?"

"Not important." I snap, "Did you just get home? I was waiting all night." She opens her mouth to reply but I stop her, "I'm having a mid-life crisis and you were out partying!" she rolls her eyes and turns off the light while walking out of the bathroom. "Bella!" I yell and try to get out of the tub when I realize I don't have legs. "Don't walk away from me!" I pull the plug to the tub and reach for my towel and start drying my hair as the water goes down the drain. "Bella!" I shriek as I start patting my tail dry. In a blink of an eye, my legs are back and I hurdle over the tub. I wrap the towel tightly around my body and storm out of the bathroom and to Bella's room, she is lying on her full size bed. Her room is not so different from mine, besides the ribbons, medals, and trophies she won from surfing for everyone to see.