Mermaid • Enoch O'Connor

nineteen

019 | ❝ I am 100% telling you the truth❞

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 Delphine hadn't walked back home until about an hour after Enoch had left her alone. When she got home, Emma had come running to her with a worried expression, but Delphine ignored her walking past her up to her bedroom. While she was at the beach, she had tried to so hard to push away her feelings, Enoch had once again made her feel terrible, and it was no help that her best friend had lied to her about meeting at the beach.

Delphine fell to her bed and a tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away. She wouldn't cry, no chance of that, there was no point in crying. Delphine let a sniffle as she looked up at her ceiling the bedroom was bright with the light streaming in from the big window. Suddenly there was a knock-on Delphine's bedroom door and she let out another sigh hoping it wasn't Emma. "Who is it?" Delphine called out grabbing her dolphin and hugging it close to her chest.

"Emma," Emma answered in a soft voice tapping her fingers against the door. Delphine didn't call for her to come in, instead, she stayed quiet and rolled on her back so that now she was laying on her side looking at the sky from the window. Emma knocked again on the door. "Delphine, can I please come in?" Emma asked, Delphine still didn't answer her.

After a while, Emma opened the door and Delphine turned to look at her. "What happened?" Emma asked walking into the bedroom and closing the door. "Why didn't you come home with Enoch?"

"Was that the plan?" Delphine asked sitting up in bed crossing her legs and pressing her elbows into the dolphin. "Why did you do that?"

Emma slowly walked towards Delphine until she was standing in front of her with her arms held behind her. "I saw you coming out of his bedroom this morning, I thought you guys were together already." Emma then said. "Abraham and I both thought-"

"Well, you thought wrong," Delphine said annoyance etched in her voice. "I've been sleepwalking there because of my nightmares. I wish you and Abraham wouldn't have done this- I'm so embarrassed."

Emma finally took a seat beside Delphine on the bed taking the other dolphin that was on the bed, the one Abraham had given to Delphine, and she leaned into it "What happened?"

"Well, I went to the beach and waited for you were you told me," Delphine said. "Then to my surprise, Enoch appeared, and he was waiting for Abraham. I can't believe you two planned this. Anyway, I asked him why he didn't like him, and he told me he did but that he couldn't be my friend and he didn't tell me why- instead he left me alone."

"What?" Emma asked a smile growing on her face and Delphine glared at her friend not understand how she could be smiling at what she had just told her. "Tell me everything he said after you asked him that question, word for word."

Delphine let out a groan not really wanted to talk about that moment, but she did anyway. Emma let out a squeal jumping up and down on the bed making Delphine grow annoyed. "Why are you acting like that, it's obvious Enoch doesn't like me what's so good about that?"

Emma patted Delphine on the head finally calming down and throwing the stuffed dolphin back onto the bed. "Delphine, don't you get it? Think about the way Enoch acted after you asked the question." Emma said with a smile. "He said he really liked you, but he couldn't be your friend. The answer is obvious."

Delphine shook her head not understanding what her friend was getting at. "I think we better call in some professional help." Emma then said standing up, but Delphine quickly took her hand and pulled her back down to the bed.

"No Emma," Delphine said. "We don't need to tell anyone because I get it, Enoch just doesn't want to be my friend."

Emma shook her head, "That's not true, who wouldn't want to be friends with you?" she said standing up from the bed. "Now, you just wait here, and I'll go get Abe." Emma then quickly left the room before Delphine could stop her. Delphine just let out a sigh and laid back down on the bed to wait for Emma to return.

"Abe couldn't come," Emma said walking into the bedroom with a huff. "He was talking to Enoch and when I entered the room, they looked like they'd just been caught doing something they shouldn't." Emma took a seat on the bed. "I told Abe that you need his help so that if he could come to talk to you later it would be great."

Delphine looked at Emma with wide eyes. "Did you say that to him when he was with Enoch?" She asked and Emma nodded her head. "Are you crazy? What if Enoch finds out it's him, I want to talk to Abraham with?"

Emma shook her head, "I doubt it." she said waving her hand around as if it were no big deal. "Look, I'll let you in on a little secret that I wasn't sure I should tell you but after what you told me I don't think Enoch is going to grow up and tell you himself."

Delphine nodded her head and moved closer to Emma. She could feel her heart pounding wildly against her chest and she wondered if Emma could hear it. "Enoch admitted to Abe about having feelings for you and that is why we planned today out. I thought Enoch would tell you everything, but he didn't- the idiot."

Delphine could feel her face grow hot and pink as a smile made its way to her face. "Emma, please tell me you aren't just saying this to make me feel better?" Delphine asked burying her face into her stuffed animal peaking at Emma through a small opening above the dolphin. She could feel her stomach going crazy and she wondered if she was really going to barf or if this was just all the happiness gathering in one place ready to explode.

Emma let out a laugh and shook her head at her friend, "I am 100% telling you the truth, only because I think it's time for you to make the first move. I mean face it who knows when Enoch will pluck up the courage to do it himself." Emma said pulling the dolphin away from her friend's face.

"Are you sure?" Delphine asked, "I don't think I could make the first move."

Emma gave her friend a smile. "Look, I know it can seem scary to be the first one to admit your feeling to the person you like to their face but believe me, Delphine, once you do it, you'll feel so much better. When I finally told Abe how I felt about him it was like this weight had finally lifted from my chest and I wasn't so afraid of him rejecting me." Emma played with the end of her skirt. "I knew there was a possibility of rejection and I was prepared for it, but there was also some hope in me that Abe would like me back."