Two Worlds

~Chapter 1~

   "Alright class, settle down. Today I'll be assigning you your annual end of the year project. As usual, the subject must focus on marine life but this year we are including another subject! I'm sure you've all heard the legends of mermaids and the shark almost three times the size of the Tyrannosaurus rex-!"

   "Which are both real," a student interrupted from the back.

   The whole college class turned to the source of the disruption. Keith Kogane, sitting with his feet on his desk and blowing decently sized bubbles with his gum.

   "I mean really, you can't deny fact Miss Montgomery. There has been too much evidence to conclude that mermaids and the Megalodon aren't existing or were once existing species."

   Some of the jocks in the front of the classroom snickered. "Nerd!" one called. Keith rolled his eyes while the boys high-fived. Miss Montgomery sighed. "Keith, if you would like to have a class debate about mythical creatures sometime before the school year is over, come to my room during lunch with evidence and I may just let you teach the class for a day. Maybe two if the debate needs more time. But until then, please stop interrupting my class."

Keith nodded. "Will do, Miss Montgomery."

"As I was previously explaining, ocean mythology may be the subject for your project. Now, please put yourselves into groups of three people. If you can't find a group in less than five minutes, you will be put with others in the same situation. You time starts... now!"

   'Why can't I work alone for once...' Keith thought.

   In the front of the classroom, Hunk and Katie had already joined up.

   "This is gonna be sweet! What if we get actual evidence of mermaids?!" Hunk exclaimed. Katie nodded excitedly as she looked around the room for one more person to join the group. Her eyes happened to land on her brother, Matt. She ran over to him and rambled on in excitement. "Matt! Hunk and I are gonna find mermaids! And we need one more person for our group so you gotta-!"

   "Katie... I'm already in a group with Shiro and Shay..."

   Katie looked at the other two people sitting with Matt. Her brother's best friend gave her a playful salute and Hunk's girlfriend gave a friendly wave to both. Neither had heard Katie's previous excitement over the loud noise the whole class was making.

   "But Matt... you're always with Shiro and Shay... you promised me a week before school started that we would do all these projects together... you haven't been my partner for a single one all year..."

   "That was before I knew Shiro was gonna be here this year..."

   "So now Shiro's taken my place?"

   "Katie you know that isn't what I meant-!"

   "No. No it is what you meant. Shiro means more to you than me and that's fine. I could care less!"

   Katie stomped back to her seat in the front of the room. She refused to cry in class. She waited for Hunk to sit in the seat next to her and turned to him.

   "He's coming over here, isn't he?" Katie asked flatly.

   "Yeah..." Hunk replied.

   Matt came and stood in front of Katie.

   "Katie listen-" Matt started.

   "Alright class! Back to your seats!" Miss Montgomery called. "There are sixty-three students in this class so we should have twenty-one groups of three! And by looking around... it seems there's only twenty completed groups. Who isn't in a group of three?"

   Hunk, Keith and Katie rose their hands. Katie shot a glare at Matt before turning back to Miss Montgomery.

   "Alright, Keith come join Katie and Hunk. I'm sure you three will get along swell."

   The final bell rung, and everyone rushed out of the room to welcome the weekend. Matt came down to Hunk and Katie's table.

   "Dad's, uh, making pizza tonight! He just texted me that he needs us to get-"

   "Us? Oh great, something to do as partners!" Katie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or wait, would you rather go shop with Shiro? You know, cause he's your best friend and I'm just your annoying little sister!"

   Katie grabbed her bag and went to Keith's desk with Hunk following behind her. She took note of how he dressed and of his current facial expression.

   "I'm Katie Holt. This is Hunk. You're Keith, right?"

   "That's the name."

   Keith was sticking his books into his cross body bag when Katie took notice to the circular pride flag button on his leather jacket. Keith smirked when he saw her observing it. "We gonna have a problem, Holt?" he asked.

   "Don't think we will." She replied.

   Keith stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. He looked to Hunk.

   "So Sunshine, you think we're gonna have any problems?"

   Hunk shook his head with a smile. Keith took his phone out of a jacket pocket.

   "You two have phones right?"

   Both nodded.

   "Good. We should make a texting group so we can all message each other if ever needed."

Each exchanged phone numbers and walked out of school together.

"So I was thinking we could go to the aquarium this weekend to find mermaids." Katie suggested.

"I'm pretty sure they don't keep real mermaids in captivity." Keith said.

"No, there's this open ocean exhibit. It's right on the shore but the huge room is below sea level with this huge glass wall." Katie said.

"The place will be crammed with gross little kids and parents pushing through to let their kids see absolutely nothing because what animal in their right mind would come swimming close to this gross species?" Keith asked.

"Aw come on Keith, it'll be fun!" Hunk whined.

"Plus, our project will be done in less than two weeks. And it's not even due for another then five weeks! Come on Keith, it's literally just going to an aquarium to do our project!" Pidge argued.

"...fine. But only cause I want to get this over with." Keith surrendered.

"And who knows, maybe you'll find some hot mermaid prince who falls head over fins for you!" Hunk joked.

Keith rolled his eyes but went along with the joke.

"With a beautiful sapphire blue tail and enchanting sea blue eyes." Keith fantasized.

"Let's just hope all the black makeup you wear is waterproof, Keith. It's gonna be hard to kiss a mermaid when your eyeliner's running."

Keith gave Katie a playful punch on the shoulder and Hunk a smile before he walked in the other direction to home. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.